34th Street–Herald Square station

For other uses, see 34th Street station.

The 34th Street–Herald Square station (also signed as 34th Street) is an underground station complex on the BMT Broadway Line and the IND Sixth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. It is located at Herald Square in Midtown Manhattan where 34th Street, Broadway and Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) intersect, and is served by the D, F, N, and Q trains at all times; the R train at all times except late nights; the B, M, and W trains on weekdays; and the <F> train during rush hours in the peak direction.

34 Street–Herald Square  ​​​​​​​
New York City Subway station complex
The station entrance as seen in 2019
Station statistics
Address	Intersection of West 34th Street, Broadway & Sixth Avenue New York, New York
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Herald Square, Midtown Manhattan
Coordinates	40.749338°N 73.987985°W / 40.749338; -73.987985
Division	B (BMT/IND)[1]
Line	IND Sixth Avenue Line    BMT Broadway Line
Services	B  (weekdays during the day) ​   D  (all times) ​   F  (all times) <F>  (two rush hour trains, peak direction) ​   M  (weekdays during the day)​    N  (all times) ​   Q  (all times) ​   R  (all except late nights) ​   W  (weekdays only)
Transit	NYCT Bus: M4, M5, M7, M34 SBS, M34A SBS, M55, Q32 MTA Bus: BxM2, QM1, QM2, QM3, QM4, QM5, QM6, QM10, QM11, QM12, QM15, QM16, QM17, QM18, QM20, QM24 PATH: JSQ–33, HOB–33, JSQ–33 (via HOB) (at 33rd Street) Amtrak, LIRR, NJT Rail (at Penn Station)
Structure	Underground
Levels	2
Other information
Opened	July 1, 1948; 76 years ago (1948-07-01)[2]
Accessible	ADA-accessible
Traffic
2023	23,680,977[3]  12.9%
Rank	3 out of 423[3]
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops all times Stops weekdays during the day Stops rush hours in the peak direction only (limited service)

The Broadway Line platforms opened on January 5, 1918, as part of the Broadway Line, which was built for the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) as part of the Dual Contracts. The Sixth Avenue Line platforms opened in 1940, completing construction of the first phase of the Independent Subway System (IND). The IND platforms functioned as a terminal for some trains until 1968, when the Chrystie Street Connection opened. The station complex was renovated in the 1990s.

The BMT and IND stations both have two island platforms and four tracks, and there is a mezzanine above both sets of platforms. The station complex contains elevators, which make it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. There is an out-of-system connection to the PATH's 33rd Street station, as well as closed passageways to the adjacent 42nd Street–Bryant Park station and to 34th Street–Penn Station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. The 34th Street–Herald Square station is the third-busiest station in the system as of 2019, with over 39 million passengers entering the station that year.^[4]

History

Dual Contracts

The New York Public Service Commission adopted plans for what was known as the Broadway–Lexington Avenue route (later the Broadway Line) on December 31, 1907.^[5]: 212 A proposed Tri-borough system was adopted in early 1908, incorporating the Broadway Line. Operation of the line was assigned to the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT; after 1923, the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation or BMT^[6]) in the Dual Contracts, adopted on March 4, 1913.^{[5]: 203–219 [7]} The Public Service Commission approved plans for the segment between 26th and 38th Streets, including the 28th Street and 34th Street stations, in April 1914.^[8][9] The contract for that section went to the second-lowest bidder, the United States Realty and Construction Company, as the lowest bidder was too inexperienced.^[10] U.S. Realty began constructing the tunnel between 26th and 38th Streets in August 1914.^[11] A. W. King was hired to install finishes in the 34th Street station in July 1917.^[12]

The Broadway Line opened between 14th Street–Union Square and Canal Street in 1917; it originally only served local trains.^[13][14] On January 5, 1918, the Broadway Line was extended north to Times Square–42nd Street and south to Rector Street, and express service started on the line.^[15][16] Before the 34th Street station had officially opened, Women's Wear Daily reported that the stop would be "one of the most important subway stations in the world", as it would lead directly to three busy crosstown streets (32nd, 33rd, and 34th Streets).^[17]

IND expansion

New York City mayor John Francis Hylan's original plans for the Independent Subway System (IND), proposed in 1922, included building over 100 miles (160 km) of new lines and taking over nearly 100 miles (160 km) of existing lines. The lines were designed to compete with the existing underground, surface, and elevated lines operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT).^[18][19] The IND Sixth Avenue Line was designed to replace the elevated IRT Sixth Avenue Line.^[20] In 1924, the IND submitted its list of proposed subway routes to the New York City Board of Transportation (NYCBOT), which approved the program. One of the routes was a segment of tunnel from Fourth Street to 53rd Street.^[21] Part of this stretch was already occupied by the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad (H&M)'s Uptown Hudson Tubes.^[22] As a result, negotiations between the city and the H&M continued for several years.^[23] The IND and H&M finally came to an agreement in 1930. The city had decided to build the IND Sixth Avenue Line's local tracks around the pre-existing H&M tubes, and add express tracks for the IND underneath the H&M tubes at a later date.^[20] The IND started advertising bids for the section of the Sixth Avenue Line between 43rd and 53rd Streets in April 1931.^[24]

In April 1935, engineers started planning in earnest for the Midtown portion of the Sixth Avenue Line.^[25] The city government issued corporate stock to pay for the $53 million cost of the project, since the line was not eligible for federal Public Works Administration funds.^[26][27] The first contract, for the section between 40th and 47th Streets, was awarded to Rosoff-Brader Construction in October 1935.^[28][29] Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia broke ground for the Sixth Avenue subway at Bryant Park on March 23, 1936.^[30][31] The Carleton Company was hired in September 1936 to construct the section from 27th to 33rd Streets,^[32] and Rosoff-Brader was hired that October to build the segment from 33rd to 40th Streets.^[33]

The line was built as a four-track tunnel north of 33rd Street, but there were only two tracks south of that street. The work largely involved cut-and-cover excavations, although portions of the subway had to be tunneled through solid rock.^[34] The builders also had to avoid disrupting the Sixth Avenue elevated or the various utility lines on the avenue. The line had to be built below the H&M and BMT tunnels, but it also had to pass above the East River Tubes at 32nd and 33rd Streets.^[35][36] Excavation work was conducted 24 hours a day, with most of the blasting work being conducted at night.^[34][37] Workers had to use small charges of dynamite to avoid damaging nearby buildings or the parallel Catskill Aqueduct.^[38] The section north of 33rd Street had mostly been excavated by November 1937.^[34] The H&M's old 33rd Street terminal closed on December 26, 1937,^[39][40] and a rebuilt terminal opened on September 24, 1939.^[41][42] The IRT's Sixth Avenue elevated closed in December 1938, just before the Sixth Avenue subway was completed.^[43] Otis Elevator received a contract to install 16 escalators at the station.^[44]

The IND's 34th Street–Herald Square station opened on December 15, 1940, as part of the opening of the IND Sixth Avenue Line from 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center to West Fourth Street.^[45] The opening of the Sixth Avenue Line relieved train traffic on the Eighth Avenue Line, which was used by all services except for the G Brooklyn–Queens Crosstown service. The line was initially served by the rush-hour BB, the D, and the F; the BB and D terminated at 34th Street.^[46][47][48]

Later years

On April 19, 1961, ground was broken for a $22 million project to build two express tracks between the West Fourth Street and 34th Street–Herald Square stations.^[49] The express tracks were part of an $80 million subway improvement program that began with the reconstruction of the DeKalb Avenue station in Brooklyn. The project was part of the Chrystie Street Connection, which would allow 45 additional trains per hour, carrying a combined 90,000 passengers, to enter Manhattan during rush hours.^[50][51] On November 26, 1967, the first part of the Chrystie Street Connection opened and Sixth Avenue Line express tracks opened from 34th Street–Herald Square to West Fourth Street. With the opening of the connection to the Manhattan Bridge, BB service was renamed B and it was extended via the new express tracks and the connection to the BMT West End Line in Brooklyn. D service was routed via the connection and onto the BMT Brighton Line instead of via the Culver Line. It only ran express during rush hours. F service was extended from Broadway–Lafayette Street during rush hours, and from 34th Street during other times to Coney Island via the Culver Line.^{[52]: 216–217 [53][54]}

On November 28, 1969, the turnstiles and exit gates at the northern end of the station were relocated, making four more staircases from the Broadway Line platforms available for transfers to the Sixth Avenue platforms. Previously, transfers could only be made from two staircases.^[55] This complex was overhauled in the late 1970s. The Transit Authority fixed the station's structure and renovated its appearance. The overhaul replaced the original wall tiles, old signs, and incandescent lighting to the 1970s modern look wall tile band and tablet mosaics, signs and fluorescent lights. It also fixed staircases and platform edges.

On February 9, 1983, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced that it had awarded a $6.1 million contract to replace 16 escalators at the station to two companies.^[56]

In the early 1990s, the station received another major repair, which included an upgrade for ADA-accessibility and modernized wall tiling. The MTA repaired the staircases, re-tiling for the walls, installed new tiling on the floors, upgraded the station's lights and the public address system, installing ADA safety treads along the platform edge, new signs, and new track-beds in both directions.^[57] William Nicholas Bodouva & Associates, the renovation architects, also intended to streamline various passageways and ramps that had been added piecemeal over the years.^[58] The $66.4 million project was completed in 1996.^[57]

On August 28, 2004, Shahawar Matin Siraj and James Elshafay were arrested for planning to bomb the Herald Square station during the 2004 Republican National Convention. Elshafay cooperated with prosecutors and received a plea deal; Siraj was convicted of conspiracy on four counts, the most serious of which was plotting to bomb a public transportation system, in 2006^[59] and was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2007.^[60]

The station's token booths were shuttered in May 2005, after fare tokens were replaced with MetroCards; station agents were deployed elsewhere in the station to answer passengers' queries. This was part of a pilot program that was tested at seven other stations.^[61] To save energy, the MTA installed variable-speed escalators at 34th Street–Herald Square and three other subway stations in August 2008,^[62] although not all of the escalators initially functioned as intended.^[63] A Korean restaurant, Nōksu, opened on the station's mezzanine level in late 2023.^[64][65] In November 2024, the United States Department of Transportation provided a $72 million grant to cover two-thirds of the design and engineering phase of the renovation of New York Penn Station. Among other things, the project will include a direct connection from the 34th Street–Herald Square station to Penn Station.^[66][67]

Station layout

Ground	Street level	Exit/entrance
Basement 1	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agents, MetroCard machines, transfer to PATH trains at 33rd Street MTA elevator at Herald Center building on west side of Broadway south of 34th Street; PATH elevator on west side of Sixth Avenue north of 32nd Street
Basement 2	Northbound local	← toward Forest Hills–71st Avenue (Times Square–42nd Street) ← toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard weekdays (Times Square–42nd Street) ← toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard late nights/weekends (Times Square–42nd Street) ← toward 96th Street late nights (Times Square–42nd Street)
	Island platform
	Northbound express	← toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard weekdays (Times Square–42nd Street) ← toward 96th Street (Times Square–42nd Street)
	Southbound express	← toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via Sea Beach weekdays (14th Street–Union Square) → ← toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via Brighton (14th Street–Union Square) →
	Island platform
	Southbound local	← toward Bay Ridge–95th Street (28th Street) → ← toward Whitehall Street–South Ferry weekdays (28th Street) → ← toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via Sea Beach late nights/weekends (28th Street) → ← toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via Brighton late nights (28th Street) →
Basement 3	Northbound local	← toward Jamaica–179th Street (42nd Street–Bryant Park) ← weekdays toward Forest Hills–71st Avenue (42nd Street–Bryant Park)
	Island platform
	Northbound express	← weekdays toward Bedford Park Boulevard or 145th Street (42nd Street–Bryant Park) ← toward Norwood–205th Street (42nd Street–Bryant Park)
	Southbound express	→ weekdays toward Brighton Beach (West Fourth Street–Washington Square) → → toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via West End (West Fourth Street–Washington Square) →
	Island platform
	Southbound local	→ toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via Culver (23rd Street) → → weekdays toward Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue (23rd Street) →

This station complex has a long mezzanine above the platforms. Three staircases and two elevators lead to each of the two Broadway line platforms. Three pairs of escalators lead to the Sixth Avenue line platforms (two to the northbound one and one to the southbound one). There is a non-ADA-compliant ramp that leads to an intermediate level. This level has two sets of staircases leading to each of the Sixth Avenue platforms. The elevators to this level are at the north end of the mezzanine.

Two works of art are installed on the mezzanine as part of the MTA Arts & Design program.^[68] The first of these is Radiant Site by Michele Oka Doner, which consists of 11,000 gold-colored wall tiles.^[69][70] The tiles were manufactured at Pewabic Pottery in Michigan^[71] and installed along a 165-foot-long (50 m) stretch of passageway;^[70] according to Oka Doner, they were meant "to fill the underground with light and feeling".^[69] The second artwork is Halo by Nicholas Pearson and consists of seven orbs,^[69] each made of coiled aluminum rods and placed on small beams above the mezzanine.^[68][72] The MTA selected these artworks, along with David Provan's Yab-Yum sculpture above the IND platform, as part of the Herald Square Subway Complex Art Competition in 1988.^[69] Herbert Muschamp of The New York Times wrote of the artworks: "Unfortunately, though one feels like a subway vandal to say so, the plan's parts don't add up to an effective whole. A surfeit of mismatched design elements defeats the intended airiness."^[58]

33rd St to 34th St subway cross-section

11th Av	10th & 9th Avs are skipped	Farley Building & Moynihan Train Hall		8th Av	Madison Square Garden	7th Av	Storefronts	6th Av & Broadway		5th & Madison Avs are skipped	Park Av
mezzanine		train hall		A / C / E	concourse	1 / 2 / 3	Former Gimbel's passageway	mezz	PATH		6 / <6>
mezzanine			conc	mezzanine	concourse	mezzanine		N / Q / R / W
7 / <7>		Penn Station (platform level)						B/D/F/<F>/M

This box:

• view
• talk
• edit

Exits

At the north end of the primary mezzanine is the 35th Street exit, which contains a bank of turnstiles, token booth, and street stairs. Three staircases lead to all corners of Sixth Avenue and 35th Street except the southwest one. There is also a short passageway to either western corner of Broadway and 35th Street.^[73]

When the station was built, there were entrances at each of four corners of Broadway, Sixth Avenue, and 34th Street. Two stairs each led to the sidewalk outside Macy's Herald Square on the northwest corner; the Marbridge Building on the northeast corner; the Hotel McAlpin on the southeast corner; and Saks on the southwest corner.^[17] As of 2023, the primary mezzanine has connections with the two entrances at Broadway/Sixth Avenue and 34th Street. The entrance on the west side is staffed full-time and has two staircases to 34th Street. The northwest staircase has an entrance to an underground Burger King. There is a long passageway containing a single street elevator that leads to PATH at 33rd Street. The entrance on the east side of 34th Street is staffed part-time and when the token booth is closed, only two HEET turnstiles provide access to the mezzanine. This entrance has a passageway that connects to the 35th Street exit and has two pairs of exit-only turnstiles from the mezzanine.^[73]

Upon the station's opening, there were also four entrances at 32nd Street: three from the street and one from the PATH (then H&M) station.^[17] As of 2023, there is a separate mezzanine at the south end of the Sixth Avenue level that has two staircases leading to each platform. It is directly underneath the PATH station mezzanine (two levels from street level) and has a passageway leading to the entrance at Broadway and 32nd Street. Outside of fare control, there is an entrance leading directly to the two basement levels of J. C. Penney in the Manhattan Mall. There are also escalators that lead to the front entrance of the mall. The entrance at Broadway and 32nd Street is unstaffed, has two street stairs, and one stair to each of the two Broadway platforms on the very south end. There are street stairs to either northern corner of Broadway and 32nd Street, as well as to the northeast corner of 6th Avenue and 32nd Street.^[73]

Passageways

Passageways in the station for transfers between the IND and BMT platforms

There are closed passageways (but not free transfers) to the adjacent 42nd Street–Bryant Park station to the north and to 34th Street–Penn Station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line.

Gimbels passageway

There was once an out-of-system passageway under 33rd Street, which ran to Pennsylvania Station, one block west. The passageway was called the "Gimbels passageway" because it was next to the basements of the Gimbels department store and the Hotel Pennsylvania.^[74][75] The passageway was designed by McKim, Mead & White and constructed by the George A. Fuller Company.^[76] The Gimbels passageway opened on May 29, 1920, after one and a half years of construction.^[74] It measured 800 feet (240 m) long by 18 feet (5.5 m) wide.^[75] The south wall of the passageway originally contained 25 storefront windows, four entrances to the Gimbels store, and two entrances to the hotel. The north wall included 74 spaces for advertisements.^[74]

Over the years, the entrances to the Gimbels store and the Hotel Pennsylvania were closed. During the 1970s and 1980s, the New York City Subway had high rates of crime, as did the rest of the city; the passageway similarly experienced high crime rates. This passageway was closed in 1986 after an epidemic of sexual assaults,^[77] and passengers now must walk at street level to connect to the commuter railroads and Amtrak.^[78] A real estate developer, Vornado Realty Trust, proposed in 2010 to reopen the passageway as part of the development of the 15 Penn Plaza office tower.^[79][80]

Passageway to Bryant Park

Restored tile sign displays direction to former BMT and IND platforms.

The IND station's mezzanine originally extended north from 34th Street to the 42nd Street station.^[81] Proposed by the Board of Transportation in 1936,^[82] the passageway was outside of fare control but was intended to relieve passenger flow at the 42nd and 34th Street stations.^[45][83][84] At both ends of the passageway, pedestrians could descend to turnstiles at platform level.^[85][86] The passageway itself measured 35 feet (11 m) wide and was very plain in design, with white-tiled walls.^[84] There were entrances at 34th, 35th, 38th, and 40th Streets.^[45][84] At 35th Street, there was a smaller passageway extending westward to Broadway, near the northern end of the BMT Broadway Line station at 34th Street–Herald Square.^[84] According to a 1940 report from the New York Herald Tribune, the passageway was believed to be "the longest of its kind in the world".^[85]

In the 1980s, the passageway became a gathering spot for homeless people and drug users. On March 20, 1991, a woman was raped behind a pile of debris in the subway passageway during rush hour, which had entrances at 38th Street. Other commuters passed nearby but were unaware of what was happening. That passageway was closed the day after; it was used by 400 daily riders^[87] and recorded 30 felonies since January 1, 1990. In response, on March 28, 1991, the NYCTA ordered the closing of the 15 most dangerous passageways in the system within a week, which the Transit Police and citizen advocacy groups had called for since the previous year. A woman was raped in the passageway in July 1990 with no response, but after another rape took place in August, the passageway's closure was called for by the local community board in September when a woman was raped in this passageway. Bureaucratic delays had prevented their closure, with their presentation to the MTA Board not scheduled until April 1991, after a public hearing on systemwide service reduction was to be held. The agency feared that closing the passageway without public comment would have caused an outcry for advocates for the homeless.^[81] The NYCTA's director of public information said that the agency had erred in waiting for formal approval. The locations were chosen based on crime volume, lighting, traffic and physical layout. These entrances were closed under the declaration of a public safety emergency, and were blocked off with plywood and fencing until public hearings were held and official permission was obtained.^[88]

BMT Broadway Line platforms

34 Street–Herald Square  ​​​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Southbound BMT platform
Station statistics
Division	B (BMT)[1]
Line	BMT Broadway Line
Services	N  (all times) ​   Q  (all times) ​   R  (all except late nights) ​   W  (weekdays only)
Platforms	2 island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	January 5, 1918; 106 years ago (1918-01-05)[89]
Accessible	ADA-accessible
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Times Square–42nd Street N  ​Q  ​R  ​W  northbound Express 14th Street–Union Square N  ​Q  via Canal Street Local 28th Street N  ​Q  ​R  ​W  via Whitehall Street–South Ferry
Track layout Legend to Times Square–42nd Street to 28th Street to 14th Street–Union Square
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops all times Stops late nights only Stops late nights and weekends Stops weekdays during the day

Girl using the REACH New York, An Urban Musical Instrument rack

The 34th Street–Herald Square station on the BMT Broadway Line is an express station that has four tracks and two island platforms. This level opened several years after the opening of the Port Authority Trans-Hudson station; the Sixth Avenue line platforms were built later. The station was operated by the BMT until the city government took over the BMT's operations on June 1, 1940.^[90][91]

Each platform has three staircases and one elevator to the main mezzanine on the north half and another staircase at the extreme south end to 32nd Street. The N and Q stop here at all times;^[92][93] the R stops here except at night;^[94] and the W stops here only on weekdays during the day.^[95] The R and W always run on the local tracks. The N runs on the express tracks only on weekdays during the day and on the local tracks other times. The Q runs on the express tracks during the day and on the local tracks during the night.^[96] The next stop to the north is Times Square–42nd Street for all service, while the next stop to the south is 28th Street for local trains and 14th Street–Union Square for express trains.^[97] North of the station are diamond crossovers in both directions that are used by N trains on weekdays when they operate express in Manhattan.^[98]

Because Queens-bound N trains switch from the express to the local track north of this station, trains are often held here until another train arrives on the opposite track. Depending on the schedule, they may not leave in the same order in which they arrived. This causes confusion among riders as they run back and forth on the northbound platform trying to catch the train that will leave first. This is also true at other stations where two services that run to the same destination stop at the same platform but do not stop on the same side of the platform. The New York Times calls this The Subway Shuffle.^[99]

In 1996, artist Christopher Janney installed "REACH New York, An Urban Musical Instrument".^[100] The piece consists of green racks with sensors, which hang along both platforms.^[101] Waving one's hands in front of the sensors creates a corresponding sound from the rack.^[68][100]

IND Sixth Avenue Line platforms

34 Street–Herald Square  ​​​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Northbound IND platform
Station statistics
Division	B (IND)[1]
Line	IND Sixth Avenue Line
Services	B  (weekdays during the day) ​   D  (all times) ​   F  (all times) <F>  (two rush hour trains, peak direction) ​   M  (weekdays during the day)
Platforms	2 island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	December 15, 1940; 83 years ago (1940-12-15)
Accessible	ADA-accessible
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station 42nd Street–Bryant Park B  ​D  ​F  <F> ​M  via 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center Express West Fourth Street–Washington Square B  ​D  via Grand Street Local 23rd Street F  <F> ​M  via Broadway–Lafayette Street
Former services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station 42nd Street–Bryant Park toward 21st Street–Queensbridge JFK Express West Fourth Street–Washington Square toward Howard Beach–JFK Airport
Track layout Legend to 42nd Street–Bryant Park to 23rd Street to West Fourth St–Washington Sq
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops all times except late nights Stops weekdays during the day Stops rush hours in the peak direction only (limited service)

Elevator from northbound platform

Yab-Yum sculpture

The 34th Street–Herald Square station on the IND Sixth Avenue Line is an express station that has four tracks and two island platforms.^[98] The D and F stop here at all times,^[102][103] while the B and M stop here only on weekdays during the day.^[104][105] The B and D run on the express tracks and the F and M run on the local tracks.^[96] The next stop to the north is 42nd Street–Bryant Park for all service, while the next stop to the south is 23rd Street for local trains and West Fourth Street–Washington Square for express trains.^[97]

The mezzanine elevators are at the north end of the station while the staircases to the Manhattan Mall entrance are at the south end. The platforms have numerous stairs and escalators leading to the main mezzanine. Stairs on both platforms lead to a non-accessible ramp leading to the mezzanine.

The platforms are not equal in length, as the northbound one is longer than the southbound one. North of this station are numerous crossovers and switches that allow trains from uptown to terminate here on the express tracks during construction and closures. The crossovers were reconfigured in 2018 to reduce the duplication of track switches of the downtown and uptown tracks, most notably, the switch from the express to local tracks.^[98]

Above the northbound local tracks is Yab-Yum, a sculpture created by David Provan in 1992.^[106][68] It consists of fourteen paddles,^[69][106] each measuring 12 feet (3.7 m), which are painted red to match the colors of the columns on the platform.^[68] Whenever a train arrived or departed, it would create wind gusts that caused the paddles to spin.^[106] By 2012, the propellers were no longer capable of spinning.^[68]

Notable places nearby

• Empire State Building, one block east of the 34th Street entrances
• Manhattan Mall, in which the 32nd Street entrance is located
• Herald Square, directly in between the 34th Street entrances
• Macy's Herald Square, near the northwestern entrance at 34th Street
• Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, both one block west of the 32nd Street entrance

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. "Transfer Points Under Higher Fare". The New York Times. June 30, 1948. p. 19. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
3. "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
4. "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
5. Walker, James Blaine (1918). Fifty Years of Rapid Transit — 1864 to 1917. New York, N.Y.: Law Printing. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
6. State of New York Transit Commission Third Annual Report for the Calendar Year 1923. New York State Transit Commission. 1924. p. 501.
7. Engineering News, A New Subway Line for New York City Archived July 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Volume 63, No. 10, March 10, 1910
8. "Ready for Subway to Greeley Square; Plans for Broadway Section, 26th to 38th Streets, Approved". The New York Times. April 1, 1914. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
9. "Lines in Manhattan Progressing Rapidly". The Brooklyn Citizen. May 23, 1914. p. 14. Retrieved May 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Bids for Subways Under River Opened; Booth & Flinn and the O'Rourke Co. Offer to Bore Both Tubes for $12,461,000". The New York Times. May 23, 1914. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
11. "Subway Progress". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 28, 1914. p. 22. Retrieved May 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Award Contract for Station Finish". The New York Times. July 20, 1917. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
13. "Broadway Subway Opened To Coney By Special Train. Brooklynites Try New Manhattan Link From Canal St. to Union Square. Go Via Fourth Ave. Tube". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 4, 1917. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
14. "Open First Section of Broadway Line; Train Carrying 1,000 Passengers Runs from Fourteenth Street to Coney Island". The New York Times. September 5, 1917. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
15. "Open New Subway To Times Square; Brooklyn Directly Connected with Wholesale and Shopping Districts of New York. Nickel Zone Is Extended. First Train in Broadway Tube Makes Run from Rector Street in 17 Minutes. Cost About $20,000,000 Rapid Transit from Downtown to Hotel and Theatre Sections Expected to Affect Surface Lines. Increases Five-Cent Zone. First Trip to Times Square. Benefits to Brooklyn" (PDF). The New York Times. January 6, 1918. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
16. "New Broadway Subway Opened From 42d to Rector Street: First Train Carries B. R. T. and City Officials, With Representatives of Civic Organizations—Line Then Turned Over to Public". New-York Tribune. January 6, 1918. p. 17. ProQuest 575840136.
17. "Herald Square's New Express Station". Women's Wear Daily. Vol. 8, no. 83. April 10, 1914. pp. MS12. ProQuest 1700017944.
18. "Two Subway Routes Adopted by City". The New York Times. August 4, 1923. p. 9. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
19. "Plans Now Ready to Start Subways". The New York Times. March 12, 1924. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
20. "Delaney For Razing Elevated Line Now; Work in 6th Av. Could Begin in Six Months if Condemnation Started at Once, He Says. Sees Cut In Subway Cost Eliminating Need for Underpinning Would Save $4,000,000 and Speed Construction, He Holds". The New York Times. January 11, 1930. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
21. "New Subway Routes in Hylan Program to Cost $186,046,000 – Board of Transportation Adopts 22.90 Miles of Additional Lines – Total Now $345,629,000 – But the Entire System Planned by Mayor Involves $700,000,000 – Description of Routes – Heaviest Expenditures Will Be Made on Tunnels – No Allowance for Equipment – New Subway Routes to Cost $186,046,000". The New York Times. March 21, 1925. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
22. "6th Av. Subway Plan Hinges On Tubes' Use; City Must Reach Agreement With Hudson & Manhattan to Carry Out Project". The New York Times. November 20, 1924. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
23. "Final Contracts To Finish Subway Awarded By City; Include $20,000,000 for Cars, Equipment and Substations for Manhattan Line. Operation Set For 1931 Board of Transportation Moves to Rid Sixth Avenue of Trolley Tracks. Seeks To Buy Franchise Line Willing to Exchange It for Bus Permit—Negotiations Pushed to Extend Tube". The New York Times. August 1, 1929. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
24. "The Sixth Avenue Subway". The New York Times. April 21, 1931. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
25. "Plans To Be Drawn For 6th Av. Subway; 80 Engineers and Draftsmen to Begin Work at Once on Detailed Specifications". The New York Times. March 1, 1935. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
26. "6th Av. Tube Work to Be Begun Oct. 1; Plans Speeded on $12,000,000 Section From 49th to 39th St. – Public Hearing Set". The New York Times. August 8, 1935. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
27. "Aug. 23 Set for Hearing On 6th Av. Subway Bids: Proposals for 39th to 49th Sts. Link To Be Considered Then". New York Herald Tribune. October 8, 1935. p. 2. ProQuest 1221734015.
28. "Subway Award Goes To Rosoff Company; Sixth Av. Contract Is Let Under Specified Use of Excavated Rock Despite Lower Bid". The New York Times. October 31, 1935. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
29. "$6,040,000 Contract For City Subway Awarded". Wall Street Journal. October 31, 1995. p. 10. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 128702539.
30. "Mayor to Start Work on Sixth Av. Subway; La Guardia to Use Pneumatic Drill at Ceremony at Noon Tomorrow in Bryant Park". The New York Times. March 22, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
31. "Mayor Starts Construction of 6th Av. Subway: Demands Razing of 'El' as He Breaks Ground at Bryant Park Entrance Appeals for Unification Warns Rate War Is Likely to Follow Failure of Plan". New York Herald Tribune. March 24, 1936. p. 9. ProQuest 1222069808.
32. "Subway Job Awarded; Carleton Company Is Favored for Sixth Avenue Link". The New York Times. September 23, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
33. "Wins 6th Av. Subway Job; Rosoff Concern Gets Contract for 40th-33d St. Section". The New York Times. October 28, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
34. "The Tube Takes Shape in 6th Av.: Most of the Excavation Is Done, And, Considering, Done Quietly: Despite the Intricacies of Underground Utility Facilities and Overhead Elevated Line, There Are Fewer Inconveniences and Complaints on Tliis Project Than Construction Usually Brings". New York Herald Tribune. November 7, 1937. p. A3. ProQuest 1223317978.
35. Robbins, L. h (May 17, 1936). "With the Subway Surgeons; They Are Performing a Major Operation on Sixth Avenue, Where Formidable Obstacles Are Piled One on Top of the Other". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
36. "Real Estate News and Market Transactions of New York City and Metropolitan Area: 6th Av. Subway, 5 Years to Go, Is Taking Shape Tube That Passes Over and Under Other Tunnels Runs Into Some Problems Mid-Town Sixth ... Subway Station s It Looks Today". New York Herald Tribune. May 18, 1937. p. 37. ProQuest 1240403778.
37. Harrington, John W. (May 5, 1935). "City Plans Its Costliest Subway; In a Short Two Miles Under Sixth Avenue the Engineers Will Encounter Many Intricate Problems". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
38. "6th Av. Subway To Allow for Wide Pavement: Inspection Reveals Plan to Enlarge Street Space When Elevated Comes Down Burrowing Under the Heart of Manhattan for Sixth Avenue's New Subway Line". New York Herald Tribune. February 17, 1938. p. 21A. ProQuest 1242866935.
39. "33d St. Terminal Closed; Hudson & Manhattan to End at 29th St. for a Time". The New York Times. December 27, 1937. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
40. "United Hospital Drive Gets Gift of $25,000". New York Herald Tribune. December 27, 1937. p. 14. ProQuest 1243610818.
41. "Hudson Tube Opens Terminal Today – Remodeled 33d St. Station Cost City $800,000 as Part of 6th Ave. Subway Expense – Closed for Two Years – Two Train Platforms and 3 Sets of Tracks Among New Transit Equipment". The New York Times. September 24, 1939. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
42. "Hudson & Manhattan Railway Opens New Midtown Station: 33d St. Station Of Tubes Opens To BriskTraffic Jersey Crowds the Hudson Terminal Connection on Way to the World's Fair". New York Herald Tribune. September 25, 1939. p. 13A. ProQuest 1319976772.
43. "Gay Crowds On Last Ride As Sixth Ave. Elevated Ends 60-Year Existence; 350 Police On Duty But the Noisy Revelers Strip Cars in Hunt for Souvenirs Suit May Delay Razing Little Threat Seen to Plan, However-Jobless Workers to Press Their Protest Makes Only One Stop Entrances Are Boarded Up Final Trains Run On Elevated Line Police Guard Structure". The New York Times. December 5, 1938. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
44. "16 Escalators Planned In New Subway Station". The New York Times. July 23, 1939. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
45. "New Subway Line on 6th Ave. Opens at Midnight Fete". The New York Times. December 15, 1940. p. 1. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
46. "The New Subway Routes". The New York Times. December 15, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
47. "6th Ave. Tube Adds Two New Services – Provides Express Facilities to Queens and Local Trains to Washington Heights – Subway Opens on Dec. 15 – Changes in Routings on Other Lines to Bring Faster Time and Less Congestion". The New York Times. December 5, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
48. "New Subway to Add 2 Need Services – Opening of 6th Ave. Line to Provide Uptown Local Route and More Queens Expresses". The New York Times. December 2, 1939. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
49. Levey, Stanley (April 19, 1961). "Construction of New IND Tunnel For 6th Ave. Line Begins Today; Express Tracks Deep Under Street to Run From 4th to 34th St. – 1964 Finish Set for $22,000,000 Job". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
50. "Construction of New IND Tunnel For 6th Ave. Line Begins Today; Express Tracks Deep Under Street to Run From 4th to 34th St. – 1964 Finish Set for $22,000,000 Job". The New York Times. April 19, 1961. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
51. "Ground Breaking Program For Additional Subway Tracks". New York City Transit Authority. April 19, 1961. Retrieved January 25, 2016 – via thejoekorner.com.
52. Raskin, Joseph B. (2013). The Routes Not Taken: A Trip Through New York City's Unbuilt Subway System. New York, New York: Fordham University Press. doi:10.5422/fordham/9780823253692.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-82325-369-2.
53. Perlmutter, Emanuel (November 16, 1967). "Subway Changes to Speed Service: Major Alterations in Maps, Routes and Signs Will Take Effect Nov. 26" (PDF). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
54. Perlmutter, Emanuel (November 27, 1967). "BMT-IND Changes Bewilder Many – Transit Authority Swamped With Calls From Riders as New System Starts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
55. "Easier Transfer at 34th & 6th". New York Daily News. November 28, 1969. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
56. "Escalator Contract Awarded". The New York Times. February 10, 1983. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
57. February 1997 NYC Transit Committee Agenda. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 1997. p. 75.
58. Muschamp, Herbert (March 26, 1993). "Critic's Notebook; Touring New York Underground". The New York Times. p. C1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
59. Rashbaum, William K. (May 25, 2006). "Guilty Verdict in Plot to Bomb Subway Station". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
60. Rashbaum, William K. (January 9, 2007). "Man Gets 30 Years in Subway Bomb Plot". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
61. Chan, Sewell (May 3, 2005). "Eight Subway Stations to Deploy Agents to Assist Passengers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 29, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
62. Chan, Sewell (August 6, 2008). "M.T.A. Rolls Out Escalators With Conservation Features". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
63. Chan, Sewell (August 11, 2008). "Bumpy Start for 'Green' Subway Escalators". The New York Times. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
64. Orlow, Emma (October 3, 2023). "A Fine Dining Restaurant Opens in a Midtown Subway Station". Eater NY. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
65. Rahmanan, Anna (October 4, 2023). "A new fine dining Korean restaurant is opening in a subway station". Time Out New York. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
66. "Penn Station renovations: $72 million federal grant on way, Sen. Schumer's office says". Newsday. November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
67. Simko-Bednarski, Evan (November 12, 2024). "Federal Transportation Dept. set to kick in $72M toward Penn Station renovations: Sen. Schumer". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
68. Rubinstein, Dana (April 24, 2012). "The pioneering subway art of Herald Square has seen better times". POLITICO. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
69. Louie, Elaine (November 22, 1990). "Currents; Where Art Is Blowin' In the Wind". The New York Times. p. C3. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
70. Carrigan, Margaret (February 15, 2018). "Artist Who Gilded NYC's 34th Street Subway Station Takes on Detroit". Observer. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
71. "Radiant Site". MTA. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
72. "Halo". MTA. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
73. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Pennsylvania Station / Times Square" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
74. "New York's New Street Ties Together Travel Routes of This City and Other Cities of Country". New-York Tribune. May 30, 1920. p. A7. ProQuest 576220262. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
75. "New Subterranean Thoroughfare To Gimbel Brothers' Opens Friday: New Subterranean Route To Gimbel's". Women's Wear. Vol. 20, no. 123. May 26, 1920. p. 40. ProQuest 1666189944.
76. "Broadway-Pennsylvania Thoroughfare". The New York Times. May 30, 1920. p. 24. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
77. "City Planning Commission July 14, 2010 / Calendar No. 31 C 100049 ZSM" (PDF). citylaw.org. City Planning Commission. July 14, 2010. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
78. "Remembering the Gimbels tunnel". New York Post. November 28, 2010. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
79. "Commercial tower at 15 Penn Plaza approved". CityLand. August 15, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
80. Del Signore, John (February 4, 2009). "Underground Passageway Between Herald Square Subway and Penn Station May Reopen". Gothamist. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
81. Wolff, Craig (March 23, 1991). "Subway Path Boarded Shut After a Rape". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
82. "Long Walk Under 6th Av. Sought". The New York Times. June 18, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
83. Kahn, E. J.; Ross, Harold (May 4, 1940). "Underground". New Yorker. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
84. "8-Block Walk In New Subway Is Nearly Ready: Pedestrians' Underpass to Connect 34th and 42d St. Stations Under 6th Av". New York Herald Tribune. April 9, 1940. p. 20. ProQuest 1260972732.
85. "6th Av. Subway Opens Dec. 15, A Month Early: $52,000,000 Job Praised by Mayor as 'Brilliant Engineering Achievement". New York Herald Tribune. October 13, 1940. p. 1. ProQuest 1243069774.
86. "Pedestrian Underpasses". The New York Times. April 13, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
87. Diamond, Randy (March 22, 1991). "Subway rape". New York Daily News. p. 12. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
88. "Tunnel vision". New York Daily News. March 30, 1991. p. 19. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
89. The New York Times, Open New Subway to Times Square, January 6, 1918
90. "B.M.T. Lines Pass to City Ownership; $175,000,000 Deal Completed at City Hall Ceremony-- Mayor 'Motorman No. 1'". The New York Times. June 2, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
91. "City Takes Over B. M. T. System; Mayor Skippers Midnight Train". New York Herald Tribune. June 2, 1940. p. 1. ProQuest 1243059209.
92. "N Subway Timetable, Effective December 17, 2023". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
93. "Q Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
94. "R Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
95. "W Subway Timetable, Effective December 17, 2023". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
96. "Subway Service Guide" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
97. "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
98. Dougherty, Peter (2020). Tracks of the New York City Subway 2020 (16th ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 1056711733.
99. Barakat, Zena; Rueb, Emily S.; Osipova, Natalia V. (July 24, 2012). "Video: The Subway Shuffle". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
100. "Reach New York, An Urban Musical Instrument". MTA. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
101. Carlson, Jen (February 7, 2012). "Have You Ever Seen This Subway Platform Instrument?". Gothamist. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
102. "D Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
103. "F Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
104. "B Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
105. "M Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
106. "Yab-Yum". MTA. Retrieved November 18, 2022.

External links

• nycsubway.org – BMT Broadway Subway: 34th Street/Herald Square
• nycsubway.org – IND 6th Avenue: 34th Street/Herald Square
• nycsubway.org – Yab-Yum Artwork by David Provan (1992)
• nycsubway.org – Radiant Site Artwork by Michele Oka Doner (1991)
• nycsubway.org – Halo Artwork by Nicholas Pearson (1991)
• nycsubway.org – REACH New York, An Urban Musical Instrument Artwork by Christopher Janney (1996)
• Station Reporter – Herald Square Complex
• MTA's Arts For Transit – 34th Street–Herald Square
• Broadway & 35th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Sixth Avenue & 35th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Broadway/Sixth Avenue & 34th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Manhattan Mall entrance (west side of Sixth Avenue) from Google Maps Street View
• Broadway & 32nd Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• BMT platforms from Google Maps Street View
• IND platforms from Google Maps Street View