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News

Vetted coverage of Governor Hochul's administration, grouped by day. Every item names its publication and carries a source-credibility tier — Tier 1 primary/wire, Tier 2 established outlet, Tier 3 secondary. No spin; each story links to its original source.

6 items

Sep 15, 2026

1
Governor's officeTIER 1

MTA issues the RFQ for Contract 4, the last and largest Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 contract: station fit-outs, track, signals, 22 elevators and 20 escalators at 106, 116 and 125 St; RFP by year-end, contractor pick mid-2027, full completion fall 2032 on a $6.968B budget

Sept. 14 release: the fourth and final Phase 2 contract goes out as a Request for Qualifications. Contract 1 (106 St utility relocation, awarded Jan 2024) is about 60% done; Contract 2 (tunnels and 116 St box, Sept 2025) targets substantial completion Sept 2029; Contract 3 (106 St shell, April 2026) targets Q3 2030. Funded by congestion-relief revenue and $3.4B federal. Hochul: "we are moving full speed ahead with the final contract." Revenue service still projected for 2032, so the promise stays in-progress.

Sep 10, 2026

2
Governor's officeTIER 1

MTA to seek 650 new buses, its biggest single order since 2013, but they run on compressed natural gas, not electricity; Lieber says the agency is buying CNG "while the electric bus industry continues to mature"

Sept. 10 release: the MTA will issue an RFP (proposals due Oct. 19, 2026) for 650 CNG buses funded by the 2025-29 Capital Plan, replacing aging CNG buses; the order is more than 10% of the fleet. The release says 30% of standard bus purchases in this Capital Plan are expected to be CNG and that the plan separately funds 500 zero-emission buses plus depot charging. It says 100% of the natural gas is offset by renewable natural gas credits. Context for the tracker: the MTA's stated goal is a zero-emission fleet by 2040; this order is a fossil-fuel purchase framed as a bridge. Since the July "Next Stop" plan, 41 new buses have entered service.

Governor's officeTIER 1High

Interborough Express: MTA will release the Draft Environmental Impact Statement in Q4 2026, ahead of schedule; all 18 stations to be fully accessible, with ADA work at Broadway Junction, Junius St/Livonia and Ave I due 2026–early 2028 and Wilson Ave contract by mid-2027

Hochul announced Sept. 9 that the MTA will publish the IBX Draft EIS in Q4 2026, earlier than planned, followed by public meetings. The $5.5B Brooklyn–Queens light rail line (18 stations, 17 subway connections, LIRR, projected 160,000 weekday riders) entered design in October 2025 under a roughly two-year design contract. ADA upgrades at connecting subway stations: Junius St/Livonia by end of 2026, Broadway Junction by end of 2027, Ave I by early 2028 (all 2020-24 Capital Plan), Wilson Ave expedited in the 2025-29 plan with a contract by mid-2027. Funding: $45M in the FY2026 budget for design and $2.75B approved in the 2025-29 MTA Capital Plan, i.e., half the estimated cost. The remaining $2.75B is not identified in the release.

Aug 10, 2026

1
Governor's Office / NYC Mayor's Office / MTATIER 1

Hochul, Mamdani and MTA announce first-in-nation thermal energy network study to cool subway platforms

Hochul, Mayor Mamdani and the MTA announced an $800K feasibility study of a Thermal Energy Network at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall 4/5/6 and Chambers St J/Z complex — the first in a U.S. transit system. Radiant cooling would pull heat off platforms (Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall averaged 96°F in summer 2025) and store it in geothermal boreholes under Chambers St's abandoned center platform to heat nearby municipal buildings in winter. Funded through congestion pricing revenue as part of the Chambers St renewal announced Aug 7; study contract awarded this fall, design work in early 2027 if feasible. Notable as a visible Hochul-Mamdani city-state partnership in election season.

Aug 8, 2026

1
Governor's Office / MTATIER 1

MTA seeks contractors to modernize century-old Chambers St J/Z station

Hochul announced Aug 7 that the MTA is seeking contractors to design, construct and rehabilitate the Chambers St J/Z station in Lower Manhattan, which opened in 1913 and has long ranked among the system's most deteriorated stations. Design-build procurement stage; no completion date or final cost announced yet.

Jul 27, 2026

1
Governor's OfficeTIER 1

Park Avenue Viaduct structural replacement finished 60 months early and $195M under budget, Hochul announces

Hochul announced completion of major structural replacement on the MTA's Park Avenue Viaduct: 196 bridge structures and 12,600+ feet of railroad replaced over 28 weekends since October 2023, finishing 60 months ahead of schedule and $195M under the initial $960M budget ($765M project cost), without delaying a train. The 133-year-old viaduct carries 98% of Metro-North service — every train in and out of Grand Central. Remaining track/cable work runs through September 2027.