Luxury brands may be tripping over each other in their rush to buy up pricey Fifth Avenue retail venues, but a retail recovery has yet to materialize in some of the most heavily traveled places in New York City's ailing transit system.

There are 190 retail spaces in NYC's subway system, but just 60 of them are currently operating. At the Turnstile Underground Market inside the 59th Street-Columbus Circle station, the seventh-busiest station, only six of the 40 shops and kiosks are open, according to a report in The City.

Shops inside the Long Island Rail Road hub at Grand Central are likely to remain vacant until 2025, the report said. While 72 of the 92 retail spaces inside the historic terminal are filled, the new Grand Central Madison terminal underground has a 25K retail corridor that remains empty, except for a few coffee carts.