42 St Connection

We’re creating a new experience below 42nd Street. We’re making significant improvements to the subway lines that connect the heart of Midtown, including redesigning platforms, adding elevators and stairs, installing in-station artwork, replacing escalators and stairways, and transforming the ​ 42 St Shuttle into a fully accessible service. These changes will upgrade overall customer experience, improve circulation, significantly reduce station congestion, and strengthen overall transit accessibility. The work we’re doing will make the journey faster and accessible for people of all abilities, connecting more of New York for more New Yorkers.

Overall completion for the 42nd Street Connection Program is slated for 4th Quarter 2025. The centerpiece of the project is the rebuilt ​ 42 St Shuttle, which opened in March 2021. On its Times Square side, there is one large island platform with tracks on both sides, a new feature that makes it easier for riders to board trains quickly. The station is now ADA-accessible and has a larger, more modern entrance. On its Grand Central side, we consolidated the shuttle into a two-track operation with one large, expanded platform for easier boarding. The new platform will provide much-needed space for riders of all abilities to easily access trains on either track, and gaps were eliminated between platform edges and trains to facilitate safer boarding for people using wheelchairs or other mobility devices. With the completion of these integral pieces of the 42 St Connection project, New Yorkers and tourists alike can now enjoy the expanded platforms, improved station circulation, and beautiful new mosaic tiling by artist Nick Cave while traveling through Midtown Manhattan.

We also created a new, in-station transfer between Times Sq-42 St and 42 St-Bryant Park, providing a free connection between the ​​​​​​​​​ and ​​​​ lines. A new mosaic artwork by Nick Cave covers the walls of the new connection. Other improvements below 42nd Street include new elevators and escalators, new and expanded stairways, and more digital information screens. These changes will help make your commute more reliable, and help you get to where you’re going more quickly.

• Passenger flow
  • Constructing a new staircase to the ​ line at Grand Central-42 St to reduce crowding and congestion
  • Widening and retreading stairwell from 6’ to 7’ 3” and adding longer stair landings
• Station egress
  • Escalator replacement
• State of good repair
  • Identifying and repairing the tunnel arch and walls in the Flushing cavern at Grand Central-42 St
  • Performing leak mitigation
• Accessibility
  • Upgrading the 42 St-Bryant Park ​​​​ station to be fully ADA-accessible
• Internal systems
  • Installing new systems in passageways
  • Upgrading fire alarm system in the Flushing, Lexington, and Shuttle corridors at Grand Central-42 St

The 42 St Connection Project has recently won awards including:

• Best New Infrastructure 2023 - The Municipal Art Society of New York MASterworks Awards
• Construction Achievement Project of the Year 2023 -  American Society of Civil Engineers Metropolitan Section
• Gold Engineering Excellence Award 2023, Transportation - American Council of Engineering Companies of New York
• Transformative Projects Award 2022 - Building Trades' Employers Association