Broadway Junction (New York City Subway)

Broadway Junction
New York City Subway rapid transit station complex
The elevated part of the complex
Station statistics
Address	Van Sinderen Avenue & Fulton Street Brooklyn, NY 11233
Borough	Brooklyn
Locale	East New York, Cypress Hills, Bedford-Stuyvesant
Coordinates	40°40′44.11″N 73°54′12.43″W / 40.6789194°N 73.9034528°W / 40.6789194; -73.9034528Coordinates: 40°40′44.11″N 73°54′12.43″W / 40.6789194°N 73.9034528°W / 40.6789194; -73.9034528
Division	B (BMT/IND)
Line	BMT Canarsie Line IND Fulton Street Line BMT Jamaica Line
Services	A  (all times)       C  (all except late nights)       J  (all times)       L  (all times)       Z  (rush hours, peak direction)
Transit connections	NYCT Bus: B21, B20, B25, B83, Q24, Q56 LIRR: City Terminal Zone (at East New York)
Levels	3
Traffic
Passengers (2014)	3,018,656 (station complex)[1]  2.4%
Rank	168 out of 421
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Stops all times except late nights Stops all times

Broadway Junction is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the elevated BMT Canarsie Line and BMT Jamaica Line, and the underground IND Fulton Street Line. It was also served by trains of the Fulton Street Elevated until that line closed in 1956. It is located roughly at the intersection of Broadway, Fulton Street, and Van Sinderen Avenue at the border of Bedford-Stuyvesant and East New York, Brooklyn. The fare control area is located at the eastern end of the Fulton Street Line station. The complex is served by the:

• A, J, and L trains at all times
• C train at all times except late nights
• Z train during rush hours in the peak direction only

History

What is now Broadway Junction sits atop the historical Jamaica Pass, the junction of the modern Broadway, Fulton Street, and Jamaica Avenue.^[2] The first rail service in the area was the Long Island Rail Road's Atlantic Branch at East New York station.^[2] The Brooklyn and Rockaway Beach Railroad (the predecessor to the BMT Canarsie Line) began service in the area in 1865.^[2] The name Manhattan Junction or Manhattan Beach Junction was applied to the station on what is now the Jamaica Line when it opened in 1885;^[3][4] the area had been known as Manhattan Beach Crossing since before then,^[5][6] due to the crossing of the LIRR's Manhattan Beach Division. A station on the Fulton Street Elevated at Sackman Street opened on July 4, 1889,^[7] when the line was extended to Atlantic Avenue.

A two-track, one-half-block elevated connection was built along on the east side of Vesta Avenue (now Van Sinderen Avenue) between the Fulton Street and Broadway Lines.^[8] This connection, equipped with third rail, was opened on August 9, 1900, and new service patterns were implemented: during times other than rush hours, Lexington Avenue and Fulton Street trains were through-routed, and travel beyond Manhattan Junction required a transfer.^[9][10] This "East New York Loop" was unpopular, and was soon stopped;^[11] the next service to use the tracks was the BMT Canarsie Line to Broadway Ferry (later the 15 train), joined to the Fulton Street Line at Pitkin and Snediker Avenues in 1906.^[2][12]

The name was changed from Manhattan Junction to Broadway Junction in 1913.^[13] During the Dual Contracts in the 1910s, bidirectional express tracks were added to the Fulton and Broadway Els, while the current Broadway El station at Eastern Parkway opened in 1919.^[2] The full BMT 14th Street-Canarsie Line was completed on July 14, 1928 with the opening of the segment connecting Broadway Junction with Montrose Avenue.^[11][14]

By 1936, the IND Fulton Street Line had been extended to Rockaway Avenue. At that time, Broadway Junction was an all-BMT transfer point. Further eastward extension of the line was delayed by World War II; the Broadway – East New York station opened in 1946, along with the escalator passageway between the IND and BMT.^{[2][11][15][16]} The Fulton Street El was now redundant, and BMT service on the line closed entirely on April 26, 1956, with the eastern portion to Lefferts Boulevard connected to the IND.^[17]

For a long time, the stations within the complex went by three different names: Eastern Parkway (BMT Jamaica Line), Broadway Junction (BMT Canarsie Line), and Broadway – East New York (IND Fulton Street Line). Conformity came in the early 2000s.^[11]

BMT Canarsie Line platforms

Broadway Junction
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Southbound side platform for the train; with northbound island platform
Station statistics
Division	B (BMT)
Line	BMT Canarsie Line
Services	L  (all times)
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	1 island platform 1 side platform (southbound only)
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	December 14, 1928 (1928-12-14)
Station succession
Next north	Bushwick Avenue – Aberdeen Street: L
Next south	Atlantic Avenue: L
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times

Broadway Junction on the BMT Canarsie Line has two tracks, one island platform, and one side platform. Manhattan-bound trains use the island platform for northbound service while Canarsie-bound trains use the side platform for southbound service (similar to the configuration of the Bowling Green station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line). However, the latter can use the island platform if necessary.

This station opened on July 14, 1928,^[14] and is one of the highest elevated platforms in the city, sitting above the already-elevated BMT Jamaica Line. As high as this station platform is, it plunges abruptly into a tunnel at the north end. This end of the station slopes sharply downward, and the platform end is about 200 yards (180 m) away from the tunnel's portal. A new diamond crossover has been installed here. A fine view of the East New York Yard can be seen from the northbound platform. The south end of the northbound platform divides into two "legs." Two normally-unused tracks connect the Canarsie and Jamaica lines. Now and then, a train being rerouted will use these tracks. The southbound track can be seen emerging beneath the two "legs" of the northbound platform; the northbound "flyover" with its severe curve can be seen just east of the station, beginning near the signal tower. Since 1999, this station has been undergoing a series of renovations, including new canopies, a new crossover (known as 'The Barn' because of its rustic red siding and white trim), and the removal of a hazardous crossunder. The old-style platform lights were removed and replaced with "loop" fixtures, widely seen elsewhere in the system.

The 2001 artwork is called Brooklyn, New Morning by Al Loving.^[18]

BMT Jamaica Line platforms

Broadway Junction
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Southbound train departing
Station statistics
Division	B (BMT)
Line	BMT Jamaica Line
Services	J  (all times)       Z  (rush hours, peak direction)
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	3
Other information
Opened	June 14, 1885 (1885-06-14)[6]
Former/other names	Broadway – Eastern Parkway (1885 - 2003)
Station succession
Preceding station   New York City Subway   Following station Halsey Street toward Broad Street BMT Jamaica Line (express & skip-stop) J  (Skip-stop service) Terminus Alabama Avenue toward Parsons/Archer Chauncey Street toward Broad Street BMT Jamaica Line (local) J  BMT Jamaica Line (express & skip-stop) Z ) (Skip-stop service) Terminus (via Canarsie) no regular service Atlantic Avenue toward Canarsie – Rockaway Parkway Myrtle Avenue toward Broad Street (express) no regular service Alabama Avenue toward Parsons/Archer
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Stops all times

Broadway Junction is an express station on the BMT Jamaica Line that has three tracks and two island platforms. The middle express track is not used in regular revenue service. At each end of the station are also track connections to the East New York Yard. Trains that run to/from that yard can terminate or begin at this station.

The station was originally called Broadway – Eastern Parkway, named for its original exit on the extreme west end of the platforms. This entrance is now closed. The ironwork for the old Fulton El trackways which can be seen under this portion of the complex from the platforms. The mezzanine is above the platforms and connects to the Canarsie Line and to the exit at street level via two long escalators. At street level, there is a transfer to the underground IND Fulton Street Line and the fare control area. The upper mezzanine extends most of the length of the platforms and is made of concrete. Windows were once present, but are now cemented over.

• 

  An R42 Z train at the station.

• 

  The bridge between the Jamaica platforms and Fulton Street subway.

IND Fulton Street Line platforms

Broadway Junction
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Northbound train arriving on the local track
Station statistics
Division	B (IND)
Line	IND Fulton Street Line
Services	A  (all times)       C  (all except late nights)
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	December 30, 1946 (1946-12-30)
Accessibility	Cross-platform wheelchair transfer available
Former/other names	Broadway – East New York (1946-2003)
Station succession
Next north	Rockaway Avenue (local): A  C  Utica Avenue (express): A
Next south	Liberty Avenue (local): A  C  Euclid Avenue (express): A
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops all times

Broadway Junction on the IND Fulton Street Line, formerly called Broadway – East New York, is a standard express station with four tracks and two island platforms. The fare control is at the east (railroad south) end of the station; this entrance also provides the transfer to the BMT trains via newly replaced escalators from street to elevated level. There is also a police precinct located in the mezzanine.^[19]

Constructed in the 1930s, the station was nearly complete when the United States' entrance into World War II in 1941 halted construction due to material shortages.^[15][16] Work resumed following the war to install the necessary signal and trackwork and complete the escalator to the BMT platforms,^[16] with the station opening on December 30, 1946.^[15] Its tile band is unique in that it incorporates two types of tile – gloss and matte – in contrasting shades of cobalt blue (gloss border) and blueberry (matte center). When the station was renamed in 2003, the "EAST NY" tiles on the wall were removed and replaced by tiles reading "JUNCTION", in the matching IND copperplate font.

There is an active control tower just past the head end of the Queens-bound platform.

East of the station, the tunnel widens on both sides to accommodate an additional trackway diverging from the local tracks. These bellmouths were built for a proposed extension along the BMT Jamaica Line, or for a proposed Jamaica Avenue Subway.^[20] It was not a provision for the IND Second System, as were similar structures on other IND lines. One of these bellmouths has an emergency exit. There is nothing on the model board in the Broadway/East New York tower to show this provision.

• 

  Van Sinderen Avenue fare control.

• 

  Street entrance with an overhang that combined Art Deco and mid-century modern elements.

Station layout

3F	Crossover	Transfer between platforms
2F Platform level	Northbound	← toward Eighth Avenue (Bushwick Avenue – Aberdeen Street)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left toward Eighth Avenue only
	Separation at south end
	Island platform, not in service
	Southbound local	→ toward Canarsie – Rockaway Parkway (Atlantic Avenue) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Mezzanine	Transfer between levels
1F Platform level	Southbound local	← toward Broad Street (Halsey Street AM rush hours, Chauncey Street other times) ← toward Broad Street AM rush (Chauncey Street)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left
	Peak-direction express	→ No regular service (No service: Myrtle Avenue (southbound) or Alabama Avenue (northbound))
	Island platform, doors will open on the left
	Northbound local	→ toward Jamaica Center – Parsons/Archer (Alabama Avenue) → → toward Jamaica Center – Parsons/Archer PM rush (Alabama Avenue)
G	Street Level	Exits/Entrances
B Platform level	Northbound local	← toward 168th Street ( toward 207th Street late nights) (Rockaway Avenue)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
	Northbound express	← toward Inwood – 207th Street (Utica Avenue)
	Southbound express	→ toward Far Rockaway – Mott Avenue, Lefferts Boulevard, or Rockaway Park – Beach 116th Street (Euclid Avenue) →
	Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
	Southbound local	→ toward Euclid Avenue ( toward Far Rockaway late nights) (Liberty Avenue) →

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Broadway Junction (New York City Subway).

• nycsubway.org—BMT Canarsie Line: Broadway Junction
• nycsubway.org—BMT Jamaica Line: Broadway Junction
• nycsubway.org—IND Fulton: Broadway/East New York
• Station Reporter — Broadway Junction Complex
• The Subway Nut — Broadway Junction – East New York (A,C) Pictures
• The Subway Nut — Broadway Junction – Eastern Parkway (J,L,Z) Pictures
• MTA's Arts For Transit — Broadway Junction
• Van Sinderen Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View (the only entrance into the entire complex)