Yankee Stadium subway elevator to the uptown B/D platform stays out until January as new lifts keep failing

Riders who need an elevator to reach uptown B and D trains at 161st Street-Yankee Stadium will have to keep waiting. Elevator EL135, which links the mezzanine to the platform for Bedford Park Boulevard- and Norwood-205th Street-bound trains, has been out of service since June 29, and the MTA's own elevator outage feed listed an estimated return of Jan. 31, 2027 as of Friday morning.

It is the most visible problem at a station where five new elevators were installed in a replacement project that began in November 2024 and was supposed to finish last December, THE CITY reported. The lifts began returning to service in April.

What the data shows

THE CITY's analysis of MTA elevator-availability data found the station's elevators slid from being in service 99% of the time in April to 56% in August, the latest month with public figures, well below the 95% systemwide average. The MTA's numbers show 37 elevator outages at the station from April through August, 31 of them unscheduled. The station complex served more than 6.1 million riders on the B, D and 4 lines last year, making it the busiest in the Bronx.

The street elevator, EL131 at the northeast corner of 161st Street and River Avenue, dropped from 99% availability in May to 37% in June, logged 12 outages from April until it was pulled from service on June 26, and came back in late September, according to MTA records cited by THE CITY.

Why, according to the MTA and Con Ed

The MTA blamed low voltage reaching the station and aging infrastructure in and around the complex, saying that both Con Edison's equipment and the station's electrical system contributed as summer heat strained the grid. An MTA Construction & Development spokesperson said more infrastructure must be installed on the agency's side to properly feed EL135 and that a work plan should be ready within about a week. Con Edison told THE CITY its crews upgraded and tested the service feeding the elevator last summer and that it is confident voltage on its end is adequate.

The outage reason on the MTA's feed now reads "Final Contract Items"; THE CITY reported the MTA changed it on Thursday from "Con Edison Power Issues." The MTA said the two elevators that returned in late September have performed with minimal disruptions.

If you need step-free access

• Check before you go: live outages and alternate routes are posted at mta.info/elevator-escalator-status.
• Station layout: the street elevator is at the northeast corner of 161st Street and River Avenue; from the mezzanine, elevator 134 serves the downtown B/D platform and elevator 135 the uptown platform, per the MTA's accessible stations guide.
• Report an outage: the MTA's status page links to a station-specific form; note the elevator number posted above the doors.