No offense, but this sounds like the reaction of someone who doesn't actually use the subway to get around. The older stations in NYC are cramped and _dangerous_ because they're too small to handle the foot traffic heading through on a good day without delays. The new 2nd avenue subway stations are similarly large, and I can personally attest that this scale, which seems frivolous to you, makes life tangibly better for the commuters who rely on this infrastructure every day.