MTA Church Av elevator is now open in Brooklyn, with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority completing the modernization on time and within budget. The project gives riders a renewed link between street level and the Brooklyn-bound 25 platform.

MTA Church Av elevator opens in Brooklyn
Photo: www.mta.info

The upgraded elevator serves the Church Av 25 station and is part of wider MTA accessibility upgrades focused on safer, more dependable service. MTA said regular elevator replacement helps the system operate more effectively, reduces later repair needs, and limits future disruptions. In 2025, the agency completed 39 elevator replacements, a new annual record.

MTA Church Av elevator and rider access

At Church Av, the modernized elevator provides access from the street to the Brooklyn-bound 25 platform. The Brooklyn subway station serves more than 6,000 riders every weekday, so the upgrade is tied to regular weekday use at the station. Mid-American is the elevator installer and maintainer.

“We’re replacing elevators across the system at record pace, cutting more than two months off the average replacement timeline,” said MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer. “With a new, modern elevator serving the station, Church Av riders are in for a smoother, more accessible ride.”

Church Av Station elevator modernization work

The Church Av Station elevator modernization covered the full replacement of the elevator cab and related equipment inside the cab, shaft, and pit. Crews also replaced the elevator head house glass and canopy at street level. To fit the new equipment, they modified the shaft and pit as part of the same work package.

MTA said these equipment updates are meant to make the ride smoother and improve elevator reliability in the future. The project also included replacement and modernization of all elevator machine room, electrical, and mechanical equipment, supporting better and more reliable service at the station.

Security and response systems were upgraded as well. Remote monitoring equipment, the fire alarm system, intercom system, and cameras were updated to enhance security and help crews respond more quickly and precisely if an elevator goes out of service.

“Improving accessibility and modernizing elevators benefits all our riders,” said MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo. “Advancing these projects enhances service availability and ensures access to all that New York has to offer.”

MTA elevator modernization program expands

The Church Av project reflects the broader MTA elevator modernization program, which the agency says is improving reliability across the system faster than ever. The 39 elevator replacements completed in 2025 more than doubled the previous record of 16, set in 2021.

MTA has continued building on that progress. Last month, the agency announced a series of newly modernized elevator replacements across 11 subway stations. As previously covered by Railway Supply in its overview of MTA station accessibility projects, elevator replacement projects are also currently in progress in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan.