IRT Lenox Avenue Line

IRT Lenox Avenue Line
The 2 train serves the IRT Lenox Avenue Line south of 145th Street. The 3 train serves the entire line at all times.
Overview
Owner	City of New York
Termini	Harlem–148th Street Central Park North–110th Street
Stations	6
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	New York City Subway
Operator(s)	New York City Transit Authority
Daily ridership	126,471[1]
History
Opened	1904-1968
Technical
Number of tracks	2-3
Character	Underground (Except for Harlem–148th Street) At-grade (Harlem–148th Street)
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	600V DC third rail
hide Route map Legend Lenox Yard Harlem–148th Street 145th Street White Plains Road Line 135th Street 125th Street 116th Street Central Park North–110th Street Eighth Avenue Line Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line This box: view talk

The Lenox Avenue Line is a line of the New York City Subway, part of the A Division, mostly built as part of the first subway line. Located in Manhattan, New York City, it consists of six stations between Central Park North–110th Street and Harlem–148th Street, all of which are situated within the neighborhood of Harlem in Upper Manhattan.

Extent and service[]

The following services use part or all of the IRT Lenox Avenue Line:^[2]

	Time period	Section of line
	all times	south of 145th Street
	all times	full line

The Lenox Avenue Line begins at the Harlem–148th Street station, which was formerly known as 148th Street–Lenox Terminal.^[3] After the terminal, a track merges from the Lenox Yard, and the line heads south under Lenox Avenue. At 142nd Street Junction, the IRT White Plains Road Line merges (with an at-grade crossing between the northbound Lenox track and the southbound White Plains track), carrying through service from the Bronx.

At the north border of Central Park is the final stop on the line, Central Park North–110th Street. From there the line curves southwest under the North Woods and North Meadow of Central Park, being one of three lines to pass under the park (the other two being the IND 63rd Street Line and the BMT 63rd Street Line). It heads west under 104th Street, then turns southwest and south to run underneath the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, passing under part of the northbound platform at 103rd Street. After the center express track on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line ends by connecting to the two local tracks, the Lenox Avenue Line rises to become the two express tracks, with double crossovers to each local direction. The four-track Broadway–Seventh Avenue line then continues south through 96th Street, an express station and transfer point.

History[]

A map of the Lenox Avenue Line from 1906

The line opened south of 145th Street just after midnight on November 23, 1904, as part of the IRT's original system. It was known as the East Side Subway or East Side Branch at the time, as it was the spur of the main line to the east side.^[4] The first train ran from the line onto the IRT White Plains Road Line (known as the West Farms Branch or the West Farms Extension) just after midnight on July 10, 1905.^[5] Soon after the line opened, it was speculated that it would bring prosperity to Harlem.^[6] The line ran across the path of the , a creek that had once been located above ground but had been buried by the first decade of the 20th century.^[7] The creek's presence caused flooding in the line's early years, especially around 116th Street.^[8] In April 1907, IRT officials decided to create a concrete drain beneath the Lenox Avenue Line tunnel, during which time trains in both directions ran on the southbound track during late nights.^[9] In Fiscal Year 1910, the bottom of the tunnel at the south end of the 116th Street station was rebuilt to prevent leaking.^[10]

The line has always carried trains of two service patterns, currently designated 2 and 3. Prior to February 6, 1959, 3 trains switched to the local on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line north of 96th Street. Afterwards, all trains running from the Lenox Avenue Line ran express.^[11][12][13]

Originally the line north of the 142nd Street Junction was only intended to be a yard lead to Lenox Yard, and sometime afterwards it was suggested to add a station at 145th Street.^{[citation needed]} The Harlem–148th Street station was opened on May 13, 1968 on land that had been part of the Lenox Yard; the station was originally called Lenox Terminal–148th Street.^[14]

Starting on March 2, 1998, the tunnel was reconstructed along with the cracked invert (tunnel floor). This was done to correct a major water problem that had existed for many years due to the continued 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.^[15][16] The project cost $82 million and was finished on October 12, 1998.^[15][17] 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, the 116th Street station was closed, and supplemental shuttle bus service connecting to other lines in the area were provided for much of this time.^[18][19]

From 1995 until 2008, the line's two northernmost stations, Harlem–148th Street and 145th Street, were served by shuttle buses during the late-night hours. Full-time service was restored on July 27, 2008.^[20]

On March 27, 2020, a northbound 2 train caught fire while approaching Central Park North–110th Street, the southernmost station on the line. The fire killed the train's motorman and injured 16. Subway service on the Lenox Avenue Line resumed on March 30, bypassing the Central Park North station until it reopened on April 6.^[21][22]

Station listing[]

The entire line is located in Harlem.

hideStation service legend
	Stops all times
Time period details
	Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
↑	Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act in the indicated direction only
↓
	Elevator access to mezzanine only

	Station	Services	Opened	Notes
	Harlem–148th Street	3	May 13, 1968	Formerly 148th Street–Lenox Terminal
connecting track to Lenox Yard
	145th Street	3	November 23, 1904	Only first 5 cars platform No northbound entrance
Merge from IRT White Plains Road Line at 142nd Street Junction (2 )
	135th Street	2  ​3	November 23, 1904
	125th Street	2  ​3	November 23, 1904	M60 Select Bus Service to LaGuardia Airport
	116th Street	2  ​3	November 23, 1904
	Central Park North–110th Street	2  ​3	November 23, 1904	The only cross-platform transfer between uptown and downtown trains on the line
Tracks continue as the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line express tracks (2  ​3 )

References[]

External links[]

• Media related to IRT Lenox Avenue Line at Wikimedia Commons

Route map:

• nycsubway.org — nycsubway.org - IRT Lenox/White Plains Line