145th Street station (IND lines)

For other uses, see 145th Street.

Not to be confused with 145th Street (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line) or 145th Street (IRT Lenox Avenue Line).

The 145th Street station is a bi-level express station on the IND Eighth Avenue and Concourse lines of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of 145th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue in Harlem and Hamilton Heights, Manhattan. It is served by the A and D trains at all times, the C train at all times except late nights, and the B train on weekdays only (the latter of which terminates here during select midday trips and all evening trips).

145 Street  ​​​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
A northbound R179 C train stopped on the upper level
Station statistics
Address	West 145th Street & St. Nicholas Avenue New York, New York
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Harlem, Hamilton Heights
Coordinates	40.82404°N 73.944769°W / 40.82404; -73.944769
Division	B (IND)[1]
Line	IND Eighth Avenue Line IND Concourse Line
Services	A  (all times) ​   B  (weekdays during the day) ​   C  (all except late nights) ​   D  (all times)
Transit	NYCT Bus: Bx19, M2, M3, M10, M100, M101
Structure	Underground
Levels	2
Platforms	4 island platforms (2 on each level) cross-platform interchange
Tracks	7 (4 on upper level, 3 on lower level)
Other information
Opened	September 10, 1932 (92 years ago) (1932-09-10)[2]
Accessible	not ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Accessibility	Cross-platform wheelchair transfer available
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2023	4,678,774[3]  10.7%
Rank	59 out of 423[3]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station 168th Street A  toward Inwood–207th Street Express 125th Street A  ​D  via 59th Street–Columbus Circle Tremont Avenue D  Concourse express Express 155th Street B  ​D  toward Norwood–205th Street Terminus Local 135th Street A  ​B  ​C  via 59th Street–Columbus Circle 155th Street A  ​C  toward 168th Street Local
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend Upper platforms, 8 Av Line to 168th Street (Eighth Ave express) to 155th Street (Eighth Ave local) to 135th Street (local) to 125th Street (express) Lower platforms, Concourse Line to Tremont Ave (Concourse express) to 155th Street (Concourse local) to 135th Street (local) or 125th Street (expr) to 125th Street (express) Upper level Lower level
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction Stops all times Stops late nights only Stops rush hours only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Stops weekdays during the day

History

Planning and opening

Upper level platform

Lower level platform

On August 3, 1923, the New York City Board of Estimate approved the Washington Heights Line, an extension of the Broadway Line to Washington Heights. The line was to have four tracks from Central Park West at 64th Street under Central Park West, Eighth Avenue, Saint Nicholas Avenue, and private property to 173rd Street, and two tracks under Fort Washington Avenue to 193rd Street. South of 64th Street, one two-track line would connect to the Broadway Line stubs at 57th Street, and another would continue under Eighth Avenue to 30th Street at Penn Station, with provisions to continue downtown.^[4][5]

Mayor John Hylan instead wanted to build an independent subway system, operated by the city. The New York City Board of Transportation (NYCBOT) gave preliminary approval to several lines in Manhattan, including one on Eighth Avenue, on December 9, 1924. The main portion of the already-approved Washington Heights Line—the mostly-four track line north of 64th Street—was included, but was to continue north from 193rd Street to 207th Street. South of 64th Street, the plan called for four tracks in Eighth Avenue, Greenwich Avenue, the planned extension of Sixth Avenue, and Church Street. Two tracks would turn east under Fulton Street or Wall Street and under the East River to Downtown Brooklyn.^[6][7]

A groundbreaking ceremony was held at St. Nicholas Avenue and 123rd Street on March 14, 1925.^[8] Most of the Eighth Avenue Line was dug using a cheap cut-and-cover method, where the street above was excavated. Still, the construction of the line was difficult, as it had to go under or over several subway lines.^[9]

The station opened on September 10, 1932, as part of the city-operated Independent Subway System (IND)'s initial segment, the Eighth Avenue Line between Chambers Street and 207th Street.^[2][10] At this time, only the upper level of the station opened, as the IND Concourse Line was still under construction. When the IND Concourse Line opened for service on July 1, 1933,^[11] the lower level was opened.^[12]

Later years

The station has been undergoing renovations since 2017 as part of the 2010–2014 MTA Capital Program. This is because of an MTA study conducted in 2015, which found that 45 percent of components were out of date.^[13]

In January 2024, accessibility at the station was proposed as part of the 2020-2024 Capital Program.^[14] In May 2024, the Federal Transit Administration awarded the MTA $157 million for accessibility renovations at five stations, including 145th Street.^[15][16][17] The funds would be used to add elevators, signs, and public-announcement systems, as well as repair platforms and stairs, at each station.^[17] The accessibility project was to be funded by congestion pricing in New York City, but it was postponed in June 2024 after the implementation of congestion pricing was delayed.^[18]

Station layout

G	Street level	Entrance/exit
B1	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agents, MetroCard machines
B2 Eighth Avenue Line platforms	Northbound local	← toward 168th Street (155th Street/Eighth) ← toward Inwood–207th Street late nights (155th Street/Eighth)
	Island platform
	Northbound express	← toward Inwood–207th Street (168th Street)
	Southbound express	→ toward Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue, Ozone Park–Lefferts Boulevard or Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street (125th Street) →
	Island platform
	Southbound local	→ toward Euclid Avenue (135th Street) → → toward Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue late nights (135th Street) →
B3 Concourse Line platforms	Northbound local	← toward Bedford Park Boulevard rush hours and select midday trips (155th Street/Concourse) ← toward Norwood–205th Street (155th Street/Concourse)
	Island platform
	Peak-direction express/ short turn	← PM rush toward Norwood–205th Street (Tremont Avenue) → toward Brighton Beach select midday trips and evenings (135th Street) → → AM rush toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (125th Street) →
	Island platform
	Southbound local	→ toward Brighton Beach rush hours and select midday trips (135th Street) → → toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (125th Street) →

Tile caption below trim line

Entrance to the station

The 145th Street station is a bi-level express station. The upper level has four tracks and two island platforms and the lower level has three tracks and two island platforms. Both platforms offer a cross-platform interchange between express and local trains like any typical express station in the subway system. The station used to have a full mezzanine; now, the central portion is used as a police precinct. The northbound platform on the lower level is twice as wide as the station's other three similarly sized platforms, being 39 feet wide, so that the three trackways on the lower level line up directly with those above.^[12][19] Escalators lead up from this level to the mezzanine, bypassing the upper-level platforms.

The A and D both stop here at all times; the C stops here except at night; and the B stops here only on weekdays during the day. The A and C are on the upper level and the B and D are on the lower level. The A runs express during the day and local at night. The B and C always run local. The D always runs express south of the station; it also runs express north of the station but only in the peak direction during rush hours; other times, it runs local north of the station. The next stop to the north on the upper level is 155th Street for local trains and 168th Street for express trains, while the next stop to the north on the lower level is 155th Street for local trains and Tremont Avenue for express trains. The next stop to the south for all levels is 135th Street for local trains and 125th Street for express trains.

The center track on the lower level is used to originate and terminate select B trains during limited middays and early evenings, when it does not run to and from the Bronx. During rush hours, this track is used by D trains that run express on the IND Concourse Line in the peak direction. This track is not used during late nights or weekends.^{[19][20][21][22]}

On the upper level, just north of the station, there is an open space next to the uptown local track ^[23] that was a remnant of the construction of the subway and not built for a specific purpose. That open space is where the lower level tracks turn off to the IND Concourse Line. There is a hole in the floor that allows a view of the lower level.

Both levels have a trim line on the track walls, which is yellow with a black border. It is two tiles high, a pattern usually reserved for local stations. Tile captions reading "145" in white lettering on black run below the trim line at regular intervals. The trim line was part of a color-coded tile system used throughout the IND.^[24] The tile colors were designed to facilitate navigation for travelers going away from Lower Manhattan. As such, a different tile color is used at 168th Street and Tremont Avenue, the next express stations to the north on the Eighth Avenue and Concourse lines, respectively. Yellow tiles are used at the local stations between 145th Street and either 168th Street or Tremont Avenue.^[25][26] Yellow I-beam columns run along all the platforms, alternating ones having the standard black station name plate with white lettering.

South of this station, the seven tracks merge into four, then split back out into six tracks north of 135th Street. The six-track section continues until just north of 125th Street. The express trains use the innermost pair of tracks, and the locals uses the outermost tracks.^[19] This section of the line is nicknamed "Homeball Alley"—a reference to a home signal, a type of railway signal used in the New York City Subway system.^[27]

Exits

The full-time entrance is at 145th Street with a part-time north exit at 147th Street. The station has entrances leading to each corner of St. Nicholas Avenue and West 145th Street, an entrance between buildings on the west side of St. Nicholas Avenue between West 147th and West 148th Streets, and an entrance on the east side of St. Nicholas Avenue between West 147th and West 148th Streets.^[28] There is a closed exit to the northwestern corner of St. Nicholas Avenue and West 146th Street.^[13]

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. "List of the 28 Stations on the New 8th Av. Line". The New York Times. September 10, 1932. p. 6. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
3. "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
4. "Two Subway Routes Adopted by City". The New York Times. August 4, 1923. p. 9. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
5. "Plans Now Ready to Start Subways". The New York Times. March 12, 1924. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
6. "Hylan Subway Plan Links Four Boroughs at $450,000,000 Cost". The New York Times. December 10, 1924. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
7. 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.
8. "Will Break Ground Today for New Uptown Subway". The New York Times. March 14, 1925. p. 15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
9. Warner, Arthur (November 22, 1931). "The City's New Underground Province; The Eighth Avenue Subway Will Be Not Only a Transit Line but a Centre for the Shopper A New Underground Province of New York The Eighth Avenue Subway Will Be a Rapid Transit Line With Innovations and Will Provide Centres for the Shoppers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
10. Crowell, Paul (September 10, 1932). "Gay Midnight Crowd Rides First Trains In The New Subway: Throngs at Station an Hour Before Time, Rush Turnstiles When Chains are Dropped" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
11. "New Bronx Subway Starts Operation" (PDF). The New York Times. July 1, 1933. p. 15.
12. Kramer, Frederick A. (January 1, 1990). Building the Independent Subway. Quadrant Press. ISBN 9780915276509.
13. Review of the A and C Lines (PDF) (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 11, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 3, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
14. "MTA to Apply for Funding from Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to Advance ADA Package for Five Subway Stations".
15. "All Stations Accessibility Program FY24 Projects". Federal Transit Administration. May 28, 2024.
16. "Biden-Harris Administration Announces $343 Million to Modernize Transit Stations, Improve Accessibility Across the Country" (Press release). Federal Transit Administration. May 28, 2024.
17. Gonella, Catalina (May 28, 2024). "NYC subway stops and East Orange NJ Transit station are getting accessibility upgrades". Gothamist. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
18. Collins, Keith (July 11, 2024). "See How Your Subway Service May Suffer Without Congestion Pricing". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
19. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
20. "B Train Subway Timetable June 12, 2016" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 12, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
21. "D Train Subway Timetable June 12, 2016" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 12, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
22. "Harlem – 145 Street (A,B,C,D)". www.subwaynut.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
23. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiTJoNPqjH4&t=3m31s The "bellmouth" or that open space is visible to the right at the 3:33 mark, just as the train leaves the 145th Street station (Upper level).
24. "Tile Colors a Guide in the New Subway; Decoration Scheme Changes at Each Express Stop to Tell Riders Where They Are". The New York Times. August 22, 1932. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
25. Carlson, Jen (February 18, 2016). "Map: These Color Tiles In The Subway System Used To Mean Something". Gothamist. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
26. Gleason, Will (February 18, 2016). "The hidden meaning behind the New York subway's colored tiles". Time Out New York. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
27. Matus, Paul (March 17, 2000). "rapidtransit.net – Tracks of the NYC Subway by Peter Dougherty Reviewed, Page 2". www.rapidtransit.net. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
28. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Harlem / Hamilton Heights" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.

External links

• nycsubway.org – IND 8th Avenue: 145th Street
• Station Reporter — A Lefferts
• Station Reporter — A Rockaway
• Station Reporter — B Train
• Station Reporter — C Train
• Station Reporter — D Train
• The Subway Nut — 145th Street Pictures Archived 2019-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
• 145th Street modern entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 147th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Upper platforms from Google Maps Street View
• Lower platforms from Google Maps Street View