![\"Second](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/MTA-Second-Avenue-Subway-Construction.jpg\" "\\"Second")
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The next phase of the Second Avenue Subway, originally planned to continue down Manhattan\u2019s Second Avenue, will instead run west along 125th Street, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday. The announcement, delivered during Hochul\u2019s 2026 State of the State<\/a> address, marks a major departure from the century-old plan to extend the Second Avenue Subway all the way to lower Manhattan. Instead, the Q train will be rerouted west along 125th Street, adding three new stations and ending at Broadway in Morningside Heights.<\/p>\n Hochul first proposed the westward expansion in her 2024 State of the State address and allocated funding for a feasibility study that found the project was not only possible but would also save time and money. According to Crain\u2019s<\/a>, the extension would run more than a mile and include new stations at Lenox Avenue, St. Nicholas Avenue, and Broadway, connecting the 1, 2, 3, A, B, C, D, and Q lines and creating the first-ever east-west subway connection in Upper Manhattan.<\/p>\n The governor\u2019s office expects engineering and design costs to reach tens of millions of dollars. Redirecting the Q westward could save millions more, as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) can reuse the tunnel-boring machine already in place for the second phase in the next stage of construction.<\/p>\n \u201cOur efforts to extend the Second Avenue Subway will save hundreds of millions of dollars in future costs and reduce time\u2014big wins for the 240,000 daily riders projected to benefit,\u201d Hochul said in a statement obtained by Streetsblog<\/a>.<\/p>\n The $7.77 billion second phase, slated for completion in 2032, will extend the Q train from 96th Street to 125th Street in East Harlem. The project, which received a $2 billion tunnel-boring contract in August, the largest in MTA history<\/a>, will add three fully accessible Q train stations at 106th Street, 116th Street, and 125th Street. Tunneling is expected to begin in 2027.<\/p>\n The expansion will bring long-awaited subway service to a historically transit-deprived area where 70 percent of residents rely on public transit, while also providing riders with a one-seat trip to the Upper East Side, Midtown, and Coney Island.<\/p>\n Despite its potential to significantly expand public transit access, the Second Avenue Subway has been plagued by delays. While work has accelerated in recent years, the project remains behind schedule. According to Gothamist<\/a>, the MTA is still completing work related to the project\u2019s first phase, which opened three new Q train stations on the Upper East Side at 72nd, 86th, and 96th streets in 2017.<\/p>\n Hochul also announced major upgrades to the Jamaica Station transit hub in Queens. Despite handling more than 1,000 trains and 200,000 passengers each day, making it the fourth-busiest commuter rail station in North America, the station has not seen significant improvements in 23 years. The governor said the long-awaited modernization will transform Jamaica Station into a \u201cworld-class station experience.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNew Yorkers deserve a world-class transit system,\u201d\u00a0Hochul said. \u201cBy advancing projects like the Second Avenue Subway and reimagining Jamaica Station, we\u2019re building on past investments to deliver more reliable, efficient, and modern transit options for riders today and for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n The future of several major transit projects has also faced uncertainty under President Donald Trump\u2019s administration. In October, Trump said the federal government was withholding $18 billion<\/a> in funding for the Second Avenue Subway and the Hudson River Gateway Tunnel projects, citing New York\u2019s \u201cunconstitutional DEI principles.\u201d <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Gov.-Kathy-Hochul-2026-State-of-the-State-1040x693.jpg\")
Gov. Kathy Hochul delivering her 2026 State of the State address. Credit: Darren McGee\/ Office of Governor Kathy Hochul<\/a> on Flickr<\/a><\/p>\n