Midtown Subway Entrances Remain Closed, Months Into Pandemic

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — More than six months after the pandemic first emptied out Midtown and shuttered the neighborhood's office buildings, at least four subway entrances remain off-limits to the public because they are privately owned, according to a new report.

While the city controls the subway system, some entrances are attached to office buildings, leaving their owners in charge of whether to open them up to riders. Nine entrances in Manhattan were still shuttered as of this week, including four in Midtown, according to a report by THE CITY, the nonprofit investigative news site.

The four Midtown entrances that remain closed off are:

• Hotel Pennsylvania (34th Street-Penn Station)
• 300 West 44th St. (42nd Street-Times Square)
• 7 Bryant Park (42nd St.-Bryant Park)
• 51 Madison Ave. (28th Street stop on the 6 train)

The ongoing closures can inconvenience commuters, impede accessibility for those with disabilities and leave homeless New Yorkers without a safe place to sleep, advocates told THE CITY.

After a steep drop-off during the early months of the pandemic, subway ridership has crept back up, averaging more than 1.7 million riders on weekdays last week.

Read more from THE CITY.