Nostrand Avenue station (IND Fulton Street Line)

R32 C train entering the lower level

Early history

The Nostrand Avenue station was constructed as part of the IND Fulton Street Line, the main line of the city-owned Independent Subway System (IND)'s main line from Downtown Brooklyn to southern Queens.^[5] The groundbreaking for the line was held on April 16, 1929, at Fulton Street and Arlington Place, located at the site of the future station.^[6] The Nostrand Avenue station opened on April 9, 1936, as part of an extension of the IND from its previous Brooklyn terminus at Jay Street–Borough Hall, which opened three years earlier, to Rockaway Avenue.^[2] The new IND subway replaced the BMT Fulton Street Elevated, and this station replaced the elevated's Nostrand Avenue station, which was formerly above the current subway station until it closed on May 31, 1940.^[7]

Although the station was built with entrances at Bedford Avenue, Arlington Place, and Nostrand Avenue, only the ones at Nostrand Avenue were used for entry when the station first opened; the other entrances had been constructed with the rest of the line, but were boarded up upon the line's completion.^[8] By the 1940s, the staircases to Bedford Avenue were opened, but only for exiting the station.^[9] On January 12, 1943, business, church, and civic leaders from Brooklyn testified before the City Affairs Committee of the New York City Council, asking that the Bedford Avenue staircases to this station and staircases at Classon Avenue to the neighboring Franklin Avenue station be open for entry as well. On February 4, 1943, the City Council passed a resolution urging the New York City Board of Transportation (NYCBOT) to allow entry at the staircases.^[10] As a result of a year-long campaign from the Bedford–Stuyvesant Neighborhood Council, the NYCBOT agreed to open the Bedford Avenue staircases for entry into the station;^[11] the Neighborhood Council disclosed the announcement on June 16, 1950. Shortly after, the NYCBOT promptly began work to allow entry the staircases,^[11] which was completed on July 24, 1950 after a change booth and turnstiles were installed. The new entrance was open on Mondays to Fridays between 6:30 and 10:30 a.m., and from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.^[12]

Deterioration and crime

In 1981, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.^[13] The Bedford Avenue entrances were closed by the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) before or during the 1980s.^[14][15][16] Though the entrances were closed, a portion of the mezzanine and passages to the mezzanine remained open to allow for free crossovers between directions.^[17]

The rest of the mezzanine was closed on an emergency basis in April 1991, after the NYCTA, on March 28, 1991, ordered the closing of the 15 most dangerous passageways in the subway system within a week following the rape of a woman behind a pile of debris in a passage connecting the 34th Street–Herald Square and 42nd Street–Bryant Park stations under Sixth Avenue on March 20, 1991.^[18][19] The locations were chosen based on crime volume, lighting, traffic and physical layout, and were closed under the declaration of a public safety emergency. The areas were blocked off with plywood and fencing until public hearings were held and official permission was obtained.^[20] By closing the entrances, the transit police could deploy many officers to other parts of the system. The crossover at the mezzanine was chosen because the station had 96 felonies since January 1, 1990.^[21][22] In January 1992, the MTA Board approved a request by the NYCTA to close 43 full-time or part-time station areas at 30 station complexes, including the crossover. With the closure of the crossover, during late nights, when the part-time booth to the Queens-bound platform was closed, passengers would use the existing high entrance and exit turnstiles. The NYCTA was also considering making this booth full-time.^[17]

On February 17, 2005, transit workers found two trash bags on the station's tracks, which contained the body parts of 19-year-old Rashawn Brazell, a Bushwick resident who had been reported missing three days earlier. In February 2017, 38-year-old Kwauhuru Govan was arrested for Brazell's murder.^[23][24]

Renovation

Reopened Bedford Avenue mezzanine

Despite overcrowding at the Nostrand Avenue station as ridership increased, the Bedford Avenue entrances remained closed for over 25 years.^[25][26][27] On December 11, 2015, New York City Transit released its Review of the A and C Lines report. Among the various aspects discussed, the report discussed the option of reopening closed station entrances along these routes. The report concluded that if additional capital funding was provided, or if the Federal Transit Administration's interpretation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) reverted its original flexible approach, reopening closed entrances at Nostrand Avenue would become more feasible.^{[28]: 37–38} The report stated that reopening the Bedford Avenue entrances would reduce congestion at the Nostrand Avenue entrance, reduce uneven loading on A and C trains, and cut the walking distance for riders going to and from areas west of Arlington Place - including bus riders. It also found that opening the unopened entrances at Arlington Place and Fulton Street to the northbound platform would provide similar benefits at a lower cost.^[28]: 73

In 2019, the MTA announced that the Nostrand Avenue station would become ADA-accessible as part of the agency's 2020–2024 Capital Program.^[29] On February 6, 2020, the MTA announced that the Bedford Avenue entrances to the station would be reopened. The entrances were allowed to be reopened because the station would receive ADA improvements.^[27][26] Reopening the entrances cost around $2 million, with $1.25 million coming from New York City Transit, $500,000 from Assembly Member Tremaine Wright and $250,000 from State Senator Velmanette Montgomery. The work comprised the installation of lighting and turnstiles, the rehabilitation of stairways, the scraping and repainting of areas, the repairing and replacement of tile, and the construction of new sidewalk entrance structures. The entrances were intended to allow for free transfers between directions, better serve areas west of Arlington Place, and provide a direct connection to northbound B44 SBS service, as well as reduce severe overcrowding during the p.m. rush hour.^{[25][26][27][30]} The entrances were reopened on February 4, 2021.^[31][32][33] At the time, overall subway crime had decreased significantly compared to the 1980s and 1990s.^[32][33]

Discover more about History related topics

R32 (New York City Subway car)

R32 (New York City Subway car)

The R32 was a New York City Subway car model built by the Budd Company from 1964 to 1965 for the IND/BMT B Division. A total of 600 R32s were built, numbered 3350–3949, though some cars were re-numbered. The R32 contract was divided into two subcontracts of 300 cars each: R32 and R32A ; the former was paid by the city's capital budget and the latter was paid through a revenue bond. All were arranged as married pairs.

Independent Subway System

Independent Subway System

The Independent Subway System, formerly known as the Independent City-Owned Subway System (ICOSS) or the Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad (ICORTR), was a rapid transit rail system in New York City that is now part of the New York City Subway. It was first constructed as the Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan in 1932.

Downtown Brooklyn

Downtown Brooklyn

Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City, and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is known for its office and residential buildings, such as the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower and the MetroTech Center office complex.

Queens

Queens

Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long Island, and Nassau County to its east. Queens shares water borders with the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island.

New York City Council

New York City Council

The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs.

New York City Board of Transportation

New York City Board of Transportation

The New York City Board of Transportation or the Board of Transportation of the City of New York was a city transit commission and operator in New York City, consisting of three members appointed by the mayor. It was created in 1924 to control city-owned and operated public transportation service within the New York City Transit System. The agency oversaw the construction and operation of the municipal Independent Subway System (IND), which was constructed shortly after the Board was chartered. The BOT later presided over the major transfers of public transit from private control to municipal control that took place in the 1940s, including the unification of the New York City Subway in 1940. In 1953, the Board was dissolved and replaced by the state-operated New York City Transit Authority, now part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Metropolitan Transportation Authority

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area of the U.S. state of New York. The MTA is the largest public transit authority in the United States, serving 12 counties in Downstate New York, along with two counties in southwestern Connecticut under contract to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, carrying over 11 million passengers on an average weekday systemwide, and over 850,000 vehicles on its seven toll bridges and two tunnels per weekday.

New York City Transit Authority

New York City Transit Authority

The New York City Transit Authority is a public-benefit corporation in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City. Part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the busiest and largest transit system in North America, the NYCTA has a daily ridership of 8 million trips.

Murder of Rashawn Brazell

Murder of Rashawn Brazell

In late February 2005, the dismembered body parts of 19-year-old Rashawn Brazell were found in garbage bags strewn throughout the New York City borough of Brooklyn after he disappeared from his home in the Bushwick neighborhood. He had left in the morning of February 14 to meet his accountant and then meet his mother for lunch in Manhattan. At 7:30 that morning, an unknown person rang the apartment building's security buzzer and Brazell went down to meet him. According to other witnesses, Brazell met a man outside his Brooklyn apartment and the two men entered the subway together at the Gates Avenue station. Witnesses believe the two exited at the Nostrand Avenue station in Bedford–Stuyvesant a short time later. Brazell was never seen alive again.

Bushwick, Brooklyn

Bushwick, Brooklyn

Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; East New York and the cemeteries of Highland Park to the southeast; Brownsville to the south; and Bedford–Stuyvesant to the southwest.

Federal Transit Administration

Federal Transit Administration

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transportation systems. The FTA is one of ten modal administrations within the DOT. Headed by an Administrator who is appointed by the President of the United States, the FTA functions through Washington, D.C headquarters office and ten regional offices which assist transit agencies in all states, the District of Columbia, and the territories. Until 1991, it was known as the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA).

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal, and later sexual orientation and gender identity. In addition, unlike the Civil Rights Act, the ADA also requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities, and imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations.

G	Street level	Exit/entrance
B1	Bedford Avenue mezzanine	Fare control
B2 Express platforms	North mezzanine	Fare control
	Side platform
	Westbound express	← toward Inwood–207th Street (Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets)
	Eastbound express	→ toward Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue, Ozone Park–Lefferts Boulevard or Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street (Utica Avenue) →
	Side platform
	South mezzanine	Fare control
B3 Local platforms	Side platform
	Westbound local	← toward 168th Street (Franklin Avenue) ← toward Inwood–207th Street late nights (Franklin Avenue)
	Wall
	Trackway	No service
	Trackway	No service
	Wall
	Eastbound local	→ toward Euclid Avenue (Kingston–Throop Avenues) → → toward Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue late nights (Kingston–Throop Avenues) →
	Side platform

Southbound R46 A train on the upper level

Nostrand Avenue is an express station, serving all trains (as opposed to a local station that serves only local trains).^[34] It is the only two-level express station in the system that has the express tracks on the upper level and the local tracks on the lower one. The station was originally planned to be a conventional local station with four tracks and two side platforms, with a mezzanine, as proven by the fact that the upper-level platforms are wider than the lower level ones (which would have been consistent with the design of a mezzanine), and two unused trackways exist on the lower level between the local tracks (which would have been consistent with the typical design of a local station on a four-track line). A curtain wall separates the local tracks from the unused trackways on both sides. On either side of the station, the express tracks ascend from the local tracks to serve the upper level, then descend to rejoin them.^[35]

The station's trim-line is butterscotch yellow with a medium mustard brown border and is three tiles high, typical of IND express stations. Small tile captions reading "NOSTRAND" in white lettering on a black background run below the trim line, and there are mosaic name tablets reading "NOSTRAND AVE." in white sans-serif lettering on a mustard brown background with butterscotch yellow border.^[36] Directional captions are present below some of the name tablets, though many of the ones pointing to the previously closed Bedford Avenue and never opened Arlington Place entrances are painted over. Yellow I-beam columns run along the upper level platforms at regular intervals (the lower level is column-less), alternating ones having the standard black station name plate with white lettering. There is artwork from the Ronald Edmonds Learning Center Community School on the northbound platform.^[37] The platforms have directional signs to the other level in the same style as the name tablets and signs to the exit in the same style as the name tiles.^[38]

Exits

Mosaic name tablet with painted over directional caption

Each upper-level platform has its own same-level fare control. The station has a full-time booth in the Nostrand Avenue fare control area on the northbound platform, and used to have a part-time booth at the Nostrand Avenue fare control area on the southbound platform.^[17][28] The fare control areas have exits to all corners of Nostrand Avenue and Fulton Street, which are 15 feet (4.6 m) long and 6 feet (1.8 m) wide.^[17] There is one staircase to each corner.^[39] The Manhattan-bound side stairs lead to both northern corners of Nostrand Avenue and Fulton Street while the Queens-bound side stairs lead to both southern corners.^[28][39]

Both upper-level platforms also have a ramp at their geographical west (railroad north) ends, leading to a mezzanine with a crossover.^[31][40] There is one stair to each of the northeastern and southeastern corners of Bedford Avenue and Fulton Street,^[16][28][39] some 1,000 feet (300 m) west of the Nostrand Avenue entrances.^[17]

The Manhattan-bound upper level has a third unopened fare control area to both northern corners of Arlington Place and Fulton Street.^[28][41][42] This fare control area is located behind a tiled wall with a door near the railroad north (geographical west) end of the Manhattan-bound upper-level platform.^[43]

Discover more about Station layout related topics

Side platform

Side platform

A side platform is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms, one for each direction of travel, is the basic design used for double-track railway lines. Side platforms may result in a wider overall footprint for the station compared with an island platform where a single width of platform can be shared by riders using either track.

A (New York City Subway service)

A (New York City Subway service)

The A Eighth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored blue since it uses the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan.

Inwood–207th Street station

Inwood–207th Street station

The Inwood–207th Street station is the northern terminal station of the IND Eighth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 207th Street and Broadway in the Manhattan neighborhood of Inwood, near Inwood Hill Park, it is served by the A train at all times.

Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets station

Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets station

The Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets station is an express station of the New York City Subway, serving the IND Crosstown Line and the IND Fulton Street Line. Located at the intersection of Hoyt Street and Schermerhorn Street in Downtown Brooklyn, it is served by the A and G trains at all times, as well as the C train except late nights.

Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue station

Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue station

The Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue station is the eastern terminal station of the New York City Subway's IND Rockaway Line. Originally a Long Island Rail Road station, it is currently the easternmost station in the New York City Subway. It is served by the A train at all times.

Ozone Park–Lefferts Boulevard station

Ozone Park–Lefferts Boulevard station

The Ozone Park–Lefferts Boulevard station is an elevated terminal station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Lefferts Boulevard and Liberty Avenue in Queens. It serves as the terminus of the A route's Lefferts Boulevard branch. Despite its name, the station is not actually located in Ozone Park, but rather in the adjacent neighborhood of South Richmond Hill.

Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street station

Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street station

The Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street station is the western terminal station on the IND Rockaway Line of the New York City Subway, located on Beach 116th Street near Rockaway Beach Boulevard in Rockaway Beach, Queens. It is served by the Rockaway Park Shuttle at all times and ten daily rush-hour A trains in the peak direction.

Utica Avenue station

Utica Avenue station

The Utica Avenue station is an express station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Utica Avenue and Fulton Street in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, it is served by the A train at all times and the C train at all times except late nights.

C (New York City Subway service)

C (New York City Subway service)

The C Eighth Avenue Local is a 19-mile-long (31 km) rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is blue since it uses the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Midtown Manhattan.

Euclid Avenue station (IND Fulton Street Line)

Euclid Avenue station (IND Fulton Street Line)

The Euclid Avenue station is an express station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Euclid and Pitkin Avenues in East New York, Brooklyn. It is served by the A train at all times and is the southern terminal for the C train at all times except nights. During nights, this is the northern terminal for the Lefferts Boulevard shuttle train from Ozone Park, Queens.

Kingston–Throop Avenues station

Kingston–Throop Avenues station

The Kingston–Throop Avenues station is a local station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway. Located on Fulton Street between Kingston and Throop Avenues in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, it is served by the C train at all times except nights, when the A train takes over service.