The public got its first look at the 96th Street station of the Second Avenue Subway on Thursday afternoon.
Gov. Cuomo and MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast spoke before the a large crowd of Upper East Side residents and then led a tour of the massive station.
“We have been working around the clock to meet this challenge,” Prendergast said. “We’re thrilled to start the new year with a new subway line and invite all New Yorkers to come get a preview this week.”
The station was open for two hours on Thursday and will be open from 8 am to 10 am on Friday and again from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., though there are no trains running yet.
Cuomo once again promised that the station would open on Jan. 1, and said to blame him if it doesn’t.
“If it’s late, it’s my fault,” said Cuomo. “If the trains don’t run on Jan 1, blame me. I would have failed.”
After Cuomo and Predergast spoke, they strolled through the shiny and still-incomplete turnstiles of the station to a round of cheers and the tune of Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York.”
The United States motto E Pluribus Unum and the New York State creed Excelsior hang over the track level of the 96th Street station, and the usual columns seen in most stops are missing, replaced by a massive arched ceiling.
Neighbors seemed impressed with the new station.
“I’m a Latin teacher, so I’m happy to see Latin in the station,” said Margaret Brucia, who lives on 87th Street. “The energy around here lately has been amazing. Everyone is so happy that it’s finally going to be open.”
A group of kids from P.S. 290 were equally impressed.
“It’s much more updates and high-tech than the other stations,” said 10-year-old Leo Kravitz.
Cuomo also said on Thursday that he would have managed Second Avenue Subway differently if he had been in charge when the project started in 2007, and he vowed to create much more streamlined process for phase two. The second part of the project will see stations at 106th and 116th streets and will connect with the existing stop at 125th Street and Lexington Avenue.
“I would not have done it this way. We have different contractors on each station and it makes it very complicated,” said Cuomo. “It has put a tremendous burden on the neighborhood and the people of Second Avenue for a long time. The intrusion was very long and unnecessary.”
The governor made the comments while touring the 86th St. station before he opened the 96th Street station to the public.
