The Seventh Avenue station is a
station on the
IND Sixth Avenue Line and the
IND Queens Boulevard Line of the
New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of
Seventh Avenue and 53rd Street in
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 ...
, it is served by the
D and
E trains at all times, and the
B train weekdays. The station is announced as Seventh Avenue–53rd Street, in the style of other stations that orient east-west along 53rd Street (such as
Fifth Avenue/53rd Street and
Lexington Avenue–53rd Street), as well as to prevent confusion with
Seventh Avenue along the
BMT Brighton Line
The BMT Brighton Line, also known as the Brighton Beach Line, is a rapid transit line in the B Division of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Local service is provided at all times by the Q train, but is joined ...
in Brooklyn, which is also served by the B.
History
The Seventh Avenue station was designed as an interchange point between service of the
IND Queens Boulevard Line and the
IND Sixth Avenue Line. The northern half of the station opened on August 19, 1933 with the opening of the IND Queens Boulevard Line to
Roosevelt Avenue
Roosevelt Avenue and Greenpoint Avenue are main thoroughfares in the New York City boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. Roosevelt Avenue begins at 48th Street and Queens Boulevard in the neighborhood of Sunnyside. West of Queens Boulevard, the ro ...
in Queens.
[*
*
*] The southern half of the station opened on December 15, 1940 with the opening of the IND Sixth Avenue Line north of
West Fourth Street to
59th Street–Columbus Circle.
In 1990, Utah tourist Brian Watkins was killed at the Seventh Avenue station while trying to protect his family from a robbery. The murder was described as "probably the tipping point in New York’s history of violence and mayhem", marking a low point in the record murder year of 1990 and leading to an increased police presence in New York. Eight people were indicted: the first trial found four of the eight defendants guilty of murder, and a second trial found three of the remaining four defendants to also be guilty. One defendant was later cleared of murder charges.
In 2019, the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area of the U.S. state of New York. The MTA is the largest public transit authority in th ...
announced that the station would become
ADA-accessible as part of the agency's 2020–2024 Capital Program. The announcement occurred after a
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
woman fell down a staircase trying to carry her 1-year-old daughter on a stroller down a flight of stairs; the baby survived the fall, but the mother died.
Station layout
This is a two-level station, with two tracks on each level and two
island platform
An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...
s, one over the other. The lower level serves trains headed
railroad north (to
Central Park West
Eighth Avenue is a major north–south avenue on the west side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic below 59th Street. It is one of the original avenues of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 to run the length of Manhattan, ...
for trains from the
IND Sixth Avenue Line, to
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
for trains from 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 ...
). The upper level is the reverse, serving trains headed railroad south (toward
Lower Manhattan). Each level allows
cross-platform interchange
A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines at a metro (or other railway) station. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named. In the U ...
between the two lines.
The
BMT Broadway Line
The BMT Broadway Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Manhattan. , it is served by four services, all colored : the on the express tracks and the on the local tracks during weekdays (the N and Q train ...
passes overhead near the west end of the station; this crossing is visible in the ceiling and supporting columns.
The station serves two distinct subway lines that do not interconnect. On the
IND Sixth Avenue Line, uptown trains (heading west through the station) merge with 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 ...
along Central Park West, while downtown trains (heading east through the station) run along the
IND Sixth Avenue Line. On the
IND Queens Boulevard Line, uptown trains (heading east through the station) go to
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
via the
53rd Street Tunnel, while downtown trains (headed west through the station) merge with the Eighth Avenue Line south of
50th Street. There is no way for trains to travel between Central Park West and Queens, or between the Sixth Avenue Line and the lower section of the Eighth Avenue Line. West of the station, the southbound Sixth Avenue Line track (internally labeled as track B3) rises above both Queens Boulevard Line tracks (D3 southbound and D4 northbound), which in turn are above the northbound Sixth Avenue Line track (B4).
Exits
This station has two main exits: one at the westbound end of the station at Broadway, and one in the middle of the station at Broadway. The westbound exit has staircases leading to the northeast and southeast corners of 53rd Street and Broadway. The middle exit has staircases leading to the northeast and southeast corners of 53rd Street and Seventh Avenue.
References
External links
*
* Station Reporter �
B Train* Station Reporter �
* Station Reporter �
Seventh Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street ViewBroadway entrance from Google Maps Street ViewUpper platform from Google Maps Street View
{{DEFAULTSORT:7th Avenue (IND Queens Boulevard Line)
IND Sixth Avenue Line stations
IND Queens Boulevard Line stations
1933 establishments in New York City
New York City Subway transfer stations
New York City Subway stations in Manhattan
New York City Subway stations located underground
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1933
Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)
Midtown Manhattan