The Sheepshead Bay station is an express station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway. It is located in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn. It is served by the Q train at all times and by the B train on weekdays.

 Sheepshead Bay
 "B" train"Q" train
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Station statistics
AddressSheepshead Bay Road & East 16th Street
Brooklyn, New York
BoroughBrooklyn
LocaleSheepshead Bay
Coordinates40°35′14″N 73°57′12″W / 40.587168°N 73.953266°W / 40.587168; -73.953266
DivisionB (BMT)[1]
LineBMT Brighton Line
Services   B weekday rush hours, middays and early evenings (weekday rush hours, middays and early evenings)
   Q all times (all times)
TransitBus transport NYCT Bus: B4, B36, B49
StructureEmbankment
Platforms2 island platforms
cross-platform interchange
Tracks4
Other information
OpenedJuly 2, 1878; 146 years ago (1878-07-02) (BF&CI)
August 23, 1907; 117 years ago (1907-08-23) (BRT)
Accessiblenot ADA-accessible; currently undergoing renovations for ADA access
Opposite-
direction
transfer
Yes
Traffic
20232,821,135[2]Increase 12%
Rank117 out of 423[2]
Services
Preceding station New York City Subway New York City Subway Following station
Kings Highway
B Weekday rush hours, middays and early evenings

Express
Brighton Beach
B weekday rush hours, middays and early eveningsQ all times
southbound
Neck Road
Q all times

Local
Location
Sheepshead Bay station is located in New York City Subway
Sheepshead Bay station
Sheepshead Bay station is located in New York City
Sheepshead Bay station
Sheepshead Bay station is located in New York
Sheepshead Bay station
Track layout

Street map

Map

Station service legend
Symbol Description
Stops all times Stops all times
Stops weekdays during the day Stops weekdays during the day

History

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On August 1, 1920, a tunnel under Flatbush Avenue opened, connecting the Brighton Line to the Broadway subway in Manhattan.[3][4] At the same time, the line's former track connections to the Fulton Street Elevated were severed. Subway trains from Manhattan and elevated trains from Franklin Avenue served Brighton Line stations, sharing the line to Coney Island.[4][5]

In April 1931, as part of project to extend the station platforms, a new entrance opened at Voorhies Avenue.[6]

It was renovated by New York City Transit’s in-house maintenance-of-way forces in 1997-1998.[citation needed]

In December 2008, a wooden pedestrian bridge was built above the express tracks that connected the two platforms near the north end of this station. This was for passengers wishing to transfer between directions during reconstruction of Avenue U and Neck Road. The bridge was removed in September 2010.[citation needed]

In 2019, as part of an initiative to increase the accessibility of the New York City Subway system, the MTA announced that it would install elevators at the Sheepshead Bay station as part of the MTA's 2020–2024 Capital Program.[7] In November 2022, the MTA announced that it would award a $965 million contract for the installation of 21 elevators across eight stations,[8] including Sheepshead Bay.[9][10]: 81  A joint venture of ASTM and Halmar International would construct the elevators under a public-private partnership.[9][10]: 80  Construction of the elevators began in August 2023.[11]

Station layout

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Platform level Northbound local   toward 96th Street (Neck Road)
Island platform
Northbound express   weekdays toward Bedford Park Boulevard or 145th Street (Kings Highway)
Southbound express   weekdays toward Brighton Beach (Terminus)
Island platform
Southbound local   toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (Brighton Beach)
Ground Street Level Entrances/exits, station house and agents, MetroCard machines
 
Station signage

This express station is located on an embankment, and has four tracks with two island platforms.[12] The Q stops here at all times and is local, while the B stops here only on weekdays during the day and is express. The next stop to the north is Neck Road for local trains and Kings Highway for express trains, while the next stop to the south is Brighton Beach for all service.[13]

The platforms curve to the west at the south end and were extended to the north on both sides. There is clear evidence of this extension by looking underneath the platforms. This station originally was a terminal stop as the extension to Brighton Beach was not built until 1917. Outside and to the east of the Voorhies Avenue side entrance, there is a pedestrian overpass running alongside the Manhattan-bound side of line, but it only crosses the Belt Parkway to the south side.

The 1998 artwork here is called Postcards from Sheepshead Bay by Deborah Goletz. Made of ceramic tile, it draws the faces and life on the "Bay" (a local shortening of Sheepshead Bay). The three artwork designs are a diner, some people wearing 17th century clothing near a boat dock, and a fisherman. A closer examination of the tile band at the mezzanine level has seashells and Pisces fish. Outside the station is a mural in the style of a "Welcome to Sheepshead Bay" postcard. As a homage to similar boardwalk attractions, this mural features holes for people inside to stick their faces through, and have their picture taken from outside.[14]

 
To Coney Island stair, mosaic

Exits

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In addition to the aforementioned interactive mural, the full-time entrance at Sheepshead Bay Road and East 16th Street also has a bench facing fare control and two overhead heaters. This side has two stairs to each platform. There was a small arcade of stores starting on the side opposite of the station agent booth prior to the station's renovation, but it was rearranged and broken up into several stores.[15]

The part-time entrance to Voorhies Avenue is at the very south end of the platforms and each has one staircase to the mezzanine. This side had a booth until 2010 that was open only during weekday mornings. It now has a regular bank of turnstiles that is only open weekdays and is HEET access other times.[15]

Both mezzanines have BMT-style directional mosaics tablets that says "To Manhattan" and "To Coney Island."

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The station was featured in the film version of Glengarry Glen Ross.

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. ^ "New Subway Link Opens; Service Started Through Queens and Montague Street Tubes". The New York Times. August 1, 1920. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Montague Street Tube, Brighton Subway Operation Begun". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 1, 1920. p. 53. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018 – via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Kennedy, Randy (September 30, 2003). "Tunnel Vision; Short Line. Small Train. Little Graffiti". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  6. ^ Eleventh Annual Report For The Calendar Year 1931. New York State Transit Commission. 1922. pp. 84, 95.
  7. ^ "MTA Announces 20 Additional Subway Stations to Receive Accessibility Improvements Under Proposed 2020-2024 Capital Plan". Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Press release). New York City. December 19, 2019. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  8. ^ Nessen, Stephen (November 28, 2022). "MTA to spend more than $1B on accessibility upgrades". Gothamist. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Brachfeld, Ben (November 29, 2022). "MTA to spend $1 billion on subway, commuter rail accessibility upgrades". amNewYork. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting November 2022". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. November 29, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  11. ^ Camille, Jada (August 14, 2023). "Construction underway at Sheepshead Bay station as MTA installs accessibility upgrades". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  12. ^ Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  14. ^ "Postcards from Sheepshead Bay". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  15. ^ a b "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Sheepshead Bay" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
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