You can feel the love at the Times Square-42nd Street subway station. On Thursday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) installed heart-shaped decals for the 1, 2, and 3 trains above the station’s fare gates and handed out matching stickers to riders, while also celebrating couples who met on public transit or while working for the agency. To further spread the love, a special Valentine’s Day message from actor Teyana Taylor will play in subway stations across the five boroughs.
“The MTA is celebrating Valentine’s Day all weekend with special messaging on digital signage, in our apps and announcements from Harlem native Teyana Taylor,” MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara said. “And if you’re taking the 123 line, you can say you’re catching a ride on the love train.”
At a Thursday press conference announcing the Valentine’s Day makeover, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber celebrated couples who met on public transit or connected while working for the authority. Each couple received a certificate and a swag bag filled with MTA souvenirs.
One couple, NYC Transit train service supervisor Brandon Moriarty and assistant train dispatcher Amber Moriarty, first met in 2016, when Amber was a conductor and Brandon a train operator. They reconnected a few years later, sparking a friendship.
In 2022, after Amber contracted COVID, Brandon went above and beyond—walking from Dyre Avenue in the Bronx to her home in Mount Vernon to deliver what she needed. Their bond grew from that moment, eventually leading to their marriage in 2024.
Another couple, Anastasia Gregory and Spencer Seabaugh, first met on an uptown A train during a morning commute in 2022. After noticing each other several times, Anastasia gave Spencer her phone so he could enter his number. The couple married in 2024.
Though they didn’t meet on public transit, the subway played a central role in Suzanne Elgendy and Edgar Alfonseca’s wedding. The Queens natives were married at Catch in Astoria, near the 30th Avenue stop on the N and W lines. Their 2019 nuptials were subway-themed, featuring meatball table numbers, a subway map as the seating chart, and a photoshoot on the platform.
The couple said they wanted to honor the subway system as something vital to the city, and noted that their three-and-a-half-year-old son now loves the system as much as they do.
“Love probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the MTA, but anyone who uses our transit system knows that this is the place where people come together,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “So don’t let the middle seat get between you and the person who just might be the love of your life.”
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