Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets (New York City Subway)

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New York City Subway station Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets
Station information
Lines	IND Crosstown Line IND Fulton Street Line
Services	A C⁽¹²³⁴⁾ G
Platforms	4 island platforms (2 in revenue service)
Tracks	6 (4 in revenue service)
Other
Borough	Brooklyn
Opened	April 9, 1936
Next north	8th: Jay Street-Borough Hall A C⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	Crosstown: Fulton Street G
	Fulton (closed): Court Street
Next south	Fulton local: Lafayette Avenue A⁽⁵⁾ C⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	Fulton express: Nostrand Avenue A⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	Culver: Bergen Street G

Coordinates: 40°41′20.48″N, 73°59′10.11″W

Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets is a station on the IND Crosstown and IND Fulton Street Lines of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Hoyt Street and Schermerhorn Street in Downtown Brooklyn, it is served by the A and G trains at all times and by the C train at all times except late nights.

1 Physical description
2 History
3 Bus connections
4 External links

[edit] Physical description

This unusually wide station has six tracks and four island platforms. The center pair of tracks belongs to the Crosstown Line (G). To the east they run under Lafayette Avenue, while to the west they turn south and merge with the IND Sixth Avenue Line to form the IND Culver Line under Smith Street. The next pair of tracks from the center are the express tracks of the Fulton Street Line (A and C). Trains using these tracks open their doors to the center island platforms, not the outer platforms. To the east, the C diverges to the local tracks, and both local and express continue under Fulton Street; to the west, the express tracks curve north under Jay Street and continue as the IND Eighth Avenue Line. The outermost pair of tracks, the Fulton Street local tracks, is currently not in revenue service, and the outer two island platforms—which serve the outer tracks—are off-limits to passengers. To the east, C service diverges to these tracks; to the west, they continue under Schermerhorn Street to Court Street station, which is now the site of the New York Transit Museum.

Due to its width, the southern half of the station had to be built under private property on the south side of Schermerhorn Street. The station's mezzanine, located over the northern half of the station and under Schermerhorn Street, contains a New York City Transit Police substation, as well as several New York City Transit Authority offices. There are numerous sealed stairways and exits, including a sealed passageway to Livingston Street/Schermerhorn Street and a direct entrance to the former Loesser's department store.

[edit] History

Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets opened as part of the Fulton Street Line on April 9, 1936, serving both Fulton local and express trains. (The Crosstown Line extension between Nassau Avenue and Hoyt–Schermerhorn did not open for revenue service until July 1, 1937.) From this station, northbound local trains were planned to continue to a terminal station at Court Street, in Brooklyn Heights; express trains would turn north under Jay Street and continue to Manhattan via the Cranberry Street Tunnel. However, initial Fulton service ran entirely local, since at the time the line only extended east to Rockaway Avenue. Without express service, local trains provided service to Manhattan via the Hoyt–Schermerhorn express tracks; the HH shuttle was instituted to serve Court Street and the local tracks/platforms at Hoyt–Schermerhorn.

Due to low ridership, Court Street station was closed and HH service eliminated in 1946, and all Fulton service (both local and express) was routed via the Hoyt–Schermerhorn express tracks to Jay Street. This eliminated any use for the local tracks and outer platforms at Hoyt–Schermerhorn, and the local tracks have been out of revenue service ever since. The outer platforms remained abandoned until 1959, when Aqueduct Racetrack special service began. This service ran almost nonstop from the lower level of 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal to Aqueduct Racetrack via the IND Eighth Avenue Line, IND Fulton Street Line, and IND Rockaway Line. Like the lower level at 42nd Street, the Hoyt–Schermerhorn outer platforms provided a convenient place to segregate passengers who had paid the extra fare required to board the special trains; consequently, Hoyt–Schermerhorn was the only stop between 42nd Street and the racetrack.

Since the elimination of the Aqueduct special service in 1981, the outer platforms have remained out of revenue service. The abandoned parts of the station are used occasionally for film shoots (e.g., The Warriors) and other special functions—for example, a public display of a new R160 car on November 29, 2005.