The 215th Street station is a local
station on 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 ...
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 2 ...
. Located at the intersection of 215th Street and
Tenth Avenue in the
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
neighborhood of
Inwood, it is served by the
1 train at all times. It is the northernmost subway station in the system on
Manhattan Island
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
.
History
The West Side Branch of the
first subway was extended northward to a temporary terminus of
221st Street and Broadway on March 12, 1906 with the first open station at
Dyckman Street
Dyckman Street ( ), occasionally called West 200th Street, is a street in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is commonly considered to be a crosstown street because it runs from the Hudson River to the Harlem River and inter ...
, as the stations at
168th Street,
181st Street, and
191st Street were not yet completed.
This extension was served by shuttle trains operating between 157th Street and 221st Street until May 30, 1906, when express trains began running through to 221st Street.
To address overcrowding, in 1909, the
New York Public Service Commission
The New York Public Service Commission is the public utilities commission of the New York state government that regulates and oversees the electric, gas, water, and telecommunication industries in New York as part of the Department of Public Ser ...
proposed lengthening platforms at stations along the original IRT subway.
As part of a modification to the IRT's construction contracts, made on January 18, 1910, the company was to lengthen station platforms to accommodate ten-car express and six-car local trains. In addition to $1.5 million (equivalent to $ million in ) spent on platform lengthening, $500,000 () was spent on building additional entrances and exits. It was anticipated that these improvements would increase capacity by 25 percent.
The northbound platform at the 215th Street station was extended at both its north and south ends.
The southbound platform was not lengthened.
Six-car local trains began operating in October 1910,
and ten-car express trains began running on the West Side Line on January 24, 1911.
Subsequently, the station could accommodate six-car local trains, but ten-car trains could not open some of their doors.
The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940.
Platforms at IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line stations between and , including those at 215th Street, were lengthened to between 1946 and 1948, allowing full ten-car express trains to stop at these stations.
A contract for the platform extensions at 215th Street and five other stations on the line was awarded to the Rao Electrical Equipment Company and the Kaplan Electric Company in June 1946. The platform extensions at these stations were opened in stages. On July 9, 1948, the platform extensions at stations between
207th Street and 238th Street, including the 215th Street station, were opened for use at the cost of $423,000.
At the same time, the IRT routes were given numbered designations with the introduction of
"R-type" rolling stock, which contained
rollsign
A destination sign (North American English) or destination indicator/destination blind (British English) is a sign mounted on the front, side or rear of a public transport vehicle, such as a bus, tram/streetcar or light rail vehicle, that dis ...
s with numbered designations for each service. The route to 242nd Street became known as the
1.
In 1969, the station's wooden platforms were replaced with concrete ones.
The station was renovated by an in-house crew of
New York City Transit Authority
The New York City Transit Authority (also known as NYCTA, the TA, or simply Transit, and branded as MTA New York City Transit) is a public-benefit corporation in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City. P ...
employees in 1990.
From January 5 to December 20, 2019, a free out-of-system transfer was provided from this station to
Inwood–207th Street to accommodate the temporary closure of the IRT platforms at
168th Street, where a free transfer was normally provided. A similar transfer was also provided one station south at
207th Street.
Station layout
![215 Street vc](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/215_Street_vc.jpg)
This elevated station has 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 platforms ...
s and three tracks with the center track not used in revenue service.
Both platforms have beige windscreens and dark canopies in the center, which were replaced as part of a renovation project in 2012. At either ends of the platforms, black steel waist-high fences are installed. The station name plates are in the standard black with white lettering.
The 1991 artwork here is called ''Elevated Nature I-IV'' by
Wopo Holup Wopo Holup (April 2, 1937 – September 29, 2017) was an American artist known for her public art installations.
Early life and education
She was born Phyllis Anna Holup to Henry and Ilean Hill Holup in San Diego in 1937. The nickname Wopo, which ...
. It consists of two concrete panels with wooden frames on the southbound platform's station house. Each panel consists of eight squares depicting tree limbs. This artwork is also located at four other stations on this line.
The station is near the northern end of the
207th Street Yard
The New York City Transit Authority operates a total of 24 rail yards for the New York City Subway system, and one for the Staten Island Railway. There are 10 active A Division yards and 11 active B Division yards, two of which are shared betwee ...
, which includes the 215th Street Signal Shop, and the MTA Buses
Kingsbridge Depot
MTA Regional Bus Operations operates local and express buses serving New York City in the United States out of 29 bus depots. These depots are located in all five boroughs of the city, with the exception of one located in nearby Yonkers in Westch ...
which is just slightly north of this station. It is also four blocks along 218th Street from
Inwood Hill Park
Inwood Hill Park is a public park in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. On a high schist ridge that rises above the Hudson River from Dyckman Street to the no ...
and, also on 218th Street, provides access to
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
's
Baker Field athletic complex, as well as the
Allen Hospital
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital is a 204-bed, not-for-profit community hospital serving the Cedar Valley. It is the busiest hospital in the Cedar Valley. Allen Hospital is an affiliate hospital of UnityPoint Health, which cares for one of ever ...
, a satellite facility of
NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is a nonprofit academic medical center in New York City affiliated with two Ivy League medical schools, Cornell University and Columbia University. The hospital comprises seven distinct campuses located in the New Y ...
. North of the station, the line crosses over the
Harlem River Ship Canal
Spuyten Duyvil Creek () is a short tidal estuary in New York City connecting the Hudson River to the Harlem River Ship Canal and then on to the Harlem River. The confluence of the three water bodies separate the island of Manhattan from th ...
via the
Broadway Bridge into the mainland of New York.
Exits
![215 Street sign vc](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/215_Street_sign_vc.jpg)
Both platforms have one wooden adjacent station house in the center. However, only the southbound one is used for passenger service. Three doors from the platform lead to a small waiting area, where a
turnstile
A turnstile (also called a turnpike, gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce one-way human traffic. In addition, a t ...
bank provides access to and from the station. Outside
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 ...
, there is a token booth and two staircases going down to either western corners of Tenth Avenue and 215th Street.
[
The station house on the northbound platform is used for employees only. One exit-only turnstile at platform level leads to a staircase that goes down to the northeast corner of 215th Street and Tenth Avenue while a High Entry/Exit Turnstile, also at platform level, leads to a staircase going down to the southeast corner.]
Ridership
In 2018, the station had 553,050 boardings, making it the 402nd most used station in the 424-station system. This amounted to an average of 1,787 passengers per weekday. In terms of annual passenger ridership and in terms of weekday daily ridership, this is the least used station in Manhattan.
References
External links
*
* Station Reporter â€
1 Train
* The Subway Nut â€
215th Street Pictures
215th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
Platforms from Google Maps Street View
{{DEFAULTSORT:215th Street (Irt Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line)
IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line stations
New York City Subway stations in Manhattan
New York City Subway stations located aboveground
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1906
1906 establishments in New York City
Inwood, Manhattan