The Roosevelt Island subway station received a fresh revamp as part of the MTA’s “Re-New-Vation” program, marking the 100th station to get upgrades aimed at improving safety and cleanliness for New York commuters.

“When riders come back from the weekend, the station looks clean, fresh, and it smells fresh,” said Demetrius Crichlow, Interim NYC Transit president, during a celebration at the station.

The revamp program, launched in 2022, focuses on using planned weekend outages to make upgrades like painting, tile replacements and improved lighting.

“Our crews have replaced over 106,000 square feet of tiles, just for perspective, that’s like tiling the entire Empire State Building. We’ve also painted 4.8 million square feet of station surfaces,” said Crichlow.

In addition to these improvements, the MTA has added new decals for ADA accessibility and upgraded lighting, which Crichlow says is crucial for commuters’ sense of safety.

“When customers come in and see lighting that’s brighter, they feel safer,” he noted.

Roosevelt Island residents, like commuter Maggie, have noticed the changes but feel there is more work to be done.

“Watching them clean the glass, polish it, and close the station—everything is great, but they always forget spots,” she said. “The gunk is out from downstairs and behind the seats, so that’s good, and the urine smell is gone.”

MTA officials say they are listening to commuter feedback. “Month after month, year after year, cleanliness is the top priority,” said Shanifah Rieara, senior advisor for communication at NYC Transit. “We just want our customers to know we hear you, and we want you to continue to give feedback.”

The MTA say it’s launched its fall customer account survey to gather input from riders across the network. The survey is available online through Oct. 31 and can be accessed here.