The 55th Street station is a local station on the BMT West End Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of 55th Street and 13th Avenue in Borough Park, Brooklyn. It is served by the D train at all times. The station opened in 1916, and had its platforms extended in the 1960s.

 55 Street
 "D" train
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
View of the platforms
Station statistics
Address55th Street & New Utrecht Avenue
Brooklyn, New York
BoroughBrooklyn
LocaleBorough Park
Coordinates40°37′55″N 73°59′45″W / 40.631892°N 73.995709°W / 40.631892; -73.995709
DivisionB (BMT)[1]
LineBMT West End Line
Services   D all times (all times)
TransitBus transport NYCT Bus: B16
StructureElevated
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks3 (2 in regular service)
Other information
OpenedJune 24, 1916 (108 years ago) (1916-06-24)
Opposite-
direction
transfer
Yes
Traffic
2023418,218[2]Increase 2.8%
Rank399 out of 423[2]
Services
Preceding station New York City Subway New York City Subway Following station
50th Street
Local
62nd Street
Location
55th Street station is located in New York City Subway
55th Street station
55th Street station is located in New York City
55th Street station
55th Street station is located in New York
55th Street station
Track layout

Street map

Map

Station service legend
Symbol Description
Stops all times Stops all times

History

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55th Street station opened on June 24, 1916 along with the first portion of the BMT West End Line from 36th Street on the BMT Fourth Avenue Line to 18th Avenue station.[3][4] The line was originally a surface excursion railway to Coney Island, called the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad, which was established in 1862, but did not reach Coney Island until 1864.[5] Under the Dual Contracts of 1913, an elevated line was built over New Utrecht Avenue, 86th Street and Stillwell Avenue.[6][7][8]

The platforms at the station were extended in the 1960s to 615 feet (187 m) to accommodate ten-car trains.[9]

The station house was renovated as part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 2005-2009 Capital Program. Square windows were installed in the mezzanine and chain link fences separate the street stairs from the platform ones.[citation needed]

Station layout

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Platform level Side platform
Northbound local   toward Norwood–205th Street (50th Street)
Peak-direction express No regular service
Southbound local   toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (62nd Street)
Side platform
Mezzanine Fare control, station agent, MetroCard and OMNY machines
Ground Street level Entrance/exit
 
Southwestern street stair

This elevated station has three tracks and two side platforms. The D train stops here at all times, and the center express track is not normally used in service.[10][11] Both platforms have beige windscreens and brown canopies with green frames and support columns along their entire lengths except for the sections at either ends. Here, they have waist-high black steel fences with lampposts at regular intervals.  The station signs are in the standard black plates in white lettering.

Exits

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The station's only entrance/exit is an elevated station house beneath the tracks. It has three staircases from the streets, one on the northeast corner of 55th Street and New Utrecht Avenue and two to either southern corners. Inside the station house, there is a token booth, turnstiles and two staircases to each platform at the center. The waiting area inside fare control allows free transfer between directions.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "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. ^ a b "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  3. ^ "Parade, Pageant Mark Celebration". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 24, 1916. p. 8. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  4. ^ "Realty Boom Is Predicted for Borough Park Section". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 24, 1916. p. 8. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  5. ^ "Opening of the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad" (PDF). The New York Times. June 9, 1864. p. 2. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  6. ^ "The Dual System of Rapid Transit". New York State Public Service Commission. September 1912. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  7. ^ "618 Miles of Track In The Dual System; City Will Have Invested $226,000,000 When Rapid Transit Project Is Completed". The New York Times. August 3, 1913. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  8. ^ Report of the Public Service Commission For The First District Of The State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1916 Vol. 1. New York State Public Service Commission. January 10, 1917. pp. 47–49.
  9. ^ "For Release Sunday, July 12, 1964" (PDF). New York City Office of the Mayor. July 12, 1964. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  10. ^ Dougherty, Peter (2020). Tracks of the New York City Subway 2020 (16th ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 1056711733.
  11. ^ "D Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  12. ^ "55th Street Neighborhood Maps". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
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