116th Street station (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)

For other uses, see 116th Street.

116 Street   ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Station statistics
Address	East 116th Street & Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10035 [1]
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	East Harlem
Coordinates	40°47′55″N73°56′31″W / 40.798607°N 73.942022°W / 40.798607; -73.942022
Division	A (IRT) [2]
Line	IRT Lexington Avenue Line
Services	4   (late nights) ​   6   (all times) <6>  (weekdays until 8:45 p.m., peak direction)
Transit	NYCT Bus: M98, M101, M102, M103, M116 [3]
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	July 17, 1918(105 years ago) (1918-07-17) [4]
Opposite- direction transfer	No
Traffic
2022	2,794,564 [5]   19.3%
Rank	102 out of 423 [5]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station 125th Street 4   ​ 6   <6> toward Pelham Bay Park Local 110th Street 4   ​ 6   <6> toward Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall 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 to 125th Street express tracks to 125th Street to 110th Street Upper level Lower level
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops late nights only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only

The 116th Street station is a local station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 116th Street in East Harlem, it is served by the 6 train at all times, the <6> train during weekdays in the peak direction, and the 4 train during late nights.

This station was constructed as part of the Dual Contracts by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and opened in 1918. It was renovated in 2003.

History

Construction and opening

Station name in mosaics

Following the completion of the original subway, there were plans to construct a line along Manhattan's east side north of 42nd Street. The original plan for what became the extension north of 42nd Street was to continue it south through Irving Place and into what is now the BMT Broadway Line at Ninth Street and Broadway. In July 1911, the IRT had withdrawn from the talks, and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) was to operate on Lexington Avenue. The IRT submitted an offer for what became its portion of the Dual Contracts on February 27, 1912. ^{[6] [7]}

In 1913, as part of the Dual Contracts, which were signed on March 19, 1913, ^[8] the Public Service Commission planned to split the original Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) system from looking like a "Z" system (as seen on a map) to an H-shaped system. The original system would be split into three segments: two north–south lines, carrying through trains over the Lexington Avenue and Broadway–Seventh Avenue Lines, and a west–east shuttle under 42nd Street. This would form a roughly H-shaped system. ^{[9] [10]} It was predicted that the subway extension would lead to the growth of the Upper East Side and the Bronx. ^{[11] [12]}

The 116th Street station opened on July 17, 1918, with service initially running between Grand Central–42nd Street and 167th Street via the line's local tracks. ^{[4] [13]} On August 1, the "H system" was put into place, with through service beginning on the new east and west side trunk lines, and the institution of the 42nd Street Shuttle along the old connection between the sides. ^{[14] [15]} The cost of the extension from Grand Central was $58 million. ^[16]

Later years

The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940. ^{[17] [18]}

This station was renovated in 2003, along with the 77th Street and 86th Street stations on the Lexington Avenue Line. As part of the project, structural deficiencies were repaired, signage and lighting were enhanced, electrical service was upgraded, station facilities were rehabilitated, new fare arrays and a new token booth were installed, and portions of the station were upgraded to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. In addition, visual clutter was eliminated, and artwork was installed. The contract for the station renovation project, which was expected to take two year, was expected to be advertised in October 2000. ^[19] The contract for these three stations was awarded in October 2001, and the projects were done in-house. The cost of the work at 116th Street station was $15.5 million, of which $12.3 million came from the Federal government. ^[20]

Station layout

A view of the station platforms

Ground	Street level	Exit/entrance
Platform level	Side platform
	Northbound local	← toward Pelham Bay Park or Parkchester (125th Street) ← toward Woodlawn late nights (125th Street)
	Southbound local	→ toward Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall (110th Street) → → toward New Lots Avenue late nights (110th Street) →
	Side platform
Express tracks [21]	Northbound express	← do not stop here
	Southbound express	→ do not stop here →

This underground station has two tracks and two side platforms, and serves local trains only. The two express tracks pass underneath on a lower level and are not visible from the platforms. ^[22] The 6 stops here at all times, and the 4 stops here during late nights. ^{[23] [24]} The station is between 125th Street to the north and 110th Street to the south. ^[25]

Fare control is at platform level, and no crossover or crossunder is provided. ^{[26] [27]} The station has standard IRT number and station name tiles. Both platforms have emergency exits from the lower level express tracks.

Exits

This station has staircases that lead out to the four corners of the intersection of 116th Street and Lexington Avenue. Staircases on the western corners serve the southbound platform, while those on the eastern corners serve the northbound platform. ^[28]

References

1. "Borough of Manhattan, New York City". Government of New York City. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
2. "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.
3. "Manhattan Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
4. "Lexington Av. Line to be Opened Today" (PDF). The New York Times. July 17, 1918. p. 13. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
5. "Annual Subway Ridership (2017–2022)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
6. Walker, James Blaine (1918). Fifty Years of Rapid Transit — 1864 to 1917. New York, N.Y.: Law Printing. pp.  230–233. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
7. "Petition for Subway in Lexington Ave". The New York Times. May 22, 1912. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2009. A petition is being circulated among the residents and property owners of the section just south of the Grand Central Station, in Park and Lexington Avenues, protesting against the proposed abandonment of the construction of the Subway in Lexington Avenue, between Forty-third and Thirty-second Streets.
8. "Subway Contracts Solemnly Signed; Cheers at the Ceremonial Function When McCall Gets Willcox to Attest" (PDF). The New York Times. March 20, 1913. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
9. "Money Set Aside For New Subways; Board of Estimate Approves City Contracts to be Signed To-day with Interboro and B.R.T." (PDF). The New York Times. March 19, 1913. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 7, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
10. Engineering News-record. McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. 1916. p. 846. Archived from the original on 2022-05-04. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
11. Whitney, Travis H. (March 10, 1918). "The Seventh and Lexington Avenue Subways Will Revive Dormant Sections — Change in Operation That Will Transform Original Four-Tracked Subway Into Two Four-Tracked Systems and Double Present Capacity of the Interborough". The New York Times. p. 12. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
12. "Public Service Commission Fixes July 15 For Opening of The New Seventh and Lexington Avenue Subway Lines — Will Afford Better Service and Less Crowding — Shuttle Service for Forty-Second Street — How the Various Lines of the Dual System Are Grouped for Operation and List of Stations on All Lines". The New York Times. May 19, 1918. p. 32. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
13. "Lexington Subway to Operate To-day". New York Herald. 1918-07-17. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
14. "Open New Subway Lines to Traffic; Called a Triumph — Great H System Put in Operation Marks an Era in Railroad Construction — No Hitch in the Plans — But Public Gropes Blindly to Find the Way in Maze of New Stations — Thousands Go Astray — Leaders in City's Life Hail Accomplishment of Great Task at Meeting at the Astor". The New York Times. August 2, 1918. p. 1. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
15. "New "H" System Brings Worst Subway Jam". New-York Tribune. 1918-08-02. pp. 1, 6 . Retrieved 2023-05-30.
16. "Finish a New Link of the Dual Subway; Lexington Avenue Line North of Forty-second Street to Begin Local Service Wednesday. Branch Extends to Bronx Through service, with Times SquareGrand Central Shuttle Connections, to Open Soon. Changes in the Bronx". The New York Times. July 11, 1918. p. 20. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
17. "City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign". The New York Times. 1940-06-13. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
18. "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.
19. "Forecast of MTA Capital Program Contracts July - December 2000". mta.nyc.ny.us. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 2000. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
20. "Contract Capers: Excess Costs and Politics in MTA Contracting" (PDF). ppfeny.org. Public Policy and Education Fund of New York. December 12, 2002. pp. 11, 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-02-07. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
21. Station Reporter — 6 Train
22. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC   49777633 – via Google Books.
23. "4Subway Timetable, Effective December 4, 2022". Metropolitan Transportation Authority . Retrieved August 26, 2023.
24. "6Subway Timetable, Effective August 12, 2023". Metropolitan Transportation Authority . Retrieved August 26, 2023.
25. "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
26. Cox, Jeremiah (June 10, 2011). "The exit on the uptown side". subwaynut.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
27. Cox, Jeremiah (June 10, 2011). "Approaching the downtown turnstiles". subwaynut.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
28. "116th Street Neighborhood Map". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 2018. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2020.

External links

• nycsubway.org – IRT East Side Line: 116th Street
• nycsubway.org — In Everything There is a Season Artwork by Robert Blackburn (2005)
• Station Reporter — 4 Train
• Station Reporter — 6 Train
• MTA's Arts For Transit — 116th Street (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)
• 116th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View