Misplaced Pages

2 Avenue ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
View from northbound platform
Station statistics
Address	East Houston Street & Second Avenue New York, New York
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	East Village, Lower East Side
Coordinates	40°43′25″N 73°59′28″W / 40.723616°N 73.991117°W / 40.723616; -73.991117
Division	B (IND)
Line	IND Sixth Avenue Line
Services	F  (all times) <F>  (two rush hour trains, peak direction)​
Transit	NYCT Bus: M15, M15 SBS, M21
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	4 (2 in regular service)
Other information
Opened	January 1, 1936; 88 years ago (January 1, 1936)
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Former/other names	Lower East Side–Second Avenue
Traffic
2023	4,192,759  17.4%
Rank	69 out of 423
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Broadway–Lafayette StreetF  <F> ​toward Jamaica–179th Street Local Delancey StreetF  <F> ​toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue
Location Show map of New York City SubwayShow map of New York CityShow map of New York
Track layout Legend to Broadway–Lafayette Street to Delancey Street
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops rush hours in the peak direction only (limited service)

The Second Avenue station is a station on the IND Sixth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Second Avenue and Houston Street on the border between the East Village and the Lower East Side, in Manhattan. It is served by the F train at all times and the <F> train during rush hours in the peak direction.

History

The station opened on January 1, 1936, as part of the portion of the Sixth Avenue Line between West Fourth Street–Washington Square and East Broadway. Upon opening, E trains, which ran from Jackson Heights, Queens to Hudson Terminal, were shifted to the new line to East Broadway. Two express tracks were built from West Fourth Street, under Houston Street, until Essex Street-Avenue A, with the express tracks effectively terminating at the Second Avenue station since there were no stops east of there. The tracks were intended to travel under the East River and connect with the never-built IND Worth Street Line in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

From December 2001 to June 2010, this station was known on transit maps and announced on digital announcements as the Lower East Side–Second Avenue station, when it served as the southern terminal for V trains. A limited number of rush-hour M trains from Queens terminated here between July 2017 and April 2018 during a reconstruction project on the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line (replicating the former V service).

Station layout

Ground	Street level	Exit/entrance
Mezzanine		Fare control, station agent
Platform level	Northbound local	← toward Jamaica–179th Street (Broadway–Lafayette Street)
	Island platform
	Termination track	← No regular service
	Termination track	← No regular service
	Island platform
	Southbound	→ toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (Delancey Street) →

Second Avenue has two island platforms and four tracks. F trains run on the outer tracks, while the inner tracks are not used in regular service. When the station opened, all four Sixth Avenue tracks ran continuously from West Fourth Street through Second Avenue. During the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection in the 1950s and 1960s, the center express tracks at Broadway–Lafayette Street were severed from the tracks at Second Avenue and rerouted to the Chrystie Street subway, running through Grand Street station to the north side of the Manhattan Bridge.

West (railroad north) of the station, the inner tracks are connected by a diamond crossover before merging with the outer local tracks; this allows the station to be used as a terminal for southbound trains. East (railroad south) of the station, the express tracks end at bumper blocks, while the local tracks continue along Houston Street before curving south into Essex Street and continuing through Delancey Street station.

The trackside walls have a medium Parma violet trim line with a slightly darker border, and small tile captions reading "2ND AVE" in white on black run below it at regular intervals. The platform columns are concrete and painted indigo, and there are especially large columns with built-in benches at the centers of the platforms. Despite the station's name, the exit and mezzanine at Second Avenue is only open part-time. The full-time booth is located at the First Avenue mezzanine. The station previously had a full-length mezzanine. However, most of the mezzanine was closed, and the closed areas currently hold offices while the rest are used for storage space.

Exits

All entrances/exits are single-wide street stairs serving both platforms via the two mezzanine areas. The western mezzanine has two exits leading to the northwest corner of Houston Street and Second Avenue and the southwest corner of Houston Street and Chrystie Street. The eastern mezzanine has two exits leading to the northwest corner of Houston Street and First Avenue and the southwest corner of Houston Street and Allen Street. The closed mezzanine area had an exit to the median of Houston Street near Forsyth Street.

Provisions for other lines

First Avenue Subway mezzanine

There is another, unfinished mezzanine on the east side of First Avenue. This second mezzanine is accessible only through now-blocked passages past the east end of the platforms. This mezzanine was built to address a subway down First Avenue, if one were to be built.

Express tracks

East of the station, the center tracks continue disused along Houston, but rise to an upper level and stub-end near Avenue A at bumper blocks. Near the end, these tail tracks begin to separate to create a provision for a center track which only extends about 10 or 15 feet and stops at the bulkhead at the end of the tunnel. It was planned that these tracks would continue under the East River to the South Fourth Street Line, part of a never-built system expansion. These tracks east of the station were previously used for train storage but became an oft-frequented spot for the homeless due to its location near local missions and soup kitchens. The area was cleared out in 1990, and corrugated metal walls with bumper blocks were installed just past the east end of the platforms to seal the tunnels.

Second Avenue Subway service

As part of the 1929 IND Second System, the unbuilt plans for the Second Avenue Subway called for the new line to run directly above the existing Second Avenue station. Room was left for the anticipated four-track right-of-way above the Sixth Avenue trackways and directly east of the entrance at Second Avenue; on the west end of the platforms, the ceiling drops. Above this lower ceiling is an empty space that can fit either four trackways, two side platforms, and one island platform (similar to 34th Street–Penn Station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line) or two trackways and two side platforms. The trackways can be made out from the ceiling pattern from the active platforms. The mezzanine at Second Avenue, possibly intended as temporary, has doors that lead to the unused track space. Crew rooms were built on most of the space prior to the introduction of the V.

As part of the 21st-century construction of the Second Avenue Subway, a new Houston Street station will instead be built below the existing one, with a free transfer between them. The decision to use a deeper alignment under Chrystie Street was made to simplify construction and lessen impact to the community. Second Avenue service would be tentatively provided by the T train once Phase 3 of construction is complete. When this happens, the station would become a terminal station for southbound service. There will be a double crossover north of the station. However, Phase 4 of construction would extend the line south, below Houston Street, in the direction of Hanover Square.

In addition to the current entrances, the Second Avenue Subway station will utilize a new entrance to be constructed at Second Avenue and Third Street. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Second Avenue Subway platform will be wheelchair-accessible; however, it is unknown if the Sixth Avenue Line platforms will also become accessible.

Notes

1. See the Grand Street article for more information

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. "LaGuardia Opens New Subway Link". The New York Times. January 2, 1936. p. 1. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
4. Pirmann, David (November 1997). "IND Second System – 1929 Plan". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
5. Kabak, Benjamin (November 2, 2010). "The history of a subway shell at South 4th Street". Second Ave. Sagas. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
6. Brennan, Joseph (2002). "Abandoned Stations : IND Second System unfinished stations". columbia.edu. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
7. Pirmann, David; Darlington, Peggy; Aryel, Ron. "Second Avenue station IND 6th Avenue Line". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
8. Kershaw, Sarah (December 17, 2001). "V Train Begins Service Today, Giving Queens Commuters Another Option". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
9. DeJesus, Juan (June 25, 2010). "Last Stop: New Yorkers Bid Adieu to V and W". NBC New York. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
10. "M Subway Timetable, Effective June 25, 2017" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on June 25, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
11. Dougherty, Peter (2020). Tracks of the New York City Subway 2020 (16th ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 1056711733.
12. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Lower East Side" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
13. "LTV Inc". ltvsquad.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2003. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
14. ^ Maykuth, Andrew (February 26, 1992). "A Nether World They Call Home Under The Streets Of Manhattan, The Homeless Huddle In Remote Crannies Of The Subway Amid Crack Vials And The Reek Of Human Waste. Retreating Underground In A Search For". Philly.com. New York: The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
15. Kaaufman, Michael T. (November 14, 1992). "ABOUT NEW YORK; Walking the Beat in the Subway's Nether World". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
16. "nycsubway.org: IND 6th Avenue Line".
17. Image columbia.edu
18. Track 2nd avenue color thejoekorner.com Archived July 13, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
19. Street color thejoekorner.com Archived February 14, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
20. "Abandoned Stations : IND Second System unfinished stations".
21. "Construction Methods, November 2002" MTA Capital Construction; Retrieved May 18, 2008
22. Second Avenue Subway mta.info
23. "Second Avenue Subway Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS): Appendix B: Development of Alternatives" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
24. "Second Avenue Subway Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS): Chapter 2: Project Alternatives" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
25. ^ "Second Avenue Subway Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS): Track Diagram, South of 57th Street" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
26. "Second Avenue Subway Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS): Deep Chrystie Option" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
27. Second Avenue Subway Proposed Phase 3 mta.info
28. Second Avenue Subway Proposed Phase 4 mta.info
29. ^ "Second Avenue Subway Station Entrances: Community Board 3" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority, DMJM HARRIS, ARUP. May 20, 2003. Retrieved August 5, 2015.

External links

• nycsubway.org – IND 6th Avenue: 2nd Avenue
• Station Reporter — F Train
• Abandoned Stations — IND Second System unfinished stations
• Second Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• First Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Mezzanine from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View

v t e Stations of the New York City Subway, by service
Queens Blvd Express/  Sixth Avenue Local	Jamaica–179th Street 169th Street Parsons Boulevard Sutphin Boulevard Briarwood Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike 75th Avenue Forest Hills–71st Avenue Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue 21st Street–Queensbridge Roosevelt Island Lexington Avenue–63rd Street 57th Street 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center 42nd Street–Bryant Park/Fifth Avenue 34th Street–Herald Square 23rd Street 14th Street West Fourth Street–Washington Square Broadway–Lafayette Street/Bleecker Street Second Avenue Delancey Street East Broadway York Street Jay Street–MetroTech Bergen Street Carroll Street Smith–Ninth Streets Fourth Avenue Seventh Avenue 15th Street–Prospect Park Fort Hamilton Parkway Church Avenue Ditmas Avenue 18th Avenue Avenue I Bay Parkway Avenue N Avenue P Kings Highway Avenue U Avenue X Neptune Avenue West Eighth Street–New York Aquarium Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue
Queens Blvd Express/  Sixth Avenue Local  (Rush Hour Express)	Jamaica–179th Street 169th Street Parsons Boulevard Sutphin Boulevard Briarwood Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike 75th Avenue Forest Hills–71st Avenue Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue 21st Street–Queensbridge Roosevelt Island Lexington Avenue–63rd Street 57th Street 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center 42nd Street–Bryant Park 34th Street–Herald Square 23rd Street 14th Street West Fourth Street–Washington Square Broadway–Lafayette Street Second Avenue Delancey Street East Broadway York Street Jay Street–MetroTech Seventh Avenue Church Avenue Ditmas Avenue 18th Avenue Avenue I Bay Parkway Avenue N Avenue P Kings Highway Avenue U Avenue X Neptune Avenue West Eighth Street–New York Aquarium Coney Island–Stillwell 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)
Second Ave. Line ​​	Planned stations, Phase 2: Harlem–125th Street 116th Street 106th Street 96th Street 86th Street 72nd Street [to Lexington Avenue–63rd Street, 63rd St. lines →] Planned stations, Phase 3: 55th Street 42nd Street 34th Street 23rd Street 14th Street Houston Street Planned stations, Phase 4: Grand Street Chatham Square Seaport Hanover Square
Sixth Ave. Line ​​​	Main branch [← to Lexington Avenue–63rd Street, 63rd St. lines] 57th Street ​ Express branch [← to 59th Street–Columbus Circle, Eighth Ave. Line] Seventh Avenue [← to Fifth Avenue/53rd Street, Queens Blvd. Line] 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center 42nd Street–Bryant Park 34th Street–Herald Square 23rd Street 14th Street West Fourth Street–Washington Square Broadway–Lafayette Street [to Essex Street, Nassau St. Line via Chrystie Street Connection →] ​ Chrystie St. Connection Grand Street [to DeKalb Avenue, 4th Ave./Brighton Lines via Manhattan Bridge →] ​ Local branch Second Avenue Delancey Street East Broadway York Street [to Jay Street–MetroTech, Culver 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.

• IND Sixth Avenue Line stations
• New York City Subway stations in Manhattan
• Railway stations in the United States opened in 1936
• 1936 establishments in New York City
• Proposed IND Second Avenue Line stations
• Lower East Side
• East Village, Manhattan
• Second Avenue (Manhattan)