For photos see www.nycsubway.org  

This route operates between Jamaica-179^th Street and Stillwell Ave-Coney Island, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  It operates express in Queens, between 21^st-Queensbridge and 71^st-Continental Avenues, and local in Manhattan and Brooklyn.  During AM and PM rush hours, alternate trains begin/end their trips at Gravesend/Kings Highway in Brooklyn, while other early AM trips begin at Avenue X.  North refers to Jamaica Queens while south refers to Coney Island.  The fleet consists of mostly R46 cars; however several R32 trainsets from Jamaica Yard have been used at various times of the day.  We board our F train at the departure platform at 179^th Street. 

179^th Street (179^th Street and Hillside Ave) opened 12/10/1950: This is a very large terminal station, and is the newest station on the Queens Blvd line.  The station has 4 tracks on 2 island platforms, beyond it at the eastern end lies 8 relay tracks, 4 on the upper level and 4 on the lower level.  F trains use either track on the northbound platform, discharge and fumigate the train, then use one of the 8 relay tracks to turn the train and come in on either track on  the southbound platform. The relay track configuration gives some theoretical evidence that the line was planned to be extended to Little Neck Parkway and Hillside Ave.  Some unnamed sources can confirm a partial tunnel was actually excavated beyond the 185th Street wall, and sidewalk gratings are present further up Hillside Ave.  A total of 13 street stairs are laid out over 3 blocks on Hillside Ave, and there are at least 5 stairs to each platform.  Full time booth is at east end of station between 179th and 180th Streets, with 8 street stairs.  The station is slated be ADA accessible; an elevator is under construction at the S/E corner of Hillside Ave and 179th Place. P/T booth is at 178th Street and has 5 street stairs.  A full length mezzanine connects both fare control areas.  Artwork is untitled and features two life-sized construction workers simulating that they are holding up the mezzanine’s ceiling. 

169^th Street (169^th Street and Hillside Ave)  Opened 4/24/1937: Local stop, 4 tracks on 2 side platforms,  full length mezzanine and 2 fare control areas, each having 4 street stairs.  F/T side at 169th Street, P/T side at 168th Street, in the 1990's the booth operations were switched.   At one time before Archer Ave opened in 1988 and when the E train also ran to 179th Street as a local, while the F was the Hillside express, it was considered to be the most congested station along the entire Queens Blvd line.  Numerous bus lines either started outside the station entrances or at the nearby 165th Street bus terminal.  There still exists crowd bars attached to each of the 7 Jamaica-bound staircases at platform level in order to "feed" the customers into the staircase, instead of crowding around it, which can create a dangerous condition if the bars were not installed.   Manhattan-bound side has 5 stairs to platform level.  A "DO NOT RUN" sign from decades ago is still visible at the F/T side, by the eastern end.                                                                                

Parsons Boulevard (Parsons Blvd and Hillside Ave) opened 4/24/1937:  Express stop, 4 tracks and 2 island platforms.  Only the F local uses the local tracks, the express tracks are use only for reroutes and an occasional reverse-peak E train in the afternoon.  Full length mezzanine with F/T side at Parsons Blvd, has 3 street stairs, one closed street stair at N/E corner.  P/T side at 153rd Street also has 3 street stairs, Ghost Booth and 24/7 HEET access.   The booth was removed in 2003.  The mezzanine allows full length passage both inside and outside fare control.  

Sutphin Boulevard (Sutphin Blvd and Ave Hillside) Opened 4/24/1937:  The film "Coming To America" where the woman whom Eddie Murphy (played by Prince Akeem) chases into the subway, is not the express stop as noted in the picture, when she says goodbye to him.  (All interior scenes were filmed at Hoyt Schermerhorn station).  It is actually a local stop, with 4 tracks and 2 side platforms, full length mezzanine inside fare control only.  F/T side is a Sutphin Blvd and has 3 street stairs.  P/T side at 144th Street has ghost booth (closed in 2003) and 2 street stairs.  5 stairs to each platform, a sixth stair is at Jamaica bound side and is HXT (exit only) to Sutphin Blvd side. 

Briarwood Van Wyck Boulevard (Van Wyck Expressway South service road, south of Queens Blvd and 84th Road) Opened 4/27/1934:  Local stop, 4 tracks, 2 side platforms.  The station's name tablets show the original name of Van Wyck Blvd (a street), before the Van Wyck Expressway was built in the 1950's, and remains unchanged.  Station has NYPD Transit Bureau District office at mezzanine level on the west side, the 1990's relocation of this district office forced the closure and removal of two stairs to each platform.  There is no crossover allowed at this station, unless you have any of the 4 Unlimited Ride card types, you must swipe the Unlimited card in order to access the opposite platform, the booth and fare controls are in the center of this mezzanine.  There are 3 street stairs, two of them through a passageway to Queens Blvd, the other outside the S/B Van Wyck Expressway service road, about 800 feet south of Queens Blvd.  The layout of this mezzanine does suggest a full length mezzanine inside fare control was possible; this would have to have a ghost booth.  Most likely the ghost booth would be at the Van Wyck Expressway side, while the F/T booth was at Queens Blvd side. 

Union Turnpike Kew Gardens Queens Blvd at Union Turnpike/Kew Gardens Road) opened 12/13/1936 Express stop, with 4 tracks on 2 island platforms.  We are now sharing space with the E Line from here to Roosevelt Ave.  We run express at all times.  Station has 2 mezzanines and was built around the same time the Interborough Parkway was constructed in the late 1930’s, now called the Jackie Robinson Parkway.  An interesting aspect of the station is the unique set of castle-like doors on both mezzanines; each one allows anyone to walk alongside the parkway for a brief minute before exiting through the standard subway staircases. (Don’t worry, there are wired fences to separate the cars from the pedestrians.).  However, the castle door exit at the P/T side is closed for unknown reasons.  Each mezzanine has 3 street stairs and 3 stairs to each platform, for a total of 6 exits and 6 sets of stairs to each platform.  F/T side is at east end, near Kew Gardens Road, it serves the Q10 bus to JFK Airport, as well as 3 other bus routes,  while P/T side is at 78^th Road, and is open daily from 6 AM to Midnight.  It was impossible to construct a full length mezzanine because the parkway splits in half. Tile band is medium yellow with black borders.  Full words UNION TURNPIKE are spelled out on the walls.  A tower is visible on the Manhattan-bound platform, active only on weekdays.  The station  is slated to be a key ADA station. 

75^th Avenue Puritan Avenue (75^th Avenue and Queens Blvd) Opened 12/13/1936:  Local stop, 4 tracks, and 2 side platforms.  Full length mezzanine, no crossover allowed.  Booth sits at center of mezzanine, giving further evidence that there were 2 booths when the station first opened, one booth for each end.  HEETs allow access to Manhattan-bound platform, without having to walk down to the middle of the mezzanine in order to enter fare control.  There a total of 3 street stairs, and 4 stairs to each platform, one stair to each platform is closed.  Tile band is light shade of green.  The station name on the map, and the station tablet both read 75th Ave, but until several years ago, the "Puritan Ave" was on the signs on platform columns. This was the original street name, before a massive conversion of Queens street names to numbered streets, took place in the early 20th century. 

71^st Avenue Continental Avenue Forest Hills (Queens Blvd @ 71^st Ave/108^th Street) Opened 12/13/1936:  Express stop, 4 tracks on 2 island platforms, and is the terminus of R, V, and part-time G trains( For local service between here and Court Square see the R  or V pages.).  There are 3 fare control areas along full width mezzanine.  2 of the 3 fare control areas are near each other along wraparound passageway outside of fare control. The F/T booth is near the east end and is closest to 71^st Ave/Queens Blvd staircase on south side.  The other P/T booth in the same area is in the middle and is closest to 108^th street71^st Avenue.  It is open during AM rush hours, other times; a couple of HEETs can be used.  The other P/T booth at the far west end is at 70^th Road/Queens Blvd and has only one street stair.  There are 7 street stairs to each platform.  On the platform, the platform wall has green tile band with black border.  Facing the express tracks are the vintage 1936 white signs with black lettering "  Contin-ental Ave Forest Hills" .A renovated and expanded tower is at the far eastern end of the Jamaica-bound platform, another mini-tower also sits on the center of the Manhattan-bound platform but it is seldom used.  Before we enter this station, there are a set of tracks rising from the lower level, one for each direction.  These tracks are used for local trains relaying back downtown, as well as yard moves to the massive Jamaica Yard facility nearby.  They come up and merge with both local and express tracks in “Y” track configuration.  Renovation is pending in the 2005-2009 MTA Capital Program, and is slated to be a key ADA station as well.

Roosevelt Avenue Jackson Heights is discussed on the Complexes Page 

After we bypass 36^th Street we diverge right and break away from the Queens Boulevard Line. We say goodbye to the E, R and V train, but the V train will rejoin us later in Manhattan. This newest section  of the IND is called the 63^rd Street Connector and opened on 12/16/2001, the opening was briefly delayed due to 9/11. After 35 years of planning to construction and $650 million later, the 63^rd Street "Stubway" or " tunnel to nowhere" actually is put to valuable use.

21^st Street Queensbridge (21^st Street at 41st Avenue) Opened 10/29/1989:  Originally a terminal stop for B/Q and late night F trains from 1989 to December 2001, it gain notorious fame as the "tunnel to nowhere".  2 tracks on 2 side platforms, the station is fully ADA accessible.  It serves the residents of Queensbridge houses, the city's largest housing project development, Silvercup Studios, and other industrial companies nearby.  The only mezzanine is towards the east end of station, 2 street stairs at N/E corner of 21st Street and 41st Ave.  Elevator and up/down escalator are at N/W corner of the same intersection.  Tower remains on west end of Manhattan-bound platform and can be used if necessary.  Double crossover switches remain to the west of the station, indicating it's presence as a terminal station.  The platform edge does not have the current yellow tactile strip with bumps like most stations being renovated at this time. 

Roosevelt Island (On Roosevelt Island, Main Street and about 500 feet north of the Tramway terminal) Opened 10/29/1989:  One of the deepest stations in the entire NYCT system, it takes  157 steps from the stationhouse at street level to either platform.  It has a nice WMATA (Washington D.C. Metro Subway) feel of a high arched ceiling.  The station walls are curved with beams at both platforms, the only NYCT station in the entire system to have this look.   There are 4 levels from mezzanine to platform level, a total of 10 escalators, 2 large staircases, and 2 smaller staircases 1 to each platform.  The balcony level above the platform, affords a nice view of the station and tunnel mouth facing the Queens end, as well as trains entering and leaving this station.  Station is fully ADA accessible, 1 elevator to each platform is located at opposite end of stairs/escalators to the stationhouse level.  This gives the clearest indication on how deep you are below the surface. politically It is a pert of Manhattan.

As we travel from Roosevelt Island to our next stop, Lexington Ave, we see bellmouths again at the 2nd Ave turnouts.  There will be planned connections to and from the 2nd Avenue subway line that will permit Q Broadway line trains from the West side of Manhattan to travel north on the 2nd Ave line, once Phase I of the SAS line is completed to 96th Street.  In addition, a non-revenue tunnel connection from the southern portion of the 2nd Ave line to/from the Queens bound direction on this line will also be built. 

Lexington Avenue 63^rd Street (Lexington Avenue and 63rd Street) Opened 10/29/1989: This is a bi-level station, with Downtown/Brooklyn bound trains using the upper level, while Queens bound trains use the lower level.  The station's walls are facing north, it could've have been island platforms instead.  Behind this wall, lies an unfinished station on each level and track leads than end at wall.  The walls can be removed and we would have 4 tracks on 2 island platforms instead of the current 2 tracks and 2 side platforms.  Wall tiles are red, similar to the red color in  the Bowling Green Station, and the brick red at 49th Street/BMT Broadway line station.  Station has a total of 10 escalators, 6 staircases and 2 elevators, full ADA access.  2 additional staircases from upper to lower level are at opposite end of platform, and behind elevator.  There are 1 set of escalators and 2 street stairs, separate fare controls to escalators and the ADA elevator exist.  It is possible, but rare, that the MTA's Capital Construction program that is the lead agency overseeing the Second Ave Subway project, to remove these walls and allow Q trains to use the north tracks, while F trains se the current southern 2 tracks.  In this manner, it would eliminate double switching and merging; under the current track configuration Q trains would be forced to merge with the heavily trafficked F lie before entering Lexington Avenue, only to diverge away after leaving this station.  Realigning the proposed Q line extension would now only eliminate this merge, but would actually allow cross-platform transfers between both lines.  The setup for the Q line at this station, is already there, all is needed is the connection to the N/B 2nd Ave line.  It is unclear whether the MTA is planning on this matter and how the Q line will be running at this point; this is only a suggestion by the authors of this page.                                           

57^th Street 6^th Avenue (57^th Street and Ave of the Americas) Opened 7/1/1968:  From 1968 to 1989, this was a terminal stop for B trains and rush hour K local trains (the KK was discontinued in 1976 for lack of patronage), and features one of the last surviving telephone booths inside one of the 3 fare control areas at mezzanine level.  The door on the telephone booth is broken and is unlikely to ever see any repair.  A plaque dedicating Ret. Col. John T. O'Neill, who served as NYCTA Chief Engineer, until his death in 1978, sits next to the booth on the west wall.  Except for the removal of the 1960's exit slam gates at fare controls; much of the station design remains unchanged from the initial 1968 opening. 6 stairs to island platform (2 tracks), and 8 street stairs spread out on both sides of Avenue of the Americas from 56th to 57th Streets.  Even the "Next Train" indicator lights are still hanging from the platform's ceiling.  The tower and crew area still exists, though it is abandoned after the 1989 63rd Street extension to 21st Street, Queensbridge, but was revived again in the late 1990's when Q express trains terminated once again at 57th Street due to long term construction work that necessitated a shuttle train from Queensbridge to 57th St/7th Ave on the Broadway line.  Once all construction work was completed on the 63rd Street connector to Queens Blvd in 2001, the tower was abandoned, permanently.  Station walls are plain white with 1960's "57th St" names on the wall. 

We leave 57/6 and are suddenly sandwiched in between 2 tunnels.  The V line is to the left of us, while the B and D line are to the right of us.  We diverge to the left and merge with the V line for the first time.  We also have the option of diverging to the right for the B and D lines, but that would take place during nightly/weekend G.O.s or an unplanned reroute.  After both tracks split away, the right side first then our left side, there is a short track that ends in bumper block.  It was installed for no apparent reason.  

47^th- 50^th Street Rockefeller Center (Ave of the Americas, between West 47^th and West 50^th 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, we would be arriving on the local track.  Because of the tricky “T” shaped line configuration involving the E, F V 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 V 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.  F/T booth is at north end of full-length mezzanine, at West 49^th 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 P/T staircase leads to Radio City Music Hall/West 50^th Street and is open late during evening performances.  Another passageway along west side of 49^th Street was recently extended to connect with the BMT 49^th St station on the N, R and W lines (no free transfer). Middle fare control at West 48^th Street has ghost booth and all-day HEET access.  South fare control at West 47^th St has P/T 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 47^th Street, before the routes’ demise.  Each platform has 7 stairs to mezzanine, the north end of the N/B platform has an active tower, and is depressed about 10 feet below the S/B 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 

42^nd Street Bryant Park is discussed on the complexes page 

34th Street Herald Square is discussed on the complexes page 

23d Street (23^rd Street and  6^th Avenue)  Opened 12/15/1940:  Local stop, 2 tracks along 2 separate side platforms.  Because the Hudson and Manhattan tunnels (now PATH) were constructed over 40 years prior to the IND, the local platforms do not allow any crossover or cross under, nor was any mezzanine ever constructed at this station (there is a mezzanine at 14th Street station, though.)  The F and V use the 2 outside tracks while inside the walls, the PATH trains use the 2 inner tracks.   The B and D express tracks are way below the PATH tracks, and were constructed using the "deep-bore" tunneling method in the mid 1960's.  Each mezzanine has 4 street stairs and a direct indoor entrance to the 23rd Street PATH station.  2 of the 4 entrances on each side appear to be part of the original 1911 PATH entrances.  Tile band is lime green.  The tile band on the track walls appears to be obscured by support beams directly underneath 23rd Street. 

14^th Street is discussed on the complexes page 

West 4^th Street-Washington Square opened on 9/10/1932 (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 ramps 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 and is located under Sixth Avenue 

Broadway Lafayette (West Houston Street between Broadway and Lafayette Ave)   Opened 10/1/1936   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.  Renovated by a contractor, it still lacks the passageway from IND level to the Uptown IRT side and is the only transfer point where access is restricted to one-way.   Over the years, there were plans on the drawing boards to create a free transfer from the IND level to the Uptown IRT side at Bleecker Street, the plans keep getting shelved, mostly a lack of funding in the MTA’s Capital Program.  The 2005-2009 MTA Capital Program makes allowances to design and build the free transfer from the east end of the IND platform.  This area appears to be an entrance at one time that apparently never was finished, it is sealed as a false wall.  The relatively high ceiling at the same end indicates a ramp was planned somewhere also.  This station features only 1 F/T 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.  

2^nd Avenue Lower East Side (East Houston Street between 2^nd  Ave/Chrystie Street and  1^st   Avenue/Allen Street)  Opened 10/7/1933:   This is a terminal stop for V trains, it has 4 tracks, 2 island platforms and 2 mezzanines.  F/T side is at 1st Avenel/Allen Street, while P/T side is at 2nd Avenel/Chrystie Street.  When the station first opened, it had a full length mezzanine, both inside and outside fare control.   Clear evidence of this mezzanine points to the following:  1. partially obscured directional sign "2nd Ave" at the 1st Avenue end.  2. Three closed staircases from the closed mezzanine, to each platform.  Walk from one end of the platform to another and you will see a break in the ceiling's pattern from time to time, and 3. The mezzanine area is covered on both sides by various station and RTO facilities, along with the gates that would have separated the inside and outside fare control areas.  This would have been a transfer point to the IND's second system along 2nd Avenue, there is a small closed staircase found at the P/T side that confirms this.  The MTA is currently building the full length 2nd Ave line within 20 years, and a free transfer at the proposed Houston Street station, to this station is being considered.  The 2 "express" tracks end in a false wall, further evidence suggests that the 2 middle tracks were being planned to be routed into Brooklyn's South 4th Street line as part of the IND second system, none of which ever got past the planning stage. Tile band is purple    

Delancey Street/ Essex Street  is discussed  on the  complexes page                                                                                                                            

East Broadway (East Broadway between Rutgers/Canal streets and Madison Street) opened 10/7/1933:  From 1933 until 1936, this was a terminal stop for E trains from Queens; an abandoned tower at the north end of this island platform confirms this.  The station is 2 tracks, with 2 mezzanines, and a mix of 4 open staircases, 3 closed staircases and one escalator.  The F/T side is at Madison Street and has 1 street stair, while the P/T side at Canal/Rutgers Streets had 3 street stairs.  A passageway outside fare control connects these 2 booth areas, another exit staircase in the middle of the passageway is sealed, and led to Henry Street.  Inside fare control, there also was a full length mezzanine; the area is currently used as space for NYC Stations.  Artwork:  "Displacing Details" (1991) by Noel Copeland, with assistance by students from the Henry Street settlement, near this station. Some of the staircases inside fare control at the P/T side lead to an intermediate level and show more evidence of a full length mezzanine.  The ramp that descends downward from the F/T side would have led to the same intermediate level, had a station facility in between, and was never constructed. 

We now travel into Brooklyn at this point.  The tunnel between East Broadway and York Street is called the Rutgers tube.  It travels in an "S" like curve. 

York Street (York Street and Jay Street) opened 4/9/1936:  2 tracks on 1 island platform.  The lone exit is at the north end and has 1 street stair and 1 stair to platform level.  The tiles on the walls suggest that the station was redone in the 1940's, nothing much is known from 1936 to the end of World War II, except that this station was used as an extension for the nearby Brooklyn Navy Yard, in storing supplies and materials for the American soldiers in wartime combat.  There is a sealed exit on the south end, it most likely led to Navy Street, underneath the Manhattan Bridge, and the date of abandonment is unknown.  The tiles are a purple band with off-white brick tiles in a tunnel mouth.  The style is similar to the portion of the A line from Liberty to Euclid Avenues. 

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 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 A train leaves us. (See A Lefferts and A Rockaway)

After leaving Jay Street, we come across to Bergen interlocking.  We diverge right at first and then elevate slightly to merge with the G line before entering Bergen Street.  The tracks that head straight are express from this point on to south of Church Ave.  Since 1990, these tracks had not seen any regularly scheduled service, although it is among the most unpredictable parts of the NYC subway, with trains running alongside, underneath or break away separately fro the local tracks.  A new signal system in this area, will enable the V line to be extended down to Church Ave as a local, while the F would run express, the system is expected to be completed in early 2006. For purposes of this page, we will only identify whether the stop is local or express, even though F trains make all stops from Jay Street to Church Ave. 

Bergen Street (Bergen Street and Smith Street) opened 10/7/1933:    Local stop, 2 tracks, 2 side platforms, all fare controls are at platform level, no crossover allowed.  Station was renovated in the early 1990's by NYCT's in-house forces and has a different shed of green from the original IND tile band at this station.  The darker green is the main band, while the top and bottom borders, normally either black or a darker shade, are light green.   It used to be an express stop, where F service in the 1970's was divided into 2 services during rush hours.  F trains to/from Kings Highway would run local and use the upper level, while F trains to/from Coney Island, would use the now abandoned lower level.  GG trains (changed to G line after the elimination of doubled lettered routes in 1986.) would always use the upper level because the track connection to the Crosstown line was only available there, no access from the lower level.  Standing on either platform, look down at the opposite platform from where you are positioned at, you can see vents below the floor and the lighted remains of Bergen Street, there was no IND tile present.  Each side has 2 fare control areas, N/B side has F/T booth at Bergen Street at north end and has 2 street stairs, the S/B side has part time day booth and 2 street stairs.  When the booth is closed, there is nightly HEET access available.  P/T fare control areas are at south end at Warren Street.  Each side has ghost booth and 1 street stair, the first station of numerous ghost booths you will encounter along the joint IND/BMT Culver portion of the F line in Brooklyn (we will refer this section to the Culver line), all the way down to West 8th Street.   If the lower level remained open, there would have been 3 staircases from each platform from upper to lower level, one each next to both fare controls and the 3rd staircase in between the other 2.   This center staircase has steel doors that "cover" the staircase behind it. Some of the tiles are a mixture of green dots of varying colors; artwork is unknown and is a departure from the normally white only tiles that dot most IND stations.  There is an active tower on the north side of the Manhattan-bound platform; extensive damage was suffered in the tower in the early 1990's, also causing major disruptions to F and G service.  Within less than a month, NYCT restored tower operations there and installed a new interlocking board too. 

Carroll Street (Carroll Street at Smith Street) opened 10/7/1933: Local stop, now all 4 tracks are on the same level, 2 side platforms.  Mezzanine and crossover is allowed at F/T side with 2 exits to 2nd/3rd Streets, one a double wide staircase to Smith street, the other a passageway to East side of 2nd Street and Smith Street, it is closed late nights.  The setup for this mezzanine is similar to Nassau Street on the G line.  But Carroll Street affords an amazing view of N/B trains descending into the tunnel from the south, in nice weather people are known to stand outside the main entrance and wait for their train here.  When  an F or G train leaves Smith-9th Street from the highest elevation point, it starts it's descent into the tunnel and Carroll street, giving customers more than enough time to descend into the mezzanine and board their train there.  Directly across the street, at the tunnel's mouth and parts of the elevation along the wall facing Smith Street, is an MTA authorized artwork  Opposite end of this station are platform level fare controls with exits to President Street, N/B side has P/T booth and 2 street stairs.  The S/B side has 1 street stair and remains of the old style change booth and door left intact.  Like Bergen Street, the tile band is green. 

We leave Carroll Street and become elevated, only briefly because we have to cross to Gowanus Canal.  Because the canal is extremely deep, it would be impossible to build a tunnel so deep that would run underneath the canal at a steep grade from Carroll Street, about less than 1/2 mile away.  The view is breathtaking. 

Smith /9^th Street (Smith Street at Ninth Street) Opened 10/07/1933:  Local stop, 4 tracks, 2 side platforms, it is the highest point of the entire NYC Transit system at 88 feet above street level.  To illustrate the steep uphill climb, if one person were to use the staircases from the only F/T booth area at sidewalk level to either platform and all of the escalators were inoperable (ouch!), he/she would have to do the following:

Fortunately, there are 2 sets of escalators that will take you as far up as to the crossunder level.  This station is slated for renovation and  under the MTA's 2005-2009 Capital Program.  The S/B platform side affords the ultimate view of the NY skyline to the north, and the nearby Gowanus Expressway to the south with the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge in the distance.  The platform canopies on both sides need some TLC. 

Just as we have left Smith-9th, there is a 5th track that rises from the end, it appears to be unfinished and leads nowhere. 

4^th Avenue/ 9^th Street (4th Ave between 9^th and 10^th Streets) is discussed in the Complexes page 

Back to the tunneled portion of the F line we go.  Although since we descend at first from a high elevation to underground again, the next underground stop, 7th Ave, is actually higher than the elevated 4th Ave stop.  This is due to the topology of the streets in the namesake neighborhood, Park Slope.  If you were walking up 9th Street in an easterly direction (towards Prospect Park), you will be faced with a very long uphill that encompasses 3 blocks and nearly 1 mile 

7^th Avenue (7^th  Avenue at 9^th  Street) Opened 10/7/1933:  Express stop, 4 tracks, 2 island platforms, full length mezzanine with clear evidence that there were booths at both ends of the station.  Today the booth is situated in the middle of the mezzanine, however there are HEETs available at both ends, customers can use them without having to walk to the middle area to enter fare control, and crossover is allowed at any staircase.  There are 4 street stairs at the 7th Ave end, and 3 street stairs at the 8th Ave end, the 8th Ave end also has an intermediate level at the first staircase, otherwise a descending hill.  Near inside far control at the mezzanine center, 8th Ave side, is a large scale painting of Prospect Park's The Raven. 

After leaving 7th Ave, the express tracks take a short cut away from us.  We will meet up with them at Church Ave.  The express tracks take a different route than the F local, so the next 2 stations have no express tracks anywhere. 

15^th Street Prospect Park (about 100 feet east of Prospect Park West from Prospect Park Southwest to Windsor Place)  Opened 10/7/1933:  Located in the heart of Windsor Terrace, this local stop has 2 tracks on 1 island platform along a curve.  The mezzanine is full length and has a minimum of 2 ghost booths, one for the 2 exits to Prospect Park West and another near the 16th Street staircase.  Because of the way the tunnel was built, the station is not located underneath a street.  Instead the station and tunnel was constructed about 100 feet east of Prospect Park West.  Therefore some portions of the tunnel are directly underneath Prospect Park, and others between PP West and John P. Devaney Blvd.  If you enter Prospect Park through the parking lot, you will see subway grilles inside near the lot's edge.  There are 5 street stairs, a wall sized NYCT neighborhood map has 6 exits incorrectly listed.  From north to south, the exits are located as follows:  At Bartel Prichard Square between PP West and 15th Street (closed at night), both sides on Prospect Park West near the square, 1 exit on 16th Street and another on Windsor Place.  The current booth is located closer to the Windsor Place side.  The full length passageway allows out of system walking from one end to another, the area inside fare control does not.  The tile band is now orange-yellow. 

Ft. Hamilton Parkway (Greenwood Ave at Prospect Ave, also Fort Hamilton Parkway at foot of Prospect Expressway) Opened 7/10/1933:  Local stop, 2 tracks and 2 side platforms.  F/T side is at north side, by Greenwood and Prospect Avenues and has 2 street stairs and block long passageway to Reeve Place for 1 additional street stair.  The stairway at the N/E corner of Greenwood and Prospect has a closed staircase that would have taken you to what appears to be an abandoned fare control area on platform level, Manhattan-bound side.  This area is gated shut and about 1/2 of the space is taken by station facilities with additional tiles.  The south end is to Fort Hamilton Parkway and has 24/7 HEET access and ghost booth.  The only exit out to Fort Hamilton Parkway is a ramp (no staircase) that runs alongside the Prospect Expressway, up and down a small hill.  This exit replaced the original 1933 staircase exit because when Robert Moses built the Prospect Expressway, the work also required relocating the exit too.  From the mezzanine area, you can see the variation in tile colors and styles that leave its mark of a "new" entrance in 1962, when the expressway also opened; this can be seen as you are facing the ramp. 

Church Avenue (Church Avenue and McDonald Ave) Opened 7/10/1933:  From it's initial opening, until the Culver connection opened in 1954, it was the terminal stop for D trains here (From 1933 to 1940, the E ran to Church Ave, until the IND Sixth Ave line in Manhattan opened.  Currently an express stop, with 4 tracks and 2 island platforms.  tile band is Maroon and has full length crossover mezzanine.  The F/T side at the south end leads to Church Ave and has 4 street stairs; the 2 southernmost stairs are through a passageway similar to Greenpoint Ave and Bedford-Nostrand Ave stations on the IND G line.  The P/T side at Albemarle Road has ghost booth and 2 street stairs.  An active tower is at the south end of the Coney Island-bond platform, while yard leads are visible south of this station. 

After leaving Church Ave, we ride on the IND/BMT Culver connection that was installed in 1954 and permitted BMT Culver trains, direct service to the IND 6th Ave line and to the Concourse line in the Bronx.  The D line was extended to Coney Island via. culver and operated this way until the Chrystie connection opened on 11/27/1967.  Since then, F trains have been the dominant force of the Culver line, although some recent weekend G.O.s in mid to late 2004 have seen the G extended to Coney Island, replacing the F because of signal and track work at Bergen interlocking.  We see the outside for a 2nd time and become elevated throughout the run to Coney Island.  More merging reduces the line to 3 tracks, the middle track is unused.  

Ditmas Avenue (Ditmas Ave and McDonald Ave)  Opened 3/16/1919:  Local stop, 3 tracks on 2 side platforms, although a 4th track is behind the corrugated fencing on the Southbound platform, and was originally an island platform.  This was the first stop on the old Culver line before the 1954 line realignment, it ran along 37-38th Streets, and to the West End Line at the lower level of 9th Avenue  where it would run along the current ROW to the 4th Ave BMT line.  The Board of Transportation (the precursor to New York City Transit Authority) decided to build connections from BMT to IND lines in the early 1950's (the 60th St connector to the IND Queens Plaza, today’s R line and the connection from Euclid Ave/IND to the surviving portion of the BMT Fulton Street elevated to Lefferts Blvd, are other examples.) and in 1954, through service was instituted between Church Ave and Ditmas Ave.  After the 1954 opening, the Culver line was reduced to a tiny single track shuttle.  For more information on the Culver line, please see the Culver Shuttle Page.  Walking along sidewalk level, along the west side of McDonald Ave, you can see the remains of the 4th track behind the station wall, and more remains show the 2 track turnoff just before you enter Ditmas Ave.  Some portions of the abandoned track are in dire need of TLC, shoring up is needed.  South of Ditmas Ave, you can see the girders showing the 4th tack merged with the S/B local track.  The Culver shuttle was abandoned for good on May, 1975, NYCT did not have any justification for running a shuttle when most of the trips had empty cars in service.  F/T mezzanine is on south side at Ditmas Ave, while north side near Cortelyou Road has ghost booth and HEET access.  There is an abandoned tower on the Manhattan-bound platform level side near the F/T staircase. 

Along the Culver line, from Ditmas Ave to south of Avenue X, was a street level rail/trolley line that operated here.  The line (#50-McDonald Ave) was abandoned in the 1950’s; however the tracks remained in place on the roadway underneath the el. until the late 1980's.  Only a recent reconstruction of the roadway along McDonald Ave, did these track were unearthed, they are gone again and another transit history passes into yesteryear.  The remains of the Culver line predate to the 1870's. 

18^th Avenue (18^th Avenue at McDonald Ave) opened 3/16/1919:  Express stop, 3 tracks, and 2 island platforms.  F/T side is at 18th Ave, while P/T side is at Lawrence Ave.  Each mezzanine has 2 street stairs and 1 stair to each platform, the Lawrence Ave side now has ghost booth.  Although all the interlocking switches are north of this station, there is a removed switch on the south side of 18th Ave, the girder indicates it was a track diverge from N/B local track to the middle track. 

Avenue I (Avenue I and McDonald Ave)   opened 3/16/1919:  Local stop 3 tracks, 2 side platforms, F/T side is at north end by Avenue I and has 2 street stairs.  P/T side at south side is exit only on S/B side, while N/B side is HEET access on during the day.  The access areas on the P/T sides are outside and are around a sealed mezzanine.  This mezzanine obviously had a ghost booth, the mezzanine area is now used as a station facility 

Bay Parkway (22^nd Avenue) (Bay Parkway, at McDonald Ave) opened 3/16/1919:  Local stop, 3 tracks, and 2 side platforms.  There does not appear to be any evidence of a second mezzanine at this station, it is in the heart of a cemetery.  There are 3 street stairs and 2 stairs to each platform.  

Avenue N (Avenue N and McDonald Ave) opened 3/16/1919:  Local stop, 3 tracks, and 2 side platforms.  F/T side on south end by Avenue N has 2 street stairs and 1 stair to each platform.  P/T side at Avenue M has working mezzanine and ghost booth (booth was removed in 2003), so there is 24/7 HEET access.  There is an unknown facility at platform level at the south end of the Manhattan-bound platform; it is for NYCT use only. 

Avenue P (Avenue P and McDonald Ave) opened 3/16/1919:   Local stop, 3 tracks and 2 side platforms.  Only mezzanine is F/T at Avenue P/65th Street and has 2 street stairs and 2 stairs to each platform.  There is a station facility constructed inside the mezzanine on the Manhattan-bound side, it give evidence that there was a 3^rd staircase that was removed at S/E corner of McDonald Ave and Avenue P.  There are 2 staircases to each platform. 

Kings Highway (Kings Highway and McDonald Ave) opened 3/16/1919:   Express stop, it is also a terminal stop for some F trains during rush hours, and has 3 tracks and 2 island platforms.  F/T side is at Kings Highway at the south side and has 2 street stairs, 1 stair to each platform.  P/T side is at Avenue S and has ghost booth, 24/7 HEET access and clear evidence of old style change booth, with a door imprint on a wall facing fare control.  There are RTO tower and crew facilities to the south, while at the north end, there is evidence of a 4th track, it is located between the Manhattan-bound local track and middle track.  The girders correlate the connection from 3/16/1919 to 5/10/1919, that Kings Highway was used as a temporary terminal before it was extended to Avenue X, then to Stillwell Ave a year later (1919).   One switch at the Kings Highway north interlocking, appears to be removed                                                                   

Avenue U (Avenue U and McDonald Ave) opened 5/10/1919:  Local stop, 3 tracks, 2 side platforms, F/T side is at Avenue U has 2 street stairs and 1 stair to each platform.  P/T side at Gravesend Neck Road is split up in similar fashion to the P/T areas at Avenue I.  The S/B side is exit only, while the N/B side is HEET access during most of the day on the outside portion.  The mezzanine is sealed and used only by NYCT station department (it might be abandoned and no longer in use).  In either case, there was a ghost booth that existed on this side.  

Avenue X (Avenue X/86th Street and Shell Road)  Opened 5/10/1919:  This is the last 3 track, side platform stop, the F/T mezzanine is to the South at 86th Street/Avenue X and has 2 street stairs and 1 stair to each platform.  The odd thing about the platform stair is that they are narrower then when the station first opened.  The width is more than 2 feet shorter than normal at the top half of each staircase.  The S/B side also has a new exit only staircase at platform level that was used primarily to direct customers to the F shuttle bus stop, when Stillwell Ave was closed from 9/2002 to 5/23/2004, and this station was the full time temporary terminal during this time.  Alongside the S/B side is the massive Coney Island maintenance shop and yard, there are 2 track yard leads south of this station.  There is little evidence of a second mezzanine that was abandoned and removed some time ago.   

After leaving Avenue X and passing through the yard leads, we are reduced to 2 tracks to Stillwell.  A stunning array of trains stored in the yard can be seen to the right, including museum trains outside the Coney Island Museum shop, also in the same yard. 

Neptune Avenue (AKA Neptune Ave/Van Sicklen, about 200 feet north of Neptune Avenue near Shell Road) opened 5/1/1920:  2 tracks on 1 island platform and 1 mezzanine.  The station was renovated in-house during Stillwell, a smart way of handling station renovations, since this station was closed as well.  Mezzanine has 2 street stairs, both of which require a short walk to reach Neptune Ave as the first street.  There are 2 staircases to the platform, the look of the staircases with doors and glass on top, is retained after the renovation to give the station its identity.  Artwork has no title listed yet, but uses the same glass materials as the artwork at the shuttle platform and passageway at Franklin Ave/BMT.  The original name of this station was Van Sicklen Avenue; the street to the south was changed to Neptune Avenue some time ago.                                                  

West 8^th Street (West 8^th St, north of Surf Avenue) Opened on both levels 5/30/1919   Culver connection to lower level opened 5/1/1920.  This station has 2 platform levels and a mezzanine below it and is currently undergoing renovation by NYCT's in-house forces and will look among the most visually pleasing in the entire subway system. Each level has 2 tracks and 2 side platforms; the lower level is for Culver F trains while the Q train uses the upper level.  F/T mezzanine is at West 8th Street with an outdoor ramp that goes over Surf Avenue and onto Coney Island's Rigelman Boardwalk.  The NY Aquarium is directly across the street from the station entrance and has a staircase down to the Aquarium's parking lot in front.  There is another staircase below the boardwalk ramp to Surf Ave and a second staircase opposite the ramp's side within the mezzanine.  Near the Surf Ave staircase and pedestrian bridge to the NY Aquarium and Boardwalk, is a sealed ramp to inside the F train level at the Manhattan-bound side only.  This area appears to be closed some time ago, also raising the possibility that a ghost booth may have existed here.  The closed area is preserved during the renovation process so far.  The second staircase inside the opposite end of the mezzanine, leads down to West 8th Street. The P/T side at West 6th Street has now a ghost booth (was targeted in 2003 for booth closure) and is expected to have 24/7 HEET access when opened.  There are escalators from the P/T mezzanine directly to our upper level.  The staircases from both levels to mezzanine are totally redesigned and have more open air space than before the renovation.  A revisit to this station, along with an updated summary, is expected in the coming months once the work is completed. 

Coney Island is discussed on the complexes page 

Rating:  3 stars.  The condition of many stations, especially in Brooklyn, and the 14 year absence of rush hour express service does warrant this rating.  Hopefully, express service in Brooklyn will resume sometime in late 2005 or 2006 when the Bergen resignaling project is complete and V trains will supplement F service in Brooklyn.

Last update 9/25/2008

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