On Monday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced a partnership to study a new technology that could cool subway platforms and reuse excess heat to warm nearby city buildings during the winter.
The proposed thermal energy network would be tested at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall 4/5/6 and Chambers Street J/Z station complex. Officials said it would be the first project of its kind in a U.S. transit system.
The study comes as the MTA prepares a major overhaul of the aging Chambers Street station. Officials said the location offers a chance to explore ways to address extreme heat, a growing challenge across the subway system.
According to the MTA, Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall is one of the system's hottest stations, with average summer temperatures reaching 96 degrees Fahrenheit in 2025.
"There are few feelings worse than escaping the extreme summer heat only to find yourself on a subway platform that is even hotter," Mayor Mamdani said. "We can make our subway platforms cooler and more comfortable while putting wasted heat to work during the winter."
The proposed system would capture heat from subway platforms, store it underground and redirect it to nearby municipal buildings during colder months. Officials said the project could reduce energy costs while improving conditions for riders.
"For years, New Yorkers have suffered through sweltering summer heat on subway platforms," Hochul said. "Working with Mayor Mamdani and the MTA, we are harnessing cutting-edge climate technology for a truly cool purpose: making our subway stations tolerable during the summer and heating critical city buildings during the winter."
The study will cost $800,000. The Chambers Street station renovations will be paid for using congestion pricing funds.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said officials are exploring approaches that have not previously been tested in transit systems.
"Bringing down the temperature is a real challenge in a century-old system with open entrances and vents everywhere," Lieber said. "We're exploring solutions ... to make stations more comfortable while helping to reduce energy costs. Everybody wins."
Officials said the project is part of broader city and MTA efforts to make transit infrastructure more resilient as temperatures continue to rise.
The announcement also included plans to renovate the Chambers Street J/Z station, which dates to 1913. City officials said the overhaul would include new structures, tile replacements, stairway upgrades and a top-to-bottom restoration of the historic station.
"Anyone who has stood on a subway platform in August knows that our stations do not just get hot, they turn into underground saunas," Mamdani said. "And if you, like me, do not know what a summer suit is, and choose instead to commute in a wool one, let me tell you, it's far from a therapeutic experience."
A contract is expected to be awarded this fall, and if the site proves suitable, design work could begin in early 2027.
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