Aqueduct subway station gets upgrades Includes repairs, deep cleaning and new energy-efficient lighting

by Kristen Guglielmo Associate Editor

The subway station at Aqueduct Race Track in Ozone Park was upgraded this month, according to a press release from the Metropolitan Transit Authority, as part of New York City Transit’s Re-NEW-vation Program, which utilizes planned service outages to perform repairs, deep cleaning and station upgrades.

The station received extensive concrete repairs to mitigate tripping hazards, the MTA said. Furthermore, the subway globes located at the station’s entrances were deep cleaned, and workers updated lighting with new LED fixtures, with 80 being installed in previously darkened areas.

The MTA said overgrown vegetation that had been encroaching on the platform was trimmed, and the board protecting the platform from damage as trains pass was repaired. Multiple surfaces throughout the station were scraped, primed and repainted, totaling over 30,000 square feet.

“I’m thrilled to see this funding help one of our local subway stations by ensuring new safety improvements, lighting upgrades, intense cleaning and full repairs that were needed for this station,” said Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Rockaway Park), who said in a Monday press release that she worked with the MTA on the upgrades, and assisted in securing funds during state budgeting to provide aid to the authority. “I applaud the ReNEW-vation Program and the MTA for their success in helping our community with these important and sought after upgrades. Let’s all shout ‘all aboard.’”

“It’s great to see the MTA putting our taxpayer dollars to work to better our communities here in Council District 32,” said Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) in the MTA’s press release. “New lighting, repainted surfaces and other repairs in our subway stations are all key components towards improving the quality of life for New Yorkers, and I would like to thank the MTA for making these incredibly necessary improvements to one of our local stations.”

In the MTA’s announcement of the upgrades’ completion, NYC Transit President Richard Davey said the upgrades demonstrate the agency’s “continued momentum” to delivering improvements customers want at their stations.

“From brighter and safer lighting, repaired concrete, comprehensive repainting and the installation of bird deterrents at the elevated Aqueduct Race Track Station, the work ... will make the subway faster, cleaner and safer for customers,” Davey said. Q