Burnside Avenue station

Burnside Avenue
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
View south from northbound platform
Station statistics
Address	Burnside Avenue & Jerome Avenue Bronx, New York
Borough	The Bronx
Locale	Morris Heights, University Heights
Coordinates	40°51′13″N73°54′27″W / 40.853748°N 73.90739°W / 40.853748; -73.90739
Division	A (IRT) [1]
Line	IRT Jerome Avenue Line
Services	4   (all times)
Transit	NYCT Bus: Bx32, Bx40, Bx42 [2]
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	3
Other information
Opened	June 2, 1917(107 years ago) (1917-06-02)
Accessible	not ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Former/other names	Burnside Avenue–180th Street Burnside Avenue–New York University
Traffic
2023	1,891,402 [3]   3.7%
Rank	173 out of 423 [3]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station 183rd Street toward Woodlawn 176th Street toward Crown Heights–Utica Avenue
Non-revenue services and lines Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Woodlawn express no regular service 149th Street–Grand Concourse express
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to Woodlawn to 183rd Street to 176th Street to 149th Street–Grand Concourse
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times

The Burnside Avenue station is an express station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Burnside and Jerome Avenues in the Morris Heights and University Heights neighborhoods of the Bronx, it is served by the 4 train at all times. It also serves as a rush hour short turn northern terminal for select 4 trains from Crown Heights–Utica Avenue. ^[4]

This station was constructed by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company as part of the Dual Contracts and opened in 1917.

History

Construction and opening

Street stair

The Dual Contracts, which were signed on March 19, 1913, were contracts for the construction and/or rehabilitation and operation of rapid transit lines in the City of New York. The contracts were "dual" in that they were signed between the City and two separate private companies (the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company), all working together to make the construction of the Dual Contracts possible. The Dual Contracts promised the construction of several lines in the Bronx. As part of Contract 3, the IRT agreed to build an elevated line along Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Burnside Avenue first opened as Burnside Avenue–New York University on June 2, 1917 as part of the initial section of the line to Kingsbridge Road on June 2, 1917. Service was initially operated as a shuttle between Kingsbridge Road and 149th Street. ^{[8] [9]} Through service to the IRT Lexington Avenue Line began on July 17, 1918. ^[10] The line was completed with a final extension to Woodlawn on April 15, 1918. ^[11] This section was initially served by shuttle service, with passengers transferring at 167th Street. ^{[12] [13]} The construction of the line encouraged development along Jerome Avenue, and led to the growth of the surrounding communities. ^[8] The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940. ^{[14] [15]}

Station renovations

In 1973, New York University sold its Bronx campus located northwest of the station to the City University of New York in 1973. ^[16] A year after the acquisition, in 1974, the station was renamed to Burnside Avenue–180th Street because 180th Street was used as another name for Burnside Avenue at the time. It would further be renamed Burnside Avenue in 1979. ^[17]

In 1981, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) listed the station as one of 69 stations in dire need of renovation. ^[18] A renovation of the Burnside Avenue station was funded as part of the MTA's 1980–1984 capital plan. ^[19] The MTA received a $106 million grant from the Urban Mass Transit Administration in October 1983; most of the grant would fund the renovation of eleven stations, ^{[20] [21]} including Burnside Avenue. ^[20] Among the things that were done to the station during that time included a painted orange platform edge in addition to the yellow platform edge that was originally on each platform. New, corrugated signposts were installed and spaced evenly on the platform; these bore the station name in white lettering against a black metal sign (the font used for the signs was Akzidenz-Grotesk; it was first used as the agency's font prior to renovation). ^[22]

The fencing around the entrances to the platforms from the mezzanine were painted black while the rest of the platforms, including a few mushroom shaped incandescent lampposts that were installed during the renovation and the fences around each of the four entrances, were painted red; most of the lampposts bore the 180th Street name. The original hand rails, as well as the original iron maidens were also painted yellow. Two fences that were at the south end of each platform retained their paint color; the one on the Woodlawn bound platform would later be replaced with a second Communication Room. ^[23]

As early as 1996, the 180th Street name began to be retired on the uncovered parts of each platform by replacing the mushroom shaped incandescent lampposts with unpainted sodium vapor lampposts. ^[24] By 1999, all of the lights in those areas were replaced with sodium vapor lampposts. ^[25]

View of the station from East Burnside Avenue

This station was renovated a second time from June 17 to October 16, 2006 as part of a $55 million project to renovate five stations (183rd Street, Kingsbridge Road, Bedford Park Boulevard and Mosholu Parkway being the other four) on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line, bringing them to a state of good repair. ^{[26] [27]} During this time, the mezzanine area and staircases received a facelift, while both platform canopies and the structural beams that hold each canopy were replaced and yellow tactile edge warning strips were installed. Also, the token booth in the mezzanine was reduced in size and relocated from directly facing the main turnstiles from the unpaid side of fare control to facing the Manhattan-bound stairs from behind the Woodlawn-bound stairs, also from the unpaid side of fare control.

In May 2018, New York City Transit Authority President Andy Byford announced his plan subway and bus modernization plan, known as Fast Forward, which included making an additional 50 stations compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 during the 2020–2024 MTA Capital Program to allow most riders to have an accessible station every two or three stops. ^{[28] [29]} The draft 2020–2024 Capital Program released in September 2019 included 66 stations that would receive ADA improvements. ^[30] In December, the MTA announced that an additional twenty stations, including Burnside Avenue, would be made ADA-accessible as part of the Capital Program. ^{[31] [32]} The MTA received $254 million from the Federal Transit Administration in 2023 for accessibility upgrades to four subway stations, including the Burnside Avenue station. ^[33] Work on new elevators began in December 2024. ^[34]

Station layout

P Platform level	Northbound local	← toward Woodlawn (183rd Street)
	Island platform
	Peak-direction express	← termination track (select rush hour trips) ←(No express service: Woodlawn or 149th Street–Grand Concourse)
	Island platform
	Southbound local	→ toward Crown Heights–Utica Avenue (New Lots Avenue late nights) (176th Street) →
M	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent
G	Street level	Exit/entrance

This elevated station has three tracks and two island platforms, and is the only express station on the elevated portion of the Jerome Avenue Line. The only other express station on the Jerome Avenue Line is the underground 149th Street–Grand Concourse station. ^[35] The 4 stops here at all times. ^[4]

The 2008 artwork here is called How to Get to the Moon by Laura Battle, which speaks about the relationship between the sun and moon as well as day and night. ^[36]

Exits

Four exits lead from the mezzanine to either southern corner of Burnside and Jerome Avenues, with two staircases to each corner. There are extra side exits from the wooden mezzanine near the stairs to the platform, and the station is three to four stories above street level. ^[37]

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. "Bronx Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
3. "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
4. "4Subway Timetable, Effective December 4, 2022". Metropolitan Transportation Authority . Retrieved June 28, 2024.
5. New Subways For New York: The Dual System of Rapid Transit Chapter 5: Terms and Conditions of Dual System Contracts. New York Public Service Commission. 1913. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
6. The Dual System of Rapid Transit (1912). New York State Public Service Commission. 1912.
7. "Most Recent Map of the Dual Subway System Which Shows How Brooklyn Borough Is Favored In New Transit Lines". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 9, 1917. Retrieved August 23, 2016– via newspapers.com.
8. "Service Begun on the Jerome Avenue Line". Public Service Record. 4 (6). June 1917.
9. Annual report of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company For The Year Ended June 30, 1917. Interborough Rapid Transit Company. 1917. hdl:2027/mdp.39015016416920 – via HathiTrust.
10. Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1922. p. 372.
11. "Jerome Av. Line Ordered Opened". The New York Times. April 13, 1918. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 5, 2016.
12. Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1916. p. 100.
13. Cunningham, Joseph; DeHart, Leonard O. (1993). A History of the New York City Subway System. J. Schmidt, R. Giglio, and K. Lang. p. 48.
14. "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.
15. "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.
16. "History & Architecture - Bronx Community College". Bronx Community College. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
17. Grotjahn, Douglas (November 17, 1979). "Low Voltage 4 train in fantrip (with station sign)". nycsubway.org. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
18. Gargan, Edward (June 11, 1981). "Agency Lists Its 69 Most Deteriorated Stations". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 14, 2016.
19. Goldman, Ari L. (April 28, 1983). "M.T.A. Making Major Addition to Capital Plan". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
20. Moses, Charles T. (October 3, 1983). "TA Gets Funds to Fix Subways". Newsday. p. 3. ISSN   2574-5298 . Retrieved May 5, 2023.
21. Gargan, Edward A. (October 3, 1983). "City Speeding Its Subway Repairs". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
22. Eisenpress, Aron (November 17, 1979). "Akzidenz Grotesk font at Burnside Avenue". nycsubway.org. Burnside Avenue. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
23. Cox, Jeremiah (December 19, 2003). "Looking south towards the Woodlawn bound platform, with the Communication Room in the background". subwaynut.com. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
24. Pirmann, David (September 8, 1996). "4 train arriving at Burnside Avenue with mushroom incandescent lampposts and new sodium vapor lampposts". nycsubway.org. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
25. Pirmann, David (December 5, 1999). "4 train leaving Burnside Avenue with sodium vapor lampposts on platform". nycsubway.org. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
26. Moss, Jordan (October 19, 2006). "Mosholu Station to Close October 30 for renovation". Norwood News. Archived from the original on September 12, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
27. "Press Release about Renovation". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 5, 2007. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
28. "A Sweeping Plan to Fix the Subways Comes With a $19 Billion Price Tag". The New York Times. May 22, 2018. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 23, 2018.
29. "Transform the Subway" (PDF). Fast Forward. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 23, 2018. p. 41. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
30. Guse, Clayton (September 16, 2019). "MTA announces $51 billion plan to save the subway, treat NYC's transit sickness". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
31. "MTA Announces 20 Additional Subway Stations to Receive Accessibility Improvements Under Proposed 2020-2024 Capital Plan". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 19, 2019. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
32. Barone, Vincent (December 19, 2019). "MTA unveils nearly full list of subway stations to receive elevators". amNewYork. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
33. "MTA receiving $254 million to improve accessibility at Brooklyn, Bronx subway stations". CBS New York. January 4, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
34. Russo-Lennon, Barbara (December 12, 2024). "Queensboro Plaza subway station becomes fully accessible, marking major milestone for MTA – QNS". QNS. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
35. Dougherty, Peter (2020). Tracks of the New York City Subway 2020 (16th ed.). Dougherty. OCLC   1056711733.
36. Battle, Laura (2008). "Artwork: How to Get to the Moon (Laura Battle)". nycsubway.org. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
37. "Burnside Avenue Neighborhood Map" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2019.

External links

• nycsubway.org – IRT Woodlawn Line: Burnside Avenue
• nycsubway.org — How to Get to the Moon Artwork by Laura Battle (2006)
• Station Reporter — 4 Train
• The Subway Nut — Burnside Avenue Pictures Archived June 14, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
• MTA's Arts For Transit — Burnside Avenue (IRT Jerome Avenue Line)
• Burnside Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View