163rd Street – Amsterdam Avenue (IND Eighth Avenue Line)

163rd Street – Amsterdam Avenue
New York City Subway rapid transit station

View south from northbound platform
Station statistics
Address Amsterdam Avenue & St. Nicholas Avenue
New York, NY 10032
Borough Manhattan
Locale Washington Heights
Division B (IND)
Line IND Eighth Avenue Line
Services       A  (late nights)
      C  (all except late nights)
Connection
Structure Underground
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 2
Other information
Opened September 10, 1932; 79 years ago (September 10, 1932)[1]
Traffic
Passengers (2010) 1,193,933[2]  4.5%
Rank 326 out of 422
Station succession
Next north 168th Street: A  C 
Next south 155th Street: A  C 

163rd Street – Amsterdam Avenue is a local station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located in Washington Heights, Manhattan at the intersection of Amsterdam and Saint Nicholas Avenues, it is served by the C train at all times except during late night hours, when the A train replaces it.

This underground station, opened on September 10, 1932, has two local tracks and two side platforms. Two express tracks, used by the A train during daytime hours, run below the station and are not visible from the platforms. To the north, the upper level local tracks become the center tracks of 168th Street, allowing C trains to terminate there, while the lower level express tracks become the outer tracks, continuing towards 207th Street.

Both platforms have name tablets reading "163RD STREET - AMSTERDAM AV" in white sans serif font on two lines. The background is yellow with a black border. Small black "163" and directional signs in white lettering run at regular intervals, but there is no trim line on either platform. Yellow i-beam columns run along both platforms with all of them having the standard black station name plate with white lettering.

This station has a full length mezzanine supported by yellow i-beam columns above the platforms, but only southern half is opened. The closed-off northern half has an exit-only turnstile leading to the fare control area at the center, three staircases from each platform, and sealed exits leading to 163rd Street.

The opened southern half of the mezzanine is split into three sections by two black steel fences. Free transfers between directions are not possible. The two outer portions have two staircases from their respective platforms and a turnstile bank leading to the center of the mezzanine. Outside fare control, there is a token booth and the extreme south end has two staircases going up to the streets, one to the northwest corner of 161st Street and Amsterdam Avenue and the other to the western corner of Amsterdam and Saint Nicholas Avenue across from 162nd Street. The latter staircase is built inside 1033 Saint Nicholas Avenue, which is currently a Rite Aid pharmacy.

References

  1. ^ New York Times, List of the 28 Stations on the New Eighth Ave Line, September 10, 1932, page 6
  2. ^ "Facts and Figures: 2010 Annual Subway Ridership". New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority. http://mta.info/nyct/facts/ridership/ridership_sub_annual.htm. Retrieved 2011-05-18. 

External links