Avenue J station

The Avenue J station is a local station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway, located on Avenue J between East 15th and East 16th Streets in Midwood, Brooklyn. The station is served by the Q train at all times.^[3] It is also served by the B train on weekdays until early 2025.^[4]

Avenue J
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Platforms view
Station statistics
Address	Avenue J & East 16th Street Brooklyn, New York
Borough	Brooklyn
Locale	Midwood
Coordinates	40.625276°N 73.961372°W / 40.625276; -73.961372
Division	B (BMT)[1]
Line	BMT Brighton Line
Services	B  (weekday rush hours, middays and early evenings) ​   Q  (all times)
Transit	NYCT Bus: B6, B11
Structure	Embankment
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	c. 1900
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Former/other names	Manhattan Terrace
Traffic
2023	1,169,052[2]  4.4%
Rank	268 out of 423[2]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Avenue H toward 96th Street Local Avenue M toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue does not stop here
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to Avenue H to Avenue M
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times

History

The station was opened around 1900 as a two-track surface station and named Manhattan Terrace. It was renamed "Avenue J" in 1907, the same year the railroad line was grade separated. Vestiges of the spur built to reconnect the Brighton Line and Long Island Rail Road's Bay Ridge Branch after grade separation still exist to this day.

On August 1, 1920, a tunnel under Flatbush Avenue opened, connecting the Brighton Line to the Broadway subway in Manhattan.^[5][6] At the same time, the line's former track connections to the Fulton Street Elevated were severed. Subway trains from Manhattan and elevated trains from Franklin Avenue served Brighton Line stations, sharing the line to Coney Island.^[6][7]

This station underwent reconstruction from September 2009 to December 2011. Both platforms were rebuilt with new windscreens, canopies, and tactile strip edges. A temporary platform over the express tracks was used to provide service on the side that was under rebuilding.^[8] The new windscreens were controversial with nearby community members, since the windscreens contained gaps that allowed trash and noise through while causing privacy issues for residents whose backyards faced the station.^[9]

Station layout

Platform level	Side platform
	Northbound local	← toward 96th Street, toward Bedford Park Boulevard or 145th Street (Avenue H)
	Northbound express	→ No regular service
	Southbound express	→ No regular service
	Southbound local	→ toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue, toward Brighton Beach (Avenue M) →
	Side platform
Ground	Street level	Entrances/exits, station building and agent, MetroCard and OMNY vending machines

The station is on a raised earthen embankment. There are four tracks and two side platforms. The two center tracks are used by the B express train on weekdays.^[10]

The 2011 artwork here is called Bird Laid Bare by Rita MacDonald. It consists of murals and mosaics on the walls of the Coney Island-bound platform's main staircase depicting various species of birds.

Exits

The station's main house is located underneath the right-of-way on the south side of Avenue J and has a full-time turnstile bank and token booth. There is a double-wide staircase facing north going up to the Coney Island-bound platform and one narrow staircase facing south going up to the Manhattan-bound platform. The Coney Island-bound staircase's landing has two exit-only turnstiles leading directly to the street.^[11]

Both platforms have an unstaffed bank of turnstiles leading to a staircase that goes down to the north side of Avenue J. The Coney Island-bound one is double-wide.^[11]

Gallery

• 
  Exit on platform
• 
  Exit-only turnstile and gate at Avenue J
• 
  Temporary platform during the reconstruction in 2011

See also

• Manhattan Beach Branch
• Bay Ridge Branch

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. "Q Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
4. "B Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
5. "New Subway Link Opens; Service Started Through Queens and Montague Street Tubes". The New York Times. August 1, 1920. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
6. "Montague Street Tube, Brighton Subway Operation Begun". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 1, 1920. p. 53. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018 – via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com.
7. Kennedy, Randy (September 30, 2003). "Tunnel Vision; Short Line. Small Train. Little Graffiti". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
8. "Press Release – NYC Transit – Temporary Loss of Brighton Line Express". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 29, 2009. Archived from the original on August 12, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
9. Rosenberg, Eli (November 17, 2011). "A 'hole' new station". BrooklynDaily.com. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
10. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
11. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Midwood" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.

External links

• nycsubway.org – BMT Brighton Line: Avenue J
• Station Reporter — Q Train
• Art's Archives – Manhattan Beach Branch (Original photos of the Manhattan Terrace station, signal houses and track diagrams of the LIRR connection)
• The Subway Nut — Avenue J Pictures Archived July 6, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
• Avenue J entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View