57th Street–Seventh Avenue (BMT Broadway Line)

57th Street–Seventh Avenue
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Downtown island platform
Station statistics
Address	West 57th Street & Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10019
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Midtown Manhattan
Coordinates	40°45′56″N 73°58′48″W / 40.765461°N 73.980088°W / 40.765461; -73.980088Coordinates: 40°45′56″N 73°58′48″W / 40.765461°N 73.980088°W / 40.765461; -73.980088
Division	B (BMT)
Line	BMT Broadway Line
Services	N  (all times)       Q  (all times)       R  (all except late nights)       W  (weekdays only)
Transit connections	New York City Bus: M7, M20, M31, M57
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	July 10, 1919 (1919-07-10)[1]
Station code	009[2]
Accessible	ADA-accessible to mezzanine only; accessibilty to platforms planned
Accessibility	Cross-platform wheelchair transfer available
Wireless service	[3]
Former/other names	Midtown–57th Street
Traffic
Passengers (2016)	9,616,547[4]  1.1%
Rank	32 out of 422
Station succession
Next north	Lexington Avenue–63rd Street (63rd): N  Q  Fifth Avenue–59th Street: N  R  W
Next south	49th Street (local): N  Q  R  W  Times Square–42nd Street (express): Q
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops all times Stops weekdays only Stops weekends only
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York Show map of the US

57th Street–Seventh Avenue is an express station on the BMT Broadway Line of the New York City Subway. Located in Midtown Manhattan at the intersection of 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, it is served by the N and Q trains at all times, the R train at all times except late nights, and the W train on weekdays.

On the subway map and on announcements, the station is called 57th Street–Seventh Avenue,^[5] but is also sometimes called Midtown–57th Street. It is directly adjacent to Carnegie Hall.

Station layout

G	Street level	Exit/Entrance
M	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent (Elevator at SW corner of 57th Street and Seventh Avenue. Note: Platforms are not accessible)
P Platform level	Southbound local	← toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (49th Street) ← toward Bay Ridge–95th Street (49th Street) ← toward Whitehall Street weekdays (49th Street)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
	Southbound express	← toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via Brighton (Times Square–42nd Street all except late nights; 49th Street late nights) ← (rush hours) toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via Sea Beach (Times Square–42nd Street)
	Northbound express	→ ( rush hours) toward 96th Street (Lexington Avenue–63rd Street) →
	Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
	Northbound local	→ ( weekdays) toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard (Fifth Avenue–59th Street) → → toward Forest Hills–71st Avenue (Fifth Avenue–59th Street) →

Track layout
to Lexington Av–63 St Local trackways end to 5 Av–59 St Local trackways begin to 49 St to 42 St

When this station opened on July 10, 1919,^[6] the BMT Broadway Line had ended north of this station as six trackways, of which only two tracks (local tracks) continued to the 60th Street Tunnel to Queens. The other four trackways, both the express tracks and the outermost trackways (both of the outermost trackways are ramps which have never been used) curve slightly west before ending, which were a provision for the line to run to Upper Manhattan via Central Park West.^[7]

With four tracks and two island platforms, this station is the northernmost express station on the BMT Broadway Line. Much of the BMT system is chained from the zero point here. The N, R, and W trains use the local tracks, which continue north under 59th and 60th Streets to Queens, while Q trains and selected rush-hour N trains use the center express tracks to continue north along the BMT 63rd Street Line to Lexington Avenue–63rd Street and the Second Avenue Subway. Before the BMT 63rd Street Line was built in 1989, the express tracks continued as layup spurs north of the station (although construction of the 63rd Street line from 1971 to 1978 continued the section between this station and Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station). The express tracks ran for about 400 feet.

North of the station, the local tracks continue into the 60th Street Tunnel to Queens, while the express tracks continue to 63rd Street, with switches to the 60th Street tunnel. South of the station, there are also crossovers between the two express tracks, between both northbound tracks, and between both southbound tracks.^[8]

This station underwent an overhaul in the late 1970s, which included fixing the station's structure and replacing the original wall tiles, old signs, and incandescent lighting with 1970s modern-look wall tile band and tablet mosaics, signs and fluorescent lights. Staircases and platform edges were also repaired.

In 1992–1993, the station received a major overhaul with state-of-the-art repairs as well as upgrading the station for ADA compliance. The original late 1910s tiling was restored, repairs were made to the staircases, new tiling on the floors, upgrades to the station's lights and public address system, installation of ADA safety treads along the platform edge, new signs, and new trackbeds in both directions. Accessibility to the mezzanine was further increased by the addition of a usable elevator on the southwest corner of 57th Street. While elevators have yet to be installed for platform access, it allows disabled access to the fare booth and MetroCard vending machines.

Exits

• Stair to NW corner of 7th Avenue and 57th Street^[9]
• Stair to NE corner of 7th Avenue and 57th Street^[9]
• Stair and elevator to SW corner of 7th Avenue and 57th Street^[9]
• Stair to SE corner of 7th Avenue and 57th Street^[9]
• Stair to NW corner of 7th Avenue and 55th Street^[9]
• Stair to NE corner of 7th Avenue and 55th Street^[9]
• Stair to SW corner of 7th Avenue and 55th Street^[9]
• Stair to SE corner of 7th Avenue and 55th Street^[9]

Proposed extension

55th Street stairs

57 Mosaic

North of this station are tunnel stub headings running straight from the local tracks^[10] for a proposed line under Central Park West or Morningside Avenue, that would have terminated at 145th Street or 155th Street.

When the BRT / BMT was building the Broadway line as part of the Dual Contracts, the company also wanted to be awarded the Central Park West / Eighth Avenue route, which was on the planning boards at that time. The company figured that if they built ramps from the Broadway line that could naturally be extended to an Eighth Avenue line, they would get a toehold on being awarded that line, rather than lose out to the IRT, the only other subway operator when the Dual Contracts were built.^[11] The BMT / BRT never built that line for various reasons including the bankruptcy of the company after the Malbone Street Wreck and Mayor Hylan's plan to include the Eighth Avenue / CPW route in the IND system. The ramps were built but never used for revenue service. They were eventually used for storage until the tracks were disconnected.

The disused trackways for the proposed line ramp up and run for about 500 feet.

The ramp on the northbound side has a Maintenance-of-Way shed built on it,^[12] and the trackway on the southbound side also has a storage shed sitting in it, just north of where the local tracks come in, but this shed is few hundred feet north of the shed on the opposite trackway of the other side of the tunnel.

Some of the actual track on the trackways remain, but are covered by many years of dirt. They can be seen from passing trains. The never-used trackways curve slightly west before ending.^[7][13]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 57th Street (BMT Broadway Line).

• nycsubway.org – BMT Broadway Subway: 57th Street
• Station Reporter – N Train
• Station Reporter – R Train
• Station Reporter – Q Train
• MTA's Arts For Transit – 57th Street–7th Avenue (BMT Broadway Line)
• 57th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 55th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platform from Google Maps Street View

New York City Subway stations, by service
	Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard Astoria Boulevard 30th Avenue Broadway 36th Avenue 39th Avenue Queensboro Plaza Lexington Avenue/59th Street Fifth Avenue–59th Street 57th Street–Seventh Avenue 49th Street Times Square–42nd Street 34th Street–Herald Square 28th Street* 23rd Street* 14th Street Eighth Street–New York University* Prince Street* Canal Street City Hall* Cortlandt Street* Rector Street* South Ferry–Whitehall Street* Court Street* Jay Street–MetroTech* DeKalb Avenue* Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center Union Street* Ninth Street* Prospect Avenue* 25th Street* 36th Street 45th Street* 53rd Street* 59th Street–Fourth Avenue Eighth Avenue Fort Hamilton Parkway New Utrecht Avenue 18th Avenue 20th Avenue Bay Parkway Kings Highway Avenue U 86th Street Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue
	96th Street 86th Street 72nd Street Lexington Avenue–63rd Street 57th Street–Seventh Avenue 49th Street* Times Square–42nd Street 34th Street–Herald Square 28th Street* 23rd Street* 14th Street Eighth Street–New York University* Prince Street* Canal Street Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center Seventh Avenue Prospect Park Parkside Avenue Church Avenue Beverley Road Cortelyou Road Newkirk Plaza Avenue H Avenue J Avenue M Kings Highway Avenue U Neck Road Sheepshead Bay Brighton Beach Ocean Parkway West Eighth Street–New York Aquarium Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue
	71st Avenue 67th Avenue 63rd Drive–Rego Park Woodhaven Boulevard Grand Avenue–Newtown Elmhurst Avenue Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue 65th Street Northern Boulevard 46th Street Steinway Street 36th Street–Northern Boulevard Queens Plaza Lexington Avenue/59th Street Fifth Avenue–59th Street 57th Street–Seventh Avenue 49th Street Times Square–42nd Street 34th Street–Herald Square 28th Street 23rd Street 14th Street Eighth Street–New York University Prince Street Canal Street City Hall Cortlandt Street Rector Street South Ferry–Whitehall Street Court Street Jay Street–MetroTech DeKalb Avenue Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center Union Street Ninth Street Prospect Avenue 25th Street 36th Street–Fourth Avenue 45th Street 53rd Street 59th Street–Fourth Avenue Bay Ridge Avenue 77th Street 86th Street Bay Ridge–95th Street
	Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard Astoria Boulevard 30th Avenue Broadway 36th Avenue 39th Avenue Queensboro Plaza Lexington Avenue/59th Street Fifth Avenue–59th Street 57th Street–Seventh Avenue 49th Street Times Square–42nd Street 34th Street–Herald Square 28th Street 23rd Street 14th Street Eighth Street–New York University Prince Street Canal Street City Hall Cortlandt Street Rector Street South Ferry–Whitehall Street
See also Lists by borough (The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens) Accessible Closed Terminals Transfer Commons category Note: Temporary reroutes on the 2, 5, and M trains are not reflected here. Stations with asterisks are served by that service during off-peak hours only. See linked articles for more information.