The 42nd Street station was an elevated express station on the demolished
IRT Third Avenue Line in
Manhattan,
New York City. It had two levels with the lower level (built first) having three tracks. The main line tracks were served by two
side platforms. A side platform connected to the southbound platform was used for shuttle service to
Grand Central. The upper level was built as part of the
Dual Contracts, and had one track and two side platforms over the two local tracks.
History
42nd Street station was built on August 26, 1878, by the
New York Elevated Railway Company, and was the penultimate station on the Third Avenue El until it was expanded to
67th Street almost a month later. West of this station, the original line became the Grand Central Shuttle, serving
Grand Central Depot until 1899, when it was replaced by
Grand Central Station, which was itself replaced by
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...
in 1913. From that point on, the next stop to the north was
47th Street for local trains and
106th Street for express trains. The next stop to the south was
34th Street for local trains and
23rd Street for express trains. The express run from this stop to 106th Street was the longest express segment out of all New York City elevated lines, bypassing eight local stations.
In 1904, Interborough Rapid Transit opened the
Grand Central Subway station, which gained platforms for the
IRT Flushing Line in 1915, and new platforms for the expanded
IRT Lexington Avenue Line in 1918, the same year the original platforms at the station were converted for the
42nd Street Shuttle
The 42nd Street Shuttle is a New York City Subway shuttle train service that operates in Manhattan. The shuttle is sometimes referred to as the Grand Central/Times Square Shuttle, since these are the only two stations it serves. The shuttle runs ...
. By this time, the shuttle became obsolete and after the Grand Central El station was closed on December 6, 1923, the shuttle platform at 42nd Street was closed on December 23, 1923. When the
IRT Second Avenue Line was closed on June 13, 1942, a free transfer for Third Avenue Line passengers was made available to and from the subway services at Grand Central–42nd Street to replace the direct service to lower Manhattan that was lost. The station closed entirely on May 12, 1955, with the ending of all service on the Third Avenue El south of 149th Street.
NYCTA Notice of Third Avenue Rail Closure for May 12, 1955
/ref>
References
*
*
External links
42nd Street Station on the Third Avenue El (NYCSubway.org)
IRT Third Avenue Line stations
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1878
Railway stations closed in 1955
1878 establishments in New York (state)
1955 disestablishments in New York (state)
Former elevated and subway stations in Manhattan
Third Avenue
{{Manhattan-railstation-stub