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MTA Announces Completion of Comprehensive Repair Work Across New York City Subway with Brighter, Cleaner and Refurbished Stations

MTA
Updated Dec 31, 2025 1:30 p.m.
revive

Cost-Efficient LED Lights Installed in all 472 Subway Stations as Part of Governor Hochul’s Five-Point Subway Safety Plan 

 

LED Lighting Improves Station Security, Increases Visibility for Customers as Well as Surveillance Cameras; Saves Authority $5.9 Million Annually 

 

New York City Transit Completed 40 “Revive” Projects in 2025 as Part of State of Good Repair Commitment 

 

More than 2,600 Tons of Trash Removed from Stations and Tracks This Year 

 

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit today announced the completion of refurbishment work across the subway system that has brightened, cleaned and enhanced stations and significantly improved the rider experience. Fluorescent light fixtures in all 472 subway stations were converted to modern LED lights, with crews replacing the final fixtures at the Times Square–42 St station this week; crews repainted and replaced tiles across subway stations; more than 1,460 tons of bagged garbage were removed from all stations and nearly 700 tons of debris in between stations were cleared, among other improvement work.   

 

“NYC Transit is committed to providing safe and reliable service and that effort starts right when customers enter the system with brighter and cleaner stations,” said New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “With historically high on-time performance, new ridership milestones and a continued emphasis on reviving stations, 2025 was a great year to be a subway rider.

 

“These improvements make a real difference in the day‑to‑day experience of our subway riders, giving them brighter, safer and more welcoming stations across the system,” said MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara. “From lighting upgrades to station renovation projects, these efforts reflect our commitment to serving the millions of New Yorkers who rely on us, and we will continue to make investments in the system both today and for years to come.”  

 

LED Lighting 

 

The conversion to all LED lighting across the New York City subway system began in January 2024 as part of Governor Kathy Hochul’s five-point safety plan for subway riders. Since then, more than 181,000 fixtures throughout the system have been replaced or converted to LED lights. This initiative was completed well ahead of original target of mid-2026 and is expected to save the Authority approximately $5.9 million each year.  

 

LED lighting is not only more cost effective, but also brighter than fluorescent lighting and allows for clearer visibility for the nearly 4 million daily subway riders. The upgrades will also enhance the images of the more than 15,000 security cameras across the subway system, creating more detailed videos for law enforcement to use when necessary.  

 

This comes as New York City Transit works to upgrade fluorescent lights in other parts of the subway system, including aboard trains and AC-powered tunnels, which will result in further savings once completed. Currently, 73% of subway trains are equipped with LED lighting. 

 

The LED conversion project was completed in tandem with New York City Transit’s ongoing Revive initiative, which piggybacks on planned weekend outages to give stations a complete makeover from top to bottom so customers return to an overhauled station. Crews completed 40 Revive projects at the following stations in 2025:  

 

  • 81st St    

  • 110th St Cathedral Pkwy   

  • Beach 67th St.  

  • 190th St  

  • Bergen St.    

  • 50th St.   

  • Union St.  

  • Central Ave   

  • 53rd St.  

  • Fresh Pond Road  

  • 207th St  

  • 176th St  

  • Broad Channel    

  • Saratoga Avenue  

  • Cypress Avenue   

  • Wall Street    

  • Mets-Willets Point  

  • Rockaway Ave   

  • 23rd St   

  • Beach 98th St   

  • 23rd St    

  • 110th St - Malcolm X Plaza    

  • 25th Ave   

  • Dyckman Street-200 Street   

  • Montrose Avenue  

  • Bay 50th St   

  • Forest Hills – 71 Av      

  • Grand Central     

  • Simpson Street    

  • Grand Central   

  • Grand Central  

  • Clark Street    

  • 59th    

  • Court Square - 23 Street   

  • 145th St   

  • Bergen St    

  • New Lots Av  

  • 28th St  

  • Church Av   

  • Graham Ave  

     

Deep Cleaning, Retiling, and Other Maintenance Work 

 

Over the course of the year, crews repainted over 1.1 million square feet – enough to cover approximately 243 regulation-sized basketball courts or 57 Olympic-sized hockey rinks. More than 9,700 square feet of tiles were installed or replaced this year – that's larger than the ice rink at Rockefeller Center. Communications rooms at these stations were also refreshed, with new lighting, paint, flooring, and a deep clean of the HVAC system.  

 

The Revive initiative is just one part of the MTA’s state of good repair commitment, which also includes regular maintenance of all stations and tracks, especially garbage removal. New York City Transit utilizes the VakTrak, which uses suction to clean dirt and debris from the subway tracks. VakTraks runs overnight and can cover 12 to 15 miles of track each night. All underground passenger tracks are vacuumed once every two weeks to prevent track fires and damage to the tracks. In 2025, VakTrak vacuums sucked up a total of 505.4 tons of debris from the tracks – more than double the weight of a blue whale. Crews also removed over 1,467 tons of trash from stations and removed almost 700 tons of debris from tracks in between stations – a total of 2,672 tons of garbage was removed from the subway system throughout 2025. 

Press Release