Finally, improvements to Bay Ridge Avenue station are coming!

The Bay Ridge Avenue station, on the R Line, is finally scheduled to get a makeover years after commuters first started complaining about the horrifying conditions they have had to endure there.

State Senator Martin Golden announced on Tuesday, August 28, that he has finally secured improvements for this site, saying that he thinks It is important that our subway stations are maintained so that our commuters can start and end their travels in a clean, well-kept station.”

Over the years, riders have dealt with water pools that form on the platform, loose railings, chipped stairs, crumbling walls and peeling paint on the ceiling.

Caitlin W., a resident of Bay Ridge who utilizes the station frequently, thinks the improvements are great.

“It’s nice to know that for once, the MTA cares for Bay Ridge,” she remarked.

Earlier this year Golden received a response from Thomas Prendergast, president of the MTA New York City Transit.

Prendergast informed him “that the Bay Ridge Avenue Station will be included in their 2013 In-House Painting Program and will be scraped, primed and painted by the end of 2013,” according to a statement released by Golden.

The MTA promises “to meet current design standards for full metal treading,” having the stairway areas scraped and painted by the end of 2012.

As a resident of Bay Ridge and as the chairperson of the Transportation Committee of Community Board 10, Brian Kieran hopes that the physical restoration of the station will be an impetus for further improvements.

“The improvements are necessary and will go a long way to improving the quality of rides for those commuters who use that station,” he said.

“Hopefully, the service itself will get some improvement as well because as important as it is to have a physical station maintained, we also need the service to be good.

“The R train is deteriorating,” Kieran went on, stressing that “the overcrowding, and the trains out of service,” currently give people headaches.

Golden said he believes the enhancements will “better the quality the quality of the commute of many.”

“I am glad to see that these repairs have been approved by the Transit Authority,” he concluded.

Contacted for comment, MTA Spokesperson Kevin Ortiz only said, “We’re pleased to improve the Bay Ridge Avenue station for our customers.”

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