20th Avenue station (BMT West End Line)

For the station at 20th Avenue and 64th Street, see 20th Avenue station (BMT Sea Beach Line).

The 20th Avenue station is a local station on the BMT West End Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of 20th Avenue and 86th Street in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. It is served by the D train at all times.

20 Avenue
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
View from southbound platform
Station statistics
Address	20th Avenue & 86th Street Brooklyn, New York
Borough	Brooklyn
Locale	Bensonhurst, Bath Beach
Coordinates	40.6047°N 73.9985°W / 40.6047; -73.9985
Division	B (BMT)[1]
Line	BMT West End Line
Services	D  (all times)
Transit	NYCT Bus: B1
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	3 (2 in regular service)
Other information
Opened	July 29, 1916 (108 years ago) (1916-07-29)
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2023	1,125,752[2]  9%
Rank	275 out of 423[2]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station 18th Avenue toward Norwood–205th Street Local Bay Parkway toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to 18th Avenue to Bay Parkway
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times

History

20th Avenue opened on July 29, 1916, as part of an extension of the BMT West End Line from 18th Avenue to 25th Avenue. The line was originally a surface excursion railway to Coney Island, called the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad, which was established in 1862, but did not reach Coney Island until 1864.^[3] Under the Dual Contracts of 1913, an elevated line was built over New Utrecht Avenue, 86th Street and Stillwell Avenue, replacing the surface railway.^[4]

The platforms were extended in the 1950s to accommodate the current standard B Division train length of 615 feet (187 m).

In 2012, the station was rehabilitated with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.^[5]

Station layout

Platform level	Side platform
	Northbound local	← toward Norwood–205th Street (18th Avenue}})
	Peak-direction express	→ No regular service
	Southbound local	→ toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (Bay Parkway}}) →
	Side platform
Mezzanine		Fare control, station agent, MetroCard and OMNY machines
Ground	Street level	Entrance/exit

Southwestern stair

This elevated station has two side platforms and three tracks. The center express track is not normally used. The Coney Island-bound platform is slightly to the south of the Manhattan-bound platform, which accounts for the locations where the platforms were extended.

Both platforms have beige windscreens along their entire length and brown canopies with green frames and support columns in the center. The exposed section of the platforms have black, full-height lampposts at regular intervals. The station signs feature the standard black station name plate with white lettering.

The 2012 artwork here is called Kaleidoscope by Odili Donald Odita. It features abstract laminated glass windows on the platform windscreens based on Odita's visual memories of the Bensonhurst neighborhood.^[6]

Exits

This station has one elevated station house beneath the center of the platforms and tracks. Two staircases from each platform go down to a waiting area/crossunder, where a turnstile bank provides access to and from the station. Outside fare control, there is a token booth and four staircases going down to all corners of 20th Avenue and 86th Street.^[7]

References

1. "Glossary". Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) (PDF). Vol. 1. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 4, 2003. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
2. "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
3. "Opening of the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad" (PDF). The New York Times. June 9, 1864. p. 2. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
4. Senate, New York (State) Legislature (January 1, 1917). Documents of the Senate of the State of New York.
5. Nunez, Jenifer (August 3, 2012). "MTA completes seven station rehabilitation projects along D Line". Railway Track & Structures. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
6. "20th Avenue - Odili Donald Odita - Kaleidoscope, 2012". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
7. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Bensonhurst" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2016.

External links

• nycsubway.org – BMT West End Line: 20th Avenue
• Station Reporter — D Train
• 20th Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View
• 20th Avenue at TheSubwayNut Archived 2020-07-06 at the Wayback Machine