York Street station (IND Sixth Avenue Line)

The York Street station is a station on the IND Sixth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. It is served by the F train at all times and the <F> train during rush hours in the peak direction. It is located at York Street and Jay Street in Dumbo.

York Street  ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Station platform
Station statistics
Address	York Street & Jay Street Brooklyn, New York
Borough	Brooklyn
Locale	Dumbo
Coordinates	40.701529°N 73.986783°W / 40.701529; -73.986783
Division	B (IND)[1]
Line	IND Sixth Avenue Line
Services	F  (all times) <F>  (two rush hour trains, peak direction)​
Transit	NYCT Bus: B25, B67, B69 NYC Ferry: East River, South Brooklyn (BBP Pier 1)
Structure	Underground
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	April 9, 1936; 88 years ago (1936-04-09)
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2023	3,345,474[2]  31.1%
Rank	96 out of 423[2]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station East Broadway F  <F> ​ toward Jamaica–179th Street Local Jay Street–MetroTech F  <F> ​ toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to East Broadway to Jay Street–MetroTech
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops rush hours in the peak direction only (limited service)

History

Background

More than 50 years before the construction of the IND Sixth Avenue Line, the intersection of York and Jay Streets was between two stations on the original BMT Lexington Avenue Line. West of the intersection was York and Washington Streets station, which had a connection to the Brooklyn Bridge via the New York and Brooklyn Bridge Railway. One block east of the station was the Bridge Street station. The line and the two stations ran west to east, were built by Brooklyn Elevated Railroad on May 13, 1885^[3] and closed by Brooklyn Rapid Transit on April 11, 1904.^[4]

Construction and opening

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, which would compete with the IRT and the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT), the two major subway operators of the time.^[5][6] The IND Sixth Avenue Line was designed to replace the elevated IRT Sixth Avenue Line.^[7] The first portion of the line to be constructed was then known as the Houston–Essex Street Line, which ran under Houston, Essex, and Rutgers Streets. The contract for the line was awarded to Corson Construction in January 1929,^[8] and construction of this section officially started in May 1929.^[9]

The York Street station opened just after midnight on April 9, 1936, when trains began running under the East River via the Rutgers Street Tunnel, which connected the existing portion of the Sixth Avenue Line to a junction with the Eighth Avenue Line north of Jay Street–Borough Hall.^[10] The station was initially served by E trains to Church Avenue.^[11][12] When further sections of the Sixth Avenue Line opened on December 15, 1940, the F train replaced the E train.^[13]

Station layout

G	Street level	Exit/entrance
B1	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent
B2	Northbound	← toward Jamaica–179th Street (East Broadway)
	Island platform
	Southbound	→ toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (Jay Street–MetroTech) →

This underground, deep-level station has two tracks and one narrow island platform. Located at the southern end of the Rutgers Street Tunnel, it has round deep-bore walls with matte-finish white brick tiling and purple tile border. The station is about 80 feet (24 m) deep. The platform contains six large circular piers supporting the Manhattan Bridge, which contain white-brick tiling.^[14] The standard I-beam columns are painted blue with alternating ones having black name plates in white lettering. The columns are largely 15 feet (4.6 m) apart, except at two locations where they are 17.5 feet (5.3 m) apart.^[15]: 8

To the north of the station, the Sixth Avenue Line continues via the Rutgers Street Tunnel to Manhattan; to the south, it converges with the IND Eighth Avenue Line and ends north of Jay Street. The Sixth Avenue Line tracks continue south as the IND Culver Line.^[16]

Exit

Northern exit

Street entrance

The only exit, located at the station's north end, leads to the Rutgers Street tunnel ventilation tower at the intersection of York Street and Jay Street. It has a turnstile bank and long passageway and staircase to the platform.^[17]

Proposed southern exit

There were proposals for a mezzanine at the station's south end, with an unbuilt entrance leading to the intersection of High Street and Jay Street.^[15]: 7 The lack of an entrance created dangerous conditions. For example, when the northern exit was obscured by smoke during a fire in 2003, several commuters were hospitalized because they were mistakenly diverted to the south end of the platform.^[18] In 2016, Delson or Sherman Architects proposed a new accessible entrance at the south end of the York Street station.^[19]

The MTA started conducting a feasibility study for a new entrance in 2021,^[20] following complaints from local residents and politicians who said the single entrance posed a safety hazard.^[21] The study found that both options for a new southern entrance would be prohibitively expensive because of the complex infrastructure around the site. A full stair and elevator entrance would cost $420–450 million, while an entrance containing only elevators would cost $230–260 million.^{[14][15]: 7} In both cases, a new mezzanine would need to be constructed.^{[15]: 10–11} At the time, the MTA was expected to receive $7 million for station improvements from the developer of a nearby building.^[22]

Points of interest

• Dumbo Tech Triangle^[17]
• Farragut Houses^[17]
• Brooklyn Navy Yard^[17]
• Commandant's House at Brooklyn Navy Yard^[17]

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. "Done at Last". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. May 13, 1885. p. 1.
4. "www.nycsubway.org". Archived from the original on July 21, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
5. "Two Subway Routes Adopted by City". The New York Times. August 4, 1923. p. 9. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
6. "Plans Now Ready to Start Subways". The New York Times. March 12, 1924. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
7. "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. Archived from the original on April 28, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
8. "East Side Subway Will Evict 10,000; Work on New Line, Likely to Begin in May, Will Force Many Tenants to Move. 200 Buildings Will Fall Transportation Board Notifies Property Owners—Condemnation to Coat Over $11,000,000. Expect Work to Start in May. Residents Recall Other Days". The New York Times. February 24, 1929. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
9. "East Side Subway Started By Mayor; He Breaks Ground for Crosstown System at Second Av. and East Houston St. Miller Hails Project Sees Area Rejuvenated by Line and City's Plan to Raze Old Tenements". The New York Times. May 2, 1929. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 28, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
10. "New Subway Link Opened by Mayor". The New York Times. April 9, 1936. p. 23. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
11. "Two Subway Links Start Wednesday". The New York Times. April 6, 1936. p. 23. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
12. "New Subway Link Opened by Mayor". The New York Times. April 9, 1936. p. 23. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
13. "The New Subway Routes". The New York Times. December 15, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
14. Duggan, Kevin (June 21, 2022). "Second entrance for York Street subway station in Brooklyn could cost nearly half a billion: MTA". amNewYork. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
15. "York Street Station Constructability Study" (PDF). amny.com. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
16. Dougherty, Peter (2020). Tracks of the New York City Subway 2020 (16th ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 1056711733.
17. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Downtown Brooklyn and Borough Hall" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 24, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
18. Luo, Michael (May 1, 2004). "Mistakes During a Subway Fire Spur New Emergency Training". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
19. Gill, Lauren (September 24, 2016). "F yeah! Architect designs second York Street subway exit". Brooklyn Paper. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.

    • For the plan, see: "A new design and a second entrance for the York Street subway station". DELSON OR SHERMAN ARCHITECTS PC. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
20. Duggan, Kevin (March 22, 2021). "MTA studies second entrance for 'disaster waiting to happen' York Street station in Dumbo". www.brooklynpaper.com. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
21. Brachfeld, Ben (September 23, 2021). "Locals demand second entrance to 'dangerous' York Street station". www.brooklynpaper.com. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
22. Duggan, Kevin (April 28, 2021). "Pol OK's Dumbo air rights sale at 69 Adams St. after city promises $10m to York Street subway". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved June 22, 2022.

External links

• nycsubway.org – IND 6th Avenue: York Street
• Station Reporter — F Train
• The Subway Nut — York Street Pictures
• York Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platform from Google Maps Street View