Story perspectives

Hochul, MTA Break Ground on $7B Phase 2 Q Extension

6/9/2026

Summary

Hochul Breaks Ground

Governor Kathy Hochul and MTA Chair Janno Lieber broke ground on June 8 2026 for the Second Avenue Subway Phase 2.
The $6.968 billion project will push the Q train to 125th Street and Lexington Avenue, linking 4, 5, 6 lines and Metro-North.
Contract 2 ($1.97 billion) will begin tunnel-boring in early 2027 with 1.5-million-pound machines at 120th Street.
Federal funding resumed in April 2026 after a $60 million reimbursement from President Donald Trump, keeping the line on track for 2032 service.

Summary

Lawmakers Block

Groundbreaking ceremony with Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Adriano Espaillat showed bipartisan backing.
Lawmakers wrote a provision that blocked President Donald Trump from stripping the project’s federal funding.
President Trump’s cut of Phase 2’s money over hiring concerns was reversed by a legal battle in April 2026.
Governor Kathy Hochul said the extension is a transit-equity effort for underserved communities and noted that supply-chain disruptions and Trump’s opposition did not derail schedule.

Summary

MTA Extends Track

MTA construction chief Jamie Torres Springer said the German-built boring machines will be lowered at 120th Street, break the bulkhead and proceed to 125th Street, adding about 5,400 feet of new track.
Governor Hochul earmarked state money to study whether the machines can stay in the city after Phase 2.
Residents of East Harlem, including Isa Pabon, expressed doubt that the promised service will ever arrive.

Summary

Hochul Groundbreaks

Governor Kathy Hochul used a golden shovel at the June 8, 2026 Q-line groundbreaking.
Hochul said the project will not let U.S. President Donald Trump or his administration block it.
She cited the original 1929 plan halted by the Great Depression, noting a century-long effort.
Planners project about 100,000 daily riders and new stations linking the Q line to the 4, 5, 6 subways and Metro-North.

History

Historical Context

After Mayor Jimmy Walker’s 1929 $250 million subway expansion was halted by the Great Depression, the city later launched the 1968 $2.9 billion Program for Action under Mayor John Lindsay, which collapsed during the 1970s fiscal crisis. On June 8 2026, Governor Kathy Hochul, Senator Chuck Schumer and MTA Chair Janno Lieber broke ground on the East Harlem extension, reviving the century-old goal of expanding transit equity.

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Hochul Breaks Ground

Governor Kathy Hochul and MTA Chair Janno Lieber broke ground on June 8 2026 for the Second Avenue Subway Phase 2.
The $6.968 billion project will push the Q train to 125th Street and Lexington Avenue, linking 4, 5, 6 lines and Metro-North.
Contract 2 ($1.97 billion) will begin tunnel-boring in early 2027 with 1.5-million-pound machines at 120th Street.
Federal funding resumed in April 2026 after a $60 million reimbursement from President Donald Trump, keeping the line on track for 2032 service.

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