Kings Highway station (IND Culver Line)

This article is about the New York City Subway station in Brooklyn at McDonald Avenue. For other stations of the same name, see Kings Highway (New York City Subway).

Kings Highway   ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Northbound platform
Station statistics
Address	Kings Highway & McDonald Avenue Brooklyn, NY
Borough	Brooklyn
Locale	Gravesend
Coordinates	40°36′11.47″N73°58′20.44″W / 40.6031861°N 73.9723444°W / 40.6031861; -73.9723444
Division	B (IND, formerly BMT) [1]
Line	IND Culver Line BMT Culver Line (formerly)
Services	F   (all times) <F>  (two rush hour trains, peak direction)​
Transit	NYCT Bus: B82, B82 SBS
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	3
Other information
Opened	March 16, 1919(105 years ago) (1919-03-16) [2]
Accessible	not ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2023	711,229 [3]   11.6%
Rank	349 out of 423 [3]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Avenue P F   <F> ​ toward Jamaica–179th Street Local Avenue U F   <F> ​ toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue
Non-revenue services and lines Preceding station New York City Subway Following station 18th Avenue express no service Neptune Avenue express
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to 18th Avenue to Avenue P to Avenue U to Avenue X
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops rush hours only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only (limited service) Stops weekdays and weekday late nights

The Kings Highway station is an express station on the IND Culver Line of the New York City Subway, located at Kings Highway and McDonald Avenue in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn. The station is served by the F train at all times and the <F> train during rush hours in the peak direction.

History

This station opened at 3:00 a.m. on March 16, 1919, as part of the opening of the first section of the BMT Culver Line. The initial section began at the Ninth Avenue station and ended at the Kings Highway station. ^{[2] [4]} The line was operated as a branch of the Fifth Avenue Elevated line, with a free transfer at Ninth Avenue to the West End Line into the Fourth Avenue Subway. The opening of the line resulted in reduced travel times between Manhattan and Kings Highway. Construction on the line began in 1915, and cost a total of $3.3 million. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8]} Trains from this station began using the Fourth Avenue Subway to the Nassau Street Loop in Lower Manhattan when that line opened on May 30, 1931. ^[9] The Fifth Avenue Elevated was closed on May 31, 1940, and elevated service ceased stopping here. ^{[10] [11]} On October 30, 1954, ^{[10] [12]} the connection between the IND South Brooklyn Line at Church Avenue and the BMT Culver Line at Ditmas Avenue opened. With the connection completed, all service at the stations on the former BMT Culver Line south of Ditmas Avenue, including this one, were from then on served by IND trains. ^[13]

From June 1969 ^[14] to 1987, express service on the elevated portion of the line from Church Avenue to Kings Highway operated in the peak direction (to Manhattan AM; to Brooklyn PM), with some F trains running local and some running express. During this time period, this station was used as an express station. ^{[15] [16]} Express service ended in 1987, largely due to budget constraints and complaints from passengers at local stations. Express service on the elevated Culver Line was ended due to necessary structural work, but never restored. ^{[15] [16] [17]}

From June 7, 2016, to May 1, 2017, the southbound platform at this station was closed for renovations. ^[18] The Manhattan-bound platform was closed for a longer period of time, from May 22, 2017, until July 30, 2018. ^{[19] [20]} In 2019, as part of an initiative to increase the accessibility of the New York City Subway system, the MTA announced that it would install elevators at the Kings Highway station as part of the MTA's 2020–2024 Capital Program. ^[21] In November 2022, the MTA announced that it would award a $965 million contract for the installation of 21 elevators across eight stations, ^[22] including Kings Highway. ^{[23] [24] : 81} A joint venture of ASTM and Halmar International would construct the elevators under a public-private partnership. ^{[23] [24] : 80}

Station layout

P Platform level	Northbound local	← toward Jamaica–179th Street (Avenue P)
	Island platform
	Peak-direction express	← toward Jamaica–179th Street (select rush-hour trips) (Avenue P) → termination track (select rush hour trips) → →(No express service: 18th Avenue or Neptune Avenue)
	Island platform
	Southbound local	→ toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (Avenue U) →
M	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent, MetroCard machines
G	Street level	Entrances/exits

Southwest stair at Avenue S

The station has three tracks and two island platforms. ^[16] Each platform contains a green canopy with black roofs that run for the entire length except near the north ends, where a control tower is present on the Coney Island-bound platform.

Trains going to Coney Island (southbound) or Manhattan and Queens (northbound) use the local tracks. The center express track is normally used only during rush hours to short turn trains not going to Stillwell Avenue. There are platform signs informing riders that some rush hour 179th Street-bound trains are available from the center track. ^[16]

There are no express stations south of this station. Instead, the center track offers the option of switching to either local tracks. Diamond crossover switches exist between the center and southbound tracks at both ends of the station. Switches exist at both ends of the station allowing northbound trains to switch from the express track to the northbound local track. Additional switches exist between Avenue U and Avenue X (one each from the center track to the northbound and southbound tracks), and south of Avenue X merging into the southbound local track and the yard leads towards the Coney Island Yard. ^[16]

The current track configurations allow trains to terminate and reverse at Kings Highway; however, from 1990 to September 2020, the previous configuration did not allow northbound local trains from Coney Island to run express north of Kings Highway without skipping Avenue U. Switches originally existed, ^{[16] [25]} but were removed during track rehabilitation projects in the 1990s ^[16] before being replaced in September 2020 as part of CBTC installation on the Culver Line. ^{[26] : 41}

Exits

This station has two entrances with the primary one at the northern end. From each platform, a single staircase goes down to an elevated station-house beneath the tracks. Inside is a token booth and regular turnstile bank. Outside fare control, two staircases go down to either southern corner of McDonald Avenue and Kings Highway. ^[27]

An un-staffed entrance is at the south end of the station. From each platform, a single staircase goes down to an elevated station-house beneath the tracks. Inside are two HEET turnstiles. Outside of fare control, two staircases go down to either northern corner of McDonald Avenue and Avenue S. ^[27]

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. Legislative Documents. J.B. Lyon Company. January 1, 1920.
3. "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
4. Eisenstadt, Peter R.; Moss, Laura-Eve (January 1, 2005). The Encyclopedia of New York State. Syracuse University Press. ISBN   9780815608080.
5. "B.R.T. Will Open Culver Line Elevated Road as Far as Kings Highway on Sunday Next" (PDF). The New York Times . March 9, 1919. p. 23. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
6. "Culver Line Open Today" (PDF). The New York Times . March 16, 1919. p. 8. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
7. Kracke, Frederick J.H. (March 16, 1919). "New Rapid Transit Link in Operation". The New York Times . p. 106. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
8. "Culver Elevated Opens". The New York Times . March 17, 1919. p. 21. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
9. "Nassau St. Service Outlined by B. M. T." The New York Times . May 21, 1931. p. 29. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
10. Chiasson, George (May 2010). "A History of the F (and V) Train Service". New York Division Bulletin. 53 (5). Electric Railroaders' Association: 1, 4.
11. "Last Train is Run on Fulton St. 'El'". The New York Times . June 1, 1940. p. 11. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
12. NYCTA - Pass for Culver Line Ceremonies - 1954, April 14, 2015, retrieved July 30, 2020
13. "Adequate Transit Promised for City". The New York Times . October 29, 1954. p. 25. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
14. "'F' Line Rush-Hour Service Will Be Added in Brooklyn" (PDF). The New York Times . June 8, 1969. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
15. Review of F Line Operations, Ridership, and Infrastructure (PDF). nysenate.gov (Report). MTA New York City Transit Authority. October 7, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 31, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
16. Feasibility and Analysis of F Express Service in Brooklyn (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Report). May 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
17. Geberer, Raanan (March 6, 2013). "Light at End of Tunnel: F Train Express may return". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Archived from the original on March 27, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
18. "Coney Island-bound F subway trains will not stop at Avenue I, Bay Pkwy, Avenue N, Avenue P, Avenue U, and Avenue X until early 2017". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2016. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
19. "New York City Subway Map" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 1, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 10, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
20. "$140 Million Culver F subway Line Station Renewal Project Begins Next Phase". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
21. "MTA Announces 20 Additional Subway Stations to Receive Accessibility Improvements Under Proposed 2020-2024 Capital Plan". Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Press release). New York City. December 19, 2019. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
22. Nessen, Stephen (November 28, 2022). "MTA to spend more than $1B on accessibility upgrades". Gothamist. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
23. Brachfeld, Ben (November 29, 2022). "MTA to spend $1 billion on subway, commuter rail accessibility upgrades". amNewYork. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
24. "Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting November 2022". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. November 29, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
25. Linder, Bernard; Erlitz, Jeffrey (September 2000). "Culver Line Track Plans". New York Division Bulletin. 43 (9). Electric Railroader's Association: 3. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
26. Dougherty, Peter (2020). Tracks of the NYC Subway 2021 Edition.
27. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Midwood" (PDF). mta.info . Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.

External links

• nycsubway.org – BMT Culver Line: Kings Highway
• Station Reporter — F Train
• The Subway Nut — Kings Highway Pictures
• Kings Highway entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Avenue S entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View (During 2016-2018 Renovation)