Pelham Parkway station (IRT Dyre Avenue Line)

Not to be confused with Pelham Parkway (IRT White Plains Road Line).

The Pelham Parkway station (referred to on strip maps as Pelham Parkway-Esplanade) is a station on the IRT Dyre Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Pelham Parkway North and the Esplanade (erroneously signed as "Esplanade Avenue" in the station) in the Bronx, it is served by the 5 train at all times.^[3] This station was built as part of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway (NYW&B), and opened in 1912. This station closed in 1937 with the NYW&B, but reopened in 1941 as a subway station after the portion of the line in the Bronx was purchased by New York City.

Pelham Parkway
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
View from southbound platform
Station statistics
Address	Pelham Parkway, Williamsbridge Road & Esplanade Bronx, New York
Borough	The Bronx
Locale	Pelham Gardens, Pelham Parkway
Coordinates	40.85813°N 73.856063°W / 40.85813; -73.856063
Division	A (IRT, formerly NYW&B)[1]
Line	IRT Dyre Avenue Line
Services	5  (all times)
Transit	NYCT Bus: Bx8, Bx12, Bx12 SBS
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 island platforms
Tracks	4 (2 in regular service)
Other information
Opened	May 29, 1912; 112 years ago (1912-05-29) (NYW&B station) May 15, 1941; 83 years ago (1941-05-15) (re-opened as a Subway station)
Closed	December 31, 1937; 86 years ago (1937-12-31) (NYW&B station)
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2023	564,687[2]  3.1%
Rank	370 out of 423[2]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Gun Hill Road toward Eastchester–Dyre Avenue Local Morris Park toward Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College
Non-revenue services and lines Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Eastchester–Dyre Avenue express no service East 180th Street express
Former services Preceding station New York, Westchester and Boston Railway Following station Gun Hill Road toward White Plains or Port Chester via Columbus Avenue Main Line Morris Park toward Harlem River
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to Gun Hill Road to Morris Park
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops weekdays and weekday late nights Stops weekends and weekend late nights

History

Early history

Old "To City"/"From City" train indicators from the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway

Pelham Parkway station opened on May 29, 1912 as an express station of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway (NYW&B). This station was closed on December 12, 1937 when the NYW&B went bankrupt.^[4]

The New York City Board of Transportation (BOT) bought the NYW&B within the Bronx north of East 180th Street in April 1940 for $1.8 million and rehabilitated the line.^{[5]: 59–60} On May 15, 1941, a shuttle service was implemented between Dyre Avenue and East 180th Street using IRT gate cars.^[6][7] The Dyre Avenue Line was connected directly to the White Plains Road Line north of East 180th Street for $3 million and through service began on May 6, 1957.^[8][9]

On February 27, 1962, the New York City Transit Authority announced a $700,000 modernization plan of the Dyre Avenue Line. The plan included the reconstruction of the Dyre Avenue station, and the extension of the platforms of the other four stations on the line, including Pelham Parkway, to 525 feet (160 m) to accommodate ten-car trains. At the time, the line was served by 9-car trains during the day, and 3-car shuttles overnight. Between 1954 and 1961, ridership on the line increased by 100 percent, owing to the development of the northeast Bronx.^[10][11]

On April 18, 1965, IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line trains and IRT Lexington Avenue Line trains swapped their northern routings, with Broadway–Seventh Avenue 2 trains running via the IRT White Plains Road Line to 241st Street, and Lexington Avenue 5 trains running via the Dyre Avenue Line to Dyre Avenue.^[12][13][14]

Later years

In 1981, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.^[15] Under the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program, this station, along with thirty other New York City Subway stations, was slated to undergo a complete overhaul and would be entirely closed for up to six months. Updates would have included cellular service, Wi-Fi, charging stations, improved signage, and improved station lighting.^[16][17] However, these renovations were deferred until the 2020–2024 Capital Program due to a lack of funding.^[18]

Station layout

Ground	Street level	Exit/entrance, station house, fare control, station agent
Platform level	Northbound local	← toward Eastchester–Dyre Avenue (Gun Hill Road)
	Island platform
	Northbound express	→ No regular service
	Southbound express	→ No regular service
	Island platform
	Southbound local	→ toward Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College weekdays, Bowling Green evenings/weekends (Morris Park) → → late night shuttle toward East 180th Street (Morris Park) →

2008 view of the station house entrance

This station was originally an express station of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway, with two island platforms and four tracks. The station, served by the 5 train at all times,^[3] is between Morris Park to the south and Gun Hill Road to the north.^[19] An original NYW&B-era train indicator can still be found inside the station.

Today, the two local tracks remain in revenue service, and the southbound express track remains in use as a test track. The northbound express track ends about halfway between the north end of the station and the northern tunnel portal, however, it used to end at a bumper block just south of the station. The station is designed with two island platforms; however it is not considered an express station. The northbound express track had been restored at this station in October 2014. The purpose of the restoration was to serve work trains for the Dyre Avenue Line signal modernization project.^[20] As of 2017^[update] the express tracks are also being used to develop a pilot program for platform screen doors technology.^[21]

Pelham Parkway is the only completely underground station on the Dyre Avenue Line and the only underground station in the system not originally built for subway use. It is also the northernmost underground IRT station, and the only four-track underground station in the Bronx.

Exit

The station's only entrance and exit is a head house in the median of the Esplanade north of Pelham Parkway North.^[22]

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. "5 Subway Timetable, Effective December 15, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
4. "Westchester Line Passes with 1937". The New York Times. January 1, 1938. p. 36. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
5. Cudahy, Brian J. (2003). A Century of Subways: Celebrating 100 Years of New York's Underground Railways. New York: Fordham University Press. ISBN 9780823222957.
6. "Rail Line is Added to Subway System". The New York Times. May 16, 1941. p. 25. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
7. "Transit Record for 1940-1941". Photobucket. March 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
8. "Subway Trains Run to Dyre Avenue: Through Service Replacing Shuttle for Part of Each Day on Bronx Line" (PDF). The New York Times. May 7, 1957. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
9. "IRT Spur Opens Today: Dyre Avenue Line in Bronx Will Have Five Stations" (PDF). The New York Times. May 6, 1957. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
10. "For Release: Tuesday, Feb. 27, 1962 #238" (PDF). New York City Transit Authority. February 27, 1962. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
11. "IRT Improvements Set: $700,000 Contract Awarded for Work on Dyre Ave. Line" (PDF). The New York Times. February 28, 1962. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
12. "New Routes Scheduled for 2 IRT Lines in Bronx" (PDF). The New York Times. March 22, 1965. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
13. "Better Subway Service For Bronx IRT Riders Starting Sunday, April 18". Photobucket. New York City Transit Authority. April 1965. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
14. "Better Subway Service For Bronx IRT Riders Starting Sunday, April 18". Photobucket. New York City Transit Authority. April 1965. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
15. Gargan, Edward A. (June 11, 1981). "Agency Lists Its 69 Most Deteriorated Subway Stations". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
16. "MTA Will Completely Close 30 Subway Stations For Months-Long "Revamp"". Gothamist. Archived from the original on August 1, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
17. "MTAStations" (PDF). governor.ny.gov. Government of the State of New York. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
18. Berger, Paul (April 3, 2018). "New York Subway Cuts Back Plans to Renovate Stations". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
19. "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
20. "Signal System Modernization of the Dyre Avenue Line". judlau.com.
21. "Capital Plan 2015-2019 - Platform Safety Technology Rollout - T7080618". MTA. Archived from the original on March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
22. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Pelham Parkway" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2016.

External links

• nycsubway.org – IRT White Plains Road Line: Pelham Parkway
• Station Reporter — 5 Train
• The Subway Nut — Pelham Parkway Pictures Archived February 23, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
• New York Westchester and Boston Railway - Pelham Parkway Station
• Entrance north of Pelham Parkway from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View