68th Street–Hunter College (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)

68th Street–Hunter College
 
New York City Subway rapid transit station

Uptown 6 train arriving
Station statistics
Address East 68th Street & Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10021
Borough Manhattan
Locale Upper East Side
Coordinates 40°46′04″N 73°57′51″W / 40.767834°N 73.964124°W / 40.767834; -73.964124Coordinates: 40°46′04″N 73°57′51″W / 40.767834°N 73.964124°W / 40.767834; -73.964124
Division A (IRT)
Line       IRT Lexington Avenue Line
Services       4  (late nights)
      6  (all times) <6> (weekdays until 8:45 p.m., peak direction)
Transit connections NYCT Bus: M66, M98, M101, M102, M103
Structure Underground
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 2
Other information
Opened July 17, 1918 (July 17, 1918)
Wireless service [1]
Traffic
Passengers (2015) 10,237,854[2]Decrease 2.9%
Rank 30 out of 422
Station succession
Next north 77th Street: 4  6  <6>
Next south 59th Street: 4  6  <6>

68th Street–Hunter College is a local station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 68th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It is served by the 6 train at all times, the <6> during weekdays in peak direction, and the 4 during late night hours.

Station layout

Track layout
Legend
to 77 St
to 59 St
Name mosaic
G Street Level Exit/Entrance
P
Platform level
Side platform, doors will open on the right
Northbound local toward Pelham Bay Park ( toward Parkchester rush hours and middays) (77th Street)
toward Woodlawn late nights (77th Street)
Southbound local toward Brooklyn Bridge – City Hall ( toward New Lots Avenue late nights) (59th Street)
Side platform, doors will open on the right
Express tracks[3] Northbound express do not stop here
Southbound express do not stop here →

This underground station opened on July 17, 1918, has two local tracks and two side platforms. The express tracks of the Lexington Avenue Line, used by the 4 and 5 trains during daytime hours, pass beneath the station and are not visible from the platforms.

Both platforms have their original mosaic trim line with "68" tablets on it at regular intervals and name tablets reading "68th STREET-HUNTER COLLEGE" in two lines. On small sections of the platforms on either ends, where they were extended in the 1950s, there are blue trim lines with "68TH ST" written on it in white lettering. Blue columns run along both platforms at regular intervals with alternating ones having the standard black station name plate in white lettering. Both platforms have emergency exits from the lower level express tracks.

Mezzanine

Toward the south end of the platforms are two stairs leading to the only mezzanine in the station. It has been renovated with stainless steel fare control rails and features red accent stripes in the IND style. Old wall lights exist but are not functional. The waiting area inside fare control has windows that allow a full view of the platforms and tracks. The northern half of the station without the mezzanine has very high ceilings.

Outside of the large turnstile bank that provides access to and from the station, there is a token booth and passageway on each side separated from the waiting area by a steel fence. Each passageway leads to a small staircase going up to either northern corner of 68th Street and Lexington Avenue. On the east side of the mezzanine is a short staircase going up to a landing, where a larger staircase goes up to the southeast corner of 68th Street and Lexington Avenue. This staircase is built inside a marble alcove below Hunter College's East Building. The west side of the mezzanine has a direct entrance to the West Building of Hunter College and a double-wide marble staircase going up to the plaza on the southwest corner of 68th Street and Lexington Avenue.

In 1981, the MTA listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.[4]

A proposal for an elevator for the station in 2011 was delayed by local opposition, as such an elevator would be claimed to ruin the neighborhood's character.[5][6]

References

Exterior stair, SW corner of 68th Street and Lexington Avenue
  1. "NYC Subway Wireless – Active Stations". Transit Wireless Wifi. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
  2. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2016-04-18.
  3. Station Reporter — 6 Train
  4. Gargan, Edward A. (June 11, 1981). "AGENCY LISTS ITS 69 MOST DETERIORATED SUBWAY STATIONS". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  5. "At 69th Street, a new entrance and NIMBYs". secondavenuesagas.com. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  6. "UES Residents Blast Subway Entrance Plans for Landmarked Blocks". dnainfo.com. Retrieved 14 August 2016.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/19/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.