Many subway stations in posh Manhattan and Brooklyn neighborhoods like TriBeca, Cobble Hill, and Williamsburg are run-down, strewn with litter and dirty pools of water, according to a report released Friday.
A study of 53 stations in lower Manhattan and northern Brooklyn by local state senator Daniel Squadron found many had broken stairs, deteriorated walls, rats, litter, and pooled water.
The worst stop was the dreary Canal Street stop on the No. 1 line in Chinatown, where riders have to share space with four-legged straphangers, water leaks, broken stairs, and filthy water.
Other decrepit stops include Borough Hall in downtown Brooklyn, the Rector and Broad Street stations in the Financial District, and the Broadway-Lafayette Street stop in SoHo.
About 725,000 riders use the 56 stations daily, and the number of people using the stops has risen about 3% since 2013.
“Stations are a fact of life for every subway rider. We have to go there, often twice a day,” said Cate Contino Cowit of the Straphangers Campaign, which reviewed the analysis. “Piles of garbage and standing water are uninviting at best.”
Almost 70% of stops in Squadron’s district had unsightly ponds of water, and 43% had deteriorating walls.
Not all stations were grim — the Nassau Avenue stop on the G line was in good condition, as well as the York Street stop on the F, and Bowling Green on the No. 4 and 5. They had few or no station failures, which could include broken stairs, liter, decaying walls, and graffiti, according to the analysis.
The MTA said it received the report on Friday, and had not yet had a chance to evaluate it.
However, a spokesman said its capital plan has almost $3 billion to repair and renovate subway stations. It would be about 17% of the total capital dollars that will be spent by New York City Transit.
The state authority has been trying to find a way to fund its $26.8 billion capital plan all year, which has to be approved by a review board. It’s still facing a $2.6 billion deficit, and is seeking more money from the city.
Groups that include the Straphangers Campaign, Riders Alliance, and Transportation Alternatives used the report as an opportunity to back the MTA’s capital plan as well.
