Home

NYCT

Staten Island

Port Authority

Commuter Rail

Rail America

Forms

Contributors

Links

For Photos see www.nycsubway.org  

168^th Street (Originally 168^th Street-Washington Heights) Opened 9/10/1932: is discussed on the complexes page 

163^rd Street-Amsterdam Ave (161^st Street/Amsterdam Ave and St. Nicholas Ave) opened 9/10/1932:  Exits are located at 161^st and 162^nd Streets only.  Descending from one of the 2 street stairs at the 161^st Street/Amsterdam Ave side, one can see an floor imprint facing the current S/A booth further down.  It is where the old-style change booth once existed, giving the impression that when the station first opened, most of the mezzanine layout was inside fare control and a crossover from one platform side to another was allowed.  Today, the booth is between the 161^st street exits and the lone 162^nd street exit and 2 separate fare controls exist, one to each side and the mezzanine is cut off in half.  There is no crossover allowed, except if you have any type of Unlimited Ride MetroCard.  The area beyond 162nd street is sealed off, thus there were exits at the north end at 163^rd street along with 2 closed staircases from platform to mezzanine level.  (Some evidence of the “163” with directional arrows, still exist on the platform tablets.)  Station is 2 tracks and 2 side platforms, the 2 express tracks are directly below the station.  There are 3 stairs to each platform, along with open air vents that are visible at both ends of each platform.  There is at least one “ghost booth” reported, this would be at the closed 163^rd street end. 

155^th Street (155^th Street and Saint Nicholas Ave) Opened 9/10/1932:  Similar to 163^rd street, but station layout is not as complex.  Station had full length mezzanine, as evident by closed area at south end.  This area is now used as a NYCT station facility.  2 tracks and 2 side platforms, the express tracks are again beneath the station.  6 street stairs and 4 stairs to each platform, there is also closed staircases at the south end leading up to the old 153^rd street side and possible ghost booth.   

145th Street-Harlem (St. Nicholas Ave between 145th and 147th Streets) opened 9/10/1932: This station has 2 levels, the upper level is where the A and C trains stop, and the lower level is where the Concourse B and D trains stop here.  There are 2 full time mezzanines, one at 145th street (4 street stairs available, one for each corner), and the other at 147th street (2 street stairs).  Each side has 3 stairs from mezzanine to the upper level, and 1 escalator from each mezzanine, directly down to the Uptown only side lower level (B/D) platform.  There are no escalators from the Downtown side to upper level.  Like many other IND stations when first opened, it had a full length mezzanine connecting both of today's mezzanines; this space is now used by the NYPD as a Transit Bureau District Office.  Unknown to most people, there was also exits in the middle of the closed mezzanine, there actually is (what appears to be) an original 1932 IND sign on the Downtown, upper level side that sits overhead in the middle of the platform. To see this sign, you need to stand and face the north end it reads "exit to street".  Outside of the station, on the street, a closed and slabbed over staircase still sits on the NW corner of 146th Street and St. Nicholas.  The upper level is 4 tracks and 2 island platforms; however the lower level has 3 tracks and 2 island platforms.  The Uptown platform on the lower level is wider than the Downtown platform, the possible IND plan was to make the Concourse line in the Bronx as 4 tracks, but plans were scaled back down to 3.  The Concourse line opened a year later after the first IND line (1933).  This station is where midday and evening B trains terminate on the middle track before returning back to Brooklyn.  During AM and PM rush hours, the same middle track is used by D Concourse express trains in the peak direction traveled only (AM Southbound and PM Northbound).  From this point down to 59th Street/Columbus Circle, there are 4 lines (A, B, C, D) running.  From 145th the train enters a maze of complex switches, but is actually easier to figure things out when you ride area between these points a few times each way. 

135th Street (Saint Nicholas Ave between 135th and 137th Streets) opened 9/10/1932:  Local stop, tile band now becomes green.  This is the only local stop that has 6 tracks separating both side platforms.  Fare controls are all at platform level, no mezzanine and no crossover or crossunder.  The full time booths are at the 135th street side (one booth to each side, 3 stairs on Uptown side, 1 stair on Downtown side), and the P/T sides at 137th Street had ghost booths and 1 street stair to each side.  There were restrooms at the north end of the Downtown platform.   Both of the street stairs on the downtown side were built facing Morningside Park and have a 19th Century feel to them.  The exit-only stair from the P/T Uptown side features a nice array of stone casting in a Cathedral like setting, originally built in 1932, not your common steel entrance.  Of the 6 tracks, only 4 are in active revenue service.  The other 2 tracks are only used for non-revenue service.

125th Street (125th Street and Saint Nicholas Ave.)  Opened 9/10/1932:  Express stop in the heart of Harlem's busiest commercial strip, it is an express stop with 4 tracks and 2 island platforms.  The station is undergoing a light makeover and is being made ADA accessible by 2005 with new elevators.   The station had a renovation in the 1980's, during which the set of stairs to each platform at the north end were removed.  The current ADA plan restored these 2 stairs at the far North end.  Station has full length mezzanine with one each of  F/T and P/T fare control areas.  F/T side at 125th street has 4 street stairs and P/T side has 2 street stairs. There are 5 stairs to each platform.  There are large scale photos of Harlem in the 1920's and 1930's, however due to the current state of the station's upgrade to ADA status, the construction zones are temporarily blocking off the pictures.  In the middle of the mezzanine, there is evidence of closed stairs and exits to 126^th street, one on each side.  One of the stairs appears to lead into a business that existed at street level.  The tile band on the platform walls is untouched from the 1980's renovation and is green 

116^th Street (West 116^th Street/Frederick Douglas Boulevard Ave)   opened 9/10/1932: 4 tracks, 2 side platforms.  Each side has one platform level mezzanine, no crossover or underpass and 2 street stairs.  116 and 135 Street are the only 2 stations north of 59^th Street/CC that do not permit doubling back to the opposite direction without leaving the system.   There is evidence on both sides of an abandoned P/T entrance or exit at the north end, by West 118^th St.   

110^th Street (West 109^th St and Central Park West)   opened 9/10/1932:   Local station with F/T mezzanine and crossover at 109^th Street side at south end with 2 street stairs and 2 stairs to each platform.  The station and wall tiles were recently restored to a near immaculate appearance.  Additional P/T booth and fare control at southbound side to Cathedral Parkway, the street stairs were most likely extended when the apartment high-rise at the NW corner of Central Park West and Cathedral Parkway was built in the 1970’s.  There is evidence of an underpass at the 110^th St side, and a closed booth on the N/B side.  This station and 103^rd St are very interesting places for train watching, especially seeing the unusual track configuration of the N/B express track.  At 110^th Street, the trains rise up from below at the north end.  Artwork: “Migrations” by Christopher Wynter (1999) At this point below 110^th St/Cathedral, the S/B (Downtown) tracks will drop below the N/B side to create bi-level stations from 103^rd St to 72^nd St.  Downtown trains will use the lower level, while Uptown trains use the upper level.  Due to the track configuration, the N/B express track drops from upper to lower level at 103^rd St, then rises back up at 110^th St-Cathedral Parkway, an unusual place to watch in the NYC subway system 

103rd Street (West 103^rd Street and Central Park West) Opened 9/10/1932:There used to be 3 entrances to this station, only one now exists, 1 street stair to mezzanine, with one stair level down to S/B local platform.  The N/B express track runs from upper to lower level before rising up at 110^th Street.  Signs to abandoned 102^nd and 104^th Street exits are covered with red with white “Exit” signs. 

96^th Street (West 96^th Street and Central Park West) Opened 9/10/1932:  Current station has 2 exits, F/T area is smaller than most platform level IND entrances, 3 steps up to N/B platform, 1 stair down to lower level at F/T side, another at P/T side to 97^th St.  P/T side at 97^th Street has 2 street stairs, one stair to N/W corner at 97^th St and CPW is relocated with longer passageway (it has 1960’s type of entrance, similar in design to the Lenox Ave stations or Grand St/IND).  This is due to the widening of 97^th Street.  An old “K” route bullet sits on the face of this entrance, the line was discontinued on 12/10/1988.  The south end has a closed exit to 95^th Street 

86^th Street (West 86^th Street and Central Park West) Opened 9/10/1932:   only station along CPW to have all station fare control areas left intact.  Station has 3 entrances from 86^th to 88^th Streets.  86^th Street is, of course, the full time area with 2 street stairs and 2 stairs to lower level.  87^th St. is exit only and still has old fashioned HXT wheel with 1 street stair and possible ghost booth.  88^th St has ghost booth and is HEET accessible 

81^st Street Museum of Natural History (West 81^st Street and Central Park West)  Opened 9/10/1932:  A good number of movies were filmed inside and outside this station, among them “Men in Black II”, where Will Smith exits the 79^th St passageway after nearly been “eaten” by a monster in an mock R32 trainset.  Other films are:  “Hannah and Her Sisters”.  This station was renovated in-house by NYCT forces in 2000 and is a shining example of how renovations should be done, by updating the footprints of the IND tile band and signage, while preserving the integrity of this station, and combing the artwork with the IND footprints in their natural habitat at the same time.  This station serves both the Museum of the same name and the adjacent Rose Center for Earth and Space.  Artwork:  “For Want of a Nail” (1999-2001) done by the staff and design team of the very same MTA Arts for Transit program, features a beautiful array of animals on the upper level and extinct species on the lower level using 4 different types of material, from bronze to glass, to create over 35 different mosaics.  For example:  a lizard is drawn as if he is “walking” on the purple tile band, an owl sits on top of an 81 tile mosaic, while the most interesting artwork is a whale “diving” underneath the platform near the 81^st St side.  F/T side is at 81^st St and has 2 street stairs.  P/T side has direct entrance to Museum of Natural History and passageway to West 79^th St and Central Park West, and 3 staircases from Uptown level to Downtown level.  Most portions of the tile band are 1 tile deep, instead of the usual 3 tile height and are an addition because 81^st Street had no tile band.  “MUSEUM” and 81 directional mosaics are a shade of dark purple, instead of the customarily white lettering on black background on most pre-unification IND stations. 

72^nd Street (West 72^nd Street-Central Park West) opened 9/10/1932:  Station currently has 2 entrances and a closed exit in the middle of the station.  This station has an interesting street level entrance at the S/W corner of West 72^nd Street and Central Park West; it is one of the longest subway entrances.  F/T booth at West 72^nd Street has 2 street stairs (including the extra-long entrance), while P/T side at West 70^th Street, and has ghost booth and 1 street stair.  Much of the P/T fare control is shortened due to an additional station facility.  There also was a central exit and possible ghost booth at West 71^st St, it is closed and shored up.  The “71” directional tablets, below the large “72^nd St” station mosaic tile, are covered up with current black and white lettering signs.  Access to the downtown lower level can be made via any one of the 3 staircases; the center staircase from upper to lower is gated shut. 

59^th Street Columbus Circle (entire area within Columbus Circle, at Broadway/Central Park West) IRT section opened 10/27/1904, IND section opened 9/10/1932:  This station is fully discussed on the Complexes Page. 

50^th Street (on 8^th Avenue at 50^th Street) has two levels.  The upper level opened on 9/10/1932 and is served by the C train has four tracks and two wall platforms with no crossover or crossunder. Fare control is at platform level. The lower level opened on 8/19/1933 and has two tracks and two wall platforms with a curtain wall separating the tracks, also no crossover or crossunder. The lower level serves the E train. The downtown side has an expanded mezzanine area with exits to West 49^th and West 50^th Streets, plus two elevators, one from the street level to the mezzanine  and the second from the mezzanine to the upper platform to the lower level E platform.  This mezzanine was redone at the same time when the Worldwide Plaza Complex was constructed. Artwork on the downtown  upper level is by Matt Mulligan and was installed in 1998 and features neighborhood life and is untitled. It is on etched granite. Renovation is planned for the current 2005-2009 Capital Program and will reopen many closed stairways to the lower level. Downtown has an escalator to the lower level and exits into a building façade. had closed exits at 51^st street  and 52^nd  Street.  Also, part of the upper level (C train) is slightly to the north of the lower level. 

42^nd Street Port Authority Bus Terminal opened on 9/10/1932 and is described on the Complexes Page 

34^th Street Penn Station opened on 9/10/1932 and has four tracks. There are two wall platforms serving the local trains and an island platform serving the express trains. It was renovated by Citnalta Construction Company and features art on the lower Mezzanine with a Madison Square Garden theme and has full ADA to all platforms. Alongside the walls of both local platforms are nice IND style replica lettering and tablets showing "Madison Square Garden" . The Garden did not open at their current location until 36 years after the station opened ( 1968) A source within Citnalta advised the curved wall was a real challenge for them (and they did do very well.). The station also has exits to Penn station which serves NJT, LIRR, and Amtrak. One fallacy exists with the renovation—the lower mezzanine’s booth is closed overnight and a big backup trying to enter and exit via the HEETs. It is remedied only by crowd control or NYPD opening the turnstiles. This station has numerous ghost booths. Your webmaster has had excellent cooperation from employees, supervisors and managers of the many contractors (in house or external) renovating stations and extends our thanks for their generous assistance.

23^rd Street (on 8^th Avenue at 23^RD street) opened on 9/10/1932 and has four tracks and two wall platforms. There is a closed crossunder at 25^th street, the north exit. Two exits at 24^th street (one per platform) and an open crossunder on the south end. The station is unrenovated. There are numerous ghost booths at this station.

14^th Street (on 8^th Avenue at 14^th Street) opened on 9/10/1932 and is described on the Complexes Page 

West 4^th Street (Ave of the Americas between West 3^rd St and Waverly Place) Upper level opened 9/10/1932, Lower level opened 12/15/1940. has four tracks on the upper level, serving A,( see A Lefferts and A Rockaway)  C and E trains, a lower Mezzanine and then a lower level serving B, D , F and V trains. The lower Mezzanine is full width and length and also holds numerous offices for NYCT. The north end of the upper level has exits to the street. The south end of the upper level ramps up to a crossover and a booth. Full ADA is in progress via the south end. A tower is at the south end of the southbound lower level platform. The North exit leads to West Eighth Street and the south to west Third Street. The exit to west Fourth Street has been removed. The station has a secondary name of Washington Square. 

Spring Street (on 6^th Avenue at Spring Street) opened on 9/10/32 and has 4 tracks and two wall platforms with a crossunder at the South end.  The station has numerous closed exits and areas. 

Canal Street (on 6^th Avenue at Canal Street) opened on 9/10/1932 and has four tracks and two offset island platforms (the offset is due to switches at both ends) with a crossunder at the extreme south end only. There is an artwork entitled “A Gathering” installed in 2000. It is by Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz and features 188 birds in fourteen lifelike poses. The American Museum of Natural History assisted the designers with this project by providing specimens to study. It has been renovated and had closed passageway and exit to Grand Street.  It was closed due to security concerns by NYCT and the Transit Police (at that time before the 1998 merger.) 

Chambers Street WTC opened on 9/10/1932 and is described on the Complexes Page 

Broadway Nassau opened on 2/1/1933 and is described on the Complexes Page 

High Street Brooklyn Bridge opened on 2/1/1933 and has two tracks and an island platform in a tube design. There are exits at both ends to t full Mezzanine along with evidence (gated stairways) of removed center exits to the Mezzanine. The f Train joins us for one station and we enter the next station 

Jay Street Borough Hall (on Jay Street at Willoughby Street. (Multiple entrances all the way from Fulton Mall  to Myrtle Avenue on Jay Street ) opened on 2/1/1933 and has four tracks and two island platforms. As currently configured there is a mezzanine most of the length of the platforms and a passageway to Fulton Street outside the paid area. There are also HEETs to allow access to Fulton Street.. Based on tile evidence this station has many ghost booths and sealed exits. There are also entrances  to the NYCT building at both ends, the north leading directly into the building and is guarded by Transit Property Protection Agents. This end also has an intermediate level outside the subway entrance. There was also a paper transfer to the elevated Myrtle Avenue el which ran on Myrtle Avenue and met today’s M train at Broadway Myrtle and is now demolished. The F train leaves us and we press on. 

Hoyt Schermerhorn (at the  intersection  of Hoyt Street and Schermerhorn Street) opened on 4/9/1936 and is a very unusual station which has lots to see. It has six tracks and four island platforms of which only the inner pair of platforms are in use. The two outer island platforms are used for movie and commercial shoots. The A and C use the local side of the open island platforms and the G uses the express. There are numerous sealed stairways and exits including a sealed passageway to Livingston Street and the long gone Loesser’s Department Store via direct entrance to the store. A police facility also occupies the mezzanine along with various NYCT offices. The last use of the outer platforms was for the Aqueduct Race Track specials. While not done today, trains on the local track of the open island could open doors on the closed island’s express track but bold red signs at the conductor’s position  advise “ DO NOT OPEN DOORS—WRONG SIDE”. The “local” tracks on the closed wall platforms lead to the Transit Museum (Court Street Station) and were once used for the short lived Court Street Shuttle which ran from Hoyt to Court Street. Based on track numbers, these tracks were planned to continue to today’s World Trade Center Station on the E train.  (Both lines share the same track letter codes. For more information on this see www.nycsubway.org and Brennan’s page 

Lafayette Street (on Fulton Street at Lafayette Street) opened on 4/9/1936 and has four tracks and two wall platforms with vent chambers on both platforms and the Mezzanine. There are numerous removed stairways to the full Mezzanine. A tower at the south end of the southbound platform is used for G.O. and emergencies only. The north exit leads to South Portland Avenue and Fulton Street and the south to Lafayette and Fulton Streets. As configured there is no crossover in the Mezzanine but it could be reconfigured to allow a free crossover. It is most likely that when the station first opened there were booths at both ends and had a crossover The G Train stop is around the corner with no connection between the two stations. A conductor on the G advised that the two sets of tracks cross under each other making a transfer difficult. (An employee transfer exists behind locked doors on both stations and is only for track qualified employees.) 

Clinton Washington Avenues (on Fulton Street between Clinton and Washington Avenues ) opened on 4/9/1936 and also has four tracks and two wall platforms. Fare control is at platform level with no crossover or crossunder. Each side has at least  one ghost booth.

Franklin Avenue is discussed on the complexes page

Nostrand Avenue  (on Fulton Street at Nostrand Avenue) opened on4/9/1936 and is a unique two level station with two wall platforms and two tracks on the upper level and two wall platforms with a curtain wall which hides two more tracks or trackways! In an interesting arrangement the express tracks use the upper level rather than the lower level, the only station in gthe entire NYC subway system to have that arrangement.  This station was originally planned to be a local station with a mezzanine. The upper platforms are double wide which would eastbound consistent with the design of a Mezzanine. There is a closed passageway with a crossover to Bedford Avenue at the north end of the upper level along with a closed exit to Arlington Place. The lower level has a curtain wall separating the two tracks. If you are fortunate enough to get a rail fan window view you can see the express rising and see the local track directly under the express platforms. If you had x-ray vision the local tracks are under the express platforms. There is no direct entrance to the LIRR station which is two blocks south on street. From the northbound platform’s south end a hole in the curtain wall allows a bright flashlight beam to show the two center tracks or trackways.  

Kingston Throop Avenues (on Fulton Street between Kingston and Throop Avenues ) opened on 4/9/1936 and has four tracks and two offset wall platforms with no crossover or crossunder .Northbound has   a center exit to Throop Avenue and southbound has an exit at the north end to Kingston Avenue 

Utica Avenue (On Fulton Street at Utica Avenue) opened on 4/9/1936 and has four tracks and two wall platforms. This station has a shell for a future Utica Avenue IND subway. For more information see Brennan’s page and www.nycsubway.org.  Platforms widen toward the center. There are exists at both ends and the center. The center exit leads to an intermediate level and has an artwork entitled “Children’s Cathedral” by Jimmy James Greene and was installed in 1996. A close look at the ceiling reveals the trackways for this future subway as well as double doors on the intermediate level at the center exit.  The once full mezzanine's center portion is now employee space and holds a big secret-- A mosaic tablet points the way to a slabbed over exit to Stuyvesant avenue

Ralph Avenue  (on Fulton Street at Ralph Avenue ) opened on 4/9/1936 and has four tracks and two wall platforms. There are numerous closed and removed stairways along with an exit at the south end to Howard Avenue. A mosaic tablet "to Howard Avenue" was still visible in the mezzanine. The south mezzanine is closed with the booth in the center leading to the north exit to Ralph Avenue, however the street level entrances on Howard Avenue remain intact. This station once had a booth at each end. 

Rockaway Avenue (on Fulton Street at Hopkinson Avenue (Thomas Boyland Street) opened on 4/9/1936 and has four tracks and two wall platforms. South end leads to Rockaway Avenue with no crossover or crossunder and the North exit has a crossover and leads to Hopkinson Avenue (Thomas Boyland Street). The southbound platform is slightly longer than the northbound platform. The northbound side at Rockaway Avenue has a ghost booth, a victim of the hit list of a rash of booth closures  in 2003.

Broadway Junction (Entrance at Van Sinderen Avenue between  Fulton Street and Eastern Parkway )opened on 12/30/1946 as Broadway East New York and is described on the Complexes Page 

The next three stations are unique in being the first stations to have had fluorescent lighting when opened and feature beige tile rather than white and blue and white name tiles rather than black and white. 

Liberty Avenue (on Pennsylvania Avenue at Liberty Avenue) opened on 4/9/1936 and has four tracks and two wall platforms .The exit is in the center with two stairways to a crossover. Exit is to Liberty and Pennsylvania Avenues Old signs indicate “To Manhattan” and “To Richmond Hill and Ozone Park” and “public Telephone” (no phone !) At platform level there was a wide area under the stairways now used for storage. No ads were found.\

Van Siclen Avenue (on Pitkin Avenue at Hendrix Street) opened on 4/9/1936 and has four tracks and two wall platforms The station also has a crossover but has single double wide stairway to the Mezzanine. No ads were found. If there was an exit to Van Siclen is it sealed. 

Shepherd Avenue (on Pitkin Avenue at Shepherd Avenue) opened on 4/9/1936 and has four tracks and two wall platforms. Resembles Van Siclen and has a crossover. No ads were found 

Euclid Avenue (on Pitkin Avenue at Euclid Avenue) opened on 11/28/1948 and has four tracks and two island platforms. It represents the first expansion of the IND since the Sixth Avenue Line opened in 1940There is a crossover at the south end. This is the end of the C train. Normally the C uses the local track but can use the express track. which is currently used by the A Train. Construction is underway on ADA elevators 

Rating: 3 stars. Many unrenovated stations which are fairly bland. Highlights include 81^st Street, 110^th Street in Manhattan, the lower Manhattan complexes and Utica Avenue in Brooklyn.

Last update 9/25/2008

Home >  NYCT>  B  Division > C Train