Second Avenue subway opens New Year's Day

It had been nearly a century in the making, on New Year’s Day, the Second Avenue subway will finally be open for business.

The promised opening of the Second Avenue subway has arrived, and New Yorkers couldn't help but to stop and admire what they've been waiting for since the 1970s.

“It’s so beautiful. I had to stop and take a picture. Look at it!” said one New Yorker.

Construction on the subway line began back in 1972, but was put off because the city's economy had taken a downturn several years later.

"This is NY. We say we're going to meet a deadline - we can do it,” said Governor Cuomo.

Sunday morning service begins at 11:45 a.m. and runs from 63rd to 96th streets.

"I can't wait to be here tomorrow. I want to be the first one to get on and ride the subway," said one bystander.

From January 2nd through the 8th, service on the Second Avenue subway runs from 6am until 10pm. Starting January 9th, service will operate around the clock.

There was one side effect to the completion of this subway line -- rent on the Upper East Side could go up.

According to a report by Street Easy, people living near three new stations, at 72nd, 86th, and 96th streets could face rent increase as high as $462 per month. Businesses in the area have suffered a lot during the construction phase. However, the assistant manager of Trend Diner said they are ready to move business forward even if that means having to pay more.

"We've been waiting for this, and we lost a lot of businesses, but the subway will help us now recuperate all we've lost,” they said.

“Whatever it takes to live in the city,” they said.

At midnight on January 1st, Governor Cuomo will ride the first train.