New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the fourth and final construction contract for Phase 2 of New York City’s Second Avenue Subway extension.

The contract will cover the final station infrastructure and systems required to extend Q train service from 96th Street to 125th Street in East Harlem. The MTA plans to issue a Request for Proposals to qualified contractors by the end of 2026, with contractor selection expected in mid-2027.

Construction under the fourth contract is scheduled to begin in 2027.

Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 rendering

© MTA

The 6.968 billion USD Phase 2 project will extend the Second Avenue Subway by approximately 1.5 miles, adding stations at 106th Street, 116th Street and 125th Street.

The final contract will complete the fit-out of all three stations, including platforms, entrances, communications systems, accessibility infrastructure and architectural finishes.

It will also include:

• Installation of 22 elevators and 20 escalators
• Track, third rail and traction power installation
• Communications-based train control (CBTC) and signalling systems
• Public address systems, customer information screens and Wi-Fi
• Fire protection, ventilation, lighting, plumbing and drainage
• Security cameras and emergency systems
• Fare collection equipment, signage and wayfinding
• Testing and commissioning of station systems
• Permanent utility connections and street restoration

The contract will also connect the new 125th Street station with the existing 125th Street 4, 5 and 6 station. A further entrance at Park Avenue will provide access to Metro-North’s Harlem-125th Street station and the M60 Select Bus Service to LaGuardia Airport.

Six above-ground ancillary buildings will also be constructed to accommodate ventilation, mechanical and electrical equipment, with space for potential ground-floor retail and community uses.

Three other Phase 2 contracts are already under way. The first contract, awarded in January 2024, covers utility relocation work around the future 106th Street station. The MTA says this contract is around 60% complete and is expected to finish by summer 2027.

The second contract was awarded in September 2025 and covers two new tunnels, rehabilitation of existing tunnels, the structural shell of the 116th Street station and shafts for future station entrances and ancillary buildings. Final design is more than 50% complete, while construction of the tunnel boring machine is under way. The contract is forecast to reach substantial completion in September 2029.

The third contract, awarded in April 2026, covers excavation and construction of the 106th Street station structural shell, tunnel connections, ancillary buildings and station entrances, alongside utility work. Substantial completion is expected in the third quarter of 2030.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said:

Three contracts down, one to go in our quest to bring long-awaited transit justice to East Harlem. This fourth and final RFQ covers the architectural finishes and the communications and other systems in the stations – the things that riders directly experience – and we can’t wait to get started.

The overall Phase 2 project is currently scheduled for completion in autumn 2032.

The project has a budget of 6.968 billion USD and is being funded in part through congestion relief revenue and 3.4 billion USD in federal funding.

Once complete, Q service will operate from the existing 96th Street station to 125th Street and Lexington Avenue. The extension is expected to provide a direct subway connection between East Harlem, the Upper East Side, West Midtown and Coney Island.

The MTA estimates that the extension could reduce some journey times by up to 20 minutes.

East Harlem has been identified as a historically underserved area, with around 70% of residents relying on public transport, according to the project announcement. The Phase 2 programme also includes a 20% local hiring goal.

The Second Avenue Subway has been planned in various forms for decades. Earlier proposals for a Second Avenue line date back to the 1920s, while construction began in East Harlem in 1972 before being suspended in 1975 during New York City’s fiscal crisis. Parts of the earlier tunnelling will be incorporated into Phase 2, including sections associated with the future 116th Street station.

Governor Hochul said:

New Yorkers have been waiting for the Second Avenue Subway for nearly a century and now, with major work underway, we are moving full speed ahead with the final contract to fully deliver this transformative new transit connection to East Harlem. We fought hard to keep this project moving forward earlier this year and finally break ground on new tunnels this summer. Once this contract is completed, three beautiful and accessible new subway stations will welcome East Harlem to the subway line they have long been promised.

Tags

source= https://railway-news.com/mta-advances-final-construction-contract-for-second-avenue-subway-phase-2/