163rd Street–Amsterdam Avenue station

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 163 Street–Amsterdam Avenue
 "C" train
MTA NYC logo.svg New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
163 St-Amsterdam Av (43142722030).jpg
Uptown platform after renovation
Station statistics
AddressAmsterdam Avenue & St. Nicholas Avenue
New York, NY 10032
BoroughManhattan
LocaleWashington Heights
Coordinates40°50′13″N 73°56′24″W / 40.836866°N 73.940134°W / 40.836866; -73.940134Coordinates: 40°50′13″N 73°56′24″W / 40.836866°N 73.940134°W / 40.836866; -73.940134
DivisionB (IND)[1]
Line   IND Eighth Avenue Line
Services   A late nights (late nights)
   C all except late nights (all except late nights)
TransitBus transport NYCT Bus: M3, M100, M101
StructureUnderground
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks4 (2 on each level)
Other information
OpenedSeptember 10, 1932 (89 years ago) (1932-09-10)[2]
ClosedMarch 12, 2018; 3 years ago (2018-03-12) (reconstruction)[3]
RebuiltSeptember 27, 2018; 2 years ago (2018-09-27)
Station code149[4]
Opposite-
direction
transfer
Yes
Traffic
20191,390,312[6]Increase 153.7%
Rank309 out of 424[6]
Station succession
Next north168th Street: A late nightsC all except late nights
Next south155th Street: A late nightsC all except late nights
Location
163rd Street–Amsterdam Avenue station is located in New York City Subway
163rd Street–Amsterdam Avenue station
Track layout

Legend
to 168 St
to 155 St
Street map

Station service legend
Symbol Description
Stops all times except late nights Stops all times except late nights
Stops late nights only Stops late nights only

163rd Street–Amsterdam Avenue is a local station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located in Washington Heights, Manhattan, at the intersection of Amsterdam and Saint Nicholas Avenues. It is served by the C train at all times except nights, when the A train takes over service.

History[]

The station opened on September 10, 1932, as part of the city-operated Independent Subway System (IND)'s initial segment, the Eighth Avenue Line between Chambers Street and 207th Street.[2][7] Construction of the whole line cost $191.2 million. While the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line already provided service to Washington Heights, the new Eighth Avenue subway via St. Nicholas Avenue provided an alternative route.[8]

Under the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Plan, the station underwent a complete overhaul as part of the Enhanced Station Initiative and was entirely closed for several months. Updates included cellular service, Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, interactive service advisories and maps.[9][10] A request for proposals for the 72nd Street, 86th Street, Cathedral Parkway–110th Street, and 163rd Street–Amsterdam Avenue stations was issued on June 1, 2017,[11] and the New York City Transit and Bus Committee officially recommended that the MTA Board should award the $111 million contract to ECCO III Enterprises in October 2017.[12] As part of the renovations, the station was closed on March 12, 2018[13] and reopened on September 27, 2018.[14]

Station layout[]

G Street level Exit/entrance
B1 Mezzanine Fare control, station agent
B2
Platform level
Side platform
Northbound local "C" train toward 168th Street (Terminus)
"A" train toward 207th Street late nights (168th Street)
Southbound local "C" train toward Euclid Avenue (155th Street)
"A" train toward Far Rockaway late nights (155th Street)
Side platform
B3[15] Northbound express "A" train does not stop here
Southbound express "A" train does not stop here →
The 162nd Street entrance to the station
Ciguapa Antellana

This underground station has two local tracks and two side platforms. Two express tracks, used by the A train during daytime hours, run below the station and are not visible from the platforms. To the north, the upper level local tracks become the center tracks of 168th Street, allowing C trains to terminate there, while the lower level express tracks become the outer tracks, continuing towards 207th Street.[16]

Both platforms have mosaic name tablets reading "163RD STREET - AMSTERDAM AVE." in white sans-serif lettering broken onto two lines. The background is yellow with a black border. Small black "163" and directional signs in white lettering run at regular intervals, but there is no trim line on either platform. Grey (previously yellow) I-beam columns run along both platforms, alternating ones having the standard black station name plate with white lettering.

This station has a full length mezzanine supported by I-beam columns above the platforms, but only the southern half is opened. The open southern half has three staircases from each platform, black I-beams, and two sets of turnstile banks leading to the center or the extreme south end of the mezzanine. The closed northern half is walled off and retained the original yellow-colored I-beams. The staircases from the platforms to this portion have been removed.

Prior to the station's renovation, the open southern half was split into three sections by two black steel fences, and free transfers between directions were not possible. Outside fare control, there is a token booth. The closed northern half was gated off and had an exit-only turnstile leading to the fare control area at the center, and three gated staircases from each platform.

The 2018 artwork at this station is Ciguapa Antellana, me llamo sueño de la madrugada. (who more sci-fi than us), a glass mosaic by Firelei Baez. The artwork consists of four pieces, two on the mezzanine and one on each platform. The mosaic contains leaves and vines, as well as symbolism that is evocative of Baez's Caribbean ancestry.[17]

Exits[]

The open southern half of the mezzanine has three exits:

  • One stair at the southeast corner of 161st Street and Amsterdam Avenue.
  • One stair at the northeast corner of 161st Street and St. Nicholas Avenue.
  • One stair built inside 1033 Saint Nicholas Avenue (at the western corner of 162nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue), which is currently a Rite Aid pharmacy.[18]

The closed northern half had three exits leading to 163rd Street.[19][20] One exit, which has temporarily been uncovered as an area to haul out debris from renovations, goes to the southeast corner.[21] The other two went to the southwest corner and remain sealed.[18]

References[]

  1. ^ "Glossary". Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) (PDF). 1. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 4, 2003. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "List of the 28 Stations on the New 8th Av. Line". The New York Times. September 10, 1932. p. 6. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  3. ^ Mascali, Nikki M. (March 12, 2018). "163rd Street C train station begins 6-month closure for renovations". Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  4. ^ "Station Developers' Information". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  5. ^ "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  7. ^ Crowell, Paul (September 10, 1932). "Gay Midnight Crowd Rides First Trains In The New Subway: Throngs at Station an Hour Before Time, Rush Turnstiles When Chains are Dropped" (PDF). New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  8. ^ Duffus, R. L. (September 9, 1932). "New Line First Unit In City-Wide System". The New York Times. p. 12. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  9. ^ Whitford, Emma (January 8, 2016). "MTA Will Completely Close 30 Subway Stations For Months-Long "Revamp"". Gothamist. Archived from the original on March 23, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  10. ^ "MTA Stations" (PDF). governor.ny.gov. Government of the State of New York. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  11. ^ "Enhanced Stations Initiative Program; Contract A·36622C (Package 3) for Design & Construction at 72nd Street, 86th Street, Cathedral Parkway (110th Street), and 163rd Street - Amsterdam Avenue Stations on the 8th Avenue Line (IND), Manhattan" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 1, 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 24, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  12. ^ Transit & Bus Committee Meeting (PDF). New York City Transit and Bus Committee Meeting. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 23, 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 3, 2019.
  13. ^ Warerkar, Tanay (February 19, 2018). "MTA will shutter 4 Upper Manhattan subway stations for repairs". Curbed NY. Archived from the original on May 24, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  14. ^ "163 St-Amsterdam Av Station to Reopen After Structural Repairs & Functional Improvements" (Press release). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 23, 2018. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  15. ^ Station Reporter — C Train Archived March 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
  17. ^ "163 St-Amsterdam Ave - Firelei Báez - Ciguapa Antellana, me llamo sueño de la madrugada. (who more sci-fi than us), 2018". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Washington Heights (Fort Washington Park, Highbridge Park)" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  19. ^ Review of the A and C Lines (PDF) (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 11, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 3, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  20. ^ Harshbarger, Rebecca; De La Hoz, Felipe (October 12, 2015). "Williamsburg, Bushwick subway entrances sealed despite ridership spike". AM New York. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  21. ^ "163rd St/Amsterdam Ave". Unused NYC Subway. Archived from the original on May 3, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.

External links[]

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