Hudson Yards metro stop adds considerable value through access

I've mentioned Hudson Yards in a previous blog post and was incorrect in my assessment of the type of transit value capture at play. I had suggested that the development relied on existing transit, changes in land use regulations, and high land values that made a platform over the rail yard feasible. In actuality, it appears that a new subway station sits at the heart of the new development and the new access it affords is distinct and critical to its success. The new access provided by the subway station is distinct from the existing north-south subway service and regional rail service available at Penn Station.

Reuters reports that the station is anticipated to be one of the busiest in the system and provide direct access to several key hubs.

The new station is intended to be the linchpin of the Hudson Yards development, with more than a dozen skyscrapers, a cultural center and parks replacing a neighborhood once dominated by rundown industrial buildings.

Key to the project's success is its route, through the city's busiest transit hubs of Grand Central and Times Square, opening up the far west side to the entire mass transit system, said Mitchell Moss, professor of urban planning at New York University. It will also serve as an entry point to the popular High Line elevated park.

The Hudson Yards station is expected to see 200,000 daily riders by 2025, according to MTA projections, on a system that sees 5.8 million riders each day. By way of comparison, the busiest station, Times Square, today sees 197,696 daily riders.

Unfortunately, Reuters also reported that opening day for the subway station at the heart of the new development has been slightly delayed. In 2015, the station should open and soon after new development will also be open. Photos of the development are available in this syndication of the Reuters article.