72nd Street
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72nd Street (IRT West Side Line)

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72nd Street Station · Opened 10/27/1904

Express station with four tracks, two island platforms. This is a most peculiar station for a farsighted railroad like the IRT. It was totally inadequate from its opening day, yet it is the best preserved of the original IRT express stations. 72nd Street long suffered from narrow platforms and narrow stairways to the headhouse and fare control. To maximize the space in the headhouse, free crossover between uptown and downtown directions was artificially denied by the arrangement of the turnstiles and gates.

A renovation ending in 2002 provided a second headhouse on the north side of 72nd Street, additional stairways from the platforms, and a widened uptown platform at the north end. The widening required cutting into the sidewall of the tunnel and realigning the uptown local track. However, the platforms are still fairly narrow considering the passenger load at this station.

A 1950s plan considered converting 59th Street/Columbus Circle into an express station and 72nd Street into a local station (by walling off the platform along the express side). The express run would have then been from Times Square, to Columbus Circle, to 96th Street. While that might have alleviated some crowding at 72nd Street the vibrancy of the neighborhood around 72nd Street probably requires the express trains' stopping.

Artwork: Verdi's Rigoletto, Robert Hickman (2005)


(image 105954) (219k, 930x603)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Route: 3
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2380
Photo by: Peter Ehrlich
Date: 10/9/2009
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 214


(image 105980) (223k, 930x618)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Route: 2
Car: R142 6565
Photo by: Peter Ehrlich
Date: 10/9/2009
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 224


(image 97408) (231k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Route: 2
Car: R142 6971
Photo by: John Barnes
Date: 3/9/2009
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 512


(image 97409) (225k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2325
Photo by: John Barnes
Date: 3/9/2009
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 374


(image 98546) (237k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Photo by: David M.
Date: 2/5/2009
Notes: New headhouse of 72nd St. station.
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 721


(image 98547) (170k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Photo by: David M.
Date: 2/5/2009
Notes: IRT mosaic tapestries
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 242


(image 67384) (201k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar
Date: 6/15/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 1816


(image 67385) (249k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar
Date: 6/15/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 1680


(image 79567) (208k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2236
Photo by: John Barnes
Date: 4/21/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 1600


(image 79566) (188k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Route: 2
Car: R142 6561
Photo by: John Barnes
Date: 4/21/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 2121


(image 62186) (125k, 820x620)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar
Date: 3/18/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 971


(image 53806) (208k, 864x574)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 1875
Photo by: Peter Ehrlich
Date: 9/30/2006
Notes: One of the few remaining lower-numbered 5-car R62A sets on the IRT mainline.
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 3041


(image 54304) (128k, 820x615)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Photo by: Steffen Petrasch
Date: 9/24/2006
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 1868


(image 54305) (136k, 820x615)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Photo by: Steffen Petrasch
Date: 9/24/2006
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 1402


(image 54289) (155k, 820x615)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Photo by: Steffen Petrasch
Date: 9/20/2006
Notes: New headhouse.
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 2371


(image 54290) (128k, 820x615)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Photo by: Steffen Petrasch
Date: 9/20/2006
Notes: New headhouse.
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 1437


(image 54291) (166k, 820x615)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Photo by: Steffen Petrasch
Date: 9/20/2006
Notes: New headhouse.
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 1660


(image 54292) (170k, 820x615)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Photo by: Steffen Petrasch
Date: 9/20/2006
Notes: Old headhouse.
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 2147


(image 54293) (149k, 820x615)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Photo by: Steffen Petrasch
Date: 9/20/2006
Notes: Old headhouse.
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 1927


(image 46966) (100k, 480x640)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 72nd Street
Photo by: Bruce Fedow
Date: 1/19/2006
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 1213


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http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/stations?6:371. (Modified on Tue Feb 28 14:10:07 2006)
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