The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) opened a second entrance to the 34 St-Hudson Yards subway station early this morning. The entrance is situated at the western terminus of the line, which was extended in 2015 and now serves thousands of riders each day.

The new entrance, located at West 35th Street and Hudson Boulevard East, adds three low-rise escalators as well as a set of stairs from the street to the mezzanine level. Four new high-rise escalators will transport riders from the upper mezzanine to the lower mezzanine. From there, riders will travel to the platform level of the station which is 125 feet from the street level.

The station makes the the only line south of 59th Street to provide service west of Ninth Avenue. It offers access to the Jacob Javits Convention Center, the High Line and Hudson River Park, and serves as a catalyst for development of the far west side.

"The extension of the train to Hudson Yards has helped to create a whole new neighborhood with as much office space as Downtown Phoenix or Miami and thousands of new jobs. And we brought this entire project in within the budget set more than 10 years ago,” said Janno Lieber, Chief Development Officer for the MTA. “The MTA is changing how we do things to deliver projects faster, better and less expensively."

The extension of the Line from Times Square to the new 34 St-11 Av station, and beyond to the 11th Avenue and 25th Street for “tail tracks” and train storage, was funded by the City of New York. City funding, under the supervision of the Hudson Yards Development Corporation, included $2.1 billion for the subway in addition to $301 million for other non-subway related infrastructure work. The MTA contributed $53 million for the initial planning and preliminary engineering design of the extension, to help spur the development and transformation of a proposed rezoned far West Side.

The benefit of convenient subway access has helped drive Hudson Yards development which has seen a flurry of growth since 2005 zoning changes and the subsequent 2015 opening of the new 34 St-Hudson Yards station. According to the Hudson Yards Development Corporation, there has been 1.8 million square feet of commercial space built, largely since the new station was opened, with another 12.2 million square feet currently under construction, and 11.8 million square feet planned. On the residential front there have been 8,700 units built (1,200 affordable), with another 2,300 presently under construction (320 affordable) and 7,200 more planned. Additionally, there have been 4,300 hotel units built, 2,500 under construction, and another 1,700 units planned.

The 34 St-Hudson Yards station features three public floors and is ADA accessible. Between the two entrances the station features 16 escalators (nine high-rise and seven low-rise) and four elevators (two vertical and two inclined). Eight sets of stairs and one elevator provide access from the lower mezzanine to the platform level.

The station's modern amenities include a platform level that is air-tempered, and 14 Help Point Intercoms that allow customers to communicate with the station agent or the Rail Control Center in the case of an emergency. The Help Points, along with eight On-the-Go digital information kiosks, five other digital information panels, and cell phone/Wi-Fi connectivity, offer a new level of service and communications for customers.

The new entrance is home to the third and final mosaic in the installation “Funktional Vibrations” by Xenobia Bailey. The piece was commissioned by MTA Arts & Design through an international competitive selection process. Bailey’s artwork consists of mosaic tiles totaling approximately 2,788 square feet.