New York's MTA didn't fix 17,000 defects before opening its long-awaited Second Avenue subway

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority failed to complete safety expections for the long-awaited Second Avenue subway that opened January 1, New York Times' Emma Fitzsimmons first reported.

The Times reports that officials raised concerns about whether the MTA could finish all of the inspections in time for the subway's grand opening on New Year's Eve, which was commemorated with live music and champagne. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, however, reportedly pushed the transit agency to open the line on time. Cuomo is in charge of the MTA.

The MTA did not fix the more than 17,000 defects that had been found during inspections leading up to the grand opening, according to the report. Additionally, the fire alarm system was still undergoing testing.

The MTA did not immediately return Business Insider's request for comment, but a representative told the Times that the Second Avenue line is completely safe:

"The stations on the new Second Avenue line are completely safe and they have been since the day they opened. They feature state-of-the-art technology for fire protection, closed-circuit monitoring and new public address systems - any suggestion that safety was at all compromised to meet the deadline to open is patently false."

There have not been any serious mishaps on the new line, which travels from Lexington Avenue and 63rd Street to new stations at 72nd, 86th, and 96th Streets. The MTA has been in the spotlight as subway delays and disruptions have increased in the last few months in what many of dubbed the "summer of hell."

Read the full New York Times report