On Monday, May 16, the MTA unveiled a new accessible subway entrance at the 42nd Street-Times Square station.
Located in the pedestrian plaza near the corner of 43rd Street, this new 5,000-square-foot mezzanine space is part of the $300 million 42nd Street Connector Project that includes a series of major improvements to this busy station.
The 15-foot-wide staircase entrance, located right off Broadway Plaza, will include 18 surveillance cameras, a new turnstile and mezzanine level, a new ADA-accessible elevator with two-way communication for those with hearing and speech impediments, and LED information screens.
A new canopy over the stairs, which displays a total of 238 triangular glass frames, is meant to replicate the sparkling Waterford Crystals that adorn the world-famous New Year’s Eve Ball (which you’ll soon be able to see in a whole new way!).
The new entrance also features sweeping views of a brand new 3,200-square-foot mosaic by artist Nick Cave, titled, “Each One, Every One, Equal All,” the subway system’s largest mosaic installation.
Cave states,”Times Square is one of the busiest, most diverse and fabulously kinetic places on the planet. For this project I took the above ground color, movement, and cross-pollination of humanity, bundled it into a powerful and compact energy mass that is taken underground. ‘Every One’ places the viewer within a performance, directly connecting them with the Soundsuits as part of an inclusive community of difference.”
This new station is now open and will lead to the N, Q, R, W, 1, 2, 3, and 7 lines.
“I look forward to seeing more riders use this newly renovated station as the City’s recovery continues and we start to welcome more tourists this spring and summer,” said Richard Davey, President of MTA New York City Transit. “Ridership is already showing great progress. We hit 5 million riders on the subways and buses on May 5 for the first time since March 13, 2020. But as far as we’ve come, we still recognize that we need to do even more to attract new riders.”