|
For photos see
www.nycsubway.org
North refers to 205th
Street-Bainbridge and South refers to Coney Island.
This line operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the
full route listed below. Trains stop at DeKalb Ave
during late nights only or when weekend General Orders
affecting track-work dictates. Express between 145th
Street-Harlem and Fordham Road, peak rush direction only
(6:15 AM to 9 AM to Manhattan, 4:20 PM to 6:45 PM from
Manhattan.) Although the current route
along the West End portion is elevated since the dual
contracts construction in 1916-17, the line originally
ran at grade (street level) since 1875.

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205th
STREET
|
205th Street
Norwood (205th
St at Bainbridge Ave) Opened 7/1/1933: This
is the last stop of the Concourse D line, but this
station never was intended to be a terminal, planned
extensions would be to the then-unbuilt Co-Op city or
the northeastern section of the Bronx. Like 179th
Street or 71st/Continental Ave station on the
IND Queens Blvd. line, there are tail tracks east of the
station to allow relays back downtown. Trains
discharge on one side and pick up passengers on
the southbound side. Station has 2 tracks on 1
island platform, and two entrances. The main
Fulltime booth at Bainbridge Ave and East 206th
Street has 2 street stairs, 2 platform stairs and one
single up escalator. The stairs from mezzanine to
platform show evidence that half of the width is closed
and is converted to a station storage area.
The Part time entrance at East 205th Street
and Perry Ave lies in a residential area and has 2
street stairs and one ramp (no stairs) to the extreme
eastern end of the platform. Platform tiles match
those of Bedford Park (green). The signs to the
Part time booth also show some strange hours of
operation, it is open late on weeknights; however it
closes at 1:40 PM on Saturdays.
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BEDFORD PARK
BOULEVARD
|
Bedford Park
Boulevard
Bedford Park Blvd/Grand
Boulevard and Concourse) Opened 7/1/1933 Station
has 3 tracks, 2 island platforms, D trains use the wall
tracks while rush hour B trains
use the center track. 2 mezzanines once joined by
a full length passageway both inside and outside fare
control. This passageway is now closed and sealed
off. Part-time mezzanine at West 203rd
St. has ghost booth, and was converted to 24/7 HEET
access in 2003. Part-time side also has 2 street
stairs and 2 stairs to each platform. Fulltime
side at Bedford Park has 2 street stairs, 2 stairs to
each platform and passageway to Bedford Park Blvd
underpass. NOTE: Over half of the stations in the
Bronx segment of the Concourse line currently, or used
to have, exit underpasses. These exits usually sit
directly alongside the intersecting roadway traveling
underneath the Grand Concourse as a tunnel. When
we discuss the underpass, we refer to the pedestrian
exit to street (outside fare control), not to be
confused with subway underpasses from one platform to
another inside fare control. Had the intermediate
full length mezzanine been open, there would’ve been 2
additional platform stairs, 2 stairs are still standing,
and 2 were removed. Current tower sits at south
side, and has been replaced by a new Concourse Master
Tower that will also replace other satellite towers
along the Concourse line. Tile band on track wall
is green
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KINGSBRIDGE
ROAD
|
Kingsbridge Road
(Kingsbridge Road and Grand
Concourse) Opened 7/1/1933: Express
stop, 3 tracks, 2 island platforms, 2 mezzanines (one
above station and one below station.). Full time
side is at north end and has 2 street stairs and one
stair to each platform. Part Time side is at
Kingsbridge Road at south end and has 3 downstairs to
Lower Mezzanine, with exits to street via 2 stairs to
each side of the Concourse or Kingsbridge Road
underpass. However, prior to a switch in booth
operations in the late 90’s, the Fulltime side was at
Kingsbridge Road, and the Part time side was at 196th
Street on the north end. There were 2 additional
exits to the South side of Kingsbridge Road, these were
closed in the 1990’s and are still visible. Tile
band is Marine Blue and vent chambers are also present.
A strange white wall is near the Kingsbridge Road side
of the platforms, it exists for no apparent reason I
know.
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FORDHAM ROAD
|
Fordham Road
Between Fordham Road and 188th
Streets/Grand Concourse)
opened 7/1/1933: This is the
largest station on the Concourse line with plenty of
hidden stairs and passageways and is home to one of the
largest shopping strips in New York City. Express
stop with the usual 3 tracks and 2 island platforms, the
Southbound platform widens at the north end to allow a
wall that splits the middle track with the Southbound
local track, creating 2 “side” platforms, the only
station to have a mix of island and side platforms split
up in the entire NYC subway system. The platform
wall used to have a passageway when you came down the
first staircase at Fordham Road side, from middle track
to local track, it is cordoned off permanently.
Fulltime side is actually at East 188th
Street, with 4 street stairs, one for each corner, while
Part time side at Fordham Road has 2 street stairs, both
at east side of Fordham and Concourse. There use
to be 2 additional street stairs and passageway at the
west side of Fordham and Grand Concourse, (that’s
nearest where the former Alexander’s/Caldor stores once
stood in the large building, today there are a mix of
stores inside. There also was once an exit inside
the store) the passageway and exits are closed, but it
is a result of the shortening of the mezzanine and
elimination of 2 platform stairs for each side.
Uptown side has 6 platform stairs and 2 closed stairs.
Downtown side has 6 platform stairs and 4 closed stairs,
2 existing at north end of local side, and 2 removed
stairs at south side. Tile band is purple with
black borders. A tower was on the south end at the
Manhattan-bound platform, and is usable. This
tower has been closed and removed .
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182nd-183rd
STREET
|
182nd
-183rd Street
(183rd
Street/Grand Boulevard and Concourse)
Opened 7-1/1933: Local stop, 4
tracks, 2 side platforms, full length mezzanine (as
originally used, now truncated). It has 4 street
stairs at 183rd Street, 4 stairs to each
platform. Crossover is only allowed from the
northern 2 stairs. Ghost booths are at both ends
at 182nd St. and 184th St.
Passageway (both closed.), with additional staircase
closed at far north end. Tiles show evidence of
wrong color used at both sides, as this station is in
need of some TLC. When the original purple tiles
were peeling off from the platform wall, NYCT replaced
them with odd lilac/blue tiles instead. This
causes an interesting mismatch on the tile band.
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TREMONT
AVENUE
|
Tremont Avenue
(Between Tremont Ave and West 179th
Streets/Grand Concourse)
opened 7/1/1933: This station was
renovated in house in 1999, and is an express stop, 3
tracks and 2 island platforms. Prior to the
renovation, the station had a full length mezzanine
connecting both the north and south side. Fulltime
booth is on the south side at Tremont Ave, with 3 street
stairs and two stairs to each platform. Street
stair on West side has slightly long passageway to one
block north of Tremont Ave. Artwork “Uptown New
York” by Frank Leslie Hampton (2000) uses a mixture of
glass and marble mosaics to create a full width display
of a Bronx apartment building with rooftop garden, and
clothes hanging out on a line to dry on a cloudy day.
North Part time side has ghost booth (it was removed
during the renovation, a sneak tactic to close booths
during ongoing station renovations), 2 street stairs
(one to each side of the Concourse at 179th
St.) and 2 stairs to each platform. There is also
one staircase at the center of each platform, this only
leads to a storage area, however the passageway can
still be seen from platform level. Artwork “Uptown
New York” by Frank Leslie Hampton (2000), uses glass
stone and marble to create a large, lifelike picture of
the rooftop of a Bronx apartment building and the
happenings on it, the clothes hanging out to dry,
indicates a bright sunny day. This mural is as
wide as the mezzanine and faces the Fulltime booth area.
Tile band and name mosaics are replicas of original
purple band, before the renovation, the condition of the
track walls were among the worst in the system. A
tower sits on the south end at the Manhattan-bound
platform, and is usable. This tower will be closed
and removed once the signal system on the Concourse line
is completed in 2006
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174th-175th
STREET
|
174th – 175th
Street 174/175 Streets
(Between West 174th St/Selwyn Ave and West
175th Street/Morris Ave on the Grand
Concourse)
Opened 7/1/1933.

This is an very unusual station, at
one time it had six entrances and three booths.
Today the station is whittled down to just 4 entrances
and two booths. The station is divided into 2
mezzanines. The full time booth is located on the
south end and covers 174th St. and the south
side. To exit the south side, one must go
downstairs to exit, although there is an old fashioned
HXT exit only at the Bedford Park Blvd-bound side still
in use. A similar HXT on the Manhattan-bound side
is cordoned off. Once reaching the mezzanine, you
can use the passageway behind the booth to exit below to
174th St underpass or the east stairs going
back up to reach the Concourse. The north
mezzanine is part time and only 2 staircases both lead
to the east and west sides of the Concourse. The
closed off areas are the following: Ghost Booth at
north end, going downstairs from platform to mezzanine
that you could’ve exited at Morris Ave, stairs at north
mezzanine leading to the Ghost booth 2 levels down and
Southbound passageway and stairs leading to west side of
the Grand Concourse at the Fulltime end. This is
the only “underground” station in the entire subway
system that is built above the expressway (The Cross
Bronx expressway was built 20 years after the Concourse
line opened and posed a challenge to Robert Moses and
his engineers on how to cut across a 1933 subway
tunnel.). There is a painted mural that dots the
outside of the south Fulltime entrance at 174th
St. and is an MTA authorized artwork. “Love Life”
(1995) was done by William Walsh and is funded by
various public and private partnerships depict various
people from different cultures. The paintings
surround the station entrance and the columns supporting
the subway underneath the Grand Concourse. I
observed garbage strewn along the closed exit only
passageway at the Southbound platform. There are
three staircases to platform, 2 to upper mezzanine at
north end and one downstairs to lower mezzanine at south
end. North Mezzanine has 2 street stairs, one for
each side of the Concourse. South mezzanine has
one street stair to east side of Concourse and stairs
down to East 174th St./Selwyn Avenues (and
where the artwork is located). The remains of the
closed mezzanine at Morris Street at the north end and
the staircase to the west side of the Concourse above
174th St. on the south end are clearly
visible. One name tablet on the S/B platform has
the wrong color tiles replaced, thus the name “174-175th
Streets” is chopped in half and barely readable.
Tile band is orange .
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170th
STREET
|
170th
Street
(West 170th/171st
Streets and Grand Concourse)
opened 7/1/1933: Local stop, 3
tracks, and 2 side platforms. Fulltime side is
actually at 171st Street at north end, with
crossover mezzanine, 2 street stairs and 2 stairs to
each platform. This station and 167th
St. have unusual tiles, the name tablets are not orange
and consistent with the rest of the IND stations built
in the 1930’s, they are brown and the lettering is
softer and bigger. There are two platform level
Part time exits, one for each platform and both were
connected to the underpass at 170th St.
tunnel, and this area is abandoned. Northbound
side is exit-only with 1 street stair; southbound Part
time area has 2 street stairs and a booth.
Original signs to 170th St underpass still
exist on the station wall near the closed staircases.
Between
170th Street and 167th Street,
there is a 4th track next to us. It
ends at bumper block and goes nowhere, except it merges
with the Manhattan-bound local track. This gives
the clearest evidence that then-NYC Mayor John Hylan and
the IND wanted a 4 track line in the Bronx to give the
most leverage in competing directly with the IRT’s
Jerome/9th Ave elevated lines to the west and
to their hopes that the el will fold and be torn down.
Evidently, they had better success with the 3rd
Ave line, than the Jerome line. The platforms were
probably designed later, but before the 1933 completion
of the line, as the plans were scaled back to the
current 3 track configuration.
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167th
STREET
|
167th
Street 167th Street (West
167th St and Grand Concourse)
opened 7/1/1933: local station,
side platforms, and 2 tracks. Similar to 170th
St in layout, there is 1 Fulltime mezzanine and 2 Part
time platform level fare control areas. Fulltime
mezzanine side at far north end has 4 street stairs to
167th St, one stair to each corner, and is
larger than the 170th Street mezzanine.
Alongside the sides of the mezzanine are two winding
stairs to 167th St. underpass and was
permanently closed for security reasons in 1993.
There is no pedestrian access to the underpass from
either side outside on street level. At the south
end are 2 Part time areas to McClellan Street, the South
side has a ghost booth due to the 2003 booth closings,
while Northbound end is exit only. Each Part time
mezzanine has 1 street stair. A tower sits on the
far north end at the Manhattan-bound platform, and is
usable. This tower was closed and removed .
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161st
STREET
YANKEE STADIUM
|
161st Street
Yankee Stadium (River
Ave/West 161st Street) IND Section
opened 7/1/1933, IRT Section opened 7/12/1917: Is
described on the complexes
page.

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155th-STREET-
8th AVENUE
|
155th Street
8th Avenue (Frederick
Douglass Blvd, underneath West 155th St
overpass at east end of Polo Grounds Houses)
Opened 7/1/1933: The Polo Grounds
and home of baseball’s NY Giants was directly upstairs
from this station before they packed their bags and
headed west, the stadium was used until 1964.
Station currently has only one crossover mezzanine;
however there was another mezzanine at the south end.
Much of the station is boarded up, presumably after the
Polo Grounds closed in 1964 to make way for public
housing that currently is in place. An extra-wide
set of Single Street stairs (to accommodate baseball
crowds at that time the station opened) will take to 8th
Ave, there is no access to West 155th St and
the Macombs Dam Bridge unless some amount of roundabout
walking is involved. Current station has 3 stairs
to each platform, and 4 closed off staircases.
Some of the abandoned stairs were removed to enhance
security. A tower sits on the south end at the
Manhattan-bound platform, it is abandoned. When
the IRT elevated and later Polo Grounds shuttle ran
upstairs, there was a provision for transfer tickets
between the IND underground level and the IRT shuttle
level. A very, very steep walk upstairs was in
store for those who elected this transfer.
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145th
STREET
|
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 (See A Lefferts
and A Rockaway)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 Northwest 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 (See
A Lefferts and
A Rockaway) ,
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.
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125th
STREET
|
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
had a renovation in the 1980's, during which the set of
stairs to each platform at the north end were removed.
The current plan restored these 2 stairs at the far
North end. Station has full length mezzanine with
one each of Fulltime and Part time fare control areas.
Fulltime side at 125th street has 4 street stairs and
Part time 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, In the middle of
the mezzanine, there is evidence of closed stairs and
exits to 126th 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
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59th
STREET
COLUMBUS
CIRCLE
|
59th Street
Columbus Circle IND opened on 9/10/1932
and is described on the Complexes
Page
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7th
AVENUE - 53rd STREET
|
7th Avenue 53rd
Street opened on 12/15/1940 and has two tracks
and an island platform on each level. The north track
serves Eighth Avenue Service (E
train) and the South serves Sixth avenue trains (B
and D). The south exit leads to Broadway and the North
to Seventh Avenue. Trains to lower Manhattan and
Brooklyn are on the upper level and trains to upper
Manhattan, Bronx and Queens are on the lower level. This
station has been renovated and uses panel tile rather
than individually set tiles
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47th-50th
STREET
ROCKEFELLER
CENTER
|
47th street- 50th
Street Rockefeller Center (Ave of the Americas,
between West 47th and West 50th
Streets) Opened 12/15/1940:
Very large station, it is an express stop along the
prestigious Avenue of the Americas, with 4 tracks and 2
island platforms. Ordinarily, since this portion
of the line is express, we would be arriving on the
express track. Because of the tricky “T” shaped
line configuration involving the E,
F ,M
and B/D lines traveling in
different directions, southbound express and local
trains come in on opposite sides, the
B and D express trains use the
local track, while F and
M trains use the express
track. Station has numerous passageways and exits,
a total count of at least 14 entrances from street level
alone, were taken. This does not include several
passageways through Rockefeller Center, all outside fare
control. Fulltime booth is at north end of
full-length mezzanine, at West 49th Street,
with 1 passageway through Rockefeller Center on the East
side, and another set of passageways through various
Concourse levels of office buildings along the west side
of Avenue of the Americas. A passageway to one
northern Part time staircase leads to Radio City Music
Hall/West 50th Street and is open late during
evening performances. Another passageway along
west side of 49th St, was recently extended
to connect with the BMT 49th St station on
the N, R
and former W lines (no free
transfer). Middle fare control at West 48th
Street has ghost booth and all-day HEET access.
South fare control at West 47th St has a Part
time booth and more staircases. Eagle eye movie
fans who saw the 1976 thriller “Marathon Man”, will note
the old KK rush hour subway route on a street entrance
of the east side of Ave of the Americas and West 47th
Street, before the routes’ demise. Each platform
has 7 stairs to mezzanine, the north end of the
Northbound platform has an active tower, and is
depressed about 10 feet below the Southbound platform.
This is to prepare the lines to be branched out towards
the Bronx and Queens. Color band is red, with dark
brown borders, “47” and “50” alternate each other below
the tile band
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42nd
STREET BRYANT PARK
|
42nd Street Bryant
Park IND opened on 12/15/1940 and is discussed
on the complexes page
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34th
STREET
HERALD SQUARE
|
34th Street Herald
Square opened on 12/15/1940 and is discussed on
the complexes page
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WEST 4th
STREET
|
West 4th Street
(Ave of the Americas between West 3rd 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
, M and former
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 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.
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BROADWAY
LAFAYYETTE
|
Broadway Lafayette
(West Houston
Street between Broadway and Lafayette Ave)
Station
has free transfer to IRT Downtown
6 train (4
trains stop here during late nights) at east end, and is
approx 3 levels deep. Opened 10/1/1936.
it was Renovated by a contractor and is the
only transfer point where access is restricted to
one-way. Work is underway to allow a transfer
between the IND and IRT in both directions . The
relatively high ceiling at the North end indicates a
ramp was also planned . This station features only 1
fulltime fare control area at Broadway and West Houston,
with 2 street stairs. Before the renovation, the
fare control was situated in the middle, between the 2
Broadway entrances and the Lafayette Ave entrance.
The Lafayette Ave entrance on the south side is
currently 24/7 HEET access. A new entrance and
booth on the North side of Lafayette Ave and Houston was
constructed during the renovation, the booth fell victim
to the 2003 ax, as is now listed a ghost booth and
part-time HEET access. There is an intermediate
level between the mezzanine/IRT level and platform
level, it contains artwork on the columns.
“Signal” by Mel Chin (1998) uses various materials to
create a lighted appearance at the bottom of the column.
There are 3 stairs from each platform to intermediate
level and an additional 2 stairs from intermediate to
mezzanine level. At the far western end (due north
in accordance to lines traveled) is another set of
stairs (1 for each side) that lead directly up to fare
control, 3 levels and a steep walk up.
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GRAND
STREET
|
Grand Street
Grand
and Chrystie Streets.)
Opened 11/27/1967:
This is one of 2 additional stations added
during the massive IND Chrystie St. Connection from
1967-68, and plays an important part for customers
traveling to/from Chinatown. Station is 2 tracks
on 2 side platforms, 2 stairs to each platform, and 3
street stairs to the only mezzanine in the station.
The station originally had 2 stairs to the east side of
Chrystie St, the 3rd staircase on the west side of
Chrystie St was added in the early 1990's to alleviate
overcrowding in the station. Recent artwork
installed at the mezzanine and platform suggests red
clay formations made on train sets. At the
Brooklyn-bound side, there is a small sign "Change Radio
Channel to B1" indicating the Train Operator must change
his channel from B2 (IND) to B1 (BMT), before crossing
the Manhattan Bridge.
As we enter the
Manhattan Bridge we see a bellmouth inward.
This bellmouth was originally Broadway Line Q/ QB used
to enter the North side of the bridge before the
Chrystie realignment.
We are
crossing the North Side of the Manhattan Bridge, while
the Broadway Line uses the south side. Before the
IND came over the Manhattan Bridge in 1967, the north 2
tracks were for Broadway Line trains, while the south 2
tracks were used for trains using the Nassau St. Loop.
For more details on the Manhattan Bridge track
configuration, please see
www.nycsubway.org
for more details.
As we cross the Manhattan Bridge on
the south side, we see evidence that the same side was
used for Broad connection trains (before Chrystie
connection in 11/27/1967), at the tunnel mouth on the
Manhattan side. Prior to 6th Ave
opening, Broadway N and Q/QB trains used the north side
of the bridge, while QT Brighton trains used the south
side after using the Nassau St loop from Chambers St.
For more information on the Nassau St loop and Chambers
St, please see the J Line Page
.
We skip the abandoned
Myrtle Avenue Station and also skip DeKalb Ave via. the
bypass track. As we cross a maze of switches, we
always keep to the left side in order to use DeKalb
bypass.

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PACIFIC
STREET
|
Pacific Street opened
on 9/13/1915 and is discussed in our
complexes page
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36th
STREET
|
36th Street
(36th Street and 4th Avenue)
Opened 6/24/1917 this station serves Bush Terminal; it
had an in-house renovation in 1997. Express stop,
2 island platforms, 4 tracks, relay tracks for shuttles
to the north, turnouts to West End line to the south.
The station has 2 sets of stairs to each platform, 3
staircases to street. The West End line Y shaped
turnouts are where the original 36th St
station stood before it was relocated to the north,
about 100 feet south of this station. The
mezzanine also features the original X shaped BRT tile
band, common in most BMT stations today, and looks
restored. Artwork in mezzanine, inside fare
control, features “An Underground Movement; Designers,
Builders, and Riders” by Oliver Smith. Using
ceramic mosaics, the artwork depicts the origins of the
BRT (hence we now call it the BMT), from the Design, to
Building the subway, to the riders of the subway.
The Design painting also has the BRT “X” mosaic.
Platform extensions are clearly to the north end.
We now leave 36th Street
and curve to see daylight as we enter the West End Line.
These tracks are non-electrified and run at grade, with
grade crossings at3 d and 2nd
Avenues. Many R68/68A train sets as well as earlier
models, were first delivered here. We enter a half mile
long tunnel and two tracks now become four tracks. We
use the outer two tracks while to our left we see the
end of the 38th Street Yard, where mostly
work trains and some R Trains
are stored here. A master tower, Joe Murphy Tower, named
after an employee of the tower who served in the
National Guard and was killed during the 1991 Gulf War,
controls all switches along 9th Avenue, 62nd
Street and most of 4th Avenue is also located
here. This site extends our gratitude to our armed
forces and their efforts to safeguard our nation from
foreign threats.
Before entering 9th Avenue two more tracks
descend down to the lower level, while the middle two
tracks merge into a single track.
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9th
AVENUE
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9th Avenue
(East side of 9th Ave between 38th
and 39th Streets) Opened 6/24/1916.
This station has a station house on street
level, and has a sealed entrance on left side facing
from outside. 2 island platforms, with 3 tracks
and two staircases for each platform, comprise the upper
level. The lower level was formerly used for the
Culver Shuttle (and prior to
the 1954 IND Culver connection from Ditmas to Church
Avenues, a through route from the McDonald Ave elevated
to the 4th Ave line, along much of the
present ROW on the D line today), and was last used for
the ending of the original “Crocodile Dundee” (1986),
film, a makeshift replacement for the 59th
St/Columbus Circle station. However, the giveaways
that make it clearly 9th Ave are the wall
mosaic “9” and the sunlight to the far end while
watching the film’s ending. The current lower
level is so dark, and there are no safety plates on the
staircases. A fluorescent light is left on at the
S/B side. The 2 sets of staircases to lower 9th
Ave are still intact. The tablet grilles in the
mezzanine are still left intact, such as a newsstand
that stood opposite to the current location of the
station agent booth. Although the Culver Shuttle
bid farewell on 5/11/1975, the el. structure along 37/38th
Streets was still standing until the mid. 1980’s.
The Manhattan-bound platform is slightly wider than the
Coney Island-bound platform; a 4th track once
existed at this station but it is unclear whether it
served the upper or lower level at this station.
It is hoped that the upcoming 2005 renovation at this
station will restore the street level stationhouse to
its former glory.
As we rise from embankment to
elevated outside 9th Avenue station we
clearly see the old Culver Line ROW below us and to the
right side at the curve. There is also a platform
present, this was installed in the late 1980s for NYCT
employees only and does not represent part of the
original Culver ROW. Although there is no express
service along this point to Bay 50th Street,
there is a third track along this elevated route. The
identification of Express and Local stations is for the
purpose of the way the stations were originally built
and does not reflect any express service used. All
D and rush hour M trains make all stops to Bay Parkway,
while the D continues to Coney Island
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FT HAMILTON
PARKWAY
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Ft. Hamilton Parkway
On New Utrecht Ave between 44th and 45th
Street, crossing Fort Hamilton Parkway in the middle).
Opened 6/24/1916 .Local stop with two side platforms and
a Ghost Booth on north side at 44th Street,
mezzanine and stairs left intact. Current (2011) plans
call for a temporary reopening until renovation is
completed. The North mezzanine also has evidence of
windows at one time. Current south side mezzanine
has old buzzer lights, 2 stairs to street, and 2 stairs
to each platform.
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50th
STREET
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50th Street
(On New Utrecht Ave at 50th Street)
opened 6/24/1916: Same as 55th
Street, renovated mezzanine, but only 2 streets stairs
are present. The platform is also straight and not
curved like 55th Street.
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55th
STREET
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55th Street
(on New Utrecht Ave at intersection of 13th
Ave and 55th Street.) Opened 6/24/1916:
The mezzanine is renovated and new roof canopies on
platform. Chain link fence replaces bars and new
square windows also in mezzanine. 3 stairs to
street and 2 stairs for each platform are available at
this station. The platforms are curved
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62nd
STREET
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62nd Street/ New
Utrecht Avenue opened on 9/15/1916 for the West
End Line and is discussed on the
complexes page
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71st
STREET
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71st Street
(71st Street and New Utrecht Avenue)
Opened 6/24/1916:
Same setup as 79th Street on both
ends, one part time and one Full time area.
Difference is Fulltime area has 4 street stairs instead
of 79th Street’s 2 staircases. Platform
extensions appear to the south, steel fence is present
also. An error on one of the platform signs does
reveal “Bay Ridge Ave” as the main cross street on the
Part time side. The exit actually leads to 70th
Street, while Bay Ridge Ave is one block south of this
exit.
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79th
STREET
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79th Street
(79th Street and
New Utrecht Ave)
opened 6/22/1915:
Local stop with 3 tracks and 2 side
platforms. There are separate areas to use this
station. The Fulltime side at 79th Street is at the
south end and has 2 street stairs and 2 stairs to each
platform. The north end at 77th Street
is divided up around the closed and sealed mezzanine.
Fare control is outside the mezzanine as you walk
upstairs from street, no crossunder is allowed at this
end. The Manhattan-bound side has HEET access but
no room for any MVM machines. The Coney Island
bound side is exit only, no entry from this end.
It is evident that there is a ghost booth inside the
mezzanine when it was open and usable. New
tall steel fencing is present on both platforms..
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18th
AVENUE
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18th Avenue
(18th Avenue at New Utrecht Ave/85th Street)
Opened
6/22/1915.
Station sits in between two curves to the
right, platform extensions are to the north on both
sides. Has a Single mezzanine with 3 street stairs and 2
stairs to each platform. While the "French
Connection" chase sequence continued past this station,
20 years later some exterior scenes of the Steven Segal
action film "Out For Justice" (1992) were shot outside
this station. Standing at either end, one can see
trains curve into the station as well
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20th
AVENUE
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20th Avenue
(20th Avenue and 86th Street)
Opened 6/29/1916:
Local stop, 3 tracks, 2 side platforms, 4 street
stairs, and 2 stairs to each platform from the only
mezzanine. The Coney Island-bound platform
is slightly to the south of the Manhattan bound
platform, which accounts for the locations where the
platforms were extended in the 1960's
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BAY PARKWAY
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Bay Parkway (22nd
Avenue) (Bay Parkway and 86th Street)
Opened 6/29/1916:
Express stop, 2 island platforms, the center
track is served by either platform while the 2 local
tracks are at the outer ends. There are 2 stairs to each
platform from mezzanine level, the windows in the
mezzanine are usable and are facing to the west.
However on the area over Bay Parkway to any of the 4
street stairs, there is black tar covering what were
once windows. Had the windows existed today, you
would have a clear, unobstructed view on both directions
of Bay Parkway below.
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25th
AVENUE
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25th Avenue
(25th Avenue and 86th Street) Opened 6/29/1916:
Similar to Bay 50th Street, it has 3
tracks, 2 side platforms, 4 street stairs, and 1 stair
to each platform. This station is adopted by
students of Lafayette High School as part
of NYCT's Adopt a Station program. This is the
clerk’s answer when Popeye Doyle asks for the next stop
in pursuing the sniper. As we all know, the tough
detective takes someone else’s car and starts one of the
best chase sequences ever filmed, up to 62nd
Street station on this line, car to train.
Although the entire sequence appears to be shot on
location, some close up scenes (the car narrowly missing
the woman and her stroller) were actually filmed in
Bushwick, near Central and Myrtle Avenues as well
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BAY 50th
STREET
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Bay 50th Street
(Bay 50th Street at Stillwell Ave)
Opened 7/21/1917:
This stop is where the classic chase
sequence, "The French Connection" (1971) started; the
sniper boards the train here, and then hijacks it. Of
course the change booth where Popeye Doyle asks the
clerk the next stop of the train which the sniper
boarded is no longer there. This is a Local stop,
3 tracks, 2 side platforms, 1 Fulltime mezzanine with 4
street stairs and 1 stair to each platform. There
are 1960's Platform extensions visible to the north on
the Manhattan-bound platform and to the south on the
Coney Island bound platform, allowing you to see trains
enter and leave the yard. The tracks are from both ends
past this station. The station is positioned
between 2 yard leads to/from, Coney Island Yard.
An abandoned tower sits above and the middle of the
Manhattan-bound platform. It is replaced by a
modern tower about 20 feet south of the original tower.
This station is adopted by the students of John Dewey
H.S. as part of the NYCT's Adopt a Station Program
We leave Bay 50th and see a
subway yard to our left, this is Stillwell Yard. The
Coney Island Yard complex is between the
N and F
lines and is partially visible. In terms of
operation both yards are combined into one yard complex.
For more information on Coney Island Yards and Shops see
www.nycsubway.org.
As we pass the yard's end, the N
Sea Beach line meets up with us, side by side. The
Sea Beach line returned to Stillwell in May 2005. We
enter Stilwell Avenue.
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STILLWELL
AVENUE
CONEY ISLAND
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Coney Island
(Stillwell and Surf Avenues)
opened 7/21/1917: This station is fully
discussed in our Complexes
page.
Contact us at
subway-buff@stationreporter.net (paste this address into
your e-mail program)
Last revised
01/25/2011
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