Tallest subway platform in NYC among 60 stations set to finally get elevators: ‘They’re climbing Mount Everest’

For Brooklyn subway riders, it’s only up from here.

The Big Apple’s tallest subway station is finally set to get elevators, putting an end to straphangers’ 90-foot hike that officials have likened to “climbing Mount Everest.”

The century-old Smith-9th Street subway station in Gowanus – one of the tallest in the world – is slated to finally get elevators and bring relief to huffing-and-puffing F and G train riders under the MTA’s 2025-29 capital plan, state Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Brooklyn) said.

“Every day, New Yorkers hike the stairs up this station like they’re climbing Mount Everest, struggling to catch the train on time,” Gounardes said in an Aug. 8 announcement.

“And if you use a wheelchair, push your child in a stroller, travel with luggage or simply struggle climbing the stairs, forget about it,” he said. “With elevators coming to the Smith-9th Street station, that’s finally going to change.”

It’s not clear when the installation is set to take place or exactly how much it will cost. The funding will come from the MTA’s approved $68.4 billion capital plan, which budgets to add elevators at over 60 subway stations.

The 92-year-old Smith-9th Street station underwent a complete overhaul a decade ago, but it still only has escalators — which have a “long history of breaking down,” said state Assembly member Jo Anne Simon.

At the time of the revamp in 2013, “the MTA would not budge on its refusal to install elevators,” said Simon, whose district covers Gowanus.

“Climbing the tallest station in the system shouldn’t be an endurance test,” the said. “I commend the MTA for making accessibility a priority in the Capital Plan, especially at tough stations like Smith-9th that present greater challenges than most.”

Other Brooklyn stations set to get elevator access include Court Street, Hoyt-Schermerhorn, 36th Street and 4th Ave–9th Street, Gounardes said.

The planned upgrades will expand accessibility across the subway system, with more than 50% stations at ADA compliance.

The MTA must meet a 95% ADA-accessible station benchmark by 2055, according to a 2023 court settlement.

“No station better demonstrates the need for accessibility than Smith-9th St, the highest point in the entire subway system,” said MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo, “and we’re excited to start work there and throughout the borough soon.” 

Francis Brown, president of the Red Hook Houses East Resident Association, noted the project will greatly benefit seniors living in nearby public housing buildings.

“This station is our connection to the rest of the city, and to our jobs, our schools, our doctors, and so much more,” Brown said, “but right now, that climb to the subway platform can be a barrier, instead of a connector.”

Karen Blondel, the president of the Red Hook Houses West Resident Association, added: “For NYCHA residents in Red Hook, Smith and 9th is the only nearby subway station—and without elevators, it’s a daily struggle.”