State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez and MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo cross a bridge connected to the Queensboro Plaza Subway station. Photo: Ramy Mahmoud.
July 10, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez and representatives from the office of Assembly Member and Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani toured the Queensboro Plaza subway station Tuesday to view new accessibility features installed by the MTA at the Long Island City station.
The upgrades, which included installing elevators on both sides of Queens Boulevard, new entrances, and a 10-foot-wide staircase, will make the Queensboro Plaza Station accessible for all subway users, the MTA said.
The MTA announced the completion of two new elevators at the station on the south side of Queens Boulevard last December, announcing the completion of another elevator on the north side of the thoroughfare in April.
The station, which is used by 97,000 passengers every day, also received passenger circulation improvements in December, including expansion of the mezzanine by approximately 2,100 square feet to improve passenger flow. The December additions also included ADA-accessible boarding areas, updates to the pedestrian bridge spanning the north side of Queens Boulevard, new lighting for the mezzanine and new stairways connecting the station to the street below.
MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo led Gonzalez and Mamdani representatives on a tour of the newly-upgraded station on Tuesday afternoon.
Gonzalez and MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo use a newly-installed elevator at Queensboro Plaza. Photo Ramy Mahmoud.
Gonzalez, a Long Island City resident representing areas in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, said that the completion of accessibility upgrades at Queensboro Plaza is “very exciting.”
“I strongly support improved accessibility and investment in public transportation infrastructure and have been encouraged by the commitment to making Queensboro Plaza fully accessible,” Gonzalez said.
“The work being done here and at so many stations across our city by MTA leadership and staff, the construction teams, and the advocates is integral to our fight for affordable and accessible transportation options for all New Yorkers,” she continued.
She added that state lawmakers “fought hard” for congestion pricing in order to fund projects like the one completed at Queensboro Plaza.
Photo: Ramy Mahmoud
In a statement in April, Council Member Julie Won stated that the upgrades will ensure that seniors, people with disabilities and parents with young children have access to the station.
“As a mother with young children, I know how difficult it is to catch a train while carrying a stroller,” Won said in a statement.
Mamdani did not immediately return a request for comment but praised the upgrades in a statement following the completion of the work in April.
“Every New Yorker deserves a universally accessible public transit system. This elevator installment brings us one step closer to making that a reality,” Mamdani said.
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