59th Street–Columbus Circle (New York City Subway)
59th Street–Columbus Circle | |||||||||||||
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New York City Subway rapid transit station complex | |||||||||||||
Station entrance north of Columbus Circle | |||||||||||||
Station statistics | |||||||||||||
Address |
Intersection of West 59th Street, Eighth Avenue & Broadway New York, NY 10023 | ||||||||||||
Borough | Manhattan | ||||||||||||
Locale | Columbus Circle, Midtown Manhattan | ||||||||||||
Coordinates | 40°46′05″N 73°58′55″W / 40.767997°N 73.981934°WCoordinates: 40°46′05″N 73°58′55″W / 40.767997°N 73.981934°W | ||||||||||||
Division | A (IRT), B (IND) | ||||||||||||
Line |
IND Eighth Avenue Line IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line | ||||||||||||
Services |
1 (all times) 2 (late nights) A (all times) B (weekdays until 11:00 p.m.) C (all except late nights) D (all times) | ||||||||||||
Transit connections |
NYCT Bus: M5, M7, M10, M12, M20, M104 MTA Bus: BxM2 | ||||||||||||
Levels | 2 | ||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||
Opened | July 1, 1948[1] | ||||||||||||
Accessible | |||||||||||||
Wireless service | [2] | ||||||||||||
Traffic | |||||||||||||
Passengers (2015) | 23,299,666 (station complex)[3] 1.1% | ||||||||||||
Rank | 7 out of 422 | ||||||||||||
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59th Street–Columbus Circle is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line and the IND Eighth Avenue Line. It is the seventh busiest station complex in the system. It is located at Columbus Circle in Midtown Manhattan where 59th Street, Broadway and Eighth Avenue intersect, and is served by the:
- 1, A, and D trains at all times
- C train at all times except late nights
- B train during weekdays until 11:00 p.m.
- 2 train during late nights
Station layout
G | Street level | Exits/entrances |
B1 | Mezzanine | Fare control, station agent, MetroCard vending machines Shops, to exits (Elevators on NE corner of Columbus Circle and Central Park W and on SW corner of 8th Avenue and Columbus Circle) |
Side platform, doors will open on the right | ||
Northbound local | ← toward Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street ( toward 241st Street late nights) (66th Street–Lincoln Center) | |
Northbound express | ← do not stop here | |
Southbound express | → do not stop here → | |
Southbound local | → toward South Ferry ( toward Brooklyn College late nights) (50th Street) → | |
Side platform, doors will open on the right | ||
B2 | IND Mezzanine | Transfers between lines and platforms |
B3 | Northbound local | ← toward Bedford Park Boulevard rush hours, 145th Street other times (72nd Street) ← toward 168th Street ( toward 207th Street late nights) (72nd Street) |
Island platform, doors will open on the left for local trains, right for express trains | ||
Northbound express | ← toward 207th Street (125th Street) ← toward Norwood–205th Street (125th Street) | |
Island platform, not in service, used as passageway between IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line platforms | ||
Southbound express | → toward Lefferts Boulevard or Far Rockaway all except nights, Rockaway Park PM rush hours (42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal) → → toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (Seventh Avenue) → | |
Island platform, doors will open on the left for local trains, right for express trains | ||
Southbound local | → toward Brighton Beach (Seventh Avenue) → → toward Euclid Avenue ( toward Far Rockaway late nights) (50th Street) → |
Entrances and exits
This station complex has many entrances/exits from the streets. The one at the north end of Columbus Circle leads to the Trump International Hotel and Tower. It has a double wide staircase going down to an intermediate level before another double-wide staircase goes down to fare control, where a now unused token booth and turnstile bank lead to the IND mezzanine as well as the north end of the northbound IRT platform. There is also one elevator from the back of the staircase that goes down to fare control.
Two staircases from the northwest corner of Broadway and West 60th Street go down to an unstaffed fare control area, where three full height turnstiles and a short staircase provide direct access to the north end of the southbound IRT platform. Another staircase at the southern island of the aforementioned intersection go down to a bank of turnstiles leading to the center of the same platform.
The Time Warner Center at the northwest corner of West 58th Street and Eighth Avenue has a set of elevators, escalators, and staircases going down to fare control, where a token booth and turnstile bank provide entrance/exit to the station. A single staircase goes down to each IND platform at their extreme south end while a passageway leads to the southbound IRT platform. The mezzanine also has a staircase going up to the northeast corner of West 58th Street and Eighth Avenue. There is a passageway leading to another staircase that goes up to the northwest corner of West 57th Street and Eighth Avenue. This staircase is built within the Hearst Tower.
The south end of the northbound IRT platform has a same-level unstaffed fare control area containing full height turnstiles and two staircases going up to the south corners of West 59th Street and Broadway.
There is a closed exit from the IND platforms at 61st Street and Central Park West.[4]
IND Eighth Avenue Line platforms
59th Street–Columbus Circle | |||||||||||||
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New York City Subway rapid transit station | |||||||||||||
Station statistics | |||||||||||||
Division | B (IND) | ||||||||||||
Line | IND Eighth Avenue Line | ||||||||||||
Services |
A (all times) B (weekdays until 11:00 p.m.) C (all except late nights) D (all times) | ||||||||||||
Structure | Underground | ||||||||||||
Platforms |
3 island platforms (2 in service) cross-platform interchange | ||||||||||||
Tracks | 4 | ||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||
Opened | September 10, 1932[5] | ||||||||||||
Accessible | |||||||||||||
Station succession | |||||||||||||
Next north |
72nd Street (local): A B C 125th Street (express): A D | ||||||||||||
Next south |
50th Street (8th local): A C 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal (8th express): A Seventh Avenue (6th): B D | ||||||||||||
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Next north | 125th Street: A B C D | ||||||||||||
Next south |
50th Street (via 8th local): A C (southbound only) 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal (via 8th express): A 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center (via 6th): B D | ||||||||||||
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59th Street–Columbus Circle on the IND Eighth Avenue Line, which opened on September 10, 1932, is a large express station. There are four tracks and three island platforms with the outer two in revenue service.
South of the station, trains can either continue on Eighth Avenue or diverge east to the Seventh Avenue station via the IND Sixth Avenue Line. North of the station are crossovers in both directions, and the northbound tracks cross over the southbound tracks to form a two-level configuration to 103rd Street.
The next express station to the north, 125th Street, is 3.35 miles (5.391 km) away with seven local stations in between. This is the longest distance between two express stops in the system.
The center platform was first used in passenger service in 1959, but was originally built along with the other platforms. It served the purpose of a Spanish solution, allowing passengers to exit both sides of subway cars as the express trains would open the doors on both sides. Newer subway cars' door controls made it more difficult to open doors on both sides of the train simultaneously; thus this solution became impractical and the platform was closed on November 8, 1973. In 2007–2010, it was converted to a crossunder between the IRT side platforms. Large metal fences have been erected to keep people away from the edges.
At the middle of each open platform, there are two staircases and one elevator that connect with the northbound platform of IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. There is also one staircase from each platform at the north end leading to the same area. A single staircase at the extreme south end connects to the southbound IRT platform. There are two newsstands, one each at the center of both platforms.
This station formerly had a 1992 artwork called Hello Columbus, made by various New York City artists and public school students. Sol LeWitt created tile work on the stairway from the platforms to the uptown 1 train entitled "Whirls and Twirls", installed in 2009.[4] Currently, large white "59"s are placed over the blue stripes–similar to the "42"s at 42nd Street–Port Authority.
IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line platforms
59th Street–Columbus Circle | |||||||||
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New York City Subway rapid transit station | |||||||||
Uptown platform | |||||||||
Station statistics | |||||||||
Division | A (IRT) | ||||||||
Line | IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line | ||||||||
Services |
1 (all times) 2 (late nights) | ||||||||
Structure | Underground | ||||||||
Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||
Tracks | 4 | ||||||||
Other information | |||||||||
Opened | October 27, 1904[6] | ||||||||
Accessible | |||||||||
Station succession | |||||||||
Next north | 66th Street–Lincoln Center: 1 2 | ||||||||
Next south | 50th Street: 1 2 | ||||||||
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Next north | 66th Street–Lincoln Center: 1 2 | ||||||||
Next south | Times Square–42nd Street: 1 2 | ||||||||
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59th Street – Columbus Circle (IRT) | |||||||||
MPS | New York City Subway System MPS | ||||||||
NRHP Reference # | 04001015[7] | ||||||||
Added to NRHP | September 17, 2004 |
59th Street–Columbus Circle on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, opened on October 27, 1904, has four tracks and two side platforms.
Despite being a major transfer point to the IND Eighth Avenue Line, the station was constructed as a local stop prior to the IND's construction in 1932. At one point, the New York City Transit Authority considered converting the station to an express stop by rerouting the local tracks to the outside of the platforms. This would have coincided with 72nd Street becoming a local stop by fencing off or walling up the express side of the island platforms there.
When the station opened, there was an underpass between the downtown and uptown platforms. In the 1970s, it was closed and the staircase entrances covered over. Today, passengers use the IND mezzanine and platforms to transfer between directions. Both platforms have two fare controls which are on the same level, one of which connects to the mezzanine leading to the IND platforms.
Image gallery
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Name in mosaics
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Original cartouche featuring Columbus's ship the Santa Maria
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Detailed view of the ceiling
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The uptown platform in 1978
Nearby points of interest
- Church of St. Paul the Apostle
- Museum of Arts & Design
- New York Institute of Technology
- Professional Children's School
- John Jay College of Criminal Justice
- Fordham University
References
- ↑ New York Times, Transfer Points Under Higher Fare, June 30, 1948, page 19
- ↑ "NYC Subway Wireless – Active Stations". Transit Wireless Wifi. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
- ↑ "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2016-04-18.
- 1 2 "Review of the A and C Lines" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 11, 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ↑ New York Times, List of the 28 Stations on the New Eighth Ave Line, September 10, 1932, page 6
- ↑ New York Times, Our Subway Open: 150,000 Try It, October 28, 1904
- ↑ "NPS Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
Further reading
- Lee Stokey. Subway Ceramics : A History and Iconography. 1994. ISBN 978-0-9635486-1-0
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 59th Street – Columbus Circle (New York City Subway). |
- nycsubway.org – IRT West Side Line: 59th Street/Columbus Circle
- nycsubway.org – IND 8th Avenue: 59th Street/Columbus Circle
- nycsubway.org – Whirls and Twirls Artwork by Sol Lewitt (2007)
- nycsubway.org – Hello Columbus Artwork by the NYC Artists & Public School Students (1992)
- Station Reporter – Columbus Circle/59th Street Complex
- TheSubwayNut – 59th Street IND station
- TheSubwayNut – 59th Street IRT station
- Forgotten NY – Original 28 - NYC's First 28 Subway Stations
- MTA's Arts For Transit – 59th Street–Columbus Circle
- Abandoned Stations - 59 St platform
- Entrance to Trump International Hotel & Tower at 60th Street from Google Maps Street View
- Columbus Circle & Central Park South entrance to Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line from Google Maps Street View
- Eighth Avenue & 58th Street entrance to Eighth Avenue Line from Google Maps Street View
- Time Warner Center entrance from Google Maps Street View
- Eighth Avenue & 57th Street entrance to Eighth Avenue Line from Google Maps Street View
- Broadway & 60th Street entrance to Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line from Google Maps Street View
- Elevator entrance at Columbus Circle and Eighth Avenue from Google Maps Street View
- IRT platforms from Google Maps Street View
- IND platforms from Google Maps Street View
- Turnstyle shop from Google Maps Street View