161st Street–Yankee Stadium station

The 161st Street–Yankee Stadium station is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the elevated IRT Jerome Avenue Line and the underground IND Concourse Line. It is located at the intersection of 161st Street and River Avenue in the Highbridge and Concourse neighborhoods of the Bronx. It is generally served by the 4 train at all times; the D train at all times except rush hours in the peak direction (unless there is an event at Yankee Stadium, and in such event, express trains will stop[4]); and the B train weekdays until evening.

 161 Street–Yankee Stadium
 "4" train"B" train"D" train
New York City Subway station complex
Elevator to station
Station statistics
AddressEast 161st Street & River Avenue
Bronx, New York
BoroughThe Bronx
LocaleHighbridge, Concourse
Coordinates40°49′41″N 73°55′33″W / 40.827937°N 73.925886°W / 40.827937; -73.925886
DivisionA (IRT), B (IND)[1]
LineIRT Jerome Avenue Line
IND Concourse Line
Services   4 all times (all times)​
   B weekdays only (weekdays only)
   D all except rush hours, peak direction (all except rush hours, peak direction)
Transit
Levels2
Other information
AccessibleThis station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ADA-accessible
Traffic
20235,316,351[3]Increase 5.8%
Rank49 out of 423[3]
Location
161st Street–Yankee Stadium station is located in New York City Subway
161st Street–Yankee Stadium station
161st Street–Yankee Stadium station is located in New York City
161st Street–Yankee Stadium station
161st Street–Yankee Stadium station is located in New York
161st Street–Yankee Stadium station
Street map

Map

Station service legend
Symbol Description
Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction
Stops all times Stops all times
Stops rush hours only Stops rush hours only
Stops weekdays during the day Stops weekdays during the day

The combined passenger count for 161st Street–Yankee Stadium station in 2019 was 8,254,928, making it the busiest station in the Bronx and 49th busiest overall.[5] This station is one of only two station complexes in the Bronx (the other being 149th Street–Grand Concourse).

History

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Construction and opening

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IRT Jerome Avenue Line

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The Dual Contracts, which were signed on March 19, 1913, were contracts for the construction and/or rehabilitation and operation of rapid transit lines in the City of New York. The contracts were "dual" in that they were signed between the City and two separate private companies (the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company), all working together to make the construction of the Dual Contracts possible. The Dual Contracts promised the construction of several lines in the Bronx. As part of Contract 3, the IRT agreed to build an elevated line along Jerome Avenue in the Bronx.[6][7][8]

161st Street station opened as part of the initial section of the line to Kingsbridge Road on June 2, 1917. Service was initially operated as a shuttle between Kingsbridge Road and 149th Street.[9][10]

On July 1, 1918, trains on the Ninth Avenue El began stopping here, as they were extended from 155th Street, entering the Bronx via the Putnam Bridge, a now-demolished swing bridge immediately north of the Macombs Dam Bridge, to connect with the Jerome Avenue line between 161st Street and 167th Street.[11][12][13]

Through service to the IRT Lexington Avenue Line began on July 17, 1918.[11] The line was completed with a final extension to Woodlawn on April 15, 1918.[14] This section was initially served by shuttle service, with passengers transferring at this station.[15][16] The construction of the line encouraged development along Jerome Avenue, and led to the growth of the surrounding communities.[9] The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940.[17][18]

IND Concourse Line

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The IND Concourse Line, also referred to as the Bronx−Concourse Line, was one of the original lines of the city-owned Independent Subway System (IND).[19][20] The line running from Bedford Park Boulevard to the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan was approved by the New York City Board of Transportation on March 10, 1925, with the connection between the two lines approved on March 24, 1927.[21] The line was originally intended to be four tracks, rather than three tracks, to Bedford Park Boulevard.[20][21]

Construction of the line began in July 1928.[21] The building of the line and proposed extensions to central and eastern Bronx (see below) led to real estate booms in the area.[21] The entire Concourse Line, including 161st Street—River Avenue station, opened on July 1, 1933,[22][23] less than ten months after the IND's first line, the IND Eighth Avenue Line, opened for service. Initial service was provided by the C train, at that time an express train, between 205th Street, then via the Eighth Avenue Line, Cranberry Street Tunnel and the IND South Brooklyn Line (now Culver Line) to Bergen Street.[23] The CC provided local service between Bedford Park Boulevard and Hudson Terminal (now World Trade Center).[23]

On December 15, 1940, with the opening of the IND Sixth Avenue Line, the D train began serving the IND Concourse Line along with the C and CC. It made express stops in peak during rush hours and Saturdays and local stops at all other times.[24] C express service was discontinued in 1949–51, but the C designation was reinstated in 1985 when double letters used to indicate local service was discontinued. During this time, the D made local stops along the Concourse Line at all times except rush hours, when the C ran local to Bedford Park Boulevard. On March 1, 1998, the B train replaced the C as the rush-hour local on the Concourse Line, with the C moving to the Washington Heights portion of the Eighth Avenue Line.[25]

When the IND portion was built in 1933, paper tickets were used to transfer between the two lines; this method was used until the 1950s, when the indoor escalators were built.[citation needed]

Station renovations

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Elevators at the station were installed in the early 2000s as part of a three-year renovation of the station complex and opened in late 2002, making the station the fourth in the Bronx to be fully ADA-compliant.

The MTA announced in late 2022 that it would open customer service centers at 15 stations; the centers would provide services such as travel information and OMNY farecards. The first six customer service centers, including one at the 161st Street–Yankee Stadium station, were to open in early 2023.[26][27] The 161st Street–Yankee Stadium station's customer service center opened in February 2023.[28][29]

Station layout

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2F Side platform  
Northbound local   toward Woodlawn (167th Street)
Peak-direction express No regular service
Southbound local   toward Crown Heights–Utica Avenue (New Lots Avenue late nights) (149th Street–Grand Concourse)
Side platform  
1F IRT mezzanine Station agent, MetroCard and OMNY vending machines
G Street level Entrance/exit
  Elevator at northeast corner of 161st Street and River Avenue
B1 IND mezzanine Station agent, MetroCard and OMNY vending machines
B2 Side platform  
Northbound local   toward Bedford Park Boulevard rush hours and select midday trips (167th Street)
  toward Norwood–205th Street (167th Street)
Peak-direction express   PM rush does not stop here
  AM rush does not stop here →
Southbound local   toward Brighton Beach rush hours and select midday trips (155th Street)
  toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (155th Street)
Side platform  

The station complex is ADA-accessible, with elevators available to all platforms.[30]

This station is located adjacent to Yankee Stadium, and also provides service to many Bronx County courts, government facilities, and shopping districts in Concourse Village, which are a short walk to the east. The station is three blocks away from the Yankees–East 153rd Street station, a Metro-North Railroad stop on the Hudson Line, which provides service to Yankee Stadium from Manhattan and the Lower Hudson Valley up to Poughkeepsie.[31] Additional service is provided to this station in the form of shuttles from Grand Central, as well as select trains on the Harlem and New Haven lines on game days.

The 2002 artwork here is called Wall-Slide by Vito Acconci, which consists of sections of the station walls "sliding" out of place, sometimes out of the station. Wall-Slide forms seating on the IND platforms, and also reveals a mosaic work, Room of Tranquility by Helene Brandt, on the IRT mezzanine.[32]

IRT Jerome Avenue Line platforms

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 161 Street–Yankee Stadium
  
  New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
 
View of southbound platform and Yankee Stadium
Station statistics
DivisionA (IRT)[1]
LineIRT Jerome Avenue Line
Services   4   (all times)
StructureElevated
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks3 (2 in regular service)
Other information
OpenedJune 2, 1917 (107 years ago) (1917-06-02)
Accessible  ADA-accessible
Opposite-
direction
transfer
Yes
Services
Preceding station   New York City Subway Following station
167th Street
toward Woodlawn
  149th Street–Grand Concourse
Track layout

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Station service legend
Symbol Description
  Stops all times

The 161st Street–Yankee Stadium station is a local station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line that has three tracks and two side platforms.[33] The 4 stops here at all times.[34]

The station has extra exit stairs to handle stadium crowds at the southern end of each platform, which make the platforms at this station much longer than traditional IRT platforms. These stairs lead to a separate mezzanine and fare control that were built to serve the old Yankee Stadium located across 161st Street; they continue to serve the new Yankee Stadium during events.

The former IRT Ninth Avenue Line connected with the IRT Jerome Avenue Line just north of this station, near 162nd Street.[35] A stub of the Ninth Avenue Line connecting trackway still exists and is visible today.[36][37]

Exits

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On each side of River Avenue, there is one street stair to each of 161st Street's two medians. There are also two stairs to the southwest corner and one to the southeast corner. The northeast corner has an ADA-accessible elevator and transfer passageway.[31]

IND Concourse Line platforms

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 161 Street–Yankee Stadium
   
  New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
 
Northbound platform with Wall-Slide seating
Station statistics
DivisionB (IND)[1]
LineIND Concourse Line
Services   B   (weekdays only)
   D   (all except rush hours, peak direction)
StructureUnderground
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks3
Other information
OpenedJuly 1, 1933 (91 years ago) (1933-07-01)
Accessible  ADA-accessible
Opposite-
direction
transfer
Yes
Former/other names161st Street–River Avenue
Services
Preceding station   New York City Subway Following station
167th Street
B  D  
  155th Street
B  D  
Track layout

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Station service legend
Symbol Description
  Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction
  Stops rush hours only
  Stops weekdays during the day

The 161st Street–Yankee Stadium station (161st Street–River Avenue on some signage) is a local station on the IND Concourse Line that has three tracks and two side platforms.[33] It is the southernmost station on the IND Concourse Line within the Bronx.[38]

Exits

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The full-time mezzanine to the west is at 161st Street and River Avenue with four street staircases. The part-time entrance to the east is at Walton Avenue and has two street staircases and a passageway to 161st Street.[31] Before the renovation, there was a full length mezzanine, with Transit Bureau Offices located to one side. After the renovation, the NYPD area was expanded, and public areas inside fare control were sealed, thus dividing the mezzanine into two separate areas. A few staircases to the platforms were also sealed and removed.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Glossary". Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) (PDF). Vol. 1. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 4, 2003. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  2. ^ "Bronx Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  4. ^ "Ride the MTA to Yankees Opening Day 2021".
  5. ^ "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  6. ^ New Subways For New York: The Dual System of Rapid Transit Chapter 5: Terms and Conditions of Dual System Contracts. New York Public Service Commission. 1913. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  7. ^ The Dual System of Rapid Transit (1912). New York State Public Service Commission. 1912.
  8. ^ "Most Recent Map of the Dual Subway System Which Shows How Brooklyn Borough Is Favored In New Transit Lines". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 9, 1917. Retrieved August 23, 2016 – via newspapers.com.  
  9. ^ a b "Service Begun on the Jerome Avenue Line". Public Service Record. 4 (6). June 1917.
  10. ^ Annual report of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company For The Year Ended June 30, 1917. Interborough Rapid Transit Company. 1917. hdl:2027/mdp.39015016416920 – via HathiTrust.
  11. ^ a b Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1922. p. 372.
  12. ^ "Along the Line". Time Traveling on the NYC Ninth Ave El. February 18, 1903. Archived from the original on November 11, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  13. ^ "Open New Subway To Regular Traffic — First Train On Seventh Avenue Line Carries Mayor And Other Officials — To Serve Lower West Side — Whitney Predicts An Awakening Of The District — New Extensions Of Elevated Railroad Service". The New York Times. July 2, 1918. p. 11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  14. ^ "Jerome Av. Line Ordered Opened". The New York Times. April 13, 1918. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  15. ^ Herries, William (1916). Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 100.
  16. ^ Cunningham, Joseph; DeHart, Leonard O. (1993). A History of the New York City Subway System. J. Schmidt, R. Giglio, and K. Lang. p. 48.
  17. ^ "City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign". The New York Times. June 13, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  18. ^ "Transit Unification Completed As City Takes Over I. R. T. Lines: Systems Come Under Single Control After Efforts Begun in 1921; Mayor Is Jubilant at City Hall Ceremony Recalling 1904 Celebration". New York Herald Tribune. June 13, 1940. p. 25. ProQuest 1248134780.
  19. ^ Duffus, R.L. (September 22, 1929). "Our Great Subway Network Spreads Wider – New Plans of Board of Transportation Involve the Building of More Than One Hundred Miles of Additional Rapid Transit Routes for New York". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  20. ^ a b "New Subway Routes in Hylan Program to Cost $186,046,000". The New York Times. March 21, 1925. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331.
  21. ^ a b c d Joseph B. Raskin (November 1, 2013). The Routes Not Taken: A Trip Through New York City's Unbuilt Subway System. Fordham University Press. ISBN 978-0-8232-5369-2. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  22. ^ "Bronx-Concourse New Subway Link Opened at 12:57 A.M.: Adds 21 1/2 Miles to City's System−Connects With Manhattan Line at 145th". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 1, 1933. p. 20. Retrieved October 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  23. ^ a b c "New Bronx Subway Starts Operation". The New York Times. July 1, 1933. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  24. ^ "The New Subway Routes". The New York Times. December 15, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  25. ^ "Broadway Junction Transportation Study: NYC Department of City Planning Final Report-November 2008" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of City Planning. November 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 6, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  26. ^ Garcia, Deanna (December 14, 2022). "'Customer Service Centers' to open at 15 subway stations". Spectrum News NY1 New York City. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  27. ^ Chasan, Aliza (December 15, 2022). "MTA opening subway customer service centers". PIX11. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  28. ^ Brachfeld, Ben (February 7, 2023). "MTA opens new 'customer service centers,' expanded successor to the token booth". amNewYork. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  29. ^ "MTA unveils new customer service centers at 3 subway stations". CBS News. February 8, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  30. ^ "MTA Accessible Stations". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on May 15, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  31. ^ a b c "161st Street–Yankee Stadium Neighborhood Map" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  32. ^ "161st Street-Yankee Stadium - Vito Acconci (Acconci Studio) - Wall-Slide, 2002". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  33. ^ a b Dougherty, Peter (2020). Tracks of the New York City Subway 2020 (16th ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 1056711733.
  34. ^ "4 Subway Timetable, Effective December 4, 2022". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  35. ^ nycsubway.org – IRT Woodlawn Line: The 9th Avenue Elevated-Polo Grounds Shuttle
  36. ^ nycsubway.org – IRT Woodlawn Line: 161st Street/River Avenue (Yankee Stadium)
  37. ^ nycsubway.org – IRT Woodlawn Line: Image 100342
  38. ^ "IRT Woodlawn Line". nycsubway.org. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
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Google Maps Street View
  161st Street & River Avenue — southwest corner entrance
  161st Street & River Avenue entrance to Jerome Avenue Line
  161st Street & River Avenue — northeast corner entrance to Concourse Line
  Walton Avenue entrances
  IRT platforms (360° View)
  IND platforms (360° View)