The Ditmas Avenue station is a local
station on the
IND Culver Line
The IND Culver Line (formerly BMT Culver Line) is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, extending from Downtown Brooklyn south to Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, United States. The local tracks of the Culv ...
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 Ditmas and McDonald Avenues in
Kensington, Brooklyn
Kensington is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, located south of Prospect Park and Green-Wood Cemetery. It is bordered by Coney Island Avenue to the east; Fort Hamilton Parkway and Caton Avenue to ...
, it is served by the
F train at all times and the
<F> train during rush hours in the peak direction.
History
This station opened at 3:00 a.m. on March 16, 1919, as part of the opening of the first section of the BMT Culver Line. The initial section began at the
Ninth Avenue station and ended at the
Kings Highway station.
The line was operated as a branch of the
Fifth Avenue Elevated
The Fifth Avenue Line, also called the Fifth Avenue Elevated or Fifth Avenue–Bay Ridge Line, was an elevated rail line in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. It ran above Hudson Avenue, Flatbush Avenue, Fifth Avenue, 38th Street, and Th ...
line, with a free transfer at Ninth Avenue to the
West End Line into the
Fourth Avenue Subway
The BMT Fourth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the New York City Subway, mainly running under Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. The line is served by the D, N, and R at all times; the R typically runs local, while the D and N run express dur ...
. The opening of the line resulted in reduced travel times between Manhattan and Kings Highway. Construction on the line began in 1915, and cost a total of $3.3 million. Trains from this station began using the Fourth Avenue Subway to the
Nassau Street Loop
The Nassau Street Loop, also called the Nassau Loop, was a service pattern of the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) inaugurated in 1931 when the BMT Nassau Street Line was completed, providing a physical link that allowed a train to o ...
in
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...
when that line opened on May 30, 1931. The Fifth Avenue Elevated was closed on May 31, 1940, and elevated service ceased stopping here.
On October 30, 1954,
the connection between the IND South Brooklyn Line at Church Avenue and the BMT Culver Line at Ditmas Avenue opened. With the connection completed, all service at the stations on the former BMT Culver Line south of Ditmas Avenue, including this one, were from then on served by
IND
Ind or IND may refer to:
General
* Independent (politician), a politician not affiliated to any political party
* Independent station, used within television program listings and the television industry for a station that is not affiliated with ...
trains.
North of Ditmas Avenue, the Culver Line expands into four tracks, two local, and two express tracks and enters the tunnel into
Church Avenue, allowing access to IND lines in the other boroughs. Before 1954, the Coney Island-bound platform was formerly an island platform with an extra track. Afterward, the BMT Culver Line north of Ditmas Avenue was reduced to a single-track
shuttle. The shuttle ceased operation on May 11, 1975 due to decreasing ridership and most of the structure above 37th-38th Streets were demolished. The fourth track at Ditmas Avenue was removed and the Coney Island-bound platform was converted to a side platform.
From June 1968
to 1987, express service on the elevated portion of the line from Church Avenue to
Kings Highway operated in the peak direction (to Manhattan AM; to Brooklyn PM), with some F trains running local and some running express. During this time period, this station was used as a local station.
Express service ended in 1987, largely due to budget constraints and complaints from passengers at local stations. Express service on the elevated Culver Line was ended due to necessary structural work, but never restored.
Station layout
![Ditmas Avenue stub and ramp, September 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Ditmas_Avenue_stub_and_ramp%2C_September_2018.jpg)
This elevated station, opened on March 16, 1919,
has three tracks and 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. The center track is not used in revenue service. Both platforms have beige windscreens along their entire lengths except for a small section at the north end. Brown canopies with green frames and support columns run along the center of the platforms. The station signs are in the standard black plates in white lettering. There is an abandoned tower on the extreme south end of the Manhattan-bound platform.
Along the west side of McDonald Avenue, the remains of the Culver Shuttle's fourth track are visible behind the windscreens of the Coney Island-bound platform and more remains show the two-track turnoff just before entering Ditmas Avenue.
Exits
This station has two entrances/exits, both of which are elevated station houses beneath the tracks. The full-time one is at the south end. Two staircases from each platform outside the canopies go down to a waiting area/crossover, where a turnstile bank of three provides entrance/exit 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 southern corners of McDonald Avenue and Ditmas Avenue.
The other station house at the north end also has one staircase from each platform, a waiting area/crossover, and two staircases going down to either side of McDonald Avenue between Cortelyou Road and Ditmas Avenue. However, the station house is unstaffed, containing two
High Entry/Exit Turnstiles. Both station house balconies have a high turnstile to allow passengers to enter or exit the station without having to go through the station house. The one on the Manhattan-bound staircase is entry and exit while the one on the Coney Island-bound staircase is exit-only.
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]
Track layout
South of the station there is a double crossover between the southbound local track and the center express track. Also south of this station, there is a switch from the center express track to the northbound local track. There was formerly a switch to the south of the station, from the shuttle track to the southbound local track.
North of the station, the three tracks expand into four tracks. The express tracks split in two, and simultaneously with this split, there is a switch from the northbound local track to the northbound express track, as well as a switch where the southbound express and local tracks merge. The extra track is the southbound local track from Church Avenue, which merges with the southbound express track just north of this station.
References
External links
*
* Station Reporter â€
F Train
* The Subway Nut â€
Ditmas Avenue Pictures
Ditmas Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
Cortelyou Road entrance from Google Maps Street View
Platforms from Google Maps Street View
{{NYCS stations navbox by line, culver=yes
IND Culver Line stations
BMT Culver Line stations
New York City Subway stations in Brooklyn
New York City Subway stations located aboveground
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1919
1919 establishments in New York City