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IRT Lenox Avenue Line

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IRT Lenox Avenue Line
"2" train "3" train
The 2 train serves the IRT Lenox Avenue Line south of 145th Street, while the 3 train serves the entire line at all times.
Overview
OwnerCity of New York
Termini
Stations6
Service
TypeRapid transit
SystemNew York City Subway
Operator(s)New York City Transit Authority
Daily ridership29,181 (2022)[1]
History
Opened1904–1968
Technical
Number of tracks2–3
CharacterUnderground (Except for Harlem–148th Street)
At-grade (Harlem–148th Street)
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification600V DC third rail
Route map

Legend
Lenox Yard
 Harlem–148th Street
145th Street
White Plains Road Line
 135th Street
125th Street
116th Street
Central Park North–110th Street
Eighth Avenue Line
Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line
This diagram:

The Lenox Avenue Line is a line of the New York City Subway, part of the A Division, mostly built as part of the first subway line. Located in Manhattan, New York City, it consists of six stations between Central Park North–110th Street and Harlem–148th Street, all of which are situated within the neighborhood of Harlem in Upper Manhattan.

Extent and service

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The following services use part or all of the IRT Lenox Avenue Line:[2]

  Time period Section of line
"2" train all times south of 145th Street
"3" train all times full line

The Lenox Avenue Line begins at the Harlem–148th Street station, which was formerly known as 148th Street–Lenox Terminal.[3] The entire line was built under the western side of Lenox Avenue because, at the time of the line's construction in 1904, there were streetcar tracks on the eastern side of the avenue, which had conduits embedded in the street.[4]: 9  After the terminal, a track merges from the Lenox Yard, and the line heads south under Lenox Avenue. At 142nd Street Junction, the IRT White Plains Road Line merges (with an at-grade crossing between the northbound Lenox track and the southbound White Plains track), carrying through service from the Bronx.

At the north border of Central Park is the final stop on the line, Central Park North–110th Street. From there the line curves southwest under the North Woods and North Meadow of Central Park, being one of three lines to pass under the park (the other two being the IND 63rd Street Line and the BMT 63rd Street Line). It heads west under 104th Street, then turns southwest and south to run underneath the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, passing under part of the northbound platform at 103rd Street. After the center express track on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line ends by connecting to the two local tracks, the Lenox Avenue Line rises to become the two express tracks, with double crossovers to each local direction. The four-track Broadway–Seventh Avenue line then continues south through 96th Street, an express station and transfer point.

History

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Construction and opening

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Planning for a subway line in New York City dates to 1864.[5]: 21  However, development of what would become the city's first subway line did not start until 1894, when the New York State Legislature authorized the Rapid Transit Act.[5]: 139–140  The subway plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by William Barclay Parsons, chief engineer of the Rapid Transit Commission. It called for a subway line from New York City Hall in Lower Manhattan to the Upper West Side, where two branches would lead north into the Bronx.[6]: 3  A plan was formally adopted in 1897, and legal challenges were resolved near the end of 1899.[5]: 148  The Rapid Transit Construction Company, organized by John B. McDonald and funded by August Belmont Jr., signed the initial Contract 1 with the Rapid Transit Commission in February 1900,[7] in which it would construct the subway and maintain a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line.[5]: 165  In 1901, the firm of Heins & LaFarge was hired to design the underground stations.[6]: 4  Belmont incorporated the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) in April 1902 to operate the subway.[5]: 182 

The IRT's East Side Branch now the Lenox Avenue Line was largely constructed as part of Section 8, built by Farrell & Hopper. The company began building the section from 110th Street to 135th Street on August 30, 1900, and the section from 103rd Street to 110th Street and Lenox Avenue on October 2, 1900.[7][8]: 252  The excavation was relatively easy because the subway was under one side of Lenox Avenue and, as such, there were no street railway tracks to work around.[8]: 252–253  At Lenox Avenue and 110th Street, a 6.5-foot (200 cm) diameter circular brick sewer, draining 124 acres (50 ha) of the west side of Manhattan, was intersected by the subway. A new sewer of equal diameter, but to a depth sufficient to pass beneath the subway was constructed on either side of the subway structure. Where the sewer passed beneath the subway, the brick sewer was replaced by three 42-inch (110 cm) diameter cast iron pipes.[8]: 240 

The original plan envisioned a station on the Lenox Avenue Line at 141st Street, just south of the 142nd Street Junction, where a spur of the Lenox Avenue Line diverges to the Bronx via the IRT White Plains Road Line.[9]: 7  North of the junction, the line would have continued to the 33-track Lenox Yard; this segment was part of Section 9A.[4]: 9–10  McMullan & McBean began work on Section 9A on September 10, 1901.[10][11]: 253  The 142nd Street Junction was built under soft soil due to its proximity to the shoreline of the Harlem River. As such, the contractors could not build a flying junction; instead, the tracks from the yard were to cross over the revenue-service tracks at a level junction. There originally would not have been any stations between the junction and the yard, but a station at 145th Street was added to the plan in 1903.[4]: 10 

A map of the Lenox Avenue Line from 1906

The line opened south of 145th Street just after midnight on November 23, 1904, as part of the IRT's original system. It was known as the East Side Subway or East Side Branch at the time, as it was the spur of the main line to the east side.[12] The first train ran from the line onto the IRT White Plains Road Line (known as the West Farms Branch or the West Farms Extension) just after midnight on July 10, 1905.[13] Soon after the line opened, it was speculated that it would bring prosperity to Harlem.[14] The line ran across the path of the Harlem Creek, a creek that had once been located above ground but had been buried by the first decade of the 20th century.[15] The creek's presence caused flooding in the line's early years, especially around 116th Street.[16] In April 1907, IRT officials decided to create a concrete drain beneath the Lenox Avenue Line tunnel, during which time trains in both directions ran on the southbound track during late nights.[17] In Fiscal Year 1910, the bottom of the tunnel at the south end of the 116th Street station was rebuilt to prevent leaking.[18]

Later history

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The line has always carried trains of two service patterns. Initially, the station was served by both local and express trains. Local trains operated only to 145th Street, while express trains ran to either 145th Street or West Farms (180th Street).[19] Express trains to 145th Street were eliminated in 1906.[20] To address overcrowding, in 1909, the New York Public Service Commission proposed lengthening platforms at stations along the original IRT subway.[21]: 168  As part of a modification to the IRT's construction contracts, made on January 18, 1910, the company was to lengthen station platforms to accommodate ten-car express and six-car local trains. It was anticipated that these improvements would increase capacity by 25 percent.[22]: 15  On January 23, 1911, ten-car express trains began running on the East Side Line.[21]: 168 [23]

In 1918, the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line opened south of Times Square–42nd Street, thereby dividing the original line into an H-shaped system.[24] The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940.[25][26] The IRT routes were given numbered designations with the introduction of "R-type" rolling stock;[27] the route to White Plains Road, formerly the route to West Farms, became known as the 2, while the route to Lenox Avenue–145th Street became the 3.[28] Prior to February 6, 1959, 3 trains switched to the local on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line north of 96th Street. Afterwards, all trains running from the Lenox Avenue Line ran express.[29][30][31] The Harlem–148th Street station was opened on May 13, 1968, on land that had been part of the Lenox Yard; the station was originally called Lenox Terminal–148th Street.[32]

Starting on March 2, 1998, the tunnel was reconstructed along with the cracked invert (tunnel floor). This was done to correct a major water problem that had existed for many years due to the continued presence of the Harlem Creek and other underground streams, which caused extensive flooding, water damage, and seepage problems that occasionally contributed to severe service disruptions.[33][34] The project cost $82 million and was finished on October 12, 1998.[33][35] During the reconstruction, many 2 trains were rerouted via the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, while the 3 trains were rerouted to the 137th Street–City College station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. Each of the two Lenox Avenue Line tracks were alternately taken out of service, the 116th Street station was closed, and supplemental shuttle bus service connecting to other lines in the area were provided for much of this time.[36][37]

From 1995 until 2008, the line's two northernmost stations, Harlem–148th Street and 145th Street, were served by shuttle buses during the late-night hours. Full-time service was restored on July 27, 2008.[38]

On March 27, 2020, a northbound 2 train caught fire while approaching Central Park North–110th Street, the southernmost station on the line. The fire killed the train's motorman and injured 16. Subway service on the Lenox Avenue Line resumed on March 30, bypassing the Central Park North station until it reopened on April 6.[39][40]

Station listing

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The entire line is located in Harlem.

Station service legend
Stops all times Stops all times
Time period details
Disabled access Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
Disabled access ↑ Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
in the indicated direction only
Disabled access ↓
Elevator access to mezzanine only
Disabled access Station Services Opened Notes
Harlem–148th Street 3 all times May 13, 1968 Formerly 148th Street–Lenox Terminal
connecting track to Lenox Yard
145th Street 3 all times November 23, 1904 Only first 5 cars open their doors
No northbound entrance
Merge from IRT White Plains Road Line at 142nd Street Junction (2 all times)
Disabled access 135th Street 2 all times ​3 all times November 23, 1904
125th Street 2 all times ​3 all times November 23, 1904 M60 Select Bus Service to LaGuardia Airport
116th Street 2 all times ​3 all times November 23, 1904
Central Park North–110th Street 2 all times ​3 all times November 23, 1904
Tracks continue as the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line express tracks (2 all times ​3 all times)

References

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  1. ^ "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  2. ^ "Subway Service Guide" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  3. ^ Raudenbush, Henry (January 2007). "148th Street-Lenox Terminal and How It Got Its Name". The Bulletin. 50 (1). Electric Railroaders' Association: 5.
  4. ^ a b c "Eighty Years of Subway Service to the Bronx" (PDF). The Bulletin. Vol. 28, no. 7. Electric Railroaders' Association. July 1985. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e Walker, James Blaine (1918). Fifty Years of Rapid Transit — 1864 to 1917. New York, N.Y.: Law Printing. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Interborough Rapid Transit System, Underground Interior" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. October 23, 1979. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Report of the Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners for the City of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1904 Accompanied By Reports of the Chief Engineer and of the Auditor. Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners. 1905. pp. 229–236.
  8. ^ a b c Scott, Charles (1978). "Design and Construction of the IRT: Civil Engineering" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. pp. 208–282 (PDF pp. 209–283). Retrieved December 20, 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  9. ^ "New York MPS 145th Street Subway Station (IRT)". Records of the National Park Service, 1785 – 2006, Series: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 – 2017, Box: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: New York, ID: 75313909. National Archives.
  10. ^ Report of the Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners for the City of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1904 Accompanied By Reports of the Chief Engineer and of the Auditor. Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners. 1905. pp. 229–236.
  11. ^ Scott, Charles (1978). "Design and Construction of the IRT: Civil Engineering" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. pp. 208–282 (PDF pp. 209–283). Retrieved December 20, 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  12. ^ "East Side Subway Open — Train from 145th Street to Broadway in 9 Minutes and 40 Seconds". The New York Times. November 23, 1904. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  13. ^ "Subway Trains Running From Bronx to Battery — West Farms and South Ferry Stations Open at Midnight — Start Without a Hitch — Bowling Green Station Also Opened — Lenox Avenue Locals Take City Hall Loop Hereafter". The New York Times. July 10, 1905. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  14. ^ "History of Harlem — Harlem Heritage Tours & Cultural Center". Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  15. ^ Gratacap, L.P. (1909). Geology of the City of New York: with numerous illustrations and maps. H. Holt. p. 61. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  16. ^ "STREAM FLOWING IN THE SUBWAY; Rising Flood May Stop Traffic on the Lenox Avenue Division. THE OLD HARLEM CREEK Suggestion That It May Be Seeking New Outlet Between 110th and 116th Streets". The New York Times. February 27, 1907. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  17. ^ "TO DRAIN OLD SUBWAY CREEK.; Water Gains on Pumps and a New Scheme is to be Tried". The New York Times. April 16, 1907. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  18. ^ 1909–1910 Annual Report of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company for the Year Ended June 30, 1910. Interborough Rapid Transit Company. 1910. p. 12.
  19. ^ The Merchants' Association of New York Pocket Guide to New York. Merchants' Association of New York. March 1906. pp. 19–26.
  20. ^ Herries, William (1916). Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 119.
  21. ^ a b Hood, Clifton (1978). "The Impact of the IRT in New York City" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. pp. 146–207 (PDF pp. 147–208). Retrieved December 20, 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  22. ^ Report of the Public Service Commission for the First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1910. Public Service Commission. 1911.
  23. ^ "Ten-car Trains in Subway to-day; New Service Begins on Lenox Av. Line and Will Be Extended to Broadway To-morrow". The New York Times. January 23, 1911. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  24. ^ "Open New Subway Lines to Traffic; Called a Triumph — Great H System Put in Operation Marks an Era in Railroad Construction — No Hitch in the Plans — But Public Gropes Blindly to Find the Way in Maze of New Stations — Thousands Go Astray — Leaders in City's Life Hail Accomplishment of Great Task at Meeting at the Astor". The New York Times. August 2, 1918. p. 1. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  25. ^ "City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign". The New York Times. June 13, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  26. ^ "Transit Unification Completed As City Takes Over I. R. T. Lines: Systems Come Under Single Control After Efforts Begun in 1921; Mayor Is Jubilant at City Hall Ceremony Recalling 1904 Celebration". New York Herald Tribune. June 13, 1940. p. 25. ProQuest 1248134780.
  27. ^ Brown, Nicole (May 17, 2019). "How did the MTA subway lines get their letter or number? NYCurious". amNewYork. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  28. ^ Friedlander, Alex; Lonto, Arthur; Raudenbush, Henry (April 1960). "A Summary of Services on the IRT Division, NYCTA" (PDF). New York Division Bulletin. 3 (1). Electric Railroaders' Association: 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 14, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  29. ^ Levey, Stanley (January 26, 1959). "Modernized IRT To Bow on Feb. 6 — West Side Line to Eliminate Bottleneck at 96th Street". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  30. ^ "New Hi-Speed Locals". New York City Transit Authority. 1959. Retrieved June 15, 2016 – via Flickr.
  31. ^ "Wagner Praises Modernized IRT — Mayor and Transit Authority Are Hailed as West Side Changes Take Effect". The New York Times. February 7, 1959. p. 21. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  32. ^ "IRT Passengers Get New 148th St. Station". The New York Times. May 14, 1968. p. 95. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  33. ^ a b "New York City Transit – History and Chronology". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on October 19, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  34. ^ Lii, Jane H. (February 28, 1998). "Tunnel Work To Cut Service On 2 Subways". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  35. ^ Lueck, Thomas J. (October 13, 1998). "Beating Deadline, Normal Service Returns for the Nos. 2 and 3 Subway Lines". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  36. ^ Newman, Andy (December 12, 1997). "Repairs to Lenox Ave. Tunnel To Affect Many Subway Lines". The New York Times. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  37. ^ "Lenox Rehab '98 2 3 Lenox Line Service Guide March 2 – October 1998". thejoekorner.com. New York City Transit. 1998. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  38. ^ "Service Enhancements on 3 Line". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 24, 2008. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  39. ^ Fieldstadt, Elisha; Dienst, Jonathan (March 27, 2020). "Train conductor killed, at least 16 hurt in New York City subway fire". NBC News. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  40. ^ Guse, Clayton (April 6, 2020). "MTA reopens Harlem subway station 10 days after tragic fire". nydailynews.com. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
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