The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has installed platform barriers at dozens of subway stations in New York City to prevent people from falling onto the tracks. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA announced last week that 56 stations across the five boroughs now have the barriers, with a goal of over 100 stations by the end of the year.
Platform barriers at the Wall Street 2/3 station. Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr
“New Yorkers’ safety will always be my number one priority, and customers need to both feel and be secure every time they ride the subway,” Hochul said.
“At my direction, the MTA has ramped up the installation of protective platform barriers, building on their efforts to brighten stations with LED lighting and equip every subway car with security cameras. Transit crime is down in 2025, and these efforts will make the subway system safer for everyone.”
According to recent customer surveys by the MTA, 59 percent of subway riders support platform barriers, including 88 percent of riders over age 65. Most respondents said the barriers make them feel safer and better protected from falling onto the tracks.
The MTA uses in-house NYCT labor and machinery to construct and install the barriers, which reduces costs and speeds up the installation process. When selecting locations, the agency prioritizes feasibility, focusing on those with standard car-stopping positions along segments of the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, F, M, and L lines. Among these, stations with higher ridership and island platforms receive top priority.
Platform barriers are part of a broader safety plan announced in Hochul’s 2025 State of the State address to protect subway riders and workers. In addition to the barriers, The MTA has already started replacing all 150,000 fluorescent lights in the subway system with LED bulbs, aiming to complete the upgrade by mid-2026. This will brighten every platform and mezzanine while enhancing the visibility of the 15,000 security cameras throughout the system.
While some New Yorkers had called for protective barriers on the platforms for years, a pilot program for the barriers launched in 2022 after a commuter was pushed in front of a train and killed.
Platform barriers at the Broad Street J station. Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr
So far, platform barriers have already been installed at the following stations:
Brooklyn
Clark Street – 2, 3
Morgan Avenue – L
Grand Street – L
Dekalb Avenue – L
Halsey Street – L
Bushwick Avenue-Aberdeen Street – L
Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues – L, M
Graham Avenue – L
Jefferson Street – L
Bedford Avenue – L
Lorimer Street – L
Wilson Avenue – L
Montrose Avenue – L
Eastern Parkway-Brooklyn Museum – 2, 3
Grand Army Plaza – 2, 3
President Street – 2, 3
Hoyt Street – 2, 3
Beverly Road – 2, 5
Sterling Street – 2, 5
Winthrop Street – 2, 5
Bergen Street – 2, 3
Manhattan
191th Street – 1
5th Avenue – 7
1st Avenue – L
6th Avenue – L
125th Street – 4, 5, 6
Bowery – J, Z
Fulton Street – J, Z
Broad Street – J, Z
Canal Street- J, Z
Wall Street – 2, 3
23rd Street – 6
125th Street – 2, 3
Central Park North-110th Street – 2, 3
135th Street – 2, 3
Astor Place – 6
8th Avenue – L
Bleecker Street – 6
Fulton Street – 2, 3
Spring Street – 6
103rd Street – 6
Park Place – 2, 3
28th Street – 6
68th Street-Hunter College – 6
33rd Street – 6
96th Street – 6
77th Street – 6
145th Street – 1
Grand Central-42nd Street – 7
Christopher Street-Stonewall – 1
Queens
Flushing-Main Street – 7
46th Street – M, R
67th Avenue – M, R
75th Avenue – E, F
Woodhaven Boulevard – M, R
Jamaica Center-Parsons Boulevard-Archer Avenue – E, J, Z
These safety upgrades follow recent news that the city’s transit system is on pace to reach its best on-time performance on record. Last week, Hochul announced that ridership and on-time service have improved across NYC Transit, the Long Island Rail Road, and Metro-North Railroad during the first half of 2025.
Customer satisfaction has also risen across all three agencies. Meanwhile, major subway crimes have dropped 3.2 percent compared to the same period last year and nearly 10 percent from pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
MTA has installed platform barriers at more than 50 NYC subway stations
July 21, 2025
Cover Photo: Platform barriers at the Park Place 2/3 station. Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr