96th Street
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96th Street (IRT West Side Line)

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96th Street Station · Opened 10/27/1904

Express station with four tracks, two island platforms. 96th Street was built in a similar fashion to the Contract I express stops at Brooklyn Bridge and 14th Street: two island platforms for the express trains and two shorter side platforms for the local trains.

Before the advent of ten-car locals the side platforms were probably used for local trains; since it would have been operationally logical to use the center island to allow local passengers easy transfer to the express, the local trains may never have used the side platforms exclusively for service, and in any event the practice did not last long.

Access to the station is provided from stairways along the sidewalks of Broadway to the side platforms; access to the center island platforms is via a crossunder passage running underneath the platforms. At Brooklyn Bridge and 14th Street, these side platforms have been closed and walled off; access to trains remains via those stations' mezzanines with stairs down to the island platforms. Because of the location of a large sewer line under 96th Street, no mezzanine was built at this station, thus requiring the underpass.

[There has been ongoing debate regarding the headhouse in Broadway's center median on the north side of 96th Street. It was suggested that this headhouse, similar to others along the Broadway IRT, provided an entrance directly to the north end of the island platforms. However, photographic evidence of this intersection indicates that the headhouse post-dates the year 1924; and anecdotal evidence from 1947 notes that the headhouse was used as a "comfort station" (a.k.a. public restroom). The conclusion on the matter, then, is that the headhouse is not and never was used as a subway entrance; nor was it even built by the IRT company. The structure is now a community center called the West Side Broadway Mall.]

The station was renovated in 1950 to accomodate longer trains. It was both extended (with a second entrance on 94th St. created) and widened (the tracks were moved and the platforms were widened). You can see differences in the walls and ceiling at the south end, and you can still spot a seam in the platforms where they were widened. Another renovation of the station is planned within the next several years, but because of its unusual design, it may never be made more efficient. Riders may continue to have to go downstairs and then back up to transit the station.

The creation of the new entrance at 94th St. led directly to the closure of 91st Street, as it would have been impractical to lengthen it for 10-car local trains with 94th Street so close by.

North of 96th St. Station, the express tracks descend to head under 104th Street to Lenox Avenue and the Bronx while the local tracks remain on the upper level. After the express tracks turn off, a new center track starts at approximately 100th Street.


(image 107019)
(185k, 930x618)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Photo by: Peter Ehrlich
Date: 10/30/2009
Notes: New tilework installed on southbound local wall.
Viewed (this week/total): 24 / 192


(image 107020)
(161k, 930x618)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Photo by: Peter Ehrlich
Date: 10/30/2009
Notes: New tilework installed on southbound local wall.
Viewed (this week/total): 10 / 67


(image 107018)
(157k, 930x606)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Photo by: Peter Ehrlich
Date: 10/30/2009
Notes: Original 1904 rosette on northbound local platform wall.
Viewed (this week/total): 8 / 70


(image 107015)
(216k, 930x614)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2261
Photo by: Peter Ehrlich
Date: 10/30/2009
Notes: Southbound.
Viewed (this week/total): 19 / 139


(image 107016)
(159k, 930x618)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2458
Photo by: Peter Ehrlich
Date: 10/30/2009
Notes: Northbound.
Viewed (this week/total): 12 / 104


(image 107055)
(145k, 1024x768)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld
Date: 10/22/2009
Notes: New headhouse construction.
Viewed (this week/total): 44 / 319


(image 106018)
(197k, 930x612)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Photo by: Peter Ehrlich
Date: 10/9/2009
Notes: Tilework.
Viewed (this week/total): 5 / 118


(image 104160)
(86k, 768x1024)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld
Date: 9/16/2009
Notes: Station renovation - new headhouse project.
Viewed (this week/total): 10 / 682


(image 104159)
(132k, 1024x768)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld
Date: 9/16/2009
Notes: Station renovation - new headhouse project.
Viewed (this week/total): 9 / 846


(image 104105)
(114k, 1024x768)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld
Date: 9/6/2009
Notes: New tile work.
Viewed (this week/total): 2 / 260


(image 104106)
(110k, 1024x768)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld
Date: 9/6/2009
Notes: 96th St. tower.
Viewed (this week/total): 6 / 285


(image 104104)
(150k, 1024x768)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld
Date: 9/6/2009
Notes: New station headhouse.
Viewed (this week/total): 7 / 554


(image 101799)
(234k, 1044x703)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Route: 2
Car: R142 6636
Photo by: John Barnes
Date: 6/15/2009
Viewed (this week/total): 14 / 596


(image 101800)
(223k, 1044x703)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Route: 3
Car: R62 (Kawasaki, 1983-1985) 1581
Photo by: John Barnes
Date: 6/15/2009
Viewed (this week/total): 5 / 423


(image 101801)
(220k, 1044x703)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2370
Photo by: John Barnes
Date: 6/15/2009
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 364


(image 101490)
(159k, 1024x768)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld
Date: 6/4/2009
Notes: New station entrance under construction.
Viewed (this week/total): 3 / 701


(image 101491)
(168k, 1024x768)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld
Date: 6/4/2009
Notes: New station entrance under construction.
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 505


(image 101492)
(130k, 1024x768)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld
Date: 6/4/2009
Notes: New station entrance under construction.
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 407


(image 98956)
(121k, 1024x768)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld
Date: 3/30/2009
Notes: Station renovations.
Viewed (this week/total): 11 / 903


(image 98957)
(106k, 1024x768)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 96th Street
Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld
Date: 3/30/2009
Notes: Station renovations.
Viewed (this week/total): 7 / 605


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http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/stations?6:3140. (Modified on Wed Mar 29 13:42:56 2006)
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