MTA advances Second Avenue Subway Phase 2

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) approved a tunnel boring contract for Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway project that is extending the Q train from 96 Street to 125 Street.

The new tunnel will extend from 116 Street to 125 Street. Crews under this contract will also excavate space for the future 125 Street Station, and in a cost-containment measure that saves the MTA $500 million, will outfit the tunnel along the route that was built in the 1970s to accommodate the future 116 Street Station.

The work to bore the new tunnel, between 35 and 120 feet below Second Avenue, is expected to take place using 750-ton machines equipped with 22-foot diamond-studded drill heads. Early work will commence later this year, with heavy civil construction starting in early 2026 and the tunnel boring itself expected to begin in 2027.

“It's been a century since the people of East Harlem were promised the new subway they deserve—and we are finally getting it done,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “East Harlem is one of the most transit-reliant neighborhoods in New York, but every day, tens of thousands of commuters lack subway access. The Second Avenue Subway will change everything. It will shorten commutes for over 100,000 daily riders and make East Harlem more vibrant than ever. Awarding this contract means that the time for promises to this community is over and the time for building is here. Next stop 125 Street!”

The contract, valued at $1.9 billion, is being awarded to Connect Plus Partners, a joint venture between Halmar International and FCC Construction. It is the second of four construction contracts for the Q train extension. MTA says the Second Avenue Subway Phase 2’s cost-benefit is significant and is projected to have the lowest cost per rider of any active heavy rail project in the country.

“This is a meaningful step forward not only for the project but everyone in East Harlem and Central Harlem. Locals have waited almost 100 long years for their promised subway extension," said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. "Thanks to investments from Gov. Hochul and our partners in Washington, today the new MTA is moving forward with the largest tunneling contract in agency history, but more important, with a project that pencils at the lowest cost per rider of any heavy rail project in America.”

MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer added, “After generations of promises, the new MTA is delivering. Today’s contract award brings us closer to world-class transit service in East Harlem. Using lessons learned from Phase 1, we’re excited to keep our momentum going and complete this contract better, faster, and cheaper than ever.”

The line’s first construction contract was awarded in January 2024 for utility relocation work. Crews working under that contract are relocating underground utilities from 105 Street to 110 Street on Second Avenue at the site of the future 106 Street Station in order to facilitate the subsequent construction of the station.

Crews working under the third contract will build the underground space for the future station at 106 Street and Second Avenue. That contract is currently in procurement. The fourth and final contract will cover the fit-out of the three stations, at 106, 116 and 125 Streets, and the systems needed to run train service, such as track, signal, power and communications. This contract is currently in design.

MTA says the Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 is on budget and on schedule, with a revenue service date of September 2032. The project budget is $6.99 billion and is funded in part by revenues from the Congestion Relief Zone tolling program.

In 2023, MTA unveiled new conceptual renderings of the proposed stations for the extension, providing future riders with a glimpse into the potential station interior and exterior designs.

Improved practices and more than $1 billion in savings

MTA says the contracts for Phase 2 incorporate lessons learned from Second Avenue Subway Phase 1, noting that addressing utility relocation requirements upfront reduces the risk of unexpected costs or delays later as construction progresses.

Additional cost containment initiatives in Phase 2 include reuse of a tunnel segment that was built in the 1970s from 110 Street to 120 Street along Second Avenue, early real estate acquisition, adoption of best value contract structures such as design-build contracts, close coordination of contracts and reduction in back-of-house, ancillary space and station size.

All told, MTA says these initiatives have saved more than $1.3 billion.

Transit equity for East Harlem

East Harlem is a historically underserved neighborhood where 70 percent of residents rely on transit. Phase 2 will create three new accessible stations right in the heart of the community at 106 Street, 116 Street and 125 Street, and offer one-seat rides from East Harlem to the Upper East Side, West Midtown and Coney Island, shortening travel times by up to 20 minutes.

More than 70,000 jobs, including union-wage construction jobs, will result from the Second Ave Subway Phase 2 project. A 20% local hiring goal for the project will generate good-paying job opportunities for hundreds of East Harlem residents.

In the 1920s, the Second System proposal, which ultimately became the IND subway system, included service on Second Avenue. In 1948, New York City voters approved bonding intended to build the Second Avenue Subway, which was ultimately left unbuilt after the start of the Korean War. In 1972, construction on the line finally commenced in East Harlem, but was later abandoned in 1975 during the city’s fiscal crisis. Sections of the tunneling constructed in the 1970s will be utilized in Phase 2.

About Phase 2

The second phase of the project will extend Q train service from 96 Street north to 125 Street and then west on 125 Street to Park Avenue, approximately 1.5 miles in total. There will be a direct passenger connection with the existing 125 Street subway station on the Lexington Avenue subway line. Phase 2 will also feature an entrance at Park Avenue to allow convenient transfers to the Metro-North Railroad’s Harlem-125 Street Station.

Each station will have above-ground ancillary buildings that house ventilation, mechanical and electrical equipment, as well as space for possible ground-floor retail and community uses. The expansion will serve an additional 110,000 daily riders and provide three new ADA accessible stations—raising the bar for customer comfort and convenience. Increased multimodal transit connectivity at the 125 Street Station at Park Avenue with connections to the 4, 5 and 6 lines, Metro-North and the M60 Select Bus Service to LaGuardia Airport will allow for convenient transfers to other subway and commuter rail lines, facilitating smoother, faster transportation across the city and metropolitan region.