The IRT Third Avenue Line, commonly known as the Third Avenue Elevated, Third Avenue El, or Bronx El, was an elevated railway in Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City. Originally operated by the New York Elevated Railway, an independent railway company, it was acquired by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and eventually became part of the New York City Subway system.
The 129th Street station was a transfer station on the IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City, shared by elevated trains of both the Third Avenue Line and IRT Second Avenue Line. The next stop to the north was 133rd Street for the main line and Willis Avenue for the Willis Avenue spur, both of which were across a swing bridge above the Harlem River in the Bronx. The next stop to the south was 125th Street−Third Avenue for Third Avenue Line trains and 125th Street−Second Avenue for Second Avenue Line trains.
The 125th Street station was an express station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City as part of the extension of the Third Avenue Line north of 67th Street. It opened on December 30, 1878, and had three tracks and two levels. The lower level was built first and had two tracks and two side platforms for local trains. The upper level, built as part of the Dual Contracts, had one track and two side platforms for express trains. Simultaneously during the dual contracts period, IRT also expanded the Lexington Avenue Subway which included a station one block west of the el station. This station closed on May 12, 1955, with the ending of all service on the Third Avenue El south of 149th Street.
The 106th Street station was an express station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City. The station was opened on December 30, 1878, and had two levels. The lower level had two tracks and two side platforms and served local trains. The upper level had one track and two side platforms over the local tracks on the lower level and served express trains. It was built as part of the Dual Contracts. The express run from this stop to 42nd Street was the longest express segment out of all New York City elevated lines, bypassing eight local stations. This station closed on May 12, 1955, with the ending of all service on the Third Avenue El south of 149th Street.
The 42nd Street station was an elevated express station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City. It had two levels with the lower level having three tracks. The main line tracks were served by two side platforms. A side platform connected to the southbound platform was used for shuttle service to Grand Central. The upper level was built as part of the Dual Contracts, and had one track and two side platforms over the two local tracks.
The 99th Street station was a local station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City. The station was originally built by the Manhattan Railway Company on December 30, 1878, and later had two levels. The lower level serving local trains was built first, and had two tracks and two side platforms. The upper level, built as part of the Dual Contracts had one track that bypassed the station and served express trains. This station closed on May 12, 1955, with the ending of all service on the Third Avenue El south of 149th Street. South of the station were connecting tracks to the 98th Street Yard. The station was also located next to Substation 7 an old IRT substation designed not only in order to electrify the Third Avenue Line, but the Second and Ninth Avenue elevated lines as well. Later it even served as a power source for the IRT Lexington Avenue Line from 1918 until the 1970s. The substation is still owned by the MTA and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since February 9, 2006.
The 89th Street station was a local station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City. It was originally built on December 9, 1878. The outer tracks were served by local trains and two side platforms. The center track was built as part of the Dual Contracts, it bypassed the station and served express trains. 89th Street station was the terminus of the IRT Third Avenue Line until it was expanded to 129th Street on December 30, 1878. This station closed on May 12, 1955, with the ending of all service on the Third Avenue El south of 149th Street. North of the station were connecting tracks to the 98th Street Yard.
The 84th Street station was a local station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City. It was originally built on December 9, 1878. The station had two side platforms and was served by local trains only. This station closed on May 12, 1955, with the ending of all service on the Third Avenue El south of 149th Street.
The 76th Street station was a local station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City. It was originally built on December 9, 1878. The outer tracks served local trains and it had two side platforms. The center track was built as part of the Dual Contracts and was served by express trains. This station closed on May 12, 1955, with the ending of all service on the Third Avenue El south of 149th Street.
The 59th Street station was a local station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City. It was built on September 16, 1878. The local trains used two tracks and two side platforms. The center track was built as part of the Dual Contracts and was used for express trains. Due to its location along the east side of the headquarters for Bloomingdale's, the station was also known as "Bloomingdale's Station." The station was also the first rapid transit stop in the city to have an escalator, installed in September 1901. This station closed on May 12, 1955, with the ending of all service on the Third Avenue El south of 149th Street.
The 53rd Street station was a local station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City. It was served by local trains and had two tracks and two side platforms. The center track was built as part of the Dual Contracts and was used for express trains. This station closed on May 12, 1955, with the ending of all service on the Third Avenue El south of 149th Street.
The 47th Street station was a local station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City. It was served by local trains by two tracks and two side platforms. The center track was built as part of the Dual Contracts and was used for express trains. This station closed on May 12, 1955, with the ending of all service on the Third Avenue El south of 149th Street.
The 34th Street station was a local station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City. The station was served by Third Avenue local trains and a shuttle to the 34th Street Ferry. Third Ave service originally had two tracks and two side platforms. During the Dual Contracts, a center express track was built. The shuttle to the ferry was served by two tracks and an island platform attached to the northbound side platform. North of the station the westbound track of the shuttle merged with the main line.
The Ninth Street station was an express station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City. It opened on August 26, 1878 and had two levels. The lower level was served by local trains and had two tracks and two side platforms. It was built first. The upper level was built as part of the Dual Contracts and had one track with two side platforms over the lower level local tracks which served express trains. This station closed on May 12, 1955, with the ending of all service on the Third Avenue El south of 149th Street.
The Houston Street station was a station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City on the Bowery. It opened on September 16, 1878, and had three tracks and two island platforms, which served all three tracks on one level. This station closed on May 12, 1955, with the ending of all service on the Third Avenue El south of 149th Street.
The Franklin Square station was an express station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City. It was built by the New York Elevated Railroad in 1878 over the aforementioned square, had two tracks and one island platform, and was the northernmost station on the line that shared both Second Avenue and Third Avenue trains. The next stop to the north was Chatham Square. The next stop to the south was Fulton Street. The station closed on December 22, 1950.
The 138th Street station was a station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in the Bronx, New York City. It was originally opened on January 1, 1887 by the Suburban Rapid Transit Company, and had two tracks and one island platform. It was also served by trains of the IRT Second Avenue Line until June 11, 1940. A paid transfer was available to IRT Pelham Line trains at the underground Third Avenue – 138th Street station. This station closed on May 12, 1955, with the ending of all service on the Third Avenue El south of 149th Street.
