[title]
If you’ve noticed sleek new barriers popping up on some subway platforms, you're not imagining things—and they’re about to get a whole lot more common. The MTA is barreling ahead with plans to install protective platform edge barriers at more than 100 stations by the end of 2025, part of a broader safety upgrade that includes brighter LED lighting and a sprawling security camera rollout.
So far, 56 stations have received the new guardrails, and the MTA says it’s on track to double that figure before the year’s out. These partial-height barriers are designed to prevent riders from accidentally falling (or being pushed) onto the tracks—a concern voiced by 59-percent of recent survey respondents and a whopping 88-percent of seniors.
RECOMMENDED: Big changes are coming to F and M trains this fall, says MTA—here’s what to expect
“We’re making investments to ensure that our system not only is safe but—equally important—feels safe to riders,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “With new platform barriers, MTA’s thousands of new security cameras, increased deployments from the NYPD, and 10% less crime before COVID, it’s no wonder customer satisfaction has risen dramatically this year.”
Governor Kathy Hochul, who first announced the initiative in her 2025 State of the State address, said safety will “always be [her] number one priority.” In addition to the barriers, 342 stations have already been upgraded with new LED lights, with the rest scheduled by year’s end.
The MTA is leaning on its own in-house labor to manufacture and install the barriers—cutting costs and speeding up the rollout. Eligible stations were selected based on ridership, layout feasibility, and the presence of island platforms, with focus on the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, F, M and L lines.
You can already spot barriers at spots like Wall Street, Grand Central (7), Clark Street, Astor Place, Bedford Avenue and Flushing–Main Street. Want to see if your station made the list? You can check here.
Assemblymember Alex Bores called the barriers “lifesaving tools,” noting they make people feel safer—and feeling safer encourages more riders to use the system, which in turn makes it safer overall. It’s a virtuous cycle, sealed with steel and Plexiglas.