34th Street-Penn Station A/C/E subway stop gets 2 upgraded elevators

Accessibility upgrades at 34th Street-Penn Station will benefit subway riders using the A, C and E lines, the MTA said on Wednesday.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced the opening of two new elevators to replace obsolete equipment at the Manhattan station. The MTA said the work included a full replacement of the elevator cabs, as well as modifications that should make the ride smoother and more reliable for riders with accessibility needs.

"Penn Station is a critical transit complex for thousands of daily riders who depend on modern and reliable accessibility infrastructure," MTA Construction & Development President Jamie Torres-Springer said in a statement. "We're proud to deliver better access to our system for both subway and Long Island Rail Road customers who travel throughout midtown Manhattan."

The MTA is currently in the process of conducting elevator replacement projects in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.

The work at 34th Street included replacement and modernization of the elevator machine room, as well as electrical and mechanical equipment upgrades, among them the two new elevator entrance structures at street level, the MTA said. Monitoring equipment, intercom and camera systems needed for security enhancements also were modernized — moves, the MTA said, that will "allow crews to respond more quickly and precisely" should an elevator go out of service.

"Reliable elevators at 34 St-Penn Station will ensure access to transit in one of the city’s busiest neighborhoods," the MTA's chief accessibility officer, Quemuel Arroyo, said in a statement. "Proactively removing elevators from service for replacement helps avoid future unplanned outages to keep riders moving."

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”