Station fix ‘saves $300M’

The MTA could save up to $300 million on its Second Avenue subway expansion into East Harlem with “more efficient” station designs, according to a preliminary review of the plan — which was launched after The Post revealed the project’s cost.

The savings could bring the price of the project, which would extend the Q line by creating three new stations at 106th, 116th and 125th streets, down to $6.6 billion from $6.9 billion, the agency said Monday.

“We spent a lot of time on the size of the stations and I’ll say, ‘We’re not done,’ ” said the MTA’s construction chief, Jamie TorresSpringer, who described the new designs as “more efficient.”

The MTA launched a review of the expansion after a series of investigations by The Post revealed new stations would be built twice as long as the platforms needed to serve the Q train — and would cost billions more than comparable designs used in other major cities.

Officials said the cost-cutting changes include shrinking the proposed 125th Street-Lexington Avenue station. The extra length — about 600 feet — was initially set aside to create space for break rooms, mechanical rooms and storage, and wouldn’t have been seen or used by straphangers. Experts say other subway systems use much less space for the same functions.

The agency said it could also downsize — or potentially eliminate — the mezzanine at the 116th Street station to lower costs and avoid costly utility relocation.

The three new East Harlem stations combined would be used by approximately 100,000 people daily, according to MTA predictions.

Officials said they hoped the review would eventually net more savings off the cost, which officially still stands at $6.9 billion before financing costs that increase it to $7.7 billion.