68th Street–Hunter College (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)

68th Street–Hunter College
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Uptown 6 train arriving
Station statistics
Address	East 68th Street & Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10021
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Upper East Side
Coordinates	40°46′04″N 73°57′51″W / 40.767834°N 73.964124°W / 40.767834; -73.964124Coordinates: 40°46′04″N 73°57′51″W / 40.767834°N 73.964124°W / 40.767834; -73.964124
Division	A (IRT)
Line	IRT Lexington Avenue Line
Services	4  (late nights)       6  (all times) <6>  (weekdays until 8:45 p.m., peak direction)
Transit connections	NYCT Bus: M66, M98, M101, M102, M103
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	July 17, 1918 (July 17, 1918)
Station code	399[1]
Accessible	not ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Wireless service	[2]
Traffic
Passengers (2016)	10,124,694[3]  1.1%
Rank	29 out of 422
Station succession
Next north	77th Street: 4  6  <6>
Next south	59th Street: 4  6  <6>
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops late nights only Stops rush hours in the peak direction 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

68th Street–Hunter College is a local station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 68th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It is served by the 6 train at all times, the <6> during weekdays in peak direction, and the 4 during late night hours.

History

On February 15, 1917, the Public Service Commission agreed to change the name of the under-construction station from 68th Street to 68th Street–Hunter College at the request of officials of Hunter College.^[4]

On July 17, 1918, the IRT Lexington Avenue Line opened north to 125th Street, along with the 68th Street station. Service was originally provided by a shuttle on the line's local tracks. Through service along the Park Avenue section of the Original Subway was provided on August 1, 1918.^[5][6]

In 1981, the MTA listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.^[7]

Station layout

Track layout
to 77 St to 59 St

Name mosaic

G	Street Level	Exit/Entrance
P Platform level	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Northbound local	← toward Pelham Bay Park ( toward Parkchester rush hours and middays) (77th Street) ← toward Woodlawn late nights (77th Street)
	Southbound local	→ toward Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall (59th Street) → → toward New Lots Avenue late nights (59th Street) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
Express tracks[8]	Northbound express	← do not stop here
	Southbound express	→ do not stop here →

Mezzanine

This underground station opened on July 17, 1918, has two local tracks and two side platforms. The express tracks of the Lexington Avenue Line, used by the 4 and 5 trains during daytime hours, pass beneath the station and are not visible from the platforms.

Both platforms have their original mosaic trim line with "68" tablets on it at regular intervals and name tablets reading "68th STREET-HUNTER COLLEGE" in two lines. On small sections of the platforms on either ends, where they were extended in the 1950s, there are blue trim lines with "68TH ST" written on it in white lettering. Blue columns run along both platforms at regular intervals with alternating ones having the standard black station name plate in white lettering. Both platforms have emergency exits from the lower level express tracks.

Toward the south end of the platforms are two stairs leading to the only mezzanine in the station. It has been renovated with stainless steel fare control rails and features red accent stripes in the IND style. Old wall lights exist but are not functional. The waiting area inside fare control has windows that allow a full view of the platforms and tracks. The northern half of the station without the mezzanine has very high ceilings.

Exits

Exterior stair, SW corner of 68th Street and Lexington Avenue

Outside of the large turnstile bank that provides access to and from the station, there is a token booth and a passageway on each side separated from the waiting area by a steel fence. Each passageway leads to a small staircase going up to either northern corner of 68th Street and Lexington Avenue. On the east side of the mezzanine is a short staircase going up to a landing, where a larger staircase goes up to the southeast corner of 68th Street and Lexington Avenue underneath below Hunter College's East Building. The west side of the mezzanine has a direct entrance to the West Building of Hunter College and a double-wide marble staircase going up to the plaza on the southwest corner of 68th Street and Lexington Avenue.^[9]

A proposal for an elevator for the station in 2011 was delayed by local opposition, as such an elevator would be claimed to ruin the neighborhood's character.^[10][11]

References

External links

• Media related to 68th Street – Hunter College (IRT Lexington Avenue Line) at Wikimedia Commons
• nycsubway.org – IRT East Side Line: 68th Street
• Station Reporter – 4 Train
• Station Reporter – 6 Train
• 68th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View
• Lobby from Google Maps Street View

New York City Subway stations, by service
	Pelham Bay Park Buhre Avenue Middletown Road Westchester Square–East Tremont Avenue Zerega Avenue Castle Hill Avenue Parkchester St. Lawrence Avenue Morrison Avenue–Soundview Elder Avenue Whitlock Avenue Hunts Point Avenue Longwood Avenue East 149th Street East 143rd Street–St. Mary's Street Cypress Avenue Brook Avenue Third Avenue–138th Street 125th Street 116th Street 110th Street 103rd Street 96th Street 86th Street 77th Street 68th Street–Hunter College 59th Street 51st Street Grand Central–42nd Street 33rd Street 28th Street 23rd Street 14th Street Astor Place Bleecker Street Spring Street Canal Street Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall
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.