New Dorp is First SIR Station with Elevators
Sixth Station to Become Accessible in 2023, With Accessible MTA Projects Completed Across All Five Boroughs
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See Broll of Newly Opened Elevators
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced the opening of two elevators at the Staten Island Railway ( ) New Dorp station, making the station fully accessible. The opening makes New Dorp the first SIR station to feature elevators, with Clifton and Huguenot stations also slated to be made accessible under the current capital plan. The other currently accessible stations are accessible via ramps to the platform.
Both elevators installed include the latest technology to support customer safety, including a new fire alarm system, smoke and heat detectors and cameras inside the elevator cabs. Each elevator will also be equipped with an emergency two-way communication system which gives riders the ability to communicate with dispatchers in the event of an emergency via standard voice communications or visually by answering on-screen questions, which greatly improves communication for riders with hearing or speech disabilities.
This project was funded by a grant provided by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and completed as part of a design-build package of eight stations throughout the subway system, the first such bundle undertaken by MTA Construction & Development (C&D) as part of an effort to deliver accessibility upgrades better, faster, and cheaper. The remaining stations from that bundle will open later this year.
“With today’s opening, we’ve now opened newly accessible stations in all five boroughs in 2023,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “Never before in its history has the MTA delivered so many ADA projects so quickly – at five times the pace of the pre-COVID status quo. We’ve got 28 total stations under construction now, and we’re on track to finish 12 this year – a big win for riders and yet another benchmark in our mission to achieve full system-wide accessibility.”
“Newly accessible stations like New Dorp are the fruits of our efforts to execute projects better, faster, and cheaper through innovative delivery methods such as contract bundling,” said MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer. “We are on track to complete this particular eight-station package of ADA upgrades, which will greatly improve accessibility not just in Staten Island but throughout our transit system.”
“It is always a good day when we add another accessible station to the system. Today is no different, as Staten Island Railway riders now have another fully accessible station,” said MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo. “An accessible station, especially one that connects riders to multiple bus routes like New Dorp does, provides immeasurable value – it opens up brand-new options for people with disabilities, seniors, and parents to travel across the city. This is why we are so focused on adding more accessible stations to the system, including two more SIR stations planned to be made accessible in our current Capital Plan.”
“A more accessible New Dorp benefits every local, business owner, and visitor, especially around the business district,” said Council Member David Carr. “I’d like to give a big thank you to NYC Transit for completing work on the new elevators at New Dorp Train Station.”
Delivering Accessibility Projects Better, Faster, and Cheaper
Prior to today, the MTA opened five fully accessible stations: Court Square station in Queens, Dyckman St station in Upper Manhattan, 8 Av station in Brooklyn, Grand St station in Brooklyn, and, most recently, the E. 149 St station in the Bronx.
There are now 28 accessible station projects in construction, with six of those expected to be complete by the end of 2023.
The Authority is delivering accessibility projects five times faster than pre-pandemic and awarding contracts at an unprecedented pace, with contracts for a total of 16 stations expected to be awarded this year, compared to the average 2.5 stations awarded per year before 2019.
The 2020-2024 MTA Capital Plan includes a historic investment of $5.2 billion to make 67 subway stations ADA accessible, more than any capital plan in the MTA’s history, and more than the last three capital plans combined.