24 Bathrooms at 12 Subway Stations to Reopen May 2; Second Phase of Reopening Follows Positive Feedback from First Phase of Reopening
NYC Transit Releases “Flush Counter” Results Showing Men’s Bathroom Use Three Times as Frequently as Women’s Bathrooms
View Video of Today’s News Conference
View Photos from Today’s News Conference and Subway Bathrooms Reopening Map
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that 24 bathrooms at 12 subway stations will reopen to the public May 2. The 12 stations with reopened bathrooms are the second group in NYC Transit’s phased reopening of subway bathrooms since they were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bathrooms, one male and one female at 12 stations, will be open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. with a one-hour closure for cleaning from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
“Following a successful launch, we felt comfortable moving forward with the next group of stations,” said NYC Transit President Richard Davey. “This phased approach has allowed us to develop a plan that ensures bathrooms stay clean for customers who need them. The Stations Department has done a great job in keeping bathrooms and stations cleaner as we strive to deliver faster, cleaner and safer service.”
NYC Transit began to reopen bathrooms on January 9 at nine stations. As part of the reopening the agency tracked bathroom usage as well as cleanliness and safety concerns. NYC Transit implemented a “flush counter” that found the men’s bathrooms had three times as many flushes as the women’s bathrooms with over 27,000 flushes compared to 8,400 flushes.
Overall, the bathrooms have been used over 35,000 times since they were reopened in January, and of the thousands of recorded uses, there have been no significant safety issues or cleanliness complaints from customers or employees. Since the reopening, none of the bathrooms have had to close for maintenance repairs.
Prior to the first phase of reopening, the MTA took advantage of the closures of bathrooms to perform needed maintenance to these facilities, including:
- New motion activated faucets
- New fixtures (hand dryers, dispensers)
- New/painted privacy panels
- New lighting
- Tile grouting
- New door signs reflecting hours of operation
- Ceiling painting
- Deep cleaning
Bathrooms will reopen at the following stations May 2:
- Norwood – 205 St
- Woodlawn
- 168 St
- 72 St
- Brooklyn Bridge – City Hall
- 57 St – 7 Av
- Atlantic Av – Barclays Center
- 36 St
- Coney Island – Stillwell Av
- Euclid Av
- Flushing – Main St
- Queensboro Plaza
Following the second phase, over 30 percent of bathrooms in the subway system will be reopened.
The bathrooms reopened during the first phase in January:
- 161 St–Yankee Stadium
- 14 St–Union Sq
- East 180 St
- 42 St–Bryant Park
- Jay St–MetroTech
- Kings Highway
- Jackson Hts–Roosevelt Av
- Forest Hills–71 Av
- Fulton St