Riders who need an elevator at the end of the line in Coney Island have one back. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Tuesday, October 27, that a modernized elevator at the Coney Island-Stillwell Av station is open again, running between the N train platform and the overpass that serves the D line.

Coney Island-Stillwell Av is the southern terminal for the D, F, N and Q trains, and the MTA counts close to 9,000 riders using the station on a typical weekday. The agency says the project came in on budget.

What was rebuilt

This was a full replacement rather than a repair. According to the MTA, the work covered:

  • A new elevator cab and the equipment inside the cab, the shaft and the pit, with changes to the shaft and pit so the new equipment fits.
  • New glass and a new canopy on the elevator's head house at street level.
  • New machine room, electrical and mechanical equipment.
  • Upgraded remote monitoring, fire alarm, intercom and camera systems, which the MTA says let crews respond faster and more precisely when an elevator goes out of service.

The design-builder was Forte Gramercy JV, and Mid-America installed the elevator.

Number 25 for the year

The Stillwell elevator is the 25th elevator replacement the MTA has finished in 2026. The agency says that is the second-highest total for a single year in its history, behind the record it set last year. It has more elevator replacements under way in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan.

The MTA's accessibility officials describe the work as aimed at riders with strollers, older adults and people with disabilities, for whom an elevator being out can mean a different route home or no trip at all.

Where accessibility stands

The MTA now lists 164 fully accessible stations, 49 of them made accessible since 2020. Its 2025-2029 capital plan puts nearly $7.1 billion toward station accessibility, with a goal of making at least 60 more stations ADA-accessible.

Before you go

The station sits at Surf and Stillwell Avenues, a short walk from the Boardwalk, Luna Park and Maimonides Park. Riders can check the current status of any elevator or escalator in the system on the MTA's website and app before heading out, which is the quickest way to confirm a route is step-free on a given day.

Sources