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Cuomo: Second Avenue Subway Will Officially Open To Public New Year's Day

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The Second Avenue subway line will officially open New Year's Day, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday morning.

A ceremonial ride will take place at a New Year's Eve party before the official opening Jan. 1, Cuomo said.

"The Second Avenue subway is going to open on time, despite all the adjustments that actually slowed down the time, and a delay would be more than justified given the slow-down," Cuomo said. "We're going to open on January 1 because deadlines matter."

The long-anticipated subway will extend the Q train to 96th Street.

Cuomo and MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast touted the art and architecture of the new stations.

"I think you'll find the art there exhilarating. I think you'll find the environment vastly different from what you see in the New York City subway, and you'll be pleased, I think, with the end product," Prendergast said.

"It is going to be an accomplishment, and a proud accomplishment, of every New Yorker," Cuomo said.

The first trains northbound and southbound will roll onto the new tracks at around noon New Year's Day, the MTA said.

The second phase of the Second Avenue subway project would extend the service to 125th Street.

"We have preliminary engineering underway for phase two which would extend the subway north with stations in the proximity of 106th street, 116th street and 126th street, and it will curve west at that point and connect with Metro-North," Prendergast said.

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