Before and after images of improvements the MTA made to the 125 St 2/3 train station.
Photos courtesy of MTA
Harlem 2 and 3 train riders are getting a refurbished 125th Street station after the MTA recently gave the stop a much-needed glow-up, the agency announced on Friday.
The project included both structural and cosmetic improvements to the station, which was first opened 121 years ago by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company as part of the city’s first subway line. The facelift involved scraping and repainting 35,000 square feet of the station, covering the entrance, mezzanine, platforms, track area, and back-of-house facilities.
Demetrius Crichlow, president of MTA New York City Transit, framed the work as crucial to bettering subway riders’ customer experience.
“The goal of this program is to make a real difference in the day-to-day experience of subway riders by improving station environments,” Crichlow said in a statement. “This work, combined with a commitment to providing efficient and reliable service, is how we can deliver a great customer experience for New Yorkers.”
A 3 train traveling in ManhattanPhoto by Robert Pozarycki
The MTA’s work to improve the station included repainting token booths and doors, sprucing up wooden benches, fixing close to 1,400 feet of masonry, repairing 1,000 linear feet of platform edges, and installing 25 additional LED lights to brighten dark areas of the station.
Local City Council Member Yusef Salaam, in a statement, said the repairs were sorely needed improvements to a station that serves as the “gateway to Central Harlem.” The station is close to Harlem staples like the Apollo Theater and Marcus Garvey Park.
“This REVIVE work, from the repaired stairways and fresh paint to new lighting in areas that were once dim, is a meaningful investment in the dignity and safety of the tens of thousands of Harlemites who rely on the 2 and 3 trains,” Salaam said.
The MTA conducted the work as part of its REVIVE program — an initiative that utilizes already-in-effect 55-hour weekend service suspensions to make quick subway station improvements.
Under the program, the MTA has so far given 180 stations systemwide a makeover, according to the agency. Those improvements add up to 6.3 million square feet of repainted surfaces, 120,000 square feet of replaced wall tiles, 35,000 square feet of new floor tiles, and 250,000 linear feet of platform edge material swapped out or inspected.