MTA Aims To Make NYC 'Most Accessible System in the World' With Subway Elevator Buildout

The MTA says it wants the subway system to be one of the most accessible systems in the world. It's got the funding. And now it's chosen new stations for elevators.

What does $5.2 billion get you? That's enough to build elevators at 70 stations or, as the MTA puts it, riders will never be more than two stops from an accessible station. Right now, only a quarter of the stations are accessible. The latest round of spending will bring that up to just 40 percent. Transit President Andy Byford says it's a good start.

"We're incredibly serious about making the subways accessible to as many people as possible its the right thing to do," Byford said.

The agency has chosen 18 stations in Manhattan, 25 in Brooklyn, 11 in the Bronx, 11 in Queens and 3 in Staten Island to make accessible. Another part of this ambitious goal: get it all done in just four years.