96th Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)

For other uses, see 96th Street.

96 Street   ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
View from the northbound platform
Station statistics
Address	West 96th Street & Central Park West New York, NY
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Upper West Side
Coordinates	40°47′30″N73°57′53″W / 40.791622°N 73.964725°W / 40.791622; -73.964725
Division	B (IND) [1]
Line	IND Eighth Avenue Line
Services	A   (late nights) ​   B   (weekdays during the day) ​   C   (all except late nights)
Transit	NYCT Bus: M10, M96, M106
Structure	Underground
Levels	2
Platforms	2 side platforms (1 on each level)
Tracks	4 (2 on each level)
Other information
Opened	September 10, 1932(91 years ago) (1932-09-10) [2]
Accessible	not ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2023	2,133,657 [3]   16.5%
Rank	158 out of 423 [3]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station 103rd Street A   ​ B   ​ C   via 145th Street Local 86th Street A   ​ B   ​ C   via 59th Street–Columbus Circle 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 Upper level to 103rd Street Lower level to 86th Street
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops late nights only Stops weekdays during the day

The 96th Street station is a local station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at West 96th Street and Central Park West on the Upper West Side, it is served by the B on weekdays, the C train at all times except nights, and the A train during late nights only.

History

Entrance at 97th Street

Northbound R68 B train departs

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. The lines were designed to compete with the existing underground, surface, and elevated lines operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and BMT. ^{[4] [5]} On December 9, 1924, the New York City Board of Transportation (BOT) gave preliminary approval for the construction of the IND Eighth Avenue Line. ^[6] This line consisted of a corridor connecting Inwood, Manhattan, to Downtown Brooklyn, running largely under Eighth Avenue but also paralleling Greenwich Avenue and Sixth Avenue in Lower Manhattan. ^{[6] [7]} The BOT announced a list of stations on the new line in February 1928, with a local station at 95th Street. ^[8]

The finishes at the five stations between 81st Street and 110th Street were 18 percent completed by May 1930. ^[9] By that August, the BOT reported that the Eighth Avenue Line was nearly completed and that the five stations from 81st to 110th Street were 99 percent completed. ^[10] The entire line was completed by September 1931, except for the installation of turnstiles. ^[11] A preview event for the new subway was hosted on September 8, 1932, two days before the official opening. ^{[12] [13]} The 96th Street station opened on September 10, 1932, as part of the city-operated IND's initial segment, the Eighth Avenue Line between Chambers Street and 207th Street. ^{[14] [15]} Construction of the whole line cost $191.2 million (equivalent to $4,269.8 million in 2023). While the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line already provided parallel service, the new Eighth Avenue subway via Central Park West provided an alternative route. ^[16]

In 2019, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced that the station would become ADA-accessible as part of the agency's 2020–2024 Capital Program. ^[17] A contract for one elevator at the station was awarded in December 2023. ^[18] By mid-2024, the work was expected to be completed by 2026. ^[19]

Station layout

Ground	Street level	Exit/entrance
Basement 1	Northbound express	← do not stop here
	Northbound local	← weekdays toward Bedford Park Boulevard or 145th Street (103rd Street) ← toward 168th Street (103rd Street) ← toward Inwood–207th Street late nights (103rd Street)
	Side platform
	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent, MetroCard machines
Basement 2	Southbound express	→ do not stop here →
	Southbound local	→ weekdays toward Brighton Beach (86th Street) → → toward Euclid Avenue (86th Street) → → toward Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue late nights (86th Street) →
	Side platform

Mosaic name tablet

This underground station has two levels with northbound trains using the upper level and southbound trains using the lower level. Each level has one side platform to the west of two tracks. ^[20]

The platforms have no trim line, but name tablets read "96TH ST." in white sans-serif font on a midnight blue background and black border. "96" signs in the same format as the directional signs run along the platform walls at regular intervals at the same level as the name tablets. Blue columns run along both platforms at regular intervals with alternating ones having the standard black station name plate in white numbering.

Exits

All fare control areas are on the upper level platform and two staircases, one adjacent to each area, go down to the lower level. The full-time one at 96th Street is at the center of the platform. A staircase of four steps go down to a bank of three turnstiles that lead to a token booth. The other fare control area at 97th Street, at the station's extreme north end, is unstaffed, containing High Entry/Exit Turnstiles. ^[21] The northwest staircase was relocated with a longer passageway due to the widening of 97th Street. ^[22]

Two staircases connect the two platforms. There are currently three exits to the following locations:

• Southwestern corner of West 96th Street and Central Park West. ^[21]
• Both western corners (one staircase each) of West 97th Street and Central Park West. ^[21]

Directional signs that have been covered indicate that there was a third set of exits that led to both western corners (one staircase each) to West 95th Street. ^[23] Further evidence of this exit's existence includes new tiling with doorways that lead to converted storage spaces on both levels. This exit was closed by 1940 ^[24] and possibly as early as November 1932 - just two months after the opening of the station - due to frequent vandalism. ^[25]

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. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. 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 August 1, 2019.
5. "Plans Now Ready to Start Subways". The New York Times. March 12, 1924. p. 1. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 1, 2019.
6. "Hylan Subway Plan Links Four Boroughs at $450,000,000 Cost". The New York Times. December 10, 1924. p. 1. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. 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. "Express and Local Stations For New Eighth Avenue Line". New York Herald Tribune. February 5, 1928. p. B1. ISSN   1941-0646. ProQuest   1113431477.
9. "Progress is Rapid on 8th Av. Subway; Board's Engineers Report Spurt in Building Is Likely to Open the Line in July, 1930". The New York Times. May 26, 1930. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 29, 2023.
10. "Eighth Av. Subway Nearly Completed; Basic Construction Work From Chambers to 207th St. Done Except on Few Short Stretches". The New York Times. August 24, 1930. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved March 15, 2023.
11. O'Brien, John C. (September 9, 1931). "8th Ave. Line Being Rushed For Use Jan. 1: Turnstile Installation on Subway Begins Monday; Other Equipment Ready for Start of Train Service City Has Yet to Find Operating Company Transit Official on Trip, 207th to Canal Street, Inspects Finished Tube". New York Herald Tribune. p. 1. ISSN   1941-0646. ProQuest   1331181357.
12. "Sightseers Invade New Subway When Barricade Is lifted". The New York Times. September 9, 1932. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
13. "8th Av. Subway Gets First 5c. by Woman's Error: She Peers Into a Station, Hears Train, Pays for Ride, but Is Day Too Early Preparing for Tomorrow's Rush on 8th Ave. Subway". New York Herald Tribune. September 9, 1932. p. 1. ProQuest   1125436641.
14. 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.
15. Sebring, Lewis B. (September 10, 1932). "Midnight Jam Opens City's New Subway: Turnstiles Click Into Action at 12:01 A. M. as Throngs Battle for Places in 'First' Trains Boy, 7, Leads Rush At 42d St. Station City at Last Hails 8th Ave. Line After 7-Year Wait; Cars Bigger, Clean Transit Commissioner Officially Opening New Subway at Midnight". New York Herald Tribune. p. 1. ISSN   1941-0646. ProQuest   1114839882.
16. Duffus, R. l (September 9, 1932). "NEW LINE FIRST UNIT IN CITY-WIDE SYSTEM; 8th Av. Tube to Ease West Side Congestion at Once -- Branches to Link 4 Boroughs Later. LAST WORD IN SUBWAYS Run From 207th to Chambers St. Cut to 33 Minutes -- 42d St. Has World's Largest Station. COST HAS BEEN $191,200,000 Years of Digging Up City Streets, Tunneling Rock and Building Road Finally Brought to Completion". The New York Times. p. 12. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
17. "Press Release - MTA Headquarters - MTA Announces 20 Additional Subway Stations to Receive Accessibility Improvements Under Proposed 2020-2024 Capital Plan". MTA. December 19, 2019. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
18. https://new.mta.info/document/112391
19. Mishkin, Mike (May 15, 2024). "Major ADA Upgrades Planned at Two UWS Subway Stations". iLovetheUpperWestSide.com. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
20. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC   49777633 – via Google Books.
21. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Upper West Side" (PDF). mta.info . Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 23, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
22. Collins, Tom (September 16, 1964). "97th St. IND Station Remains Pile of Debris After 8 Months" (PDF). New York World-Telegram and Sun. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
23. 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.
24. "1940s NYC | Street photos of every building in New York City in 1939/1940". Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
25. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 12, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2021.

External links

• nycsubway.org – IND 8th Avenue: 96th Street
• Station Reporter — B Train
• Station Reporter — C Train
• The Subway Nut — 96th Street Pictures Archived June 29, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
• 96th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 97th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platform from Google Maps Street View