The 135th Street station is a local
station on the
IND Eighth Avenue Line
The IND Eighth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line in New York City, United States, and is part of the B Division of the New York City Subway. Opened in 1932, it was the first line of the Independent Subway System (IND), and the ''Eighth Avenu ...
of the
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system 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 ...
. Located at the intersection of 135th Street and
St. Nicholas Avenue in
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...
and
Hamilton Heights in Manhattan, it is served by the
B on weekdays, the
C train at all times except nights, and the
A train during late nights only.
History
The station opened on September 10, 1932, as part of the city-operated
Independent Subway System
The Independent Subway System (IND or ISS), formerly known as the Independent City-Owned Subway System (ICOSS) or the Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad (ICORTR), was a rapid transit rail system in New York City that is now part of th ...
(IND)'s initial segment, the
Eighth Avenue Line between
Chambers Street and
207th Street.
Construction of the whole line cost $191.2 million (equivalent to $ million in . While the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line
The IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line (also known as the IRT Seventh Avenue Line or the IRT West Side Line) is a New York City Subway line. It is one of several lines that serves the A Division, stretching from South Ferry in Lower Manhatta ...
already provided parallel service, the new Eighth Avenue subway via Central Park West and Frederick Douglass Boulevard provided an alternative route.
Station layout
There is no trim line at this station, but there are mosaic name tablets reading "135TH ST." in white sans-serif
In typography and lettering, a sans-serif, sans serif, gothic, or simply sans letterform is one that does not have extending features called " serifs" at the end of strokes. Sans-serif typefaces tend to have less stroke width variation than s ...
lettering on a Prussian green background and black border. Small tile captions reading "135" run along the wall at regular intervals between the name tablets, and under the name tablets are directional captions, all in white lettering on a black background. Hunter green I-beam columns run along the platforms at regular intervals, alternating ones having the standard black station name plate with white lettering.
This station is the only local station with six tracks between two side platform
A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platfo ...
s and is one of only three stations in the entire subway system that features six tracks on the same level, within the same tunnel (the others are DeKalb Avenue and Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets, both in Downtown Brooklyn
Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City after Midtown Manhattan and Lower Manhattan), and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is known for its office and r ...
). The two outermost tracks are used by local trains stopping at this station, while the two innermost tracks are used by express trains. The middle tracks in each direction are lay-up tracks and not used in revenue service. All fare control
In rail transport, the paid area is a dedicated "inner" zone in a railway station or metro station, accessible via turnstiles or other barriers, to get into which, visitors or passengers require a valid ticket, checked smartcard or a pass. A sys ...
s are at platform level and there are no mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft with non-sloped ...
s, crossovers, or crossunders.
This station is located close to the nearby City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...
.
Exits
The full-time booths are at the 135th Street end. The booth at the 137th Street exit has been removed, and the 137th Street exits used to be part-time only. There were restrooms at the 137th Street end of the southbound platform. Both street staircases at this end were built with their entry points facing St. Nicholas Park and have an old-fashioned appearance.
From the southern end of the station, there is a staircase on the west side of St. Nicholas Avenue at West 135th Street to the southbound platform, within St. Nicholas Park, a staircase from the northeastern corner of St. Nicholas Avenue and West 135th Street to the northbound platform, and two staircases to the northbound platform from the southeastern corner of St. Nicholas Avenue and West 135th Street. At the northern end of the station, there is a staircase leading to the southbound platform from the western side of St. Nicholas Avenue at West 137th Street, within St. Nicholas Park, and an exit-only staircase from the northbound platform leading to the southeastern corner of St. Nicholas Avenue and West 137th Street. This exit features an array of stone casting in a Cathedral-like setting, originally built in 1932.
References
External links
*
* Station Reporter �
B Train
* Station Reporter �
* The Subway Nut �
135th Street Pictures
Edgecombe Avenue, 135th Street, and Saint Nicholas Avenue entrances from Google Maps Street View
135th Street entrance in park from Google Maps Street View
137th Street stone entrance from Google Maps Street View
137th Street entrance in park from Google Maps Street View
Platform from Google Maps Street View
{{DEFAULTSORT:135th Street (Ind Eighth Avenue Line)
IND Eighth Avenue Line stations
New York City Subway stations in Manhattan
New York City Subway stations located underground
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1932
1932 establishments in New York City
Hamilton Heights, Manhattan