Gryffindor via Wikimedia Commons
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The station at 72nd and Broadway, one of the busiest subway stops on the Upper West Side, will soon shut down two elevators that provide access to the uptown and downtown 1, 2, and 3 train platforms from the mezzanine level. “The elevators will be closed and removed for new replacements,” read a flyer posted in one of the station’s doorways. Work is slated to begin on August 25.
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The MTA posting also noted that a temporary barricade would be installed throughout the station as part of the construction process, and that “the agent booth will remain operational during regular hours at the station.” Opened on October 27, 1904 as one of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway, 72nd Street is one of the rare above-ground stations, accessible through one of its two station houses at the intersection of Broadway, 72nd Street, and Amsterdam Avenue.
“A 90-foot staging area will be established along the subway station on Verdi Path,” reads the MTA announcement, which adds that “Verdi Path will remain open and accessible to pedestrians” throughout construction. The staging area is expected to remain in place through the first quarter of 2026—the same period during which the elevators are expected to be out of service. The MTA also noted that unforeseen factors, such as weather and field conditions, could delay the scheduled work and operations.
Another posting on the subway track level—which contains two island platforms and four tracks—states that the repairs will improve reliability with modernized equipment, upgraded security systems, and a smoother ride. An MTA spokesperson also directed us to their Elevator Replacement website, noting that the agency has been replacing elevators at various stations across the transit system, including the recently completed elevators at West 66th Street–Lincoln Center on the local 1 line, earlier this month.
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The 81st Street–Museum of Natural History station is also in the process of installing an elevator to make it ADA-compliant, with completion expected in 2026. Meanwhile, the station at 96th and Central Park West is getting a new three-stop elevator connecting the street to the platforms, and its existing stairs will be refurbished. A new ADA-compliant raised boarding area will also be installed, and the lower-level track will be replaced. New pedestrian ramps and signage are expected as well, as we reported in May 2024.
Those looking to access the 1, 2, and 3 lines via an elevator while the ones at 72nd Street are under repair are recommended to use the West 66th Street–Lincoln Center station, where you can transfer to the express at 72nd Street if you’re going uptown, or at 42nd Street if you’re going downtown. Transfer options are also available at the 59th Street station, the eighth busiest in the city according to a 2023 survey. The 72nd Street station ranked 22nd citywide and second on the Upper West Side (following 59th Street). The station at 96th and Broadway placed 23rd citywide and third on the Upper West Side.
We’ll be sure to update you when the new elevators are ready to go back online.
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Um, the entire north block house, which is not the one in the picture, but the part of the station that contains the elevators is only 20 years old.
Seems more than a little soon to be doing a full replacement. Was basic maintenance skipped for the last 15 years? Hard to imagine that the elevators new 20 years ago won’t accommodate wheelchairs.
I hope they put urinals and showers in them because that’s heir main usage.
This is an unnecessary waste of time and money. Two elevators that work perfectly well and aren’t that old will be replaced and it will probably be over a year that the station will be without access when there are so many more immediate needs to be dealt with in the subway system. Who decides these things?