Crews Replaced 12,000 Square Feet of Tile and Painted 75,000 Square Feet of Surfaces 

Station Serves 7,000 Daily Riders 

View Before and After Photos of Re-New-Vated Station  

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced crews completed much-needed aesthetic and functional renovations of the 157 St  Station in Washington Heights, Manhattan. This work is part of New York City Transit (NYCT)’s Re-NEW-Vation Program, which utilizes planned weekend service outages to perform upgrades, repairs, and enhanced cleaning in stations. 

Crews at 157 St replaced over 12,000 square feet of tile and painted more than 75,000 square feet of surfaces. As customers enter the refurbished station, they will notice new LED lighting brightening stairwells, fare areas, wall tiles and stairway globes. In addition to customer-facing improvements, employee facilities also received a deep cleaning treatment, new lighting, painting and flooring to create a more welcoming environment. 

“Customers will feel like they’re walking into a new 157 St station after intensive work where we improved the station environment with new tile, a fresh coat of paint, enhanced lighting, and a deep cleaning,” said NYC Transit President Richard Davey. “In direct response to customers asking for cleaner, more inviting stations, we took advantage of weekend construction affecting this station to deliver a tangibly improved, cleaner and safer station experience.”  

"Through unwavering dedication, the MTA has crafted a brighter tomorrow for commuters in my district,” said State Senator Robert Jackson. “The completion of the renovation work at the 157 St  train station stands as a testament to their commitment to advancing public transportation. With excitement, I await the positive change it will bring to my constituents, elevating their daily journeys with cleaner, safer, and more efficient commutes. I fully support these efforts and applaud the initiative."  

In surveys, subway customers consistently cite station cleanliness as a core driver of overall satisfaction. Station re-NEW-vations are performed at stations with lower cleanliness satisfaction, in direct response to customer feedback. In the most recent Customers Count Survey, overall station satisfaction at 157 St was 59% and station cleanliness satisfaction was 40%. The Station Re-NEW-Vation Program is one of the major initiatives in New York City Transit’s Faster, Cleaner and Safer plan to improve the subway customer experience. 

In total, NYCT plans to complete 50 “re-new-vations" by the end of the year.