NYC subway expansion brings relief and fears

New York

FEW cities in the world are as closely linked to their subways as New York City - the vast network helped shape the city and now carries nearly six million people a day. So when the most ambitious expansion of the subway system in half a century opened on Jan 1, it was a transformative moment, promising to alter the future of a large slice of Manhattan.

The new Second Avenue subway is expected to provide badly needed relief to one of New York's most congested transit corridors and is set to be a boon to the local economy, making restaurants and stores suddenly easier to reach.