How many NYC subway stations have wheelchair access elevators?

Answer 1

The short answer is that 69 of New York City's subway stations have wheelchair access elevators.

New York City has 468 subway stations, although the number is reduced to 423 if stations that are connected to each other are not counted separately (such as the Atlantic Avenue Station and the Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street Station, or the 42nd Street-Times Square Station and the 42nd Street-Port Authority Station).

Of these 468 stations, 73 stations have amenities for people with ambulatory disabilities: 32 in Manhattan, 9 in the Bronx, 18 in Brooklyn, and 14 in Queens. There is no subway service on Staten Island.

Of these 73 stations, 69 stations have elevators for wheelchair access: 32 in Manhattan, 9 in the Bronx, 16 in Brooklyn, and 12 in Queens.

So, all of the accessible stations in Manhattan and the Bronx have elevators, and almost all of the accessible stations in Queens and Brooklyn have elevators. The few that don't have elevators are those which don't need them, because they are at street level, or because they have ramps that serve just as well.

A full list of the accessible stations, as well as detailed descriptions of the specific amenities each one offers, can be found at the Related Link below. Click "Accessibility" in the top right corner of the page for the Accessibility main page.

Note that the accessible stations are not necessarily fully accessible: for example, the 49th Street Station on the N-Q-R-W (the yellow line) is wheelchair accessible only on the Uptown side, not the Downtown side. The 50th Street Station on the C and E (of the A-C-E, the blue line) is accessible only on the Downtown side, not the Uptown side. The 14th Street-Union Square Station is serviced by the L train (the grey line), the N-R-Q-W, and the 4-5-6 (the dark green line), but it only has accessibility to the L and N-R-Q-W. And the elevators at the World Trade Center Station are not in service due to long-term construction.

Additionally, the passageways that connect certain stations are not always accessible. For example, the passageway that connects the 51st Street Station and the Lexington Avenue-53rd Street Station is wheelchair accessible, but the passageway that connects the 42nd Street-Times Square Station to the 42nd Street-Port Authority Station is not.

So, if you are planning a trip to New York City and you will need walking-disabled access to the subway, you will need to check the list of accessible stations to find out exactly which parts of the station are accessible and what kind of accessibility is provided.