West Fourth Street–Washington Square (New York City Subway)

West Fourth Street–Washington Square
New York City Subway rapid transit station
IND Eighth Avenue Line platforms
Station statistics
Address	West Third Street & Sixth Avenue New York, NY 10014 (main station entrance)
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Greenwich Village
Coordinates	40°43′54″N 74°00′03″W / 40.731682°N 74.000945°W / 40.731682; -74.000945Coordinates: 40°43′54″N 74°00′03″W / 40.731682°N 74.000945°W / 40.731682; -74.000945
Division	B (IND)
Line	IND Sixth Avenue Line       IND Eighth Avenue Line
Services	A  (all times)       B  (weekdays at all hours except late evenings and nights)       C  (all times except late nights)       D  (all times)       E  (all times)       F  (all times)       M  (weekdays at all hours except late nights)
Transit connections	NYCT Bus: M55 PATH: JSQ–33, HOB–33, JSQ–33 (via HOB) (at 9th Street)
Structure	Underground
Levels	2
Platforms	4 island platforms (2 on each level) cross-platform interchange
Tracks	8 (4 on each level)
Other information
Opened	September 10, 1932 (1932-09-10)[1] (upper level) January 1, 1936 (1936-01-01) (lower level)
Station code	167[2]
Accessible	ADA-accessible
Wireless service	[3]
Traffic
Passengers (2016)	13,955,067[4]  1.4%
Rank	20 out of 422
Station succession
Next north	34th Street–Herald Square (6th Ave express): B  D  14th Street (8th Ave): A  C  E  14th Street (6th Ave local): F  M
Next south	Broadway–Lafayette Street (6th Ave): B  D  F  M  Spring Street (8th Ave local): A  C  E  Canal Street (8th Ave express): A
Next north	34th Street–Herald Square (6th Ave): B  D  F  M  14th Street (8th Ave): A  C  E
Next south	Broadway–Lafayette Street (6th Ave): B  D  F  M  World Trade Center (8th Ave local): no regular service none; elevator at World Trade Center out of service: E  Fulton Street: A  C
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops all times Stops late nights only Stops weekdays 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
West 4th Street Subway Station (IND)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
MPS	New York City Subway System MPS
NRHP Reference #	05000223[5]
Added to NRHP	March 30, 2005

West Fourth Street–Washington Square is an express station and transfer stop on the IND Sixth Avenue and IND Eighth Avenue Lines of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of West Fourth Street and Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. It is served by:

• A, D, E, and F trains at all times;
• B and M trains on weekdays;
• C train at all times except late nights

History

West Fourth Street was one of the 28 stations opened on September 10, 1932, as part of the first line of the Independent Subway System (IND), the Eighth Avenue Line, from Chambers Street to Inwood–207th Street.^[1][6] At the time, only the upper level was used, with service on the lower level beginning in January 1936 with service from the Eighth Avenue Line to Second Avenue; through service on the Sixth Avenue local tracks began in December 1940. The Sixth Avenue express tracks were built later and were put into through service on November 27, 1967; prior to then, the express tracks here and at 34th Street–Herald Square were used as terminal tracks only.

The station was named West Fourth Street as opposed to merely Fourth Street because the planners of the Independent Subway System believed there would be confusion between this station and South Fourth Street, a proposed transfer station on the never-built IND Second System in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.^[7]

The upper level (at left) serves Eighth Avenue Line trains, while the lower level (at right) serves Sixth Avenue Line trains.

Station layout

G	Street level	Exit/entrance
B1	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agents (Elevator at NE corner of Sixth Avenue and 3rd Street)
B2	Northbound local	← toward 168th Street ( toward 207th Street late nights) (14th Street (Eighth Avenue)) ← toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (14th Street (Eighth Avenue))
	Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
	Northbound express	← toward 207th Street all except nights (14th Street (Eighth Avenue))
	Southbound express	→ toward Rockaway Park (PM rush hours), or Lefferts Boulevard or Mott Avenue (all except nights) (Canal Street) →
	Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
	Southbound local	→ toward Euclid Avenue ( toward Mott Avenue late nights) (Spring Street) → → toward World Trade Center (Spring Street) →
B3	Mezzanine	Transfer between directions/lines
B4	Northbound local	← toward Jamaica–179th Street (14th Street (Sixth Avenue)) ← toward Forest Hills–71st Avenue weekdays (14th Street (Sixth Avenue))
	Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
	Northbound express	← toward Bedford Park Boulevard rush hours, 145th Street middays and evenings (34th Street–Herald Square) ← toward Norwood–205th Street (34th Street–Herald Square)
	Southbound express	→ toward Brighton Beach weekdays (Broadway–Lafayette Street) → → toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via West End (Broadway–Lafayette Street) →
	Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
	Southbound local	→ toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via Culver (Broadway–Lafayette Street) → → toward Broadway Junction weekdays (Broadway–Lafayette Street) →

Track layout
to 34 St–Herald Sq to 14 St–6 Av to 14 St–8 Av Superimposed track section (Left tracks above right ones) All express tracks remain level MA MA Match point mA Lower level local tracks rise MB MB MB MB Match point mB MC MC Match point mC mB mB mB mB Outer tracks descend northward Outer tracks descend southward mC mC Match point MC MD MD Match point mD mD mA mA mD Match points MA, MD Lower level local tracks rise to Bway–Lafayette St to Spring St to Canal St Lower level Upper level

West Fourth Street station was built by the IND as the major transfer point between its two Manhattan trunk lines. It can be considered the "heart" of the IND system as it is the location of the zero point on the IND chaining. It is a bi-level station with a connecting concourse between the two platform levels. The Eighth Avenue Line occupies the upper level, while the Sixth Avenue Line uses the lower level. Both levels use identical platform arrangements–two island platforms between four tracks, allowing for cross-platform interchanges between local and express trains in each direction.

There are two fare control areas, one at each end of the station. Both lead directly to the Eighth Avenue Line on the upper level platforms; access to the Sixth Avenue Line on the lower level is via stairs and elevators from the upper level and/or the full-length mezzanine between the two levels. Several escalators are present, which go directly between one of the lower level platforms to its corresponding upper level platform. The elevators, added in April 2005 to make the station ADA-accessible, provide access to both levels and to the mezzanine.^[8] This massive station has only four exits despite its size, which illustrates the station's main purpose as a major transfer point between trains on both IND trunk lines.

South of this station, at the curve from under Houston Street to Sixth Avenue on the IND Sixth Avenue Line (lower level), a bellmouth merges with the Queens-bound local track.^[9]

Exits

Street stair

The station does not have an exit to Fourth Street itself anymore, though an exit formerly existed there.^[10] The northern exits are on the northern side of 6th Avenue and Waverly Place. Two staircases go up to the northeast corner, both built into alcoves of stores, and one to the northwest corner. The southern exits are at West Third Street, on the east and west sides of 6th Avenue.^[11]

• Two to the northwest corner (within building), one to the northeast corner (within building) of Sixth Avenue and Waverly Place^[11]
• One to the east side of Sixth Avenue north of Waverly Place^[11]
• One elevator and staircase on the northeast corner of Sixth Avenue and West Third Street^[11]
• One on the west side of Sixth Avenue at West Third Street^[11]

There are also four additional closed exits at the center of the station: two at Washington Place, and two at West 4th Street itself.^[10]

Nearby points of interest

• Washington Square Park
• West Fourth Street Courts
• West Village
• New York University

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to West Fourth Street – Washington Square (New York City Subway).

• nycsubway.org – IND 8th Avenue: West Fourth Street/Washington Square
• nycsubway.org – IND 6th Avenue: West Fourth Street/Washington Square
• Station Reporter – A Lefferts
• Station Reporter – A Rockaway
• Station Reporter – B Train
• Station Reporter – C Train
• Station Reporter – D Train
• Station Reporter – E Train
• Station Reporter – F Train
• Station Reporter – M Train
• Waverly Place entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Entrance north of Waverly Place from Google Maps Street View
• West Third Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Mezzanine from Google Maps Street View
• Upper level from Google Maps Street View
• Lower level from Google Maps Street View