Delancey Street/Essex Street station

Last updated

 Delancey Street/Essex Street
  NYCS-bull-trans-F-Std.svg NYCS-bull-trans-Fd-Std.svg NYCS-bull-trans-J-Std.svg NYCS-bull-trans-M-Std.svg NYCS-bull-trans-Z-Std.svg
MTA NYC logo.svg New York City Subway station complex
Essex-Delancey Streets Stairs SE.JPG
Stair at southeast corner of Essex and Delancey
Station statistics
AddressDelancey Street and Essex Street
New York, New York
Borough Manhattan
Locale Lower East Side
Coordinates 40°43′07″N73°59′18″W / 40.71851°N 73.988199°W / 40.71851; -73.988199
Division B (BMT/IND) [1]
Line IND Sixth Avenue Line
BMT Nassau Street Line
Services    F   NYCS-SSI-alltimes.svg (all times) <F> NYCS-SSI-rushpeak.svg  (two rush hour trains, peak direction)
   J   NYCS-SSI-alltimes.svg (all times)
   M   NYCS-SSI-allexceptnights.svg (all times except late nights)
   Z   NYCS-SSI-rushpeak.svg (rush hours, peak direction)
TransitAiga bus trans.svg NYCT Bus: M9, M14A SBS (announced as M14 SBS on trains), B39
StructureUnderground
Levels2
Other information
OpenedJuly 1, 1948;77 years ago (1948-07-01)
Accessible not ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Traffic
20247,079,160 [2] Decrease2.svg 0.1%
Rank31 out of 423 [2]
Location
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Street map

Delancey Street/Essex Street station

Station service legend
SymbolDescription
NYCS-SSI-alltimes.svg Stops all times
NYCS-SSI-allexceptnights.svg Stops all times except late nights
NYCS-SSI-rushpeak.svg Stops rush hours in the peak direction only

The Delancey Street/Essex Street station is a station complex shared by the BMT Nassau Street Line and the IND Sixth Avenue Lines of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Essex and Delancey Streets on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, just west of the Williamsburg Bridge. It is served by the F and J trains at all times, the M train at all times except late nights, and the Z skip-stop and <F> trains during rush hours in the peak direction. It is the western terminus for weekend M trains.

Contents

In addition to the two track levels—the BMT platforms are on the upper level, and the IND platforms are on the lower—an intermediate mezzanine built for the IND platforms provides the passenger connection between the two lines. As the BMT and the IND were originally separate systems, the transfer passageway was not within fare control until July 1, 1948.[ citation needed ] The full-time entrance is on the north side of Delancey Street, on either side of Essex Street.

Station layout

GroundStreet levelExit and entrance
Basement 1North mezzanineFare control
Side platform
Westbound [note 1] NYCS-bull-trans-J-Std.svg toward Broad Street (Bowery)
NYCS-bull-trans-M-Std.svg weekdays toward Forest Hills–71st Avenue (Broadway–Lafayette Street)
NYCS-bull-trans-Z-Std.svg AM rush toward Broad Street (Bowery)
Center track [note 1] NYCS-bull-trans-J-Std.svg weekdays/late nights toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Marcy Avenue)
NYCS-bull-trans-Z-Std.svg PM rush toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Marcy Avenue)
NYCS-bull-trans-M-Std.svg weekends toward Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue (Marcy Avenue)
Island platform
Eastbound [note 1] NYCS-bull-trans-J-Std.svg weekends toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Marcy Avenue)
NYCS-bull-trans-M-Std.svg weekdays toward Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue (Marcy Avenue)
Trolley trackwaysEmergency exit, former trackbed, proposed Lowline
Basement 2South mezzanineFare control, exits/entrances
Basement 3 Side platform
Northbound NYCS-bull-trans-F-Std.svg NYCS-bull-trans-Fd-Std.svg toward Jamaica–179th Street (Second Avenue)
Southbound NYCS-bull-trans-F-Std.svg NYCS-bull-trans-Fd-Std.svg toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (East Broadway)
Side platform

Since June 2010, both the F and the M operate local along the Sixth Avenue Line north of the Delancey Street/Essex Street station. This resulted in many riders waiting in the stairwells connecting the Sixth Avenue Line's lower-level northbound platform, where the F stops, and the Nassau Street Line's upper-level southbound platform, where the M stops before merging onto the Sixth Avenue Line northbound. This phenomenon did not occur in other stations where two services have separate platforms before merging into the same direction, such as 50th Street–Eighth Avenue. [3] In 2017, the MTA installed train-arrival "countdown clocks" across the New York City Subway system, which show how much time will elapse until the next train arrives on each respective platform. [4]

The MTA announced in 2019 that the Delancey Street/Essex Street station would become ADA-accessible as part of the agency's 2020–2024 Capital Program. [5] The accessibility project was to be funded by congestion pricing in New York City, but it was postponed in June 2024 after the implementation of congestion pricing was delayed. [6] [7] In April 2025, the state government announced that, as part of the construction of a housing development on the site of the former Essex Street Market, elevators would be installed at the station. [8] [9] These will include an elevator entrance from the northeast corner of Essex and Delancey Streets, as well as three elevators within fare control. [9] Also in April 2025, the MTA announced plans to install taller fare gates with glass panels at 20 stations, including the Delancey Street/Essex Street station. The fare gates would be manufactured by Cubic Transportation Systems, Conduent, Scheidt & Bachmann, and STraffic as part of a pilot program to reduce fare evasion. [10] [11]

Exits

Exit location [12] Number of exits
NW corner of Delancey Street and Essex Street1 stair
SW corner of Delancey Street and Essex Street1 stair
NE corner of Delancey Street and Essex Street1 stair
1 HEET
SE corner of Delancey Street and Essex Street1 stair
1 HEET
NW corner of Delancey Street and Norfolk Street1 stair
NE corner of Delancey Street and Norfolk Street1 stair

Both the IND and the BMT stations have additional closed exits. The IND station had four additional exits; two were at both the north end of the station at Rivington Street and the other two were at the south end at Broome Street. Two of the staircases were sealed on street level, but metal trapdoors block the other two. A former exit to the southeastern corner of Rivington Street and Essex Street, adjacent to the rear of the Essex Street Market building, remains as a northern emergency exit, and a former exit to the southeastern corner of Broome Street and Essex Street similarly remains as a southern emergency exit.

As part of the construction of the nearby Essex Crossing development, Site 9, which is located at 120 Essex Street (between Rivington and Delancey Streets), there is an easement for a future elevator entrance. [13]

BMT Nassau Street Line platforms

 Essex Street
  NYCS-bull-trans-J-Std.svg NYCS-bull-trans-M-Std.svg NYCS-bull-trans-Z-Std.svg
Essex Street BMT 9198.JPG
Westbound platform
Station statistics
Division B (BMT) [1]
Line BMT Nassau Street Line
Services    J   NYCS-SSI-alltimes.svg (all times)
   M   NYCS-SSI-allexceptnights.svg (all times except late nights)
   Z   NYCS-SSI-rushpeak.svg (rush hours, peak direction)
Platforms1 island platform
cross-platform interchange (eastbound only)
1 side platform
Tracks3
Other information
OpenedSeptember 16, 1908;116 years ago (1908-09-16) [14]
Accessible not ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Opposite-
direction
transfer
Yes
Former/other namesDelancey Street
Services
Preceding station MTA NYC logo.svg New York City Subway Following station
Bowery
J   NYCS-SSI-alltimes.svg Z   NYCS-SSI-rushpeak.svg
toward Broad Street
NYCS-bull-trans-J-Std.svg NYCS-bull-trans-Z-Std.svg Marcy Avenue
J   NYCS-SSI-alltimes.svg M   NYCS-SSI-allexceptnights.svg Z   NYCS-SSI-rushpeak.svg
eastbound
Broadway–Lafayette Street
M   NYCS-SSI-weekdaysonly.svg
NYCS-bull-trans-M-Std.svg
Local
Track layout

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Trolley Terminal
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Essex Street
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to Bowery
Station service legend
SymbolDescription
NYCS-SSI-alltimes.svg Stops all times
NYCS-SSI-allexceptnights.svg Stops all times except late nights
NYCS-SSI-weekendsonly.svg Stops weekends during the day
NYCS-SSI-weekdaysonly.svg Stops weekdays during the day
NYCS-SSI-rushpeak.svg Stops rush hours in the peak direction only

The Essex Street station (announced as Delancey Street–Essex Street) on the BMT Nassau Street Line has three tracks, one side platform, and one island platform. The island platform, which consists of two tracks and allows for cross-platform interchange, is used by trains heading east toward the Williamsburg Bridge. The side platform, which consists of one track, is used by trains heading west from the bridge. The station is served by the J at all times, the M except at night and the Z only during rush hours in the peak direction. The next stop to the east (heading towards Brooklyn and Queens) is Marcy Avenue for all service. The next stop to the west is Bowery for J and Z trains heading downtown and Broadway–Lafayette Street for M trains heading uptown.

The middle track was formerly the peak-direction express track. Currently, it is used by outbound J and Z trains heading east towards the Williamsburg Bridge except on weekdays during the late evening and on weekends during the day, when it short turns M trains from Metropolitan Avenue.

After a 2004 reconfiguration, the former northbound local track south of this station was taken out of regular service. It was only used for occasional reroutes from Chambers Street until 2010. The Chrystie Street Connection between Broadway–Lafayette Street and Essex Street was not used for regular revenue service from 1976 to 2010. On June 28, 2010, with the re-routing of M trains to the IND Sixth Avenue Line and IND Queens Boulevard Line, the connection again saw regular use for those aforementioned trains only.

This station is a bottleneck for eastbound trains, which can be delayed momentarily at this station because the island platform’s two eastbound tracks merge into one upon leaving the station and before crossing the Williamsburg Bridge.

History

Williamsburg Bridge and Delancey Street, 1919. Kiosks in the center go down to the underground trolley terminal; larger one to the left goes to the subway. Foreground: waiting areas for Manhattan streetcars Essex street trolley terminal.gif
Williamsburg Bridge and Delancey Street, 1919. Kiosks in the center go down to the underground trolley terminal; larger one to the left goes to the subway. Foreground: waiting areas for Manhattan streetcars
The Essex Street station during its construction The Street railway journal (1908) (14573701189).jpg
The Essex Street station during its construction

Next to the Brooklyn-bound local track is the closed Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Terminal, which was built along with the subway station and opened several months earlier. The terminal consisted of eight turning loops with low-level platforms which were used for trolley service from 1908 to 1948 that traveled over the Williamsburg Bridge to different parts of Brooklyn. [15] [16] [17]

The underground terminal for the subway adjacent to the trolley terminal opened on September 16, 1908. The station initially contained only two tracks which ended at the west end of the station. It also had an additional southern side platform adjacent to the trolley terminal, with the station organized in a Spanish solution. [15] The station was rebuilt for through service from 1911 to 1913 for the Centre Street Subway to extend to Chambers Street. The station's platforms originally could only fit six 67-foot-long (20 m) cars. In April 1926, the New York City Board of Transportation (BOT) received bids for the lengthening of platforms at three stations on the Centre Street Loop, including the Essex Street station, to accommodate eight-car trains. [18] The New York City Board of Estimate approved funds for the project in July 1926, [19] and the extensions were completed in 1927, bringing the length of the platforms to 535 feet (163 m). [20] [21]

The remaining portion of the subway line is configured with four tracks; however, the Essex Street station accommodates only three tracks and two platforms. There exists a provision for an additional fourth track to traverse through the trolley terminal area and integrate with the subway infrastructure west of the trolley terminal, contingent upon the future requirement for a four-track subway station. Historically, the elevated train service has been remarkably intensive, paralleled by high patronage of the trolley service, thereby precluding any proposals for expansion. A potential expansion would have entailed the addition of a second side platform to the south of the southernmost track, abutting the trolley terminal. This expansion would necessitate the demolition of the existing island platform to facilitate the construction of the fourth track; alternatively, the fourth track could be constructed adjacent to the southernmost track, resulting in a station layout featuring two side platforms and one island platform, analogous to the IRT platforms at Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center.

After streetcar service ended in 1948, the former track area on the south side of the bridge was rebuilt into auto lanes with a new ramp from street level closing off the former downhill ramp to the trolley terminal. [22] [23] The trolley terminal itself, however, was left vacant, and small portions were converted to storerooms and an emergency exit to the southern corners of Norfolk Street and Delancey Street. [24] The vacant space was the proposed location of the LowLine, a planned underground park, but after fundraising proved unsuccessful, the project was indefinitely postponed in February 2020. [25] Prior to 1913, the BMT station was also known as Delancey Street.

IND Sixth Avenue Line platforms

 Delancey Street
  NYCS-bull-trans-F-Std.svg NYCS-bull-trans-Fd-Std.svg
IND Sixth Delancey Street.jpg
View of northbound platform
Station statistics
Division B (IND) [1]
Line IND Sixth Avenue Line
Services    F   NYCS-SSI-alltimes.svg (all times) <F> NYCS-SSI-rushpeak.svg  (two rush hour trains, peak direction)
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Other information
OpenedJanuary 1, 1936;89 years ago (1936-01-01)
Accessible not ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Opposite-
direction
transfer
Yes
Services
Preceding station MTA NYC logo.svg New York City Subway Following station
Second Avenue
F   NYCS-SSI-alltimes.svg <F> NYCS-SSI-rushpeak.svg
NYCS-bull-trans-F-Std.svg NYCS-bull-trans-Fd-Std.svg
Local
East Broadway
F   NYCS-SSI-alltimes.svg <F> NYCS-SSI-rushpeak.svg
Track layout

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Station service legend
SymbolDescription
NYCS-SSI-alltimes.svg Stops all times
NYCS-SSI-rushpeak.svg Stops rush hours in the peak direction only (limited service)

The Delancey Street station (also announced as Delancey Street–Essex Street) on the IND Sixth Avenue Line has two tracks and two side platforms. The station is served by the F at all times and is between Second Avenue to the north and East Broadway to the south.

The station has a part-time booth on the south side of Delancey Street and has two street staircases. Crossovers connect both platforms to the BMT platforms, which are above and perpendicular to the IND platforms. Both platforms have a renovated medium Parma violet trim line with a black border, as well as renovated tile captions in a different font, spaced farther apart, and far lower on the wall than the originals. Only the original mosaic name tablets remain, which read "DELANCEY ST." in white sans-serif lettering on a dark Parma violet background and medium Parma violet border. The southbound platform is lined with indigo I-beam columns, while the northbound platform has tiled columns, both having the standard black station name plate with white lettering every other columns. In a departure from the norm of recent restorations, northbound platform columns that don't have the station name plate feature a large "D" composed of four tiles.

The station formerly had two mezzanine areas, split by the BMT station. Twelve staircases, six on each platform, led to the mezzanine. Most were removed; only the stairs at the extreme north end and the extreme south end of both platforms remain as stairways to emergency exits and storage space.

There are two large wall-sized pieces of artwork, one on each wall where the staircase exits and transfers are located. The artist for both glass mosaics is Ming Fay (2004). The artwork on the downtown side is titled Shad Crossing and details two giant shad fish swimming, along with another wall mosaic of blue waters. In the late 19th century, shad were found along the Hudson River when new immigrants came to New York, many of whom settled on the Lower East Side. The new staircase to the relocated full-time booth also has another painting of a shad wrapped around the bottom of the stairs.

The uptown platform is titled Delancey Orchard and has a cherry orchard tree mosaic, which symbolized the tree owned by the Delancey family in the 18th century. Miniature versions appear along all staircases leading from the Delancey Street platforms to either fare control.

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 The railroad direction here is a wrong-way concurrency between the JandZtrains and the Mtrain.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "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. 1 2 "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  3. Flegenheimer, Matt (December 27, 2012). "A Rare Choreography for Riders Caught Between an F and an M". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  4. Nonko, Emily (January 2, 2018). "After 11 years, every NYC subway station finally has countdown clocks". Curbed NY. Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  5. "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.
  6. Collins, Keith (July 11, 2024). "See How Your Subway Service May Suffer Without Congestion Pricing". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  7. Spivack, Caroline (June 26, 2024). "Congestion pricing pause leads to 'catastrophic' cuts. Here's what's at risk". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  8. Davenport, Emily (April 4, 2025). "MTA to upgrade Lower East Side's Delancey St–Essex St Station with accessible updates, housing project". amNewYork. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Congestion Relief Zone revenues to fund MTA Delancey St-Essex St. Station Complex accessibility and TOD projects". Mass Transit. April 8, 2025. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  10. "NYC fare evasion: MTA to test four different modern gates for subway system in New York City". ABC7 New York. April 28, 2025. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  11. Simko-Bednarski, Evan (April 28, 2025). "NYC to get new subway turnstiles at 20 stations by year's end: MTA". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  12. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Lower East Side" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 24, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  13. "Squadron Requests Timeline For New Escalator, Elevator at Delancey Street Station". The Lo-Down : News from the Lower East Side. February 1, 2017. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  14. The New York Times , Mayor Runs a Train Over New Bridge Archived October 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine , September 17, 1908, page 16
  15. 1 2 "Underground Bridge Terminal in New York for Brooklyn Surface and "L" Lines". Street Railway Journal. 31 (15): 592–596. April 11, 1908. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  16. "WillB.newphoto.jpg". Archived from the original on June 25, 2010.
  17. "Mayor Drives Trolley Car: He Inaugurates the Service Across Williamsburg Bridge Into Subway" (PDF). The New York Times . May 19, 1908. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 26, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  18. "To Lengthen Subway Stations". The New York Times. April 11, 1926. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  19. "Broadway Merchants Get Transit Report". The Standard Union. July 22, 1926. p. 4. Retrieved May 12, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  20. "B.M.T. to Operate Eight-car Trains; Platforms in Forty Stations Are Lengthened, Increasing Capacity 33 1-3%". The New York Times. August 2, 1927. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  21. "B. M, T. Station Lengthening Is Nearly Finished: 76 Platforms Are Extended 3,186 Feet to Make Room for 126.000 Additional Passengers in Rush Hours City Carried Out Work I.R.T. Changes Planned, but That Company Refuses to Pay Its Share of Costs". New-York Tribune. August 2, 1927. p. 32. ISSN   1941-0646. ProQuest   1113704092.
  22. "Buses Take Over Williamsburg Run: Trolleys End Bridge Service-Old Underground Station No Longer in Use" (PDF). The New York Times . December 6, 1948. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  23. "Williamsburg Bridge Trolleys Bow to Buses After 44 Years". Brooklyn Daily Eagle . December 5, 1948. p. 5. Archived from the original on January 15, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2016 via Newspapers.com.
  24. "Showing Image 2159". Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  25. "The Low Line Gets Real at Essex Street Market". thelodownny.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Essex St Trolley Terminal, Metropolitan Transportation Authority; November 23, 2011; 4:15 YouTube video clip

Subway station:

Trolley terminal: