Did you know that the 42nd St. shuttle at Times Square is part of the original subway system that opened in 1904? It was, and because it can now be considered an antique, it was time for a facelift. MKJ Communications was part of the team, along with Five Star Electric, doing the “not so heavy” lifting, but all-important engineering of new systems.
The shuttle now has a ridership of over 100,000 daily customers, yet it wasn’t ADA accessible for those customers who rely on mobility modifications, and it needed longer tracks to accommodate subways with more cars for the increased ridership over the years.
Luckily the MTA took action and created a plan that included:
- Converting the existing three-track 42nd Street Shuttle operation to a two-track operation
- Modifying and extending station platforms to comply with ADA requirements
- Adding street entrances
- Modifying platform stairs and rehabilitation of station facility areas at the Times Square and Grand Central Stations
- Simplifying and extending the tracks to allow longer train cars to run and increase capacity by 20% during peak times
All of the work the MTA committed to has created a station that is:
- Fully accessible in compliance with ADA standards
- Easier to navigate and faster to board
- Less crowded
MKJ worked on this grand scale job that covered both Times Square and Grand Central Shuttle stations.
At both locations, we furnished the following systems and engineering for:
- Access nodes
- Switches
- Help points
- Data cabinets
- Fiber optic cables
- Speakers
- Ambient noise sensors
- Signs
- Emergency alarms
- Telephone terminal boards
- Radio antenna cable
- Power plants
- Platform edge CCTV
- PID cameras
Although the new platform has already opened, the job will continue for a few months, as we still have to integrate and commission LIDS, TTB’s, security systems, and more PID cameras.
Keeping you safe, on the go, and on time, never ends for Team MKJ.
Interested in learning more about this project? We can talk you through each and every step of the design and build phase, or better yet, meet us at the site or at our brand new office where we can walk you through our state-of-the-art fabrication warehouse and you can see our products up close. Contact John Massaro, our vice president of engineering and operations, at Jmassaro@mkjcomm.com
