Gun Hill Road station (IRT White Plains Road Line) explained

Gun Hill Road station (IRT White Plains Road Line) should not be confused with Gun Hill Road (IRT Dyre Avenue Line).

Gun Hill Road
Address:East Gun Hill Road & White Plains Road
Bronx, NY
Borough:The Bronx
Locale:Williamsbridge, Allerton
Coordinates:40.877°N -73.867°W
Division:IRT
Line:IRT White Plains Road Line
IRT Third Avenue Line (formerly)
Service:White Plains north
Levels:2 (lower level abandoned)
Platforms:2 island platforms
cross-platform interchange
Tracks:3
Structure:Elevated
Accessible:yes
Open Date: (upper level)
(lower level)
Close Date: (lower level)

The Gun Hill Road station is an express station on the IRT White Plains Road Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Gun Hill and White Plains Roads in the Williamsbridge neighborhood of the Bronx,[1] it is served by the 2 train at all times and by the 5 train during rush hours in the peak direction; limited a.m. rush hour 5 trains from Manhattan also terminate at this station in the northbound direction only.

History

This station was built under the Dual Contracts. It opened on March 3, 1917, as part of an extension of the IRT White Plains Road Line from East 177th Street–East Tremont Avenue to East 219th Street–White Plains Road, providing the Bronx communities of Williamsbridge and Wakefield with access to rapid transit service. Service on the new portion of the line was operated as a four-car shuttle from 177th Street due to the power conditions at the time.[2] [3] [4]

The lower level was used by the IRT Third Avenue Line from October 4, 1920,[5] until the line's abandonment on April 29, 1973.[6]

The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940.[7] [8] The station was renovated in 2007 at a cost of $31.68 million.[9]

Station layout

P
Platform level
Northbound local← toward
← PM rush toward (219th Street)
Island platform
Peak-direction express← termination track (select AM rush hour trips)
(No express service between Wakefield–241st Street and)
Island platform
Southbound local toward via Seventh
AM rush toward Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College via Lexington (Burke Avenue)
MMezzanineFare control, station agent, former Third Avenue El platform
GStreet levelExit/entrance

The station was designed as a bi-level station. The upper level has three tracks and two island platforms, while the lower level had two tracks and one wide island platform. North of the station, the lower level tracks rose and joined, making a five track line for a short distance. From west to east, they were as follows: White Plains Road Line southbound local, Third Avenue Line southbound, White Plains Road Line center express, Third Avenue Line northbound, White Plains Road Line northbound local.

Exit

The station's only exit is at a street-level station house at the north side of Gun Hill Road in the median of White Plains Road. The mid-2000s refurbishment removed the Third Avenue el level and upgraded the station with the new station house at street level. The original station house was one short block north at East 211th Street. New escalators and elevators now make this station ADA-accessible.[10]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Neighborhood Map Pelham Parkway Olinville Pelham Gardens Morris Park. 2015. mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 2, 2016.
  2. Web site: Annual report. 1916-1917.. 2013-12-12. HathiTrust. Interborough Rapid Transit Company. 2027/mdp.39015016416920?urlappend=%3Bseq=23. 2016-09-05.
  3. News: New Subway Line Opened: White Plains Extension is Now Running to 238th Street. April 1, 1917. The New York Times. 17 August 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200324124611/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1917/04/01/102326919.pdf. March 24, 2020. 0362-4331.
  4. News: White Plains Road Extension of Subway Opened to the Public; New Branch, Which Runs from 177th to 219th Street, Gives the Williamsbridge and Wakefield Sections of the East Bronx Rapid Transit for the First Time. March 4, 1917. The New York Times. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200323213459/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1917/03/04/102320289.pdf. March 23, 2020. 0362-4331.
  5. Book: Fischler, Stan . Stan Fischler . The Subway: A Trip Through Time on New York's Rapid Transit . H&M Productions . Flushing, NY . 1997 . 1-882608-19-4 . 245–249.
  6. Web site: Now That El's Gone, Bronx Hub Sees A Brighter Future. Blumenthal. Ralph. August 27, 1977. The New York Times. 24 September 2015.
  7. News: 1940-06-13 . City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-05-14 . 0362-4331 . January 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220107193115/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/06/13/archives/city-transit-unity-is-now-a-reality-title-to-irt-lines-passes-to.html . live .
  8. News: June 13, 1940 . 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 . 25 . New York Herald Tribune . .
  9. MTA 2006 Adopted Budget - February Financial Plan - Part 3. 2006. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 45. March 27, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20190524004440/http://web.mta.info/mta/budget/pdf/adopted06/MTA%202006%20Adopted%20Budget%20-%20February%20Financial%20Plan%20-%20Part%203.pdf. May 24, 2019.
  10. Web site: Gun Hill Road Neighborhood Map. April 2018. new.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. February 28, 2019.