7 Line Subway Extension Will Have Awesome Willy Wonka Style Incline Elevator

The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/taking-the-subway-saves-new-yorkers-14k-every-year/" target="_blank">exciting subway extension</a> will jut across Midtown, connecting the far reaches of Hell’s Kitchen with Grand Central Station and Queens. Aside from being a much needed passage from East to West, the 11th Avenue station is already an architectural step into the future.

Unlike other NYC projects that continue to face more and more delays, the 7 Line extension is making great time, and is expected to open in just another 12-18 months. The line's <a href="http://inhabitat.com/14-subways-you-definitely-want-to-ride-on/" target="_blank">state-of-the-art station</a> on 11th Avenue will not only be a new hub for the NYC subway system, it will also feature New York’s very first inclined elevator. Along with a gorgeous blue skylight, the station will boast other innovative design details and be a retail and transportation <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/first-leed-gold-tower-at-hudson-yards-breaks-ground-in-manhattan/" target="_blank">center on the West Side</a> for about 35,000 commuters daily. Read on to see a full video of the strides being made on this exciting new line's construction.

Since digging an elevator shaft right at 11th Avenue was not an option, the MTA turned to designing an incline elevator. New York’s first, the incline will have an entrance in a new park area on 10th Avenue a block away, and transport commuters sideways down a slope underneath 11th Avenue and into the station.

Inside the station, an oval shape will act as a skylight, bringing a burst sunlight to commuters below, and be painted in a deep blue hue to <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/chuck-close-and-sarah-sze-to-create-site-specific-artwork-for-second-avenue-subway/" target="_blank">double as a decorative element</a>.

The stair shaftway that connects the mezzanine to the platform will help circulate air in the station, which will be naturally cooled with an <a href="http://inhabitat.com/spains-sustainable-solar-chamber-apartment-complex-takes-a-cue-from-corbusier/" target="_blank">air tempered design</a>.

The MTA anticipates that the new 7 Line station will be the most used station in 2020, bringing <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/nyc-woman-will-attempt-to-set-new-guinness-world-record-by-hitting-all-468-subway-stations-in-22-hours/" target="_blank">commuters</a> to the West Side, and to an array of retail spaces such as Coach and L’Oreal on site.

We hope we can get a sneak peak once it is completed!