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116 Street ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Southbound platform
Station statistics
Address	West 116th Street & Malcolm X Boulevard New York, New York
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Harlem
Coordinates	40°48′07″N 73°57′00″W / 40.802°N 73.95°W / 40.802; -73.95
Division	A (IRT)
Line	IRT Lenox Avenue Line
Services	2  (all times) ​   3  (all times)
Transit	NYCT Bus: M7, M102, M116
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	November 23, 1904; 120 years ago (1904-11-23)
Opposite- direction transfer	No
Traffic
2023	2,014,762  5.2%
Rank	166 out of 423
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station 125th Streetvia 135th Street Central Park North–110th Streetvia Franklin Avenue–Medgar Evers College
Location Show map of New York City SubwayShow map of New York CityShow map of New York
Track layout Legend to 125th Street to Central Park North–110th Street
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times

The 116th Street station is a station on the IRT Lenox Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 116th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem, it is served by the 2 and 3 trains at all times.

The 116th Street station was constructed for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) as part of the city's first subway line, which was approved in 1900. Construction on the tunnel segment that includes the 116th Street station started on October 2 of the same year. The station opened on November 23, 1904. The station platforms were lengthened in 1910.

The 116th Street station contains two side platforms and two tracks. The station was built with tile and mosaic decorations. The platforms contain exits to Lenox Avenue's intersection with 116th Street and are not connected to each other within fare control.

History

Construction and opening

Planning for a subway line in New York City dates to 1864. However, development of what would become the city's first subway line did not start until 1894, when the New York State Legislature passed the Rapid Transit Act. The subway plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by William Barclay Parsons, the Rapid Transit Commission's chief engineer. It called for a subway line from New York City Hall in lower Manhattan to the Upper West Side, where two branches would lead north into the Bronx. A plan was formally adopted in 1897, and legal challenges were resolved near the end of 1899. The Rapid Transit Construction Company, organized by John B. McDonald and funded by August Belmont Jr., signed the initial Contract 1 with the Rapid Transit Commission in February 1900, in which it would construct the subway and maintain a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line. In 1901, the firm of Heins & LaFarge was hired to design the underground stations. Belmont incorporated the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) in April 1902 to operate the subway.

The 116th Street station was constructed as part of the IRT's East Side Branch (now the Lenox Avenue Line). Farrell & Hopper began building the section from 110th Street to 135th Street on August 30, 1900, subcontracting the section north of 116th Street to John C. Rodgers. The excavation was relatively easy because the subway was under one side of Lenox Avenue and there were no street railway tracks to work around.

On November 23, 1904, the East Side Branch opened to 145th Street. Initially, the station was served by East Side local and express trains. Local trains ran from City Hall to Lenox Avenue (145th Street). Express trains had their southern terminus at South Ferry or Atlantic Avenue and had their northern terminus at 145th Street or West Farms (180th Street). Express trains to 145th Street were eliminated in 1906, and West Farms express trains operated through to Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn.

Service changes and station renovations

To address overcrowding, in 1909, the New York Public Service Commission proposed lengthening the platforms at stations along the original IRT subway. As part of a modification to the IRT's construction contracts made on January 18, 1910, the company was to lengthen station platforms to accommodate ten-car express and six-car local trains. In addition to $1.5 million (equivalent to $49.1 million in 2023) spent on platform lengthening, $500,000 (equivalent to $16.4 million in 2023) was spent on building additional entrances and exits. It was anticipated that these improvements would increase capacity by 25 percent. The platforms at the 116th Street station were extended 55 feet (17 m) to both the north and south. On January 23, 1911, ten-car express trains began running on the East Side Branch.

In 1918, the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line opened south of Times Square–42nd Street, and the original line was divided into an H-shaped system. Local trains were sent to South Ferry, while express trains used the new Clark Street Tunnel to Brooklyn.

The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940. The IRT routes were given numbered designations with the introduction of "R-type" rolling stock. These fleet contained rollsigns with numbered designations for each service. The first such fleet, the R12, was put into service in 1948. The route to White Plains Road, formerly the route to West Farms, became known as the 2, while the route to Lenox Avenue–145th Street became the 3. The New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) announced plans in 1956 to add fluorescent lights above the edges of the station's platforms. In 1959, all 2 and 3 trains became express.

Starting on March 2, 1998, the tunnel was reconstructed along with the cracked tunnel floor, and the 116th Street station was closed for a complete renovation. This was done to correct a major water problem that had existed for many years due to the presence of the Harlem Creek and other underground streams, which caused extensive flooding, water damage, and seepage problems that occasionally contributed to severe service disruptions. The project cost $82 million and was finished on October 12, 1998. During the reconstruction, many 2 trains were rerouted via the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, while the 3 trains were rerouted to the 137th Street–City College station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. Each of the two Lenox Avenue Line tracks were alternately taken out of service and supplemental shuttle bus service connecting to other lines in the area were provided for much of this time.

Station layout

Ground	Street level	Exit/entrance
Platform level	Side platform
	Northbound	← toward Wakefield–241st Street (125th Street) ← toward Harlem–148th Street (125th Street)
	Southbound	→ toward Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College (Central Park North–110th Street) → → toward New Lots Avenue (Times Square–42nd Street late nights) (Central Park North–110th Street) →
	Side platform

The station has two tracks and two side platforms. The 2 and 3 trains stop here at all times. The station is between Central Park North–110th Street to the south and 125th Street to the north. The platforms were originally 350 feet (110 m) long, like at other stations north of 96th Street. The platform extensions are at the north ends of the original platforms. Fare control is at platform level. There are no crossovers or crossunders between the two side platforms to allow free transfer between directions.

Design

As with other stations built as part of the original IRT, the station was constructed using a cut-and-cover method. The tunnel is covered by a U-shaped trough that contains utility pipes and wires. The bottom of this trough contains a foundation of concrete no less than 4 inches (100 mm) thick. The platforms consist of 3-inch-thick (7.6 cm) concrete slabs, beneath which are drainage basins. The original platforms contain circular, cast-iron Doric-style columns spaced every 15 feet (4.6 m), while the platform extensions contain I-beam columns. Additional columns between the tracks, spaced every 5 feet (1.5 m), support the jack-arched concrete station roofs. There is a 1-inch (25 mm) gap between the trough wall and the platform walls, which are made of 4-inch (100 mm)-thick brick covered over by a tiled finish.

The original decorative scheme consisted of blue tile station-name tablets, buff tile bands, a light blue terracotta cornice, and dark blue terracotta plaques. The mosaic tiles at all original IRT stations were manufactured by the American Encaustic Tile Company, which subcontracted the installations at each station. The decorative work was performed by tile contractor Manhattan Glass Tile Company and terracotta contractor Atlantic Terra Cotta Company. It features extensive mosaics featuring Harlem history and famous African-Americans. It was fully renovated as part of the 1998 Lenox Avenue subway reconstruction project. The reconstruction project gave this station all new wall tiling and restored the "116" terra cotta wall cartouches.

The artworks here are Minton's Playhouse on the uptown platform, and Movers and Shakers on the downtown platform (both by Vincent Smith, 1999).

Exits

Two staircases from each platform lead to the intersection of Lenox Avenue and West 116th Street. The staircases from the southbound platform lead to the western corners, while those from the northbound platform lead to the eastern corners.

References

1. "Glossary". Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) (PDF). Vol. 1. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 4, 2003. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
2. ^ "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
3. ^ Walker, James Blaine (1918). Fifty Years of Rapid Transit — 1864 to 1917. New York, N.Y.: Law Printing. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
4. ^ "Interborough Rapid Transit System, Underground Interior" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. October 23, 1979. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
5. ^ Report of the Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners for the City of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1904 Accompanied By Reports of the Chief Engineer and of the Auditor. Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners. 1905. pp. 229–236.
6. ^ Scott, Charles (1978). "Design and Construction of the IRT: Civil Engineering" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. pp. 208–282 (PDF pp. 209–283). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
7. Report of the Public Service Commission For The First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1909. Albany: Public Service Commission. 1910. p. 191. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
8. "East Side Subway Open — Train from 145th Street to Broadway in 9 Minutes and 40 Seconds" (PDF). The New York Times. November 23, 1904. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
9. The Merchants' Association of New York Pocket Guide to New York. Merchants' Association of New York. March 1906. pp. 19–26.
10. Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1916. p. 119. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
11. ^ Hood, Clifton (1978). "The Impact of the IRT in New York City" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. pp. 146–207 (PDF pp. 147–208). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
12. ^ Report of the Public Service Commission for the First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1910. Public Service Commission. 1911. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
13. "Ten-car Trains in Subway to-day; New Service Begins on Lenox Av. Line and Will Be Extended to Broadway To-morrow". The New York Times. January 23, 1911. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
14. "Open New Subway Lines to Traffic; Called a Triumph — Great H System Put in Operation Marks an Era in Railroad Construction — No Hitch in the Plans — But Public Gropes Blindly to Find the Way in Maze of New Stations — Thousands Go Astray — Leaders in City's Life Hail Accomplishment of Great Task at Meeting at the Astor". The New York Times. August 2, 1918. p. 1. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
15. "City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign". The New York Times. June 13, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
16. "Transit Unification Completed As City Takes Over I. R. T. Lines: Systems Come Under Single Control After Efforts Begun in 1921; Mayor Is Jubilant at City Hall Ceremony Recalling 1904 Celebration". New York Herald Tribune. June 13, 1940. p. 25. ProQuest 1248134780.
17. Brown, Nicole (May 17, 2019). "How did the MTA subway lines get their letter or number? NYCurious". amNewYork. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
18. Friedlander, Alex; Lonto, Arthur; Raudenbush, Henry (April 1960). "A Summary of Services on the IRT Division, NYCTA" (PDF). New York Division Bulletin. 3 (1). Electric Railroaders' Association: 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 14, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
19. Katz, Ralph (January 27, 1956). "Subway Stations to Get New Lights; $3,750,000 to Be Spent on Fluorescents for I.R.T. and B.M.T. Transfer Points". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
20. "Wagner Praises Modernized IRT — Mayor and Transit Authority Are Hailed as West Side Changes Take Effect". The New York Times. February 7, 1959. p. 21. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
21. ^ "New York City Transit - History and Chronology". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on March 24, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
22. Lii, Jane H. (February 28, 1998). "Tunnel Work To Cut Service On 2 Subways". The New York Times. p. B-4. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
23. Lueck, Thomas J. (October 13, 1998). "Beating Deadline, Normal Service Returns for the Nos. 2 and 3 Subway Lines". The New York Times. p. B-3. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
24. Newman, Andy (December 12, 1997). "Repairs to Lenox Ave. Tunnel To Affect Many Subway Lines". The New York Times. p. B-8. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
25. "Lenox Rehab '98 2 3 Lenox Line Service Guide March 2-October 1998". thejoekorner.com. New York City Transit. 1998. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
26. Dougherty, Peter (2006) . Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
27. "2 Subway Timetable, Effective June 26, 2022". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
28. "3 Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
29. "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
30. ^ Framberger, David J. (1978). "Architectural Designs for New York's First Subway" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. pp. 1–46 (PDF pp. 367–412). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
31. "116th Street - Vincent Smith - Minton's Playhouse (uptown), The Movers and Shakers (downtown), 1999". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
32. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Harlem / East Harlem" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.

External links

• nycsubway.org – IRT White Plains Road Line: 116th Street
• nycsubway.org — Minton's Playhouse/Movers and Shakers Artwork by Vincent Smith (1999)
• Station Reporter — 2 Train
• Station Reporter — 3 Train
• The Subway Nut — 116th Street Pictures Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
• MTA's Arts For Transit — 116th Street (IRT Lenox Avenue Line)
• 116th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View

v t e Stations of the New York City Subway, by service
Seventh Avenue Express	Wakefield–241st Street Nereid Avenue 233rd Street 225th Street 219th Street Gun Hill Road Burke Avenue Allerton Avenue Pelham Parkway Bronx Park East East 180th Street West Farms Square–East Tremont Avenue 174th Street Freeman Street Simpson Street Intervale Avenue Prospect Avenue Jackson Avenue Third Avenue–149th Street 149th Street–Grand Concourse 135th Street 125th Street 116th Street Central Park North–110th Street 96th Street 86th Street* 79th Street* 72nd Street 66th Street–Lincoln Center* 59th Street–Columbus Circle* 50th Street* Times Square–42nd Street 34th Street–Penn Station 28th Street* 23rd Street* 18th Street* 14th Street Christopher Street–Stonewall* Houston Street* Canal Street* Franklin Street* Chambers Street Park Place Fulton Street Wall Street Clark Street Borough Hall Hoyt Street Nevins Street Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center Bergen Street Grand Army Plaza Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum Franklin Avenue–Medgar Evers College President Street–Medgar Evers College Sterling Street Winthrop Street Church Avenue Beverly Road Newkirk Avenue–Little Haiti Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College
Seventh Avenue Express	Harlem–148th Street 145th Street 135th Street 125th Street 116th Street Central Park North–110th Street 96th Street 72nd Street Times Square–42nd Street 34th Street–Penn Station 14th Street Chambers Street Park Place Fulton Street Wall Street Clark Street Borough Hall Hoyt Street Nevins Street Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center Bergen Street Grand Army Plaza Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum Franklin Avenue–Medgar Evers College Nostrand Avenue Kingston Avenue Crown Heights–Utica Avenue Sutter Avenue–Rutland Road Saratoga Avenue Rockaway Avenue Junius Street Pennsylvania Avenue Van Siclen Avenue New Lots Avenue
See also Lists by borough (The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens) Accessible Closed Terminals Transfer Commons category Note: Service variations, station closures, and reroutes are not reflected here. Stations with asterisks have no regular peak, reverse peak, or midday service on that route. See linked articles for more information.

v t e Stations of the New York City Subway, by line (physical trackage)
Lenox Ave. Line ​	Harlem–148th Street 145th Street [← to 149th Street–Grand Concourse, White Plains Rd. Line] 135th Street 125th Street 116th Street Central Park North–110th Street [to 96th Street, Broadway–Seventh Ave. Line →]
See also Lists by borough (The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens) Accessible Closed Terminals Transfer Commons category Stations and line segments in italics are closed, demolished, or planned (temporary closures are marked with asterisks). Track connections to other lines' terminals are displayed in brackets. Struck through passenger track connections are closed or unused in regular service.

• 1904 establishments in New York City
• Harlem
• IRT Lenox Avenue Line stations
• New York City Subway stations in Manhattan
• Railway stations in the United States opened in 1904