238th Street station

For the station on the IRT White Plains Road Line, formerly of the same name, see Nereid Avenue station.

The 238th Street station is a local station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 238th Street and Broadway in the Kingsbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, it is served by the 1 train at all times.

238 Street
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Platforms
Station statistics
Address	West 238th Street & Broadway, Bronx, New York
Borough	The Bronx
Locale	Kingsbridge
Coordinates	40°53′6.35″N 73°54′2.19″W
Division	A (IRT)[1]
Line	IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line
Services	1  (all times)
Transit	NYCT Bus: Bx3, Bx9
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	3 (2 in regular service)
Other information
Opened	August 1, 1908 (116 years ago) (1908-08-01)
Opposite- direction transfer	No
Traffic
2023	959,752[2]  10%
Rank	298 out of 423[2]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street Terminus Local 231st Street toward South Ferry
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to 242nd Street to 240th Street Yard to 231st Street
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times

Built by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), the station opened on August 1, 1908, as part of the first subway. The northbound platform was lengthened in 1910 while the southbound platform was lengthened in 1948. In 2018, the fare controls at the station were changed to allow entries in the northbound direction.

History

Construction and opening

Planning for a subway line in New York City dates to 1864.^[3]: 21 However, development of what would become the city's first subway line did not start until 1894, when the New York State Legislature passed the Rapid Transit Act.^{[3]: 139–140} The subway plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by William Barclay Parsons, the Rapid Transit Commission's chief engineer. It called for a subway line from New York City Hall in lower Manhattan to the Upper West Side, where two branches would lead north into the Bronx.^[4]: 3 A plan was formally adopted in 1897,^[3]: 148 and all legal conflicts concerning the route alignment were resolved near the end of 1899.^[3]: 161

The Rapid Transit Construction Company, organized by John B. McDonald and funded by August Belmont Jr., signed the initial Contract 1 with the Rapid Transit Commission in February 1900,^[5] under which it would construct the subway and maintain a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line.^[3]: 165 In 1901, the firm of Heins & LaFarge was hired to design the underground stations.^[4]: 4 Belmont incorporated the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) in April 1902 to operate the subway.^[3]: 182

Operation of the first subway began on October 27, 1904, with the opening of all stations from City Hall to 145th Street on the West Side Branch.^{[6]: 162–191 [7][8]} The line was mostly underground, except for the section surrounding 125th Street, which ran across the elevated Manhattan Valley Viaduct to cross a deep valley there.^[9] Service was extended to 157th Street on November 12, 1904, as that station's opening had been delayed because of painting and plastering work.^[10]

The West Side Branch was extended northward to a temporary terminus at 221st Street and Broadway on March 12, 1906 served by shuttle trains operating between 157th Street and 221st Street.^[11] However, only the Dyckman Street, 215th Street, and 221st Street stations opened on that date as the other stations were not yet completed.^[12][13] The 168th Street station opened on April 14, 1906.^[14][12] The 181st Street station opened on May 30, 1906, and on that date express trains on the Broadway branch began running through to 221st Street, eliminating the need to transfer at 157th Street to shuttles.^[15] The original system as included in Contract 1 was completed on January 14, 1907, when trains started running across the Harlem Ship Canal on the Broadway Bridge to 225th Street, and the nearby 221st Street station was closed.^[13]

Once the line was extended to 225th Street on January 14, 1907, the 221st Street platforms were dismantled and moved to 230th Street for a new temporary terminus.^[13] Service was extended to the temporary terminus at 230th Street on January 27, 1907.^{[16][17]: 33} An extension of Contract 1 north to 242nd Street at Van Cortlandt Park was approved in 1906^[6]: 204 and opened on August 1, 1908, along with the 238th Street station.^[18][19]

After the first subway line was completed in 1908,^[20] the station was served by West Side local and express trains. Express trains began at South Ferry in Manhattan or Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, and ended at 242nd Street in the Bronx. Local trains ran from City Hall to 242nd Street during rush hours, continuing south from City Hall to South Ferry at other times.^[21] In 1918, the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line opened south of Times Square–42nd Street, and the original line was divided into an H-shaped system. The original subway north of Times Square thus became part of the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. Local trains were sent to South Ferry, while express trains used the new Clark Street Tunnel to Brooklyn.^[22]

Station renovations

To address overcrowding, in 1909, the New York Public Service Commission proposed lengthening the platforms at stations along the original IRT subway.^[23]: 168 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 $49.1 million in 2023) spent on platform lengthening, $500,000 (equivalent to $16.4 million in 2023) was spent on building additional entrances and exits. It was anticipated that these improvements would increase capacity by 25 percent.^[24]: 15 The northbound platform at the 238th Street station was extended 200 feet (61 m) to the south,^[24]: 114 while the southbound platform was not lengthened.^[24]: 106 Six-car local trains began operating in October 1910,^[23]: 168 and ten-car express trains began running on the West Side Line on January 24, 1911.^{[23]: 168 [25]} Subsequently, the station could accommodate six-car local trains, but ten-car trains could not open some of their doors.^[26]

The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940.^[27][28] Platforms at IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line stations between 103rd Street and 238th Street were lengthened to 514 feet (157 m) between 1946 and 1948, allowing full ten-car express trains to stop at these stations.^[26] A contract for the platform extensions at 238th Street and five other stations on the line was awarded to the Rao Electrical Equipment Company and the Kaplan Electric Company in June 1946.^[29] 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 were opened for use at the cost of $423,000.^[26][30] At the same time, the IRT routes were given numbered designations with the introduction of "R-type" rolling stock, which contained rollsigns with numbered designations for each service.^[31] The route to 242nd Street became known as the 1.^[32]

Between September 4, 2018, and January 2, 2019, Manhattan-bound trains did not stop at this station due to stairway replacement. In preparation for this, the northbound platform's fare control was converted so that it could accommodate both entries and exits.^[33][34]

Station layout

Southwestern stair

Platform level	Side platform
	Northbound local	← toward Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street (Terminus)
	Peak-direction express	→ No regular service
	Southbound local	→ toward South Ferry (231st Street) →
	Side platform
Ground	Street level	Entrances/exits

This elevated station has two side platforms and three tracks, with the center one not used in revenue service.^[35] The station is served by the 1 at all times^[36] and is between Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street to the north and 231st Street to the south.^[37] Each platform has beige windscreens and red canopies with green roofs in the center and black waist-high fences on either side.^{[citation needed]}

North of this station is the 240th Street Yard, where cars assigned to the 1 route are inspected and maintained. The yard has a footbridge to the tracks of the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, crossovers and leads that allow this station to serve as a terminal. During the morning and afternoon rush-hours, some 1 trains begin their trips here as direct put-ins from the nearby 240th Street Yard, and some morning and afternoon rush-hour 1 trains end their trips either here or at 215th Street and drop-out and lay-up at the 240th Street Yard to prevent congestion at Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street, which is the next and last stop on the 1 train to the north.^[36]

Exits

The northbound platform was originally exit only since 242nd Street is a short walking distance north, containing two platform-level turnstiles, each of which leads to a staircase that goes down to either eastern corner of 238th Street and Broadway. The Manhattan-bound platform has an adjacent elevated station house that contains a turnstile bank, token booth, and a single street stair going down to the southwest corner of 238th Street and Broadway.^[38]

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. Walker, James Blaine (1918). Fifty Years of Rapid Transit — 1864 to 1917. New York, N.Y.: Law Printing. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
4. "Interborough Rapid Transit System, Underground Interior" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. October 23, 1979. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
5. Report of the Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners for the City of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1904 Accompanied By Reports of the Chief Engineer and of the Auditor. Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners. 1905. pp. 229–236.
6. Walker, James Blaine (1918). Fifty Years of Rapid Transit — 1864 to 1917. New York, N.Y.: Law Printing. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
7. "Subway Opening To-day With Simple Ceremony – Exercises at One O'Clock – Public to be Admitted at Seven – John Hay May Be Present – Expected to Represent the Federal Government – President Roosevelt Sends Letter of Regret" (PDF). The New York Times. October 27, 1904. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
8. "Our Subway Open, 150,000 Try It — Mayor McClellan Runs the First Official Train — Big Crowds Ride At Night — Average of 25,000 an Hour from 7 P.M. Till Past Midnight — Exercises in the City Hall — William Barclay Parsons, John B. McDonald, August Belmont, Alexander E. Orr, and John Starin Speak — Dinner at Night". The New York Times. October 28, 1904. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
9. "Interborough Rapid Transit System, Manhattan Valley Viaduct" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. November 24, 1981. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
10. Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. F. W. Dodge Corporation. November 12, 1904. p. 1026.
11. "Interborough Rapid Transit Subway and Elevated Map". wikimedia.org. 1906. p. 55. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
12. "Trains To Ship Canal — But They Whiz by Washington Heights Stations". The New York Times. March 13, 1906. p. 16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
13. "Farthest North in Town by the Interborough — Take a Trip to the New Station, 225th Street West — It's Quite Lke the Country — You Might Be in Dutchess County, but You Are Still In Manhattan Borough — Place Will Bustle Soon". The New York Times. January 14, 1907. p. 18. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
14. "New Subway Station Open — Also a Short Express Service for Baseball Enthusiasts" (PDF). The New York Times. April 15, 1906. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
15. "Expresses to 221st Street — Will Run in the Subway Today — New 181st Street Station Ready" (PDF). The New York Times. May 30, 1906. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
16. Merritt, A. L. (1914). "Ten Years of the Subway (1914)". www.nycsubway.org. Interborough Bulletin. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
17. Cunningham, Joseph; DeHart, Leonard O. (1993). A History of the New York City Subway System. J. Schmidt, R. Giglio, and K. Lang.
18. "Our First Subway Completed At Last — Opening of the Van Cortlandt Extension Finishes System Begun in 1900 — The Job Cost $60,000,000 — A Twenty-Mile Ride from Brooklyn to 242d Street for a Nickel Is Possible Now". The New York Times. August 2, 1908. p. 10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
19. 1910–1911 Annual Report of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company For The Year Ended June 30, 1911. Interborough Rapid Transit Company. 1911. p. 15.
20. "Our First Subway Completed At Last — Opening of the Van Cortlandt Extension Finishes System Begun in 1900 — The Job Cost $60,000,000 — A Twenty-Mile Ride from Brooklyn to 242d Street for a Nickel Is Possible Now". The New York Times. August 2, 1908. p. 10. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
21. Herries, William (1916). Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 119.
22. "Open New Subway Lines to Traffic; Called a Triumph". The New York Times. August 2, 1918. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
23. Hood, Clifton (1978). "The Impact of the IRT in New York City" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. pp. 146–207 (PDF pp. 147–208). Retrieved December 20, 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
24. Report of the Public Service Commission for the First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1910. Public Service Commission. 1911.
25. "Ten-car Trains in Subway to-day; New Service Begins on Lenox Av. Line and Will Be Extended to Broadway To-morrow". The New York Times. January 23, 1911. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
26. Report for the three and one-half years ending June 30, 1949. New York City Board of Transportation. 1949. hdl:2027/mdp.39015023094926.
27. "City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign". The New York Times. June 13, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
28. "Transit Unification Completed As City Takes Over I. R. T. Lines: Systems Come Under Single Control After Efforts Begun in 1921; Mayor Is Jubilant at City Hall Ceremony Recalling 1904 Celebration". New York Herald Tribune. June 13, 1940. p. 25. ProQuest 1248134780.
29. "Platform Awards Made; Two Concerns to Enlarge Six Subway Stations of IRT" (PDF). The New York Times. June 14, 1946. p. 23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
30. "More Long Platforms – Five Subway Stations on IRT to Accommodate 10-Car Trains" (PDF). The New York Times. July 10, 1948. p. 8. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
31. Brown, Nicole (May 17, 2019). "How did the MTA subway lines get their letter or number? NYCurious". amNewYork. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
32. Friedlander, Alex; Lonto, Arthur; Raudenbush, Henry (April 1960). "A Summary of Services on the IRT Division, NYCTA" (PDF). New York Division Bulletin. 3 (1). Electric Railroaders' Association: 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 14, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
33. "Beginning 5 AM Tuesday, September 4, the Manhattan-bound platform at 238 St 1 Train will close through Winter 2018–19 for stairway replacement". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
34. "Planned Service Changes for: Friday, January 4, 2019". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 4, 2018. Archived from the original on January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
35. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
36. "1 Subway Timetable, Effective December 17, 2023". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
37. "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
38. "238th Street Neighborhood Map" (PDF). new.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2019.

External links

• nycsubway.org – IRT West Side Line: 238th Street
• Station Reporter — 1 Train
• The Subway Nut — 238th Street Pictures Archived July 6, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
• 238th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View