Gov. Hochul is expected Tuesday as part of her State of the State address to announce an ambitious plan to overhaul the Queens’ Jamaica LIRR station — as well as commit to continuing work on a westward expansion of the subway’s nascent Second Avenue line.
But Mayor Mamdani’s plan to make all city buses free is not expected to make its way into Hochul’s address.
Representatives from Hochul’s office Monday told the Daily News that she will be proposing a $50 million earmark toward a new design for the Jamaica Station, which connects LIRR riders to the subway’s E, J and Z trains, as well as to Kennedy Airport’s Airtrain.The inclusion of the transit announcements in the annual is an indication that they will play a prominent role in the governor’s budget proposal later this month.
“Jamaica Station is a critical gateway for commuters on Long Island and travelers from around the world, but it has lacked investment for decades,” Hochul said in a statement. “Our plan will create a state-of-the-art transit hub in Southeast Queens that riders will use for generations to come.”
The station — which also serves as a transfer point for those traveling between Brooklyn’s Atlantic Terminal and greater Long Island — is the fourth busiest rail station in North America, but has not seen a major investment in more than 20 years.
The $50 million gubernatorial proposal would fund the design phase of a modernized station, with an eye toward improved passenger flow. The MTA’s capital plan, passed by state lawmakers last year, earmarks $110 million toward “vertical circulation” improvements at the station.
In addition to a Jamaica makeover, Hochul is expected to announce her continued support for a plan that would extend the Second Avenue Subway westward across 125th St.
Not expected to get any airtime, though, is Mamdani’s plan to eliminate fares on city buses — which are owned, maintained and operated by the MTA, a state agency. The free bus plan, which Mamdani’s team estimates would cost about $800 million annually, is contingent on state action and funding.
The state did fund then-Assembly Member Mamdani’s free-bus pilot program in 2023, to the tune of $15 million. That program made five bus lines — one per borough — free for half a year.
But Hochul, a moderate Democrat, opposes the mayor’s proposal, instead favoring a more targeted approach of subsidizing fare for low-income residents.
Asked how he envisions getting the free-bus plan through, Mamdani said he will be “speaking with legislative leaders and legislators as well as the governor about the entirety of our affordability agenda and the fiscal health of the city” on Tuesday.
Hochul pledged state funding last week toward the establishment of a free child care program for NYC’s 2-year-olds, a major step toward implementing one of the key planks of the mayor’s affordability platform. Hochul is expected to tout that effort in the State of the State.
Barry Williams/for New York Daily News
The 86th St. Second Ave. subway station. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News)
The governor first teased the 2nd Ave. subway expansion plan in her 2024 State of the State, when she dedicated $16 million toward studying the feasibility of running a line beneath Harlem’s major thoroughfare.
The work would take place only after the current phase of subway construction — extending the Second Avenue line from 96th Street on the East Side up to 125th — is completed, taking advantage of the fact that a pair of specialized tunnel-boring machines would already be in the ground.
Sources tell The News that the feasibility study has been completed, and Hochul is set to announce her intention to fund the next step in what would be Phase 3 of the long-delayed subway line — design of the tunnel.
Phase 2, from 96th St. to 125th St., is still in its infancy, however. The tunnel boring machines are on order from a German firm, but have yet to be constructed. And the Trump administration continues to deny the MTA access to federal funds for the project, citing the regime’s new rules on diversity, equity and inclusion.
with Chris Sommerfeldt
