152-404: [REDACTED] The Lexington Avenue/59th Street station (signed as 59th Street–Lexington Avenue ) is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the IRT Lexington Avenue Line and the BMT Broadway Line . It is located at Lexington Avenue between 59th and 60th Streets, on the border of Midtown and the Upper East Side of Manhattan . The station complex is the fourteenth-busiest in
304-527: A cross-platform interchange between local and express services. Some four-track lines with express service have two tracks each on two levels and use both island and side platforms. Since the majority of the system was built before 1990, the year the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) went into effect, many New York City Subway stations were not designed to be accessible to all. Since then, elevators have been built in newly constructed stations to comply with
456-507: A "Z" system (as seen on a map) to an H-shaped system. One trunk would run via the new Lexington Avenue Line down Park Avenue, and the other trunk would run via the new Seventh Avenue Line up Broadway. It was predicted that the subway extension would lead to the growth of the Upper East Side and the Bronx . The rest of the line, north to 125th Street, opened on July 17, 1918. However, until
608-469: A 65-story skyscraper. The MTA mandated that the developers pay for station improvements at Grand Central to allow for the building's construction. In 2015, SL Green, the developer, gave $ 220 million toward the building's construction, of which two-thirds of the money would be used for station redesign; this marked the largest private investment to date to the New York City Subway system. As part of
760-494: A Vignelli-style interactive subway map, "The Weekender", an online map that provides information about any planned work, from late Friday night to early Monday morning. In October 2020, the MTA launched a digital version of the map showing real-time service patterns and service changes, designed by Work & Co . Several privately produced schematics are available online or in printed form, such as those by Hagstrom Map . Out of
912-552: A cavern for the express platforms in October 1959. The blasts took place at all hours of the day but could not occur when trains passed by the station. The project necessitated excavating about 17,000 tons of dirt. Work was complicated by the fact that there were two underground streams at 58th and 59th Streets, requiring workers to install waterproofing around the station. The Board of Estimate provided $ 5 million in December 1960 to expedite
1064-652: A double-tracked 60th Street Tunnel under the East River, which would allow the city to save $ 500,000 by not constructing a tunnel under 59th Street. Degnon proposed building this tunnel for $ 4.5 million. The Board of Estimate approved the plan in February 1915, and the New York State Legislature shortly afterward legally approved the revised route. On July 28, 1915, the Public Service Commission approved
1216-556: A few stretches of track run at ground level; 40% of track is above ground. Many lines and stations have both express and local services. These lines have three or four tracks. Normally, the outer two are used by local trains, while the inner one or two are used by express trains. As of 2018 , the New York City Subway's budgetary burden for expenditures was $ 8.7 billion, supported by collection of fares, bridge tolls, and earmarked regional taxes and fees, as well as direct funding from state and local governments. Alfred Ely Beach built
1368-764: A letter or a number and "lines" have names. Trains display their route designation. There are 28 train services in the subway system, including three short shuttles . Each route has a color and a local or express designation representing the Manhattan trunk line of the service. New York City residents seldom refer to services by color (e.g., "blue line" or "green line") but out-of-towners and tourists often do. The 1 , C , G , L , M , R , and W trains are fully local and make all stops. The 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , A , B , D , E , F , N , and Q trains have portions of express and local service. J , Z , 6 , and 7 trains vary by direction, day, or time of day. The letter S
1520-583: A new exit was provided at Reade Street and Lafayette Street and a new passageway under Reade Street was built connecting to the Chambers Street station on the BMT Nassau Street Line. At the center of the enlarged platforms, a new overhead passage was built, providing more direct access to the Municipal Building . The platform extensions allowed the old platform extensions at the southern end of
1672-475: A private operator. The first portion, from City Hall north to 42nd Street, was opened between 1904 and 1908, and is part of the first subway line in the city . The original subway turned west across 42nd Street at the Grand Central station, then went north at Broadway , serving the present-day IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line . The second portion of the line, north of 42nd Street, was constructed as part of
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#17328631119821824-856: A proposal to the Commission, dated March 2, 1911, to operate the Tri-borough system (but under Church Street instead of Greenwich Street), as well as a branch along Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 59th Street from Ninth Street north and east to the Queensboro Bridge ; the Canal Street subway was to merge with the Broadway Line instead of continuing to the Hudson River. The city, the BRT, and the IRT reached an agreement and sent
1976-483: A public authority presided by New York City, was created in 1953 to take over subway, bus, and streetcar operations from the city, and placed under control of the state-level Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1968. Organized in 1934 by transit workers of the BRT, IRT, and IND, the Transport Workers Union of America Local 100 remains the largest and most influential local of the labor unions. Since
2128-435: A railing that is part of the building's design, directly above the street entrance. A legal battle between the city and the building's management over who is responsible for modifying the design caused the entrance to be temporarily closed between 2003 and 2006. In 2019, the MTA announced that the station would become ADA-accessible as part of the agency's 2020–2024 Capital Program. In early 2024, to discourage fare evasion ,
2280-582: A report to the New York City Board of Estimate on June 5, 1911, wherein the line along Broadway to 59th Street was assigned to the BRT. The New York City Board of Estimate approved the report on June 21. Originally, the commission had also assigned the operation of the Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan to the BRT, as the IRT had withdrawn from negotiations over the proposed tri-borough system. The IRT proposed in December 1911 that it be assigned
2432-488: A roughly north–south direction about 23 feet (7.0 m) below the street. The BMT platform is on the second basement level, 47 feet (14 m) below the street. The mezzanine below the BMT platform is 62 feet (19 m) deep and was installed during the 1962 renovations. The fourth and deepest level consists of the IRT express platforms, which are 73 feet (22 m) deep; each express platform contained an escalator that ascended to
2584-479: A single fare to enter the subway system and may transfer between trains at no extra cost until they exit via station turnstiles; the fare is a flat rate regardless of how far or how long the rider travels. Thus, riders must swipe their MetroCard or tap a contactless payment card or smartphone on an OMNY reader upon entering the subway system, but not a second time upon leaving. IRT Lexington Avenue Line The IRT Lexington Avenue Line (also known as
2736-482: A station, passengers may use station booths (formerly known as token booths) or vending machines to buy their fare, which is currently stored in a MetroCard or OMNY card. Each station has at least one booth, typically located at the busiest entrance. After swiping the card at a turnstile, customers enter the fare-controlled area of the station and continue to the platforms. Inside fare control are "Off-Hours Waiting Areas", which consist of benches and are identified by
2888-528: A total of 850 miles (1,370 km) including non-revenue trackage . Of the system's 28 routes or "services" (which usually share track or "lines" with other services), 25 pass through Manhattan, the exceptions being the G train, the Franklin Avenue Shuttle , and the Rockaway Park Shuttle . Large portions of the subway outside Manhattan are elevated, on embankments , or in open cuts , and
3040-489: A yellow sign. A typical subway station has waiting platforms ranging from 480 to 600 feet (150 to 180 m) long. Some are longer. Platforms of former commuter rail stations—such as those on the IND Rockaway Line , are even longer. With the many different lines in the system, one platform often serves more than one service. Passengers need to look at the overhead signs to see which trains stop there and when, and at
3192-480: Is approximately 8 feet 9 inches (2.67 m) wide and 51 feet 4 inches (15.65 m) long, whereas B Division equipment is about 10 feet (3.05 m) wide and either 60 feet 6 inches (18.44 m) or 75 feet (22.86 m) long. The different lengths for the B Division fleet are necessary because 75-foot cars can not be used over the BMT Eastern Division . Cars purchased by
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#17328631119823344-406: Is no nightly system shutdown for maintenance, tracks and stations must be maintained while the system is operating. This work sometimes necessitates service changes during midday, overnight hours, and weekends. When parts of lines are temporarily shut down for construction purposes, the transit authority can substitute free shuttle buses (using MTA Regional Bus Operations bus fleet ) to replace
3496-600: Is now the BMT Broadway Line at Ninth Street and Broadway . Contracts awarded on July 21, 1911, included Section 6 between 26th Street and 40th Street ; at the time, the IRT had withdrawn from the talks, and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) was to operate on Lexington Avenue. The IRT submitted an offer for what became its portion of the Dual Contracts on February 27, 1912, and construction
3648-427: Is smaller than the peak of the system. In addition to the demolition of former elevated lines, which collectively have resulted in the demolition of over a hundred stations, other closed stations and unused portions of existing stations remain in parts of the system. Many stations in the subway system have mezzanines . Mezzanines allow for passengers to enter from multiple locations at an intersection and proceed to
3800-547: Is used for three shuttle services: Franklin Avenue Shuttle , Rockaway Park Shuttle , and 42nd Street Shuttle . Though the subway system operates on a 24-hour basis , during late night hours some of the designated routes do not run, run as a shorter route (often referred to as the "shuttle train" version of its full-length counterpart) or run with a different stopping pattern. These are usually indicated by smaller, secondary route signage on station platforms. Because there
3952-539: Is within walking distance of Bowling Green , and is right next to the corresponding station on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue line . Services that use the Lexington Avenue Line are colored forest green. The following services use part or all of the line: The Lexington Avenue Line begins in lower Manhattan at the inner loop of the abandoned South Ferry station. North of the station is a merge with
4104-580: The <6> train stops here during weekdays in the peak direction. The 5 train always makes express stops, and the 6 and <6> trains always make local stops; the 4 train makes express stops during the day and local stops at night. The next station to the north is 68th Street–Hunter College for local trains and 86th Street for express trains. The next station to the south is 51st Street for local trains and Grand Central–42nd Street for express trains. The station used to have all green tile which has been covered up except for one "59th Street" sign near
4256-567: The 142nd Street and Myrtle Avenue junctions, whose tracks intersect at the same level, as well as the same-direction pairs of tracks on the IRT Eastern Parkway Line at Rogers Junction . The 7,700 workers who built the original subway lines were mostly immigrants living in Manhattan. More recent projects use tunnel boring machines , which increase the cost. However, they minimize disruption at street level and avoid already existing utilities. Examples of such projects include
4408-432: The 14th Street–Union Square station killed five riders and injured 215 others in the worst accident on the system since the 1928 Times Square derailment . As a result of the crash, new safety protocols were put in place and there was a partial implementation of automation of the New York City Subway . The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced in 2024 that it would begin installing 5G cellular equipment on
4560-600: The 472 stations , 470 are served 24 hours a day. Underground stations in the New York City Subway are typically accessed by staircases going down from street level. Many of these staircases are painted in a common shade of green, with slight or significant variations in design. Other stations have unique entrances reflective of their location or date of construction. Several station entrance stairs, for example, are built into adjacent buildings. Nearly all station entrances feature color-coded globe or square lamps signifying their status as an entrance. The current number of stations
4712-475: The 63rd Street Lines , opened in 1989. The new South Ferry station was built and connected to the existing Whitehall Street–South Ferry station in 2009. The one-stop 7 Subway Extension to the west side of Manhattan, consisting of the 34th Street–Hudson Yards station, was opened in 2015, and three stations on the Second Avenue Subway in the Upper East Side were opened as part of Phase 1 of
Lexington Avenue/59th Street station - Misplaced Pages Continue
4864-488: The Bloomingdale's flagship store. Although the subway remained unopened, real-estate prices around Lexington Avenue and 59th Street had begun to increase by 1916. The Lexington Avenue Line station at 59th Street opened on July 17, 1918, with service initially running between Grand Central–42nd Street and 167th Street via the line's local tracks. On August 1, the "H system" was put into place, with through service beginning on
5016-684: The Chicago "L" plans all stations to be accessible in the 2030s, the Toronto subway will be fully accessible by 2025, and Montreal Metro plans all stations to be accessible by 2038. Both the Boston and Chicago systems are as old or older than the New York City Subway, though all of these systems have fewer stations than the New York City Subway. Newer systems like the Washington Metro and Bay Area Rapid Transit have been fully accessible from their opening in
5168-561: The Dual Contracts , which were signed between the IRT; the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company , via a subsidiary; and the City of New York. For decades, the Lexington Avenue Line was the only line in Manhattan that directly served the Upper East Side and East Midtown ; this four-track line is the most used rapid transit line in the United States. Its average of 1.3 million daily riders is more than
5320-531: The IND Sixth Avenue Line was completed in 1940, the city went into great debt , and only 33 new stations have been added to the system since, nineteen of which were part of defunct railways that already existed. Five stations were on the abandoned New York, Westchester and Boston Railway , which was incorporated into the system in 1941 as the IRT Dyre Avenue Line . Fourteen more stations were on
5472-519: The IRT 42nd Street Shuttle was formed along the old connection between the sides. Due to the shape of the system, it was referred to as the "H system". The first section of the IRT Pelham Line also opened to Third Avenue–138th Street on August 1, 1918. The cost of the extension from Grand Central was $ 58 million. The construction and opening of the Lexington Avenue Line north of Grand Central resulted in
5624-697: The IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line , which ran directly underneath the World Trade Center . Sections of the tunnel, as well as the Cortlandt Street station, which was directly underneath the Twin Towers, were severely damaged. Rebuilding required the suspension of service on that line south of Chambers Street. Ten other nearby stations were closed for cleanup. By March 2002, seven of those stations had reopened. Except for Cortlandt Street,
5776-742: The IRT East Side Line and the IRT Lexington–Fourth Avenue Line ) is one of the lines of the A Division of the New York City Subway , stretching from Lower Manhattan north to 125th Street in East Harlem . The line is served by the 4 , 5 , 6 , and <6> trains. The line was constructed in two main portions by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT),
5928-672: The IRT subway debuted in 1904, the typical tunnel construction method was cut-and-cover . The street was torn up to dig the tunnel below before being rebuilt from above. Traffic on the street above would be interrupted due to the digging up of the street. Temporary steel and wooden bridges carried surface traffic above the construction. Contractors in this type of construction faced many obstacles, both natural and human made. They had to deal with rock formations and groundwater, which required pumps. Twelve miles of sewers, as well as water and gas mains, electric conduits, and steam pipes had to be rerouted. Street railways had to be torn up to allow
6080-429: The New York City Subway at Grand Central–42nd Street . The improvements include an underground connection between Grand Central Terminal and One Vanderbilt; new mezzanines and exits for the subway station; and three new stairways to each of the Lexington Avenue Line platforms. This would directly result in additional capacity for the subway station, with 4,000 to 6,000 more subway passengers per hour being able to use
6232-603: The R142 , R142A , R143 , R160 , R179 and R188 were placed into service. These cars are collectively known as New Technology Trains (NTTs) due to modern innovations such as LED and LCD route signs and information screens, as well as recorded train announcements and the ability to facilitate Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) . As part of the 2017–2020 MTA Financial Plan, 600 subway cars will have electronic display signs installed to improve customer experience. Riders pay
Lexington Avenue/59th Street station - Misplaced Pages Continue
6384-475: The boroughs of Manhattan , Brooklyn , Queens , and the Bronx . It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority , an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 27, 1904, the New York City Subway is one of the world's oldest public transit systems, one of the most-used, and the one with
6536-423: The eleventh-busiest rapid transit rail system in the world. The subway carried 2,027,286,000 unlinked, non-unique riders in 2023. Daily ridership has been calculated since 1985; the record, over 6.2 million, was set on October 29, 2015. The system is also one of the world's longest. Overall, the system contains 248 miles (399 km) of routes, translating into 665 miles (1,070 km) of revenue track and
6688-626: The extension of the IRT Flushing Line and the IND Second Avenue Line . Since the opening of the original New York City Subway line in 1904, multiple official and planning agencies have proposed numerous extensions to the subway system. One of the more expansive proposals was the " IND Second System", part of a plan to construct new subway lines in addition to taking over existing subway lines and railroad rights-of-way. The most grandiose IND Second Subway plan, conceived in 1929,
6840-410: The 1970s. In November 2016, the New York City Subway had 6712 cars on the roster. A typical New York City Subway train consists of 8 to 11 cars, although shuttles can have as few as two, and the train can range from 150 to 600 feet (46 to 183 m) in length. The system maintains two separate fleets of cars, one for the A Division routes and another for the B Division routes. A Division equipment
6992-450: The 1980s, make the current fleet of subway cars graffiti-free, as well as order 1,775 new subway cars. By the early 1990s, conditions had improved significantly, although maintenance backlogs accumulated during those 20 years are still being fixed today. Entering the 21st century, progress continued despite several disasters. The September 11 attacks resulted in service disruptions on lines running through Lower Manhattan, particularly
7144-415: The 2020–2024 Capital Program. This would allow one of every two to four stations on every line to be accessible, so that all non-accessible stops would be a maximum of two stops from an accessible station. In 2022, the MTA agreed in a settlement to make 95 percent of subway and Staten Island Railway stations accessible by 2055. By comparison, all but one of Boston's MBTA subway stations are accessible,
7296-587: The 59th Street station on the Lexington Avenue Line was among the subway system's 12 worst bottlenecks for passenger flow. At the time, the New York City Planning Commission planned to spend $ 2.1 million to add entrances at Third Avenue and 60th Street, alleviating congestion in the exits on Lexington Avenue. That April, the City Planning Commission allotted another $ 3.4 million to the project. The commission also provided funding for
7448-521: The ADA. (Most grade-level stations required little modification to meet ADA standards.) Many accessible stations have AutoGate access. In addition, the MTA identified "key stations", high-traffic and/or geographically important stations, which must conform to the ADA when they are extensively renovated. Under plans from the MTA in 2016, the number of ADA accessible stations would go up to 144 by 2020. As of May 2024 , there were 145 ADA-accessible stations. Over
7600-468: The BMT Broadway Line to Queens. That line had been planned as two separate, one-track tunnels, one each under 59th and 60th Streets. Later on, it was decided to alter this layout in favor of a single two-track tunnel under 60th Street. The semi-completed platform under 59th Street was then converted to an underpass between the north and southbound platforms of the Lexington Avenue Line local tracks. On
7752-565: The BMT platform opened on August 7, 1952. The New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) began constructing five staircases between the IRT and BMT stations at Lexington Avenue/59th Street in May 1956, following the completion of the 60th Street Tunnel Connection in Queens, which allowed trains in the 60th Street Tunnel to run along the Queens Boulevard Line , in December 1955. An escalator connecting
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#17328631119827904-462: The BMT station to the Bloomingdale's store opened on the same day that the line was extended to Queens. This entrance measured 60 feet (18 m) deep and had five display windows. The IRT station originally served local trains only. In Fiscal Year 1930, a crossunder under the local tracks was opened, connecting the southbound and northbound platforms. This passageway was funded by Bloomingdale's and
8056-682: The Battery and ran under Greenwich Street , Vesey Street, Broadway to Ninth Street , private property to Irving Place , and Irving Place and Lexington Avenue to the Harlem River . After crossing under the Harlem River into the Bronx , the route split at Park Avenue and 138th Street, with one branch continuing north to and along Jerome Avenue to Woodlawn Cemetery , and the other heading east and northeast along 138th Street, Southern Boulevard , and Westchester Avenue to Pelham Bay Park . In early 1908,
8208-515: The Board of Estimate's request to place both tracks under 60th Street and cross the East River in the 60th Street Tunnel. A piece of the tunnel under 59th Street had already been built and became a walkway connecting the two side platforms of the IRT's 59th Street station. A. W. King received a $ 126,000 contract in December 1918 to install finishes at the Lexington Avenue and Fifth Avenue stations on
8360-401: The Broadway Line platform and that are signed for the northbound Lexington Avenue Line platform at the eastern corners of 60th Street and Lexington Avenue, and staircases to the Broadway Line platform and that are signed for the southbound Lexington Avenue Line platform at the western corners of 60th Street and Lexington Avenue. Staircases from the southbound Lexington Avenue Line platform lead to
8512-468: The Broadway Line platform. The 59th Street station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line is an express station. It has two stacked levels, each of which has two tracks and two side platforms . The upper level is used by local trains, and the lower level is used by express trains. The 4 and 6 trains stop here at all times; the 5 train stops here at all times except late nights; and
8664-442: The Broadway Line station. Two high speed escalators were added to connect the local and express platforms. Two additional high speed escalators were built to connect the local platforms with the new mezzanine. As part of the plan, the local platforms were extended to accommodate 10-car trains. In addition, new entrances and booths were added to the 59th Street ends of the northbound and southbound sides. The project cost $ 6.5 million and
8816-447: The Broadway Line. At the time, the 59th Street station had been the busiest on the Lexington Avenue Line. According to Bingham, an express stop at Lexington Avenue/59th Street would alleviate congestion caused by the opening of the 60th Street Tunnel Connection. The new express stop was also expected to reduce transfer congestion at Grand Central–42nd Street . Construction was expected to take two or three years and cost up to $ 5 million. In
8968-433: The Broadway Line. The station opened on September 1, 1919, as the new terminal of the Broadway Line with an extension of the line from 57th Street–Seventh Avenue . Service originally operated southward to Whitehall Street at the southern end of Manhattan. This station ceased to be the line's terminal with the extension of the line to Queensboro Plaza through the 60th Street Tunnel on August 1, 1920. An entrance leading from
9120-539: The City of New York since the inception of the IND and the other divisions beginning in 1948 are identified by the letter "R" followed by a number; e.g.: R32 . This number is the contract number under which the cars were purchased. Cars with nearby contract numbers (e.g.: R1 through R9 , or R26 through R29 , or R143 through R179 ) may be relatively identical, despite being purchased under different contracts and possibly built by different manufacturers. From 1999 to 2019,
9272-473: The Dual Contracts, the Public Service Commission planned to split the original IRT into three segments: two north–south lines, carrying through trains over the Lexington Avenue and Broadway–Seventh Avenue Lines, and a west–east shuttle under 42nd Street. This would form a roughly H-shaped system. It was predicted that the subway extension would lead to the growth of the Upper East Side and the Bronx . After
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#17328631119829424-480: The East River by a tunnel just north of the Queensboro Bridge. The 59th Street crossing was now useless, and at 60th Street, the subway would have to be at a lower grade on its way to the 60th Street Tunnel. The 59th Street crossing was converted into a pedestrian underpass for the IRT station, and is still in use for that purpose; its floor level is that of the never-completed BMT station. The 60th Street crossing
9576-547: The East Side, increased crowding is expected on the Lexington Avenue Line, underscoring the need for the Second Avenue Subway. Crowding on the line is so bad that riders are routinely stranded on the platform, having to wait for multiple trains to pass before being able to board. Trains on the line are at over 100% of capacity. In June and July 2017, The New York Times found that during an average weekday, 10% to 15% of
9728-544: The Financial District. Construction started in 2007, and on January 1, 2017, the first phase, between Lexington Avenue–63rd Street and 96th Street opened. Within a few months of the line's opening, crowding on the Lexington Avenue Line stations on the Upper East Side was somewhat reduced. East Side Access , completed in 2023, brought Long Island Rail Road service into Grand Central. With more people coming onto
9880-591: The IRT and BMT stations opened in September 1958. To reduce crime, in 1965, the NYCTA began closing two of the station's entrances at night. In addition, as part of the construction of the 63rd Street lines , the NYCTA proposed constructing a three-block-long passageway with stores, which would connect the Lexington Avenue/59th Street station with a new Lexington Avenue station on the 63rd Street Line. Although
10032-431: The IRT express platforms. In creating Blooming , Murray said she "had this vision of people getting up really early, half in a dream state, putting on their clothes, drinking a cup of coffee and getting on the subway to go to work". This is one of two murals Murray made for MTA Arts & Design; the other, Stream , is at Court Square/23rd Street . The complex has a total of 11 staircase entrances. There are staircases to
10184-495: The Lexington Avenue Line local platforms and the Broadway Line platform were restored, and the original tiling at the Lexington Avenue Line express platforms was covered up with new tiling. This station was renovated in conjunction with the construction of the Bloomberg Tower at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue. Although a new entrance was constructed within the building, it has remained closed due to fears of icicle formation on
10336-562: The Lexington Avenue Line north of the Grand Central–42nd Street station in mid-2025. The Second Avenue Elevated fully closed on June 13, 1942. Because of the elevated line's closure, as well as a corresponding increase in the East Side population, crowding on the Lexington Avenue Line increased. The Manhattan section of the Third Avenue Elevated , the only other elevated line in the area, closed on May 13, 1955, and
10488-435: The Lexington Avenue Line to shift slightly eastward to Lexington Avenue ; its Grand Central–42nd Street station is located on the diagonal between Park and Lexington. Just south of Grand Central, a single non-revenue track connects the IRT 42nd Street Shuttle to the southbound local track; this was part of the original IRT subway alignment. Under Lexington Avenue, the line assumes a two-over-two track configuration, with
10640-404: The Lexington Avenue Line tunnel between 53rd and 67th Streets had been completed by early 1915, but it could not be opened for at least three years because a connection to the existing IRT at Grand Central–42nd Street was still under construction. In July 1915, the Public Service Commission received the rights to build a subway entrance for the IRT station at Lexington Avenue and 59th Street within
10792-467: The Lexington Avenue Line, in exchange for dropping its opposition to the BRT's operation of the Broadway Line. The Lexington Avenue Line was to connect with the IRT's existing subway north of Grand Central–42nd Street . The IRT submitted an offer for what became its portion of the Dual Contracts on February 27, 1912. The Dual Contracts , two operating contracts between the city and the BMT and IRT, were adopted on March 4, 1913, and signed on March 19. The BRT
10944-499: The Lexington Avenue local tracks, which feed the loop, rise up to join the express tracks just south of Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall station. From Brooklyn Bridge, the line continues northward in a four-across track layout under Centre Street, Lafayette Street, Fourth Avenue, and Park Avenue South until 42nd Street . At this point, the beginning of Metro-North Railroad 's Park Avenue tunnel in Grand Central Terminal forces
11096-448: The Lexington Avenue/59th Street station. The improvements included new finishes on the walls and floors; acoustical, signage, and lighting improvements; replacement of old mechanical equipment; and new handrails. The MTA included funding for a renovation of the Lexington Avenue/59th Street station to its 1980–1984 capital plan. In April 1993, the New York State Legislature agreed to give the MTA $ 9.6 billion for capital improvements. Some of
11248-508: The MTA reconfigured emergency exits at the 59th Street IRT station so the exits opened only after a 15-second delay. The accessibility project was to be funded by congestion pricing in New York City , but it was postponed in June 2024 after the implementation of congestion pricing was delayed. The complex consists of four levels. The IRT local platforms comprise the first basement level, running in
11400-594: The South Ferry extension left South Ferry at 11:59 p.m. on July 9, 1905; the extension of the IRT White Plains Road Line to West Farms opened just after. The first train ran through the Joralemon Street Tunnel to Brooklyn about 12:45 a.m. on January 9, 1908. The original plan for what became the extension north of 42nd Street was to continue it south through Irving Place and into what
11552-725: The Tri-borough plan was formed, combining this route, the under-construction Centre Street Loop Subway in Manhattan and Fourth Avenue Subway in Brooklyn, a Canal Street subway from the Fourth Avenue Subway via the Manhattan Bridge to the Hudson River , and several other lines in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT; after 1923, the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation or BMT) submitted
11704-595: The abandoned LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch (now the IND Rockaway Line ), which opened in 1955. Two stations ( 57th Street and Grand Street ) were part of the Chrystie Street Connection , and opened in 1968; the Harlem–148th Street terminal opened that same year in an unrelated project. Six were built as part of a 1968 plan : three on the Archer Avenue Lines , opened in 1988, and three on
11856-526: The arriving train to identify it. There are several common platform configurations. On a double track line, a station may have one center island platform used for trains in both directions, or two side platforms , one for each direction. For lines with three or four tracks with express service, local stops will have side platforms and the middle one or two tracks will not stop at the station. On these lines, express stations typically have two island platforms, one for each direction. Each island platform provides
12008-410: The complexity of the system (Manhattan being the smallest borough, but having the most services), but they do show major city streets as an aid to navigation. The newest edition took effect on June 27, 2010, and makes Manhattan bigger and Staten Island smaller, with minor tweaks happening to the map when more permanent changes occur. Earlier diagrams of the subway, the first being produced in 1958, had
12160-423: The construction of expensive apartments along Park Avenue, Madison Avenue, and Lexington Avenue. In 1928, the New York City Board of Transportation proposed to extend platforms at all stations between Brooklyn Bridge and Grand Central, except for 33rd Street. On April 13, 1948, the platform extensions to accommodate ten-car trains at 23rd Street , 28th Street , and 33rd Street were opened for use. In 1949,
12312-499: The construction of section 8, the contractor had to underpin one of every five buildings on Lexington Avenue between 53rd and 67th Street. By late 1912, work on both levels was proceeding simultaneously. At least 11 workers were killed in June 1913 when a portion of the tunnel near 56th Street collapsed. In addition. part of the upper level's roof collapsed near 60th Street in January 1914, killing one worker and injuring two more. As part of
12464-425: The correct platform without having to cross the street before entering. Inside mezzanines are fare control areas, where passengers physically pay their fare to enter the subway system. In many older stations, the fare control area is at platform level with no mezzanine crossovers. Many elevated stations also have platform-level fare control with no common station house between directions of service. Upon entering
12616-421: The day. The next stop to the south is Fifth Avenue–59th Street , while the next stop to the north is Queens Plaza for R trains and Queensboro Plaza for N and W trains. The Lexington Avenue mezzanine has two staircases to each of the IRT local platforms, an escalator to the downtown platform, and three staircases down to the center level. The distinctive "Lex" mosaics were preserved during
12768-463: The dilapidated state of the subway at the time, the Guardian Angels , founded by Curtis Sliwa , began operations on February 13, 1979, by conducting unarmed night patrols on the 4 train in an effort to discourage crime. These patrols later expanded to other parts of the subway and to other city neighborhoods. On August 28, 1991, an accident involving a 4 train on the express track just north of
12920-403: The doors of all eight cars of trains to open on the platform. Work was still underway at two of the other three stations part of the contract, Wall Street and Fulton Street, while work at Bowling Green was already completed. The entire platform-lengthening project was substantially completed by November 1965. Because the Lexington Avenue Line during the 1970s was known to frequent muggers due to
13072-484: The evening of August 1, 1918, it ran as a shuttle on the local tracks only, terminating at 42nd Street and at 167th Street on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line (where the connection from the elevated IRT Ninth Avenue Line merged). On August 1, service patterns were changed, and the Lexington Avenue Line became a through route. The IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line also switched from shuttle operation at that time, and
13224-425: The express platforms' construction. By November 1961, the platforms were almost completed, and workers were installing tiles on the walls. The express platforms opened on November 15, 1962, three months earlier than originally planned. The completion of the express station, among other factors, resulted in increased profits and patronage for businesses near the intersection of 59th Street and Lexington Avenue. By 1970,
13376-451: The express station began on August 27, 1959. The Slattery Construction Corporation was hired as the main contractor for the project, which cost $ 6.5 million. Along with the new express platforms, a new mezzanine was built above the platforms to connect them to the local station and the Broadway Line station. Two high speed escalators were added to connect the local and express platforms. Two additional high-speed escalators were built to connect
13528-402: The express trains and BMT trains to Queens . Even before the express platforms were added, this station was the busiest on the line. Construction for the express station began on August 10, 1959. The two express platforms were 14 feet (4.3 m) wide and 525 feet (160 m) long. Along with the new express platforms, a new mezzanine was built above it to connect it to the local station, and
13680-495: The first demonstration for an underground transit system in New York City in 1869 and opened it in February 1870. His Beach Pneumatic Transit only extended 312 feet (95 m) under Broadway in Lower Manhattan operating from Warren Street to Murray Street and exhibited his idea for an atmospheric railway as a subway. The tunnel was never extended for political and financial reasons. Today, no part of this line remains as
13832-482: The five-cent fare of the time, or 10¢ ($ 3 in 2023 dollars ). In 1940, the city bought the two private systems. Some elevated lines ceased service immediately while others closed soon after. Integration was slow, but several connections were built between the IND and BMT. These now operate as one division, called the B Division . Since the former IRT tunnels are narrower, have sharper curves, and shorter station platforms, they cannot accommodate B Division cars, and
13984-400: The former IRT remains its own division, the A Division . Many passenger transfers between stations of all three former companies have been created, allowing the entire network to be treated as a single unit. During the late 1940s, the system recorded high ridership, and on December 23, 1946, the system-wide record of 8,872,249 fares was set. The New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA),
14136-489: The funds would be used to renovate nearly one hundred New York City Subway stations, including both stations at Lexington Avenue/59th Street. In 2002, the Broadway Line station received a major overhaul. The MTA repaired the staircases, re-tiled the walls, added new tiling on the floors, upgraded the station's lights and the public address system, and installed ADA yellow safety threads along the platform edge, new signs, and new trackbeds in both directions. The original tiling at
14288-544: The hurricane included the restoration of the new South Ferry station from 2012 to 2017; the full closure of the Montague Street Tunnel from 2013 to 2014; and the partial 14th Street Tunnel shutdown from 2019 to 2020. Annual ridership on the New York City Subway system, which totaled nearly 1.7 billion in 2019, declined dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic and did not surpass one billion again until 2022. When
14440-424: The late 1950s and early 1960s, the NYCTA undertook a $ 138 million (equivalent to $ 1.44 billion in 2023) modernization project for the Lexington Avenue Line. As part of the modernization program, the NYCTA announced in January 1957 that it would extend the local platforms and build express platforms at 59th Street. The NYCTA approved a revision to the express platform project on April 8, 1959, and construction for
14592-533: The lengthening of the Broadway Line platform. Although the new entrances would be right outside the Bloomingdale's store, the department store did not contribute any funding to the project. Although many subway stations in Midtown Manhattan saw steep decreases in ridership during the 1970s, the Lexington Avenue/59th Street station actually saw a 25 percent increase in ridership compared with the 1960s. The station recorded 14.1 million annual entries by 1975. During
14744-463: The line at the beginning of 2017. Many rapid transit systems run relatively static routings, so that a train "line" is more or less synonymous with a train "route". In New York City, routings change often, for various reasons. Within the nomenclature of the subway , the "line" describes the physical railroad track or series of tracks that a train "route" uses on its way from one terminal to another. "Routes" (also called "services") are distinguished by
14896-477: The line began on July 31. Among the contracts awarded to the Bradley Construction Company was that for section 8 of the Lexington Avenue Line, which extended from 53rd to 67th Street. This section of the line was built as a two-level tunnel, with local tracks above the express tracks. Workers excavated an 80-foot-deep (24 m) shaft at 62nd Street and then dug out both levels of the tunnel. During
15048-525: The line crosses under the Harlem River into the Bronx via the four-track Lexington Avenue Tunnel, where the line splits into the IRT Jerome Avenue Line on the western two tracks ( 4 and 5 trains) and the IRT Pelham Line on the eastern two tracks ( 6 and <6> trains). Construction started on the first IRT line in 1900. A 1902 explosion during construction seriously damaged properties just above
15200-466: The line received final approval in 1969 as part of the Program for Action , a wide-ranging expansion program for the New York City Subway system, the passageway was never built. On November 4, 1954, the NYCTA approved plans to convert 59th Street into an express station. The project was proposed by the executive director of the NYCTA, Sidney Bingham, to improve connections between the Lexington Avenue Line and
15352-465: The line's signal system and interlockings were modernized. Work on the reconstruction of the Brooklyn Bridge station started on May 18, 1959, and continued without interruption until it was completed on September 1, 1962. Prior to the rebuild, the station's local platform could only accommodate four cars, resulting in delays. The uptown platform's extension opened at this time (the downtown platform
15504-409: The line. Both of these elevated lines were supposed to be replaced by a subway line under Second Avenue. However, it was not completed due to a lack of funds. With the city's economic and budgetary recovery in the 1990s, there was a revival of efforts to complete construction of the Second Avenue Subway . Once fully built, the line will run from 125th Street and Lexington Avenue to Hanover Square in
15656-442: The line. The part of the line from City Hall to just south of 42nd Street was part of the original IRT line, opened on October 27, 1904. A 0.3 miles (0.48 km) extension to Fulton Street opened at 12:01 a.m. on January 16, 1905. Only the northbound platform opened at this time. The next station, Wall Street , was opened on June 12, 1905, as well as the southbound platform at Fulton Street. The first revenue train on
15808-403: The lines and leased them to the companies. The first line of the city-owned and operated Independent Subway System (IND) opened in 1932. This system was intended to compete with the private systems and allow some of the elevated railways to be torn down but stayed within the core of the city due to its small startup capital. This required it to be run 'at cost', necessitating fares up to double
15960-471: The local platform above it. A pair of escalators originally rose from the mezzanine to the IRT local platforms. There are also three staircases up to the BMT platform, two down to each of the lower level IRT express platforms, and one staircase and escalator up to the IRT local platforms on the upper level. There is a free out-of-system transfer to the 63rd Street lines (serving F and Q trains, as well as rush-hour N and R trains). The transfer requires exiting
16112-400: The local platforms with the new mezzanine. As part of the plan, the local platforms were extended to accommodate 10-car trains. In addition, new entrances and booths were added to the 59th Street ends of the northbound and southbound sides. Work on the express station at 59th Street required express trains to run on the local tracks during late nights. Workers began using dynamite to blast out
16264-420: The local tracks running on the upper level and the express on the lower, although it briefly returns to a four-across layout between 96th Street and 116th Street . 125th Street returns to this two-over-two layout, although here the upper level is used by all northbound trains and the lower level by southbound trains. This is because Lexington Avenue is too narrow to have a four-across layout. North of this,
16416-420: The lowest of five bids for the project at just over $ 2.8 million. Degnon received the contract and began constructing the tunnels that September. By December 1914, the Board of Estimate had abandoned its original proposal to use the Queensboro Bridge for subway trains, which would have required $ 2.6 million in modifications to the bridge and would have caused serious congestion. Instead, the board planned to build
16568-460: The mezzanine area and takes its name from the nearby Bloomingdale's department store. The mosaic features larger versions of the coffee cups and slippers found on the platform walls, with the text: "In dreams begin responsibilities" and "Conduct your blooming in the noise and whip of the whirlwind". The text floats from the coffee cups and are excerpted from poetry by Delmore Schwartz and Gwendolyn Brooks . Additional, mini shoe mosaics can be found on
16720-423: The mid-1970s, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) chairman David Yunich talked with local merchants about the possibility of raising money for a renovation of the station, which would be funded equally by the MTA and the merchants. The agency closed one of the station's token booths in 1977 to save money, although the booth was reopened shortly afterward. The MTA announced in late 1978 that it would modernize
16872-686: The modern-day New York City Subway system were already in service by then. The oldest structure still in use opened in 1885 as part of the BMT Lexington Avenue Line in Brooklyn and is now part of the BMT Jamaica Line . The oldest right-of-way, which is part of the BMT West End Line near Coney Island Creek , was in use in 1864 as a steam railroad called the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Rail Road . The first underground line of
17024-448: The modified plans were released, property owners near the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 59th Street advocated for the local station at that intersection to be converted into an express station. However, the Public Service Commission's chief engineer Alfred Craven rejected the proposal in August 1914, saying it would be too expensive to construct express platforms at the station. Work on
17176-518: The most stations, with 472 stations in operation (423, if stations connected by transfers are counted as single stations). The system has operated 24/7 service every day of the year throughout most of its history, barring emergencies and disasters. By annual ridership, the New York City Subway is the busiest rapid transit system in both the Western Hemisphere and the Western world , as well as
17328-407: The new east and west side trunk lines, and the institution of the 42nd Street Shuttle along the old connection between the sides. The cost of the extension from Grand Central was $ 58 million. In the report that had been submitted to the Board of Estimate in June 1911, the BRT was to construct a line traveling east under 59th Street before ascending onto the Queensboro Bridge. The original plan there
17480-404: The perception of being more geographically inaccurate than the diagrams today. The design of the subway map by Massimo Vignelli , published by the MTA between 1972 and 1979, has become a modern classic but the MTA deemed the map flawed due to its placement of geographical elements. A late night-only version of the map was introduced on January 30, 2012. On September 16, 2011, the MTA introduced
17632-463: The platform extensions, and, as such, the station was renamed Brooklyn Bridge–Worth Street. In late 1959, contracts were awarded to extend the platforms at Bowling Green, Wall Street, Fulton Street, Canal Street, Spring Street, Bleecker Street, Astor Place, Grand Central, 86th Street and 125th Street to 525 feet (160 m) to accommodate ten-car trains. At the same time, work to modernize the signals and interlockings between Wall Street and 86th Street
17784-521: The renovation, by installing pre-arranged blocks along the station wall that cup the Lexington Avenue Line above it. The wall tiles have the red "Lex" evenly spaced out, similar to the IND style, with blue background, green borders, and white lettering. An entrance to Third Avenue, with red tiles, opened in October 1973. It has up and down escalators and an adjoining staircase, and is open part-time only, with four street staircases on Third Avenue. Despite its name,
17936-447: The rest reopened in September 2002, along with service south of Chambers Street. Cortlandt Street reopened in September 2018. In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy flooded several underwater tunnels and other facilities near New York Harbor , as well as trackage over Jamaica Bay . The immediate damage was fixed within six months, but long-term resiliency and rehabilitation projects continued for several years. The recovery projects after
18088-405: The routes proposed over the decades have never seen construction, discussion remains strong to develop some of these lines, to alleviate existing subway capacity constraints and overcrowding, the most notable being the proposals for the Second Avenue Subway . Plans for new lines date back to the early 1910s, and expansion plans have been proposed during many years of the system's existence. After
18240-403: The routes that would normally run on these lines. The Transit Authority announces planned service changes through its website, via placards that are posted on station and interior subway-car walls, and through its Twitter page. Current official transit maps of the New York City Subway are based on a 1979 design by Michael Hertz Associates . The maps are not geographically accurate due to
18392-451: The south end of the northbound platform. There are whimsical stylized mosaics of coffee cups and slippers in varied colors at random spacing near the stairways to the Broadway and IRT local trains. There is a direct exit to Bloomingdale's from the uptown local platform's fare control . The underpass near the south end of the station was originally the northbound platform for the extension of
18544-401: The southbound IRT local platform had a direct free transfer to the BMT platform. Later that year, an additional subway entrance was proposed as part of the construction of a building on the southeastern corner of Lexington Avenue and 59th Street. At the time, more than 15 million passengers entered the station annually. A direct transfer passageway connecting the northbound IRT local platform with
18696-521: The southbound platforms at Astor Place, Bleecker Street, Spring Street, Canal Street, and Worth Street were extended. In 1957, the New York City Transit Authority started work on a $ 138 million modernization program for the Lexington Avenue Line to improve and speed up service. As part of the project, platforms on the line were extended, express platforms were built at 59th Street, additional entrances were constructed at some stations, and
18848-404: The southwestern and northwestern corners of Lexington Avenue and 59th Street, while there are two exits to the southeastern corner of that intersection from the northbound platform, with one leading directly to the street, and one located in a passageway to Bloomingdale's . The station also has staircases to all four corners of Third Avenue and 60th Street, leading to a mezzanine with escalators for
19000-647: The station and walking to the Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station. Following the completion of the original subway line operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), there were plans to construct the Broadway–Lexington Avenue Line along Manhattan's east side. The New York Public Service Commission adopted plans for what was known as the Broadway–Lexington Avenue route on December 31, 1907. This route began at
19152-613: The station construction, 40% of the basement of the Grand Hyatt New York would be destroyed in order to make room for the expansion of the subway mezzanine, as well as two new subway entrances in the One Vanderbilt building itself. The new building would also coincide with the MTA 's East Side Access project, and station improvements due to One Vanderbilt's construction would provide extra capacity for over 65,000 new passengers going into
19304-497: The station is located on Lexington Avenue and 60th Street, one block north of 59th Street. Originally, the Broadway subway was to run to Queens over the Queensboro Bridge . Because the subway was to use the outer lanes of the Queensboro Bridge, the Queens-bound track was to run under 59th Street and the downtown-bound track under 60th Street. The Broadway subway plan was changed in 1915 to route both tracks into 60th Street and to cross
19456-513: The station, walking to the Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station, and entering that station using MetroCard or OMNY . This transfer was first offered in 1998. As of 2020, it was one of a few such transfers in the system. The mezzanine between the IRT express platforms and the BMT platform has a large-scale mosaic mural entitled Blooming (1996), created by Elizabeth Murray as part of the MTA Arts & Design program. It covers all four walls of
19608-492: The station, which were used for express service, to be abandoned. These platform extensions had necessitated the use of gap fillers. This project cost $ 6 million, and allowed 6 trains to be lengthened to nine cars, and allowed express trains to open all doors at the station (previously the doors only opened in eight of the ten cars). Upon its completion, the Worth Street station to the north was closed due to its close proximity to
19760-727: The subway opened on October 27, 1904, almost 36 years after the opening of the first elevated line in New York City (which became the IRT Ninth Avenue Line ). The 9.1-mile (14.6 km) subway line, then called the "Manhattan Main Line", ran from City Hall station northward under Lafayette Street (then named Elm Street) and Park Avenue (then named Fourth Avenue) before turning westward at 42nd Street . It then curved northward again at Times Square , continuing under Broadway before terminating at 145th Street station in Harlem . Its operation
19912-508: The subway system runs on surface or elevated tracks, including steel or cast-iron elevated structures , concrete viaducts , embankments , open cuts and surface routes. As of 2019 , there are 168 miles (270 km) of elevated tracks. All of these construction methods are completely grade-separated from road and pedestrian crossings, and most crossings of two subway tracks are grade-separated with flying junctions . The sole exceptions of at-grade junctions of two lines in regular service are
20064-468: The system, with over 21 million passengers in 2016. It is served by the 4 , 6 , and N trains at all times, the W train on weekdays during the day, and the 5 and R trains at all times except late nights. In addition, the <6> express train stops here during weekdays in peak direction. A free out-of-system MetroCard / OMNY transfer is available to the 63rd Street Lines ( F and Q trains, as well as rush-hour N and R trains) by exiting
20216-430: The total riderships of the transit systems of Chicago (772,900 weekday passengers), Boston (569,200 weekday passengers), and San Francisco (452,600 weekday passengers). The line spurred the construction of the parallel Second Avenue Subway , which opened in 2017, to relieve congestion on the Lexington Avenue line. Four stations along this line have been abandoned. When platforms were lengthened to fit ten cars, it
20368-525: The tracks of the Joralemon Street Tunnel from Brooklyn , which become the express tracks. These run north under Broadway and Park Row to Centre Street. At the south end of Centre Street, directly under New York City Hall , is the City Hall Loop and its abandoned station, which was the southern terminus of the original IRT subway line. The loop is still used to turn 6 and <6> service;
20520-489: The trains scheduled to run through Grand Central–42nd Street were canceled. This meant that during peak periods, up to 13 trains per hour could be canceled, resulting in 1,000 passengers being displaced for every canceled train. Train frequencies were also erratic, with higher frequencies on some days than on others. On May 27, 2015, the New York City Council approved plans for a developer to build One Vanderbilt ,
20672-407: The tunnel was completely within the limits of the present-day City Hall station under Broadway. The Great Blizzard of 1888 helped demonstrate the benefits of an underground transportation system. A plan for the construction of the subway was approved in 1894, and construction began in 1900. Even though the underground portions of the subway had yet to be built, several above-ground segments of
20824-487: The union's founding, there have been three union strikes over contract disputes with the MTA: 12 days in 1966 , 11 days in 1980 , and three days in 2005 . By the 1970s and 1980s, the New York City Subway was at an all-time low. Ridership had dropped to 1910s levels, and graffiti and crime were rampant. Maintenance was poor, and delays and track problems were common. Still, the NYCTA managed to open six new subway stations in
20976-470: The upper level, north of the station, there is a storage/lay up track between the two tracks. It ends at a bumper block at its north end. It merges with the two local tracks on its southern end. The Lexington Avenue−59th Street station on the BMT Broadway Line has two tracks and one island platform , and two mezzanines . The station is served by N trains at all times; R trains at all times except late nights; and W trains on weekdays during
21128-717: The work. The foundations of tall buildings often ran near the subway construction, and in some cases needed underpinning to ensure stability. This method worked well for digging soft dirt and gravel near the street surface. Tunnelling shields were required for deeper sections, such as the Harlem and East River tunnels, which used cast-iron tubes. Rock or concrete-lined tunnels were used on segments from 33rd to 42nd streets under Park Avenue ; 116th to 120th Streets under Broadway ; 145th to Dyckman Streets (Fort George) under Broadway and St. Nicholas Avenue ; and 96th Street and Broadway to Central Park North and Lenox Avenue . About 40% of
21280-538: The years, the MTA has been involved in a number of lawsuits over the lack of accessibility in its stations. The Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association filed what may have been the first of these suits in 1979, based on state law. The lawsuits have relied on a number of different legal bases, but most have centered around the MTA's failure to include accessibility as a part of its plans for remodeling various stations. As of January 2022 , ADA-accessibility projects are expected to be started or completed at 51 stations as part of
21432-413: Was authorized to construct a station on its Broadway Line at Lexington Avenue and 59th Street, while the IRT was authorized to construct a local station on its Lexington Avenue Line at the same location. The Public Service Commission awarded five construction contracts for the construction of the Lexington Avenue Line on July 20, 1911, four of which were assigned to the Bradley Construction Company. Work on
21584-532: Was completed three months prior than originally planned when the new platforms opened on November 15, 1962. In April 1960, work began on a $ 3,509,000 project to lengthen platforms on the line to accommodate ten-car trains at seven stations on the line. As part of the project, the northbound platforms at Canal Street, Spring Street, Bleecker Street, and Astor Place were lengthened from 225 feet (69 m) to 525 feet (160 m). The platform extensions at these four stops opened for service on February 19, 1962, enabling
21736-430: Was dedicated on November 11, 1930. A new entrance from the Lexington Avenue/59th Street station to Bloomingdale's flagship store was also built in late 1930 as part of an expansion of the store. The city government took over the BMT's operations on June 1, 1940, and the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940. A transfer passageway between the BMT and IRT stations were placed inside fare control on July 1, 1948. Initially, only
21888-559: Was deemed most beneficial to close these stations and open new entrances for adjacent stations. The 18th Street station was abandoned because of the proximity to both 14th Street–Union Square and 23rd Street . In addition, the City Hall and Worth Street stations were both very close to the Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall station's Brooklyn Bridge and Duane Street exits, respectively, so both were abandoned. Finally, South Ferry
22040-427: Was demolished in 1956. Contrary to what many East Side residents thought, the demolition of the elevateds did not help the travel situation, as the Lexington Avenue Line was now the only subway transportation option on the East Side. As the elevated lines were torn down, hundreds of high-rise apartment buildings were built on the East Side, and the business districts along the line grew, resulting in overcrowding along
22192-412: Was leased to the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), and over 150,000 passengers paid the 5-cent fare ($ 2 in 2023 dollars ) to ride it on the first day of operation. By the late 1900s and early 1910s, the lines had been consolidated into two privately owned systems, the IRT and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT, later Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation , BMT). The city built most of
22344-426: Was lengthened in 1961) as the platforms were lengthened, widened, and straightened. Originally, the island platforms narrowed at their northern ends to an unsafe width of only five feet. The project remedied this situation, lengthening the platforms from 295 feet (90 m) to 523 feet (159 m) and widening them. The platforms were extended northward by 220 feet (67 m) to just south of Reade Street. In addition,
22496-497: Was mostly destroyed when the existing station was built at a lower grade. A door in the southern wall across from the platform opens into a remaining unused space. Google Maps Street View: New York City Subway July 3, 1868 ; 156 years ago ( 1868-07-03 ) (first elevated, rapid transit operation) [REDACTED] The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving
22648-482: Was soon halted on Section 6. The construction of this line, in conjunction with the construction of the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line , would change the operations of the IRT system. Instead of having trains go via Park Avenue, turning onto 42nd Street, before finally turning onto Broadway, there would be two trunk lines connected by the 42nd Street Shuttle . The system would be changed from looking like
22800-410: Was to be part of the city-operated IND, and was to comprise almost 1 ⁄ 3 of the current subway system. By 1939, with unification planned, all three systems were included within the plan, which was ultimately never carried out. Many different plans were proposed over the years of the subway's existence, but expansion of the subway system mostly stopped during World War II . Though most of
22952-411: Was to build a pair of single-track tunnels under 59th and 60th Streets, rising onto the bridge to Queens, with stations at Fifth and Lexington Avenues. Just east of the Lexington Avenue station, the line would have ascended at a 5.8 percent grade to reach the bridge. In July 1914, the Public Service Commission opened bids for the construction of the two tunnels. The Degnon Contracting Company submitted
23104-529: Was underway. Another element of the modernization plan was the construction of a new station entrance and control building in Bowling Green Park at Bowling Green, with new stairways to the platform. On July 23, 1959, the Board of Estimate approved the contract for the construction of express platforms at Lexington Avenue–59th Street . The new platforms were intended to reduce transfer congestion at Grand Central–42nd Street , and to allow transfers between
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