Streetscaper, thanks so much for those images. What kind of camera are you using? The contrast and shadow detail is incredible. I am still slumming with a Canon 5D Mark II and I think it's time for an upgrade.

Wow! Incredible. The 86th St station is my favorite--I love the ceilings. Nice artwork.

It's a shame all stations can't be modernized/beautified.

You're welcome.. I'm using the 5D Mark III with 3 different lenses:

Canon 16-35 f2.8
Sigma 50 f1.4
Canon 70-200 f2.8

I did a lot of photos and video with the Mark II on the NYC subway in 2009 pretty soon after it was introduced and so I'm very used to the way that camera deals with subway lighting conditions. Obviously the lighting is different in these new stations...it's a somewhat brighter light level but I think the white walls and tile floor are acting like a bounce card and giving a much more even illumination than what is seen at all of the older stations. The lighting also looks like its daylight-balanced instead of the traditional florescent lighting in older stations.

This thing took what, 80 years to build?

Sorta. It took 80 years from first being proposed to being built.

It took about nine years to build the first segment, which is still painfully slow. Construction began in 2007 or 2008, I think. The MTA now claims that subsequent phases will go much faster, but who knows.

Historically, this line had the worst luck, because it kept getting funded right before a crisis. So first came the Depression, then came WW2, then it was finally funded again in the early 70's but NYC entered its decline and financial crisis. Didn't get back on the radar until the 2000's.

I'm going to give it a try during my lunch break today but I did notice that the 5 train (which I unfortunately have to take) was not as crowded as usual this morning.

EDIT:

So I just went over there.

2nd Avenue/86th Street Station is going to be my new friend.

My only beef is that the stations (while modern-looking and spacious) look kind of... same-y. Like they don't really have a "personality" to them yet.

The real test is the evening commute.

Thanks for the great pictures of the new subway. I took a bunch too but they're really crappy compared to yours so I'm not going to post them :( except for the one below. Not sure if the look of near horror on that little boy's face is directed at me or not--lol. But how about that 86th St. escalator? It's not for the vertigo-challenged!

https://c8.staticflickr.com/1/701/31...f1b79e46_b.jpg

I give the art mixed reviews but looks great, by and large

• Video Link

December 31, 2016, New York City - Governor Cuomo celebrated the on-time arrival of the Second Avenue Subway – the system’s first major expansion in more than 50 years – with the line’s inaugural ride.

Cuomo's such a scumbag.

Those stations look very nice... and I didn't realize that New York had went with the same TeleCite digital displays that Vancouver also has on the Millennium Line. Too bad we will be replacing them soon with MITRONs.

I might check these out for myself later tonight.

We have freaking Chuck Close artwork in a subway station. That's amazing and I hope New Yorkers and tourists will appreciate that and respect those murals.

I take it you don't like him.

These stations look like the ones in Los Angeles. Especially 86th.

Since 34th/Hudson looks like these also - I'm guessing open-space cavernous stations are the new template?

yeah me too. it's weak by art world standards, but graphically pleasing. the latter is really all that counts though as far as the public is concerned. close is a crowd pleaser with his overused big face images.

i dont really care about it, i'm just glad for the service of course and the wide, bright platforms. :tup:

I was at 72nd Street station this AM during rush hour, and it was PACKED. I guess that's a good thing, in that the new line is very popular, but it was almost as crowded as the Lexington line.

Once this line is fully built out, I could see this being one of the busiest lines in NYC, easily. It goes through the densest neighborhoods in the city, and is already a madhouse.

Hopefully this is providing some relief on the Lexington line. I mean, all these riders have to be coming from somewhere.

It's been overdue for a century, of course it's going to be packed day 1.