The new connection between the 7 and G at 23rd Street and Jackson Avenue opened this morning. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)

With 7 trains clanking past on its elevated tracks, Transit officials and local politicians gathered in Long Island City this morning to celebrate a long-awaited station opening. Shortly after 10:30 a.m., state Assembly member Catherine Nolan cut the ribbon to mark the official opening of the Court Square Station and the new ADA-compliant and fully covered connection between the 7 and G trains. The long rumored dispute between Citi and the MTA has finally been resolved.

Noting that the connection should see 20,000 passengers per day who can now avoid an out-of-system transfer, Transit President Thomas Prendergast spoke of the ways in which the authority is connecting key station. “The creation of this complex will facilitate travel for customers heading to and from Queens and give choices in the case of a disruption on any of the lines,” he said. “This is very similar to our project in Downtown Brooklyn, where we linked two stations, Jay Street and Lawrence Street into the Jay Street-MetroTech complex and improved travel options for thousands of subway riders from day one. There is also a project underway to provide a free transfer between the Sixth Avenue Line to the uptown 6 at the Broadway-Lafayette and Bleecker Street stations.”

A glimpse down the walkway connecting the G platform to the elevated 7 tracks. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)

The new transfer area features a variety of upgrades for customers. There are two protected escalators, three elevators and a new staircase and passageway. The entire station complex has also been renamed as Court Square.

Overall, the project cost a total of $47.6 million, and Transit picked up $13.9 million, most of which went toward ADA compliancy. Later this month, the TA will award a contract that will overhaul the 7 platform as well. That work will include full platform replacement, new windscreens and ADA-compliant boarding areas. For now, the saga of Court Square has come to an end, then, many months later than it should have.

After the jump, a full slideshow of photos from the ribbon-cutting. Read More→

The never-ending Court Square saga appears to be coming to an end. A SAS tipster sent in the following photo yesterday, and it features good news for Queens commuters who have been dying for the new station complex to open.

So there you have it. Incontrovertible photo proof that after years of wrangling between the MTA and Citi, the station complex and its new entrance will finally open, countless months late. It’s about time, eh?

As the economy improves, the retail spaces at 74th St./Roosevelt Ave. in Jackson Heights should fill up.

Following years of conflict with its Jackson Heights neighbors as well as one failed lease attempt in the mid-2000s, the MTA Board will vote today to rent nearly 3000 square feet of empty space at the 74th St./Roosevelt Ave. station to the Famous Famiglia restaurant, according to documents released this week. In approving the 20-year lease, the authority should put an end to what one city councilman called in November a “shining example of MTA incompetence” while appeasing neighborhood groups who have clamored for just about anything to go into the space.

According to the MTA documents, this two-level space, subject to much hand-wringing over the last five years, had been leased to a company called Cosanba, Inc. in 2006. The company was to open a Korean bakery but was “unable to complete the process of submitting plans for code review.” The MTA decided to cancel the least last year and relet the space. Last December, they requested proposals for a 20-year lease, and Famous Famiglia’s bid of nearly $2.6 million topped a list of 13 that included Ottomanelli & Sons, Starbucks and McDonalds.

The pizza restaurant, known throughout the New York region, will operate a 24-hour restaurant at the popular subway hub. The menu will include pizza, pasta, salads, sandwiches and breakfasts, and the MTA, per the documents, is confident that the company can take a challenging space and turn it into a successful restaurant. Famous Famiglia, for better or worse, has buit a business on doing the same in airports, sports stadiums and shopping malls throughout the country.

Famous Famiglia’s proposal, the highest by nearly $1 million, and it “exceeded the appraised value of the space.” Those expecting a pizza joint to open soon though might be in for a bit of a wait. The company will have to bring a gas line into the building and will have to develop a “raw” space. “Famous Famiglia has had significant successful experience in building out spaces,” the MTA document says, “and has demonstrated that it has the financial resources sufficient to complete construction.”

For the MTA, that this lease will represent a big increase over the initial one may portend a sign of better commercial real estate options for the authority. As it seeks to lure an Apple Store into Grand Central, it has netted itself a fine establishment for a space that has remained empty for far too long.

Still, those in the neighborhood are going to be a bit wary until construction starts. This story first came to light in November, over six months ago, and those in the neighborhood told me then that they expected the space to remain empty until late 2012 at the earliest. Perhaps Famous Famiglia’s past experience can speed up the process, but for now, this empty eyesore is moving closer toward a tenant. It’s a clear step in the right direction.

The sign, sent out to reporters by the MTA a few minutes ago, pretty much says it all — except for when the Court Sq. transfer between the G and 7 will open.

Updated (5:05 p.m. with a correction): While the immediate opening date of the Court Sq. transfer between the 7 and G train remains unknown, New York City Transit has announced that the 23rd Street-Ely Ave. station on the Queens Boulevard local line is now Court Square-23rd Street. The name-change, says Transit, is “in anticipation of the opening of the free transfer” that was supposed to have opened in February. It’s current status is unknown, but the new station name will begin appearing on subway maps and train announcements soon. New signage as well will go up at the station.

The press release though is vague on the connection. It says that debut of the new transfer is expected “sometime this spring,” but that’s been the party line for months. I recently heard that disputes over Citi’s obligations and some slow work on the escalators are responsible for the delays.

When the transfer is complete, the 7 stop at 45th Road-Court House Square will also be renamed Court Square, and the G station will no longer carry the “Long Island City” moniker on the subway map. The entire station then will be Court Square-23rd Street.

The press release also included a bit of New York City history: “Opened in 1939, the station is located on 44th Drive between 23rd and 21st Streets in Long Island City, Queens. Ely Avenue was the original name of 23rd Street before streets in the borough were given numbers by the Queens Topographical Bureau in 1915. It is the last station in the borough on the Queens Boulevard line before crossing the East River through the 53rd Street tunnel into Manhattan.” One day, our free transfer amongst the E, M, G and 7 trains will come.