By Gus Saltonstall
The West 86th Street downtown 1 train station, which has been closed since the beginning of June, reopened in the last couple of days with a new and improved look.
From a logistical point of view, downtown 1 trains will again be stopping at West 86th Street, instead of making the West 96th to West 79th Street “station jump” they have been making for the past month.
The MTA had said the 86th Street station was closed for “structural maintenance,” and West Side Rag found a collection of immediately apparent improvements when it visited on Monday.
The walkway within the station has been repaved and smoothed out, and the yellow line appears repainted.
Additionally, the wooden benches that had been in the Upper West Side station were replaced with new metal ones.
Artwork remains hung throughout the station.
The MTA had said the West 86th Street station project would be finished by the end of June, and the agency delivered on that timeline.
Earlier this year the MTA performed similar type of work on the West 79th Street 1 train station.
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K am pleasantly surprised. When I saw the sign that the project would take a month, I thought, “ha.” I am pleasantly surprised.
“New artwork has also been hung throughout the station..’ Additional artwork is needed throughout the subway system.
It looks filthy to me, Look at the walls. Nothing has been painted in that station, embarrassing compared to other subway’s in cities and other countries..
I haven’t been in a subway since 1968 and never will.
Sorry to be a bit cranky here – “eyes” – but do you even live in NYC? on the UWS? over 50 years not on the subway?!? I’m glad to be able to travel downtown again boarding at 86th (which is definitely better) – Sometimes (mostly) incognito staring at the floor – but – have made eye contact, smiled at children, discussed plays/concerts just seen, helped tourists – It’s city life!
It’s the citizens that destroy property. The US has very light sentences for vandalism, graffiti, destruction of property. Other countries you are thrown in jail.
Around here the mantra is keep the perps out of jail. I hope we can get politicians who are serious about enforcing low level laws as well as the big stuff.
10
Looks noticeably different, which is a helluva improvement. I can’t say the same for the 50th Street stop that was closed for a long time, both uptown and downtown. There’s nothing that is noticeably different on either platform, other than a few lights replaced. It was disappointing, to say the least.
I’m so excited that this work has finished earlier than the end of June. Schlepping up to 96th Street and crossing over with my beach umbrella, chair and bag all June hasn’t been the greatest but now I can get back on at 86th street. I’m very happy!
It utterly floors me that they didn’t bother to clean up the filthy tile behind the new bench before installing it. Don’t they have someone with some common sense doing oversight on these projects?
The whole work was laser focused on replacing the platform. This station is evidently one of the original ones and dates to 1904. They jackhammered it and then rebuilt the surface of the platform and replaced the benches. It was not in the job description to fix, clean or replace the tile. Sure it could use it but that’s not what they were doing.
I could live with them not cleaning all the tiles. But, if you look at the picture, the tiles immediately behind the new bench are much dirtier than those around them, probably from people leaning against them for decades. Cleaning that should be part of the task of replacing the bench. The fact that “clean immediate area after removing old bench, but before installing new bench” was not in the scope of work is just absurd.
i really like the wooden leaning rails on the AC down Centeal Park West at 81st At
These unfortunately are no help to disabled people like me, who are very much in need of seats in the subway. I’ve narrowly avoided medical disaster in the past because I was able to sit — if there had been leaning rails in place of the benches, I likely would have taken a number of trips to the hospital over the years.
I’d like to see similar improvements at my grungy stations on 125th Street, both the 1 and the A/B/C/D. However, I’m not optimistic with the MTA now starved without congestion pricing revenues. It looks like they are prepping to cut capital projects. That said, MTA ought to make more efforts to keep existing stations clean and well painted. That sort of work doesn’t require lots of money, just dedicated maintenance.
The new seating looks nice but the walls still look dirty – should have cleaned those while they were working there
I agree with the comment and sentiments by Steve below. I’d like to see the same improvements at the 103rd Street C/B station. We asked the MTA once why they haven’t done it and they said the neighborhood complained that they did not want the station closed which is news to most of the neighborhood. It is interesting that they’ve renovated the stations in the higher income neighborhoods and left others undone. I agree that a simple paint touchup should not be that expensive and would lift the morale at these other stations.
The one thing they should have done they ddn’t do and that is stop fare beaters on 87th st. If they want to raise money fix tthose turnstyles. Hardly anyone pays at that location.
The MTA should have a program that features, on a rotating basis, the art of artists local to the station. It could be on a digital display that refreshes regularly, to make it cost effective and fast to implement. It could include recognized as well as budding artists, as well as work by kids enrolled in local schools. Imagine the confidence boost an 8 year old will get seeing their work featured in the local train station!?!? Or a young artist trying to start a career, or a retiree who picked up a long-neglected hobby. That would be amazing!
The station featured in this article actually does feature art work by local high school students. I agree that this is a great idea and should be done in more places. I was horrified that the new second avenue stations have “commissioned” art rather than featuring student art. That would be a nice way to save a few dollars and, as you noted, encourage student artists.
Safety First. They painted the yellow warning area by the end of the station platform to help warn riders and MTA staff that the edge in near by. But that really does not do it for me. For any of us really. The station platform needs to be equipped with a wall that has doors that line up exactly with the doors of the subway cars when a train pulls into the station. Those doors only open when the doors of the subway cars open. The walls along the station platform would keep people from jumping, falling or being pushed in front of an on coming train, which happens far too often in our day and age. This Platform Wall with Doors idea dates back to 1918. Come on MTA. Lets get it done and ASAP please.
And where will they get the additional dollars to execute this? Should they take the money from the capital funds allocated to equipping stations with elevators? Or just borrow more money? My personal opinion is that this is not a priority – the system has functioned for over 100 years without platform gates. There will always be crime. There are things to spend scarce capital dollars on that benefit far more people.
Well, the yellow stripe looks good anyway. I hope they also renewed the texture for the sake of visually impaired riders. It’s nice that they reopened the station as promised, but the dirty and missing tiles telegraph that while the job ended on time it was hardly finished.
This is my subway station. We have been here since 1989. The artwork is not new. It’s been there ever since we moved here. They did a great job getting the work done quickly. I give the MTA kudos for that!
Agree – as earlier commenter notes, these mosaics/tiles made by local kids of neighborhood scenes are a nice feature of this station. I don’t think they are newly “hung” – maybe cleaned or reframed? I think they are par t of the wall.
The emergency door on the uptown 86th St #1 train is always open. The lock has been fixed to not latch to the door. People walk in all the time without paying.
There is no station booth, hence no security or oversight.
It’s just ridiculous.
I noticed the same thing on the downtown 1 train at 79th St.
In fact, I was taking a photo of the open gate when a young couple was attempting to walk through. Suddenly they decided to pay … they thought I was an undercover MTA agent, LoL.
But the young lady said it’s great that the door is open – I told her to never complain about the MTA if that is her attitude. They could definitely afford to pay for the subway ride.
So many basic things the MTA could do to fix their budgets but instead they want to just want more and more money.
The artwork replaces that done by neighborhood grade school kids. There was a charm to their work and probably should have been left in place. The new artwork probably cost money that didn’t need to be spent.
Seriously, they close the station for over three weeks – and for what exactly: A so-so paint job, a few new benches, 6 pieces of artwork and a section got repaved? We should see the budget, and exactly how many person-hours were spent on this project. Unless something really structural was done that is not obvious: The time-frame, the results, and the likey costs seem very disproportionate
They jackhammered the platform and replaced the concrete surface of the platform and put in new yellow rubber matting by the edge.
Wow, I think it looks great! At least there is nice artwork to look at as you’re pushed onto the tracks.
Unlike in capitalistic countries, there are no commercial advertisements in subway stations. Advertisement space can be an extra source of revenue for the MTA, and fancy local businesses like French Roast and NAYA, as well as attractions like the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, could receive more visitors if subway riders see the ads on the platform. However, local arts might help in reducing criminal behavior.
What about accessibility with these “improvements”. Still no elevator so of no use to people with wheelchairs or walkers. Thank you MTA.
I wish 79th had gotten anything more than flute platforms. Closed for the full month for whatever I don’t know. I’d hoped for decorative whatever. Nope. Still ugly.
I wish the 79th entrance to downtown from ground level had better safety and security. A hidden person behind the newspaper stand could easily jump onto a victim waiting for the traffic light. The church building at the corner needs to be sanitized.
All the Number 1 stations should be painted, cleaned, and renovated.
Having lived in NYC for over 40 years and now living in Tokyo I can confidently say the MTA has no clue what they are doing.
Transit riders in Tokyo don’t behave like those in NYC. Our system reflects that.
Correction: “the warm and somewhat comfortable wooden benches that had been in the Upper West Side station were replaced with cold and uncomfortable new metal ones.” If the NY Supreme Court for NY County, which has already allowed DHS to deny shelter to migrant “new arrivals” after 30 days, lets DHS close the MainChance drop-in center, there will be a need for 70 more seats in the subway system.
Wow! When I looked at the tile walls, I thought they were a “before” picture. Nope. That’s what they look like after the “improvements”. A little Fantastic would go a long way.
I wish they had left our 60’s clocks. Are they going to take down the old M insignias outside I wonder?
I liked the old art work, and there was plenty of it. It was lovely and seemed to be ceramic pictures of places nearby and around the Upper West Side.
I prefer the old wooden benches, that had a back and arms at the end. Metal benches are very cold in the winter.
What a waste. Why don’t they put benches and shelters at all the bus stops that don’t have them instead?
“New artwork has also been hung throughout the station” it’s not new, it’s the same artwork that has been in the station for 30+ years.
That’s the problem of this generation of Mayor’s and there office’s and the MTA !
There’s no training supervision to the workers and staff ….they’re not into “detailing.”… They have no idea what the word means.!!!!
It is utterly disgusting
that the floors and walls weren’t even washed down and cleaned that they didn’t bother to Power wash the filthy tile behind the new bench before installing it. Don’t they have someone with some common sense doing oversight on these projects?
Evidently, they don’t and can’t fill that job because someone doesn’t knows how to do it…. I can’t even imagine the place where they live…. This administration has no common sense.
The new art is rather nice, but I propose a different kind of “art project” for the MTA. Virtually every station has cameras near the token booth (can we still call it that?) and turnstiles. Publish photos of fare beaters on social media. When people start losing their jobs or getting kicked out of school, at least some people will think twice about it.
It’s not a real renovation if the stations don’t have elevators for the disabled.
It would have taken all but 1 day to power wash the tiles
Imagine expecting the MTA to do something well and not be praised for just coming in on time?
Looks bad… tiles are missing and dirty. Paint job is poor…
They stated that congestion pricing will help to renovate subway. Lol. Look at this quality…
The station, going southbound, does look better–let’s hope they keep it clean. Unfortunately, the northbound side, which does not have an agent and booth, is often quite filthy. There’s also been a homelsss person there sometimes, opening the gate in hopes of getting a tip. Please stop the deadbeats who don’t pay their fares. I’m sick of underwriting their transportation needs. Have any members of the MTA ever been to Paris, where the entrance gates are very high and impossible to jump over? I was in Madrid recently and rode the subway there–clean, modern, fast, and the locals were respectful of what their city was providing.