Gov. Kathy Hochul announced her plan to commit $50 million to fund the design of a reimagined Jamaica Station transit hub during her State of the State address in Albany Tuesday.
Her proposal aims to better integrate subway lines, Long Island Rail Road and AirTrain JFK service to the 200,000 daily riders who pass through the transit hub every workday, making it the fourth busiest rail station in North America — surpassed only by Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station and Toronto’s Union Station. She said the funding would be included in her upcoming executive budget along with funding for a feasibility study for westward expansion of the Second Avenue Subway.
“New Yorkers deserve a world-class transit system,” Hochul said. “By advancing projects like the Second Avenue Subway and reimagining Jamaica Station, we’re building on past investments to deliver more reliable, efficient, and modern transit options for riders today and for generations to come.”
The Jamaica Station transit hub was last upgraded 23 years ago when the AirTrain JFK began operation in 2003. Her proposal would help create better traffic flow, reduce crowding, and build out a world-class station complex.
“Gov. Hochul has repeatedly demonstrated her unwavering commitment to The World’s Borough since the moment she assumed office. She has done so yet again with this groundbreaking announcement to transform Jamaica Station into the world-class transit hub those of us in Southeast Queens have always believed it should be,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said. “From creating seamless connections between the subway, rail and AirTrain to reducing traffic and overcrowding, the reimagining of Jamaica Station is the kind of generational investment that Queens not only deserves but has become accustomed to receiving from the Hochul administration.”
He added that Governor Hochul’s proposal to reimagine the Jamaica Station transit hub validates his bold vision for the area of Queens.
“Today’s announcement also represents a validation of the tireless work we’ve done on the local level to reinvigorate one of New York City’s greatest cultural and economic centers — from rezoning 300 blocks of Jamaica, allowing us to build thousands of new affordable homes, to pouring $70 million into upgrading the aging streetscape of Jamaica Avenue,” Richards said. “That kind of holistic work isn’t possible without the partnership of Governor Hochul, whose commitment to making life easier and more affordable for Queens residents is clear. I’m proud to strive alongside her in that righteous fight to uplift our borough, defend it from the autocratic regime in Washington and create the kind of equitable future all families who call it home deserve.”
