The Second Avenue Subway: Phase 1 done, Phase 2 stalled
Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway — three new stations on the Upper East Side (96th, 86th, and 72nd Streets, extending the Q train) — opened in 2017 after roughly 100 years of planning and several false starts. It was, by most accounts, worth the wait: it significantly reduced crowding on the Lexington Avenue lines (4/5/6) and created a real alternative for Upper East Side residents.
Phase 2, which would extend the line further to 125th Street in Harlem, has been in planning and funding limbo for years. As of 2026 it remains unfunded and without a firm construction start date, despite being in the MTA's capital programme.
The IBX (Interborough Express)
A proposed light rail or busway line running from Bay Ridge in Brooklyn to Jackson Heights in Queens — along an existing freight rail right-of-way — that would allow crosstown travel between Brooklyn and Queens without going through Manhattan. The route would serve parts of both boroughs that are poorly connected to the subway. The project has been approved by the governor and is in environmental review; a realistic opening timeline would be the mid-2030s at the earliest.
Accessibility upgrades
The most certain and most immediately impactful expansion happening right now is the accessibility programme — adding elevators and ADA compliance to stations that currently have none. The MTA has committed to making every station accessible by 2055; the pace of installation has historically been slower than announced. See our accessibility guide for what this means for visitors right now.