New York is looking at a new use for one of the subway’s biggest complaints, heat.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority have agreed to pursue a thermal energy network, according to The Ticker. The proposal would capture heat from the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall 4, 5, and 6 train stations and the Chambers Street J and Z stations, then send it to nearby municipal buildings for winter heating.
If it succeeds, it would be the first thermal energy network tied to a US train system.
Officials want to capture heat that now builds up underground and put it to use aboveground. A large share of that heat comes from normal train braking. As trains slow down, friction between brake pads and discs turns motion into heat, which is released into the surrounding air.
The subway system dates to 1904 and was not built with modern heat waves in mind. Limited ventilation can make stations feel stagnant and oppressive.
State Senator Brian Kavanagh said the plan could help with commuter comfort and climate concerns.
“Every summer, I hear from my constituents about how brutal the heat on subway platforms across my district and the City can be,” he said, per The Ticker. “As we face the growing dangers of climate change and prolonged extreme heat, exploring sustainable solutions to the high temperatures in our transit system is a critical task. I’m thrilled that the MTA is working to turn this harmful summer heat into a resource, joining SUNY campuses across the state and innovators across the world working with thermal energy networks to cut costs, provide effective heating and cooling, and reduce emissions.”
The project would aim to cool subway platforms for riders and use recovered heat to warm nearby public buildings in colder weather. The plan calls for radiant cooling panels and deep bedrock for long-term heat storage.
Officials want to know if the plan is practical and worth the investment before moving ahead. An $800,000 feasibility study will examine if the technology can run efficiently enough to justify the cost and construction effort.
Yume Kitasei, commissioner of the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services, called the study an “investigation of both sides of the equation, the actual mechanics of doing it, how big a lift that would be, and how much we would get out of it in terms of efficiency.”
She added that the question is whether “it’s going to work efficiently enough that it’s worth the cost.”
Testing is set to begin at Chambers Street, where construction may cause less disruption because the station is abandoned. Officials also see a chance to repair one of the city’s oldest stations. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal said Chambers Street needs “serious work.”
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