Photographs of a long-awaited new subway station on Manhattan's far west side reveal an airy, modern terminal surrounded by greenery with a beautiful blue mosaic on the ceiling. But commuters probably won't see it in person until July at the earliest — and possibly even later than that.
The extension of the No. 7 train to a new station at 34th street and 11th Avenue, which will serve a new cluster of skyscrapers rising along the Hudson River, was originally supposed to open in December 2013.
MTA officials said recently that the station would open sometime between April and June. And now the opening of the $2.4 billion project, which has been delayed several times since construction began in 2007, has been pushed back yet again.
Workers are still testing fire alarms, third rail power, escalators and other station components, a time-consuming process that means the station probably won't open until sometime in July, MTA official Anthony D'Amico told a transit committee on Monday.
All major construction work is complete at the terminal, which boasts four high-rise escalators with a vertical 84-foot drop, the steepest in the subway system, and two uniquely inclined elevators, D'Amico said.
"If you walk through the station today, you will encounter a massive, three-level structure beautifully done, with the utmost quality and attention to detail," D'Amico said.
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg celebrated the near-completion of the project in his final days in office by riding a special train from Times Square into the unfinished station. The city paid for much of the project.
