62nd Street/New Utrecht Avenue station explained

62 Street/New Utrecht Avenue
Type:complex
Address:New Utrecht Avenue & 62nd Street
Brooklyn, NY
Division:BMT
Line:BMT Sea Beach Line
BMT West End Line
Accessible:yes
Levels:2
Service:New Utrecht-62nd
Service Header:New Utrecht-62nd header
Connection: NYCT Bus:
Borough:Brooklyn
Locale:Bensonhurst, Borough Park
Coordinates:40.6261°N -73.9979°W

The 62nd Street/New Utrecht Avenue station is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the open-cut BMT Sea Beach Line and the elevated BMT West End Line. It is located at New Utrecht Avenue and 62nd Street in Borough Park and Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, and is served by the D and N trains at all times. During rush hours, several W trains also serve this station.

Prior to the rebuilding of the two current subway lines at this location during the 1910s, this location was known as Bath Junction. Until then, there was a track connection between the lines, primarily to enable Sea Beach trains to and from Coney Island to access West End Line trackage to reach the Brooklyn Bridge and the Park Row Terminal in Lower Manhattan. From 2016 to 2019, the complex underwent an extensive renovation.

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History

Bath Junction

Bath Junction was located near the present site of the station. It took the name as a railroad junction of the New York & Sea Beach Railway (Sea Beach Line) with the Brooklyn, Bath Coney Island Railroad (West End Line). The NY&SB called the station at the junction Bath Junction, while the BB&CI called it Sea Beach Junction. Soon, however, they settled on the common name. Bath Junction was located at grade near the current intersection of New Utrecht Avenue and 62nd Street.

The junction included a switching track connecting the two lines, so that NY&SB trains might reach the Brooklyn Bridge via the BB&CI tracks. Both lines merged with the BMT Culver Line at Ninth Avenue and later the BMT Fifth Avenue Line and BMT Myrtle Avenue Line.

After both lines were rebuilt as rapid transit lines of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, the name "Bath Junction" was dropped. A connector was no longer necessary, as the West End Line was able to reach Manhattan on its own, and was not even realistic to plan, as one line dropped into a cut and the other became elevated. The multi-level station complex was created to allow passenger transfer between the two lines.

Dual Contracts improvements

The West End Line platforms opened on June 24, 1916 along with the first portion of the BMT West End Line from 36th Street on the BMT Fourth Avenue Line to 18th Avenue station.[1] [2] The line was originally a surface excursion railway to Coney Island, called the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad, which was established in 1862, but did not reach Coney Island until 1864.[3] Under the Dual Contracts of 1913, an elevated line was built over New Utrecht Avenue, 86th Street and Stillwell Avenue.[4] [5] [6]

Later history

, the complex had 4,673 paying riders on a typical weekday, equating to 1,503,742 total riders in 2018.

From October 2010 to May 2012, the West End Line station was renovated with two new fare controls, new canopy and platform edges, and repainted side roof and beams.

As part of a renovation project at nine stations along the Sea Beach Line, the Manhattan-bound platform at this Sea Beach Line station was closed from January 18, 2016 to May 22, 2017.[7] [8] [9] The Coney Island-bound platform was closed from July 31, 2017[10] [11] to July 1, 2019.[12]

This entire station complex, along with eight other stations along the Sea Beach Line, underwent a rehabilitation involving the installation of 4 ADA-accessible elevators from 2015 to July 2019. The transfer between the two stations was closed until July 2019 for installation of the elevators; an out-of-system transfer was provided.[13] [14] [15] The project to make the station ADA-accessible was originally proposed to be completed in spring 2019.[16] At one point, construction was expected to continue until October, but the elevators entered service on July 19, 2019.[17] [18]

Station layout

2F
Platform level
Northbound local← toward
Island platform
Peak-direction express No regular service (or)
Island platform
Southbound local toward via West End
1FMezzanineStation agent, MetroCard machines
GStreet levelEntrances/exits
B1
Platform level
Side platform
Northbound local← toward
← toward (select weekday trips) (Fort Hamilton Parkway)
← toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard (select weekday trips) (Fort Hamilton Parkway)
Reversible express No regular service
Center track Trackbed
Southbound local toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via Sea Beach
toward (select weekday trips) (18th Avenue)
Side platform

BMT West End Line platforms

62 Street
Division:BMT
Line:BMT West End Line
Service:West End
Platforms:2 island platforms
cross-platform interchange
Tracks:3 (2 in regular service)
Structure:Elevated
Accessible:yes
Hide Traffic:yes

The 62nd Street station is an express station on the BMT West End Line that has three tracks and two island platforms. The middle express track is only used for re-routings and non-revenue movements.

Exits

There are two fare control areas. The full-time side is at 62nd Street (south end of station) and has the transfer to the BMT Sea Beach Line. The part-time side is at 60th Street (north end).[19] The 60th Street exit is where the famous chase scene in the 1971 film The French Connection ends. This side was renovated and is HEET access for most of the day. A booth formerly existed here, but is now mostly empty space in the station house. New windows and lighting restored this mezzanine to good condition. However, the staircases from the street still have wooden boards. The station-house for the BMT Sea Beach Line used to have a newsstand and two additional doors on the left side.

On the street, the southern station entrance is set back from New Utrecht Avenue. It is to the left when facing the Tomche Shabbos food pantry warehouse; there is a small, fenced-in overgrown area separating them, with a small MTA informational sign on the chain link. The station house is also visible from 62nd Street, but there is a small MTA lot for separating street from station, designated for bus turnarounds, MTA maintenance, and MTA employee parking only. A staircase leads to the second floor of the station house, where a covered, open-air passageway provides access the south ends of the elevated platforms.[19]

BMT Sea Beach Line platforms

New Utrecht Avenue
Division:BMT
Line:BMT Sea Beach Line
Service:Sea Beach local
Service Header:Sea Beach header
Platforms:2 side platforms
Tracks:4 (2 in regular service)
Structure:Open-cut
Accessible:yes
Open Date:[20]
Hide Traffic:yes
Embedded:
Embed:yes
New Utrecht Avenue Station (Dual System BRT)
Added:July 6, 2005
Mpsub:New York City Subway System MPS
Refnum:05000678[21]

The New Utrecht Avenue station on the BMT Sea Beach Line has four tracks and two side platforms. Platform extensions are to the north end of the station and beyond the main staircase. Although most of the station is in an open cut, both ends of both platforms are underneath tunnels. This segment of the station has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2005.[22]

Exits

The north end has two staircases to the full-time booth, where the transfer to the elevated BMT West End Line is available. The south end at 15th Avenue and 63rd Street is HEET access and formerly had a booth.[19] The north end has unusual bricks on the staircase walls, suggesting the staircases were redone when the platform was extended. The original entrance had only one staircase to platform level. After the platform extension, the staircase was redone in a T formation along with the installation of brick walls.

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: June 24, 1916. Parade, Pageant Mark Celebration. 8. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 16, 2015.
  2. News: June 24, 1916. Realty Boom Is Predicted for Borough Park Section. 8. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 16, 2015.
  3. News: June 9, 1864. Opening of the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad. 2. The New York Times. July 28, 2020.
  4. Web site: The Dual System of Rapid Transit. September 1912. March 25, 2014. New York State Public Service Commission.
  5. News: August 3, 1913. 618 Miles of Track In The Dual System; City Will Have Invested $226,000,000 When Rapid Transit Project Is Completed.. The New York Times. April 25, 2018. subscription.
  6. Book: Report of the Public Service Commission For The First District Of The State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1916 Vol. 1. January 10, 1917. 47–49. New York State Public Service Commission. en.
  7. News: Romano. Denise. October 4, 2013. Two elevators coming to the N line during massive rehabilitation. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190110143915/https://brooklynreporter.com/2013/10/two-elevators-coming-to-the-n-line-during-massive-rehabilitation/. January 10, 2019. July 27, 2020. The Brooklyn Reporter. en-US.
    • News: Harshbarger. Rebecca. January 14, 2016. 9 Brooklyn N train stations to shut down for 14 months. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200727083940/https://www.amny.com/transit/n-train-closings-9-brooklyn-station-platforms-close-for-14-months-1-11325586/. July 27, 2020. July 27, 2020. am New York.
    • Web site: N Line Sea Beach - 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160118015523/http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/NLine2016/. January 18, 2016. January 18, 2016. web.mta.info.
    • News: Katinas. Paula. December 18, 2014. Commuter headache: MTA to renovate N train stations. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200727084303/https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2014/12/18/commuter-headache-mta-to-renovate-n-train-stations/. July 27, 2020. January 18, 2016. Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
  8. Web site: New York City Subway Map . May 1, 2017 . mta.info . Metropolitan Transportation Authority . https://web.archive.org/web/20170502011736/http://web.mta.info/nyct/maps/subway_map.pdf . May 2, 2017 . dead . May 2, 2017 .
  9. News: DeJesus. Jaime. May 17, 2017. Manhattan-bound service to return to N stations on Sea Beach Line. The Brooklyn Reporter. live. May 18, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20181027143109/https://brooklynreporter.com/2017/05/manhattan-bound-service-return-n-stations-sea-beach-line/. October 27, 2018.
  10. Manhattan-Bound Service Returns to N Stations on Sea Beach Line. May 17, 2017. mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 26, 2017. New York City, NY. https://web.archive.org/web/20170730064618/http://www.mta.info/press-release/nyc-transit/manhattan-bound-service-returns-n-stations-sea-beach-line. July 30, 2017. live.
  11. Web site: Planned Service Changes for: Monday, July 1, 2019. July 1, 2019. travel.mtanyct.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. https://web.archive.org/web/20190701152409/http://travel.mtanyct.info/serviceadvisory/routeStatusResult.aspx?tag=ALL&date=7%2F1%2F2019&time=&method=getstatus4. July 1, 2019. live. July 1, 2019.
  12. Web site: Two elevators coming to the N line during massive rehabilitation. October 4, 2013. May 24, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140313022820/http://www.homereporternews.com/news/general/two-elevators-coming-to-the-n-line-during-massive-rehabilitation/article_f6bc6a20-2d28-11e3-a283-001a4bcf887a.html. March 13, 2014. dead.
  13. Web site: Transfer passageway will be closed for elevator installation. November 23, 2017. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. November 23, 2017.
  14. Web site: Planned Service Changes for: Monday, November 27, 2017. travel.mtanyct.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. November 23, 2017.
  15. Web site: T6041317 ADA Accessibility at New Utrecht Avenue Station on the Sea Beach Line and 62 St Station on the West End Line. web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. https://web.archive.org/web/20170903212412/http://web.mta.info/capitaldashboard/allframenew_head.html?PROJNUM=t6041317&PLTYPE=1. September 3, 2017. dead. September 3, 2017.
  16. Web site: Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting November 2018. November 13, 2018. November 10, 2018. 92. Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
  17. Web site: MTA Installs Four Elevators, Other ADA Features at New Utrecht Av/62 St Station Complex. July 19, 2019. mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 19, 2019. January 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210110100435/https://www.mta.info/press-release/nyc-transit/mta-installs-four-elevators-other-ada-features-new-utrecht-av62-st-station. dead.
  18. Web site: 62nd Street Neighborhood Map. April 2018. mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 28, 2020.
  19. News: Through Tube to Coney, 48 Minutes: First Train on Fourth Avenue Route Beats West End Line Eleven Minutes. June 22, 1915. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 29, 2015. Newspapers.com.
  20. Web site: NPS Focus . National Register of Historic Places . . December 9, 2011 . July 25, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080725123211/http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/ . dead .
  21. http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/NY/Kings/state2.html Kings County Listing at the National Register of Historic Places (Structure #05000678)