50th Street station (IND lines)

The 50th Street station is a bi-level station on the IND Eighth Avenue and Queens Boulevard Lines of the New York City Subway, located at 50th Street and Eighth Avenue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. The lower level, on the Queens Boulevard Line, is served by the E train at all times, and the upper level, on the Eighth Avenue Line, is served by the C at all times except late nights and the A during late nights.

For other uses, see 50th Street.

 50 Street
 "C" train​​"E" train
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Southbound platform on the upper level
Station statistics
AddressWest 50th Street & Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10019
BoroughManhattan
LocaleHell's Kitchen, Midtown Manhattan
Coordinates40.762276°N 73.986139°W / 40.762276; -73.986139
DivisionB (IND)[1]
Line   IND Eighth Avenue Line
IND Queens Boulevard Line
Services   A late nights (late nights)
​   C all except late nights (all except late nights)
​   E all times (all times)
TransitBus transport NYCT Bus: M20, M50, M104
StructureUnderground
Levels2
Platforms4 side platforms (2 on each level)
Tracks6 (4 on upper level, 2 on lower level)
Other information
OpenedSeptember 10, 1932 (1932-09-10)[2] (upper level)
August 19, 1933 (1933-08-19) (lower level)
AccessibleThis station is partially compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 Partially ADA-accessible (southbound only)
Opposite-
direction
transfer		No
Traffic
20196,902,595[3] Increase 7.2%
Rank57 out of 424[3]
Services
Preceding station New York City Subway New York City Subway Following station
59th Street–Columbus Circle
A late nights ​C all except late nights
toward 168th Street
Local		 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal
A late nights ​C all except late nights ​E all times
via Canal Street
Seventh Avenue
E all times
toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer
Location
50th Street station (IND lines) is located in New York City Subway
50th Street station (IND lines)
50th Street station (IND lines) is located in New York City
50th Street station (IND lines)
50th Street station (IND lines) is located in New York
50th Street station (IND lines)
Track layout

to 59th Street–Columbus Circle
to Seventh Avenue
Superimposed tunnels
Outer platforms over
inner platforms
(Platform levels are staggered)
to 42nd Street–PABT
Upper level
 Lower level
Street map

Station service legend
Symbol Description
Stops all times except late nights Stops all times except late nights
Stops all times Stops all times
Stops late nights only Stops late nights only

History

On December 9, 1924, the New York City Board of Transportation (BOT) gave preliminary approval to the construction of a subway line along Eighth Avenue, running from 207th Street.[4] The BOT announced a list of stations on the new line in February 1928, with a local station at 50th Street.[5] Originally, the BOT did not plan for a 50th Street station on the Queens Boulevard Line. This station was to have only been served by Eighth Avenue trains heading north toward 168th Street in Washington Heights. The Eighth Avenue Association petitioned the BOT for an additional stop at 50th Street. On November 21, 1926, it was announced that the BOT had agreed to construct a stop at this location for the Queens Boulevard Line.[6]

In October 1928, the BOT awarded a $444,000 contract to Charles Mead & Co. for the completion of the 50th Street, 59th Street, and 72nd Street stations on the Eighth Avenue Line.[7] The finishes at the three stations were 20 percent completed by May 1930.[8] By that August, the BOT reported that the Eighth Avenue Line was nearly completed and that the three stations from 50th to 72nd Street were 99.9 percent completed.[9] The entire line was completed by September 1931, except for the installation of turnstiles.[10]

The upper level opened on September 10, 1932, as part of the city-operated Independent Subway System (IND)'s initial segment, the Eighth Avenue Line between Chambers Street and 207th Street. Construction of the whole line cost $191.2 million.[11] The lower level opened on August 19, 1933 with the opening of the IND Queens Boulevard Line to Roosevelt Avenue in Queens.[12]

Station layout
G Street level Exit/entrance
Disabled access Elevator on north side of 49th Street west of Eighth Avenue for southbound trains only
B1
Eighth Avenue Line platforms		 Side platform
Northbound local ← "C" train toward 168th Street (59th Street–Columbus Circle)
← "A" train toward Inwood–207th Street late nights (59th Street–Columbus Circle)
Northbound express ← "A" train does not stop here
Southbound express → "A" train does not stop here →
Southbound local → "C" train toward Euclid Avenue (42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal) →
→ "A" train toward Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue late nights (42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal) →
Side platform Disabled access
B2
Queens Boulevard Line platforms		 Side platform
Northbound ← "E" train toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Seventh Avenue)
Wall
Southbound → "E" train toward World Trade Center (42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal) →
Side platform Disabled access
Escalator from the lower level southbound platform
Street stair

This bi-level station has six tracks and four side platforms in total. The upper level served by the C is located along the Eighth Avenue Line and is fed by Eighth Avenue local trains from Central Park West and has four tracks and two side platforms. The express tracks in the center are used by the A during daytime hours.[13] Fare control is at platform level.

The lower level served by the E is located at the southern end of the Queens Boulevard Line and has two tracks and two side platforms, separated by a curtain wall for the majority of the station. At the northern end of the station, the curtain wall is not present and the two side platforms are in full view of each other. The northbound track of the lower level is fed by the northbound local and express tracks at 42nd Street. In the southbound direction, lower level trains may access either the Eighth Avenue local or express tracks; until 2003, they also had the option of running to the abandoned lower level of 42nd Street. The two levels are offset, with the upper level running from 50th to 52nd Streets and the lower from 49th to 51st Streets.[13] Neither level has crossover or crossunder between directions, although level-to-level transfer in the same direction is possible.

The platform walls on both levels have no trim line, but there are mosaic name tablets reading "50TH ST." in white sans-serif lettering on an Ultra Violet background with black border. Small tile captions reading "50" in white lettering on black run in regular intervals between the name tablets, and are also present on the lower level's curtain wall. Blueberry I-beam columns run along all the platforms at regular intervals, alternating ones having the standard black station name plate with white lettering.

An untitled etched-granite piece of artwork by Matt Mulligan was installed on the downtown upper-level platform in 1989 and features neighborhood life.[14]

The station is being renovated as part of the 2010–2014 MTA Capital Program. As of an MTA study conducted in 2015, at least 37% of components were out of date.[15]

Exits

The southbound side of 50th Street has an expanded mezzanine area, with exits to 49th and 50th Streets. It also has two ADA-accessible elevators (one from the street to the mezzanine, the other from the mezzanine to the lower-level platform). A ramp leads from the mezzanine to the upper-level platform; it was constructed during the development of the Worldwide Plaza complex. The downtown side has an escalator to the lower level. The mezzanine contains stairs and escalators to One Worldwide Plaza's facade at the northwest corner of Eighth Avenue and 49th Street.[16] There are also two street stairs to the southwest corner of that intersection, as well as one street stair to either western corner of Eighth Avenue and 50th Street.[17]

A closed entrance to the uptown platforms at 52nd Street

In contrast to the downtown platforms, the uptown platforms lack elevators and are not ADA-accessible. Renovation, including addition of an elevator on the uptown side of the station, was planned for the 2005–2009 MTA Capital Program and was to reopen many closed stairways to the lower level; however, these were not funded. There is one street stair from this platform to either eastern corner of Eighth Avenue and 50th Street; the southeast stair is located inside a building. An additional stair is located at the northeast corner of Eighth Avenue and 51st Street.[17]

There are several closed exits from the station to the street, primarily at the north end of the station. These include stairs from all four corners of Eighth Avenue and 52nd Streets. A closed exit goes from the downtown platforms to the southwest corner of 51st Street and Eighth Avenue; this mirrors the exit to the same street from the uptown platforms. An additional closed exit from the uptown platforms is located at the southeast corner of 49th Street and Eighth Avenue; this mirrors the exit to the same street from the downtown platforms.[15]

References
  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. "List of the 28 Stations on the New 8th Av. Line". The New York Times. September 10, 1932. p. 6. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  3. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  4. "Hylan Subway Plan Links Four Boroughs at $450,000,000 Cost". The New York Times. December 10, 1924. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  5. "Express and Local Stations For New Eighth Avenue Line". New York Herald Tribune. February 5, 1928. p. B1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1113431477.
  6. "NEW SUBWAY STOP PLANNED; In 8th Av., Between 49th and 51st Streets on Queens Line". The New York Times. November 22, 1926. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  7. "Subway Awards Made; Contracts Let for Brooklyn and Bronx and for 8th Av. Stations". The New York Times. October 31, 1928. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  8. "Progress is Rapid on 8th Av. Subway; Board's Engineers Report Spurt in Building Is Likely to Open the Line in July, 1930". The New York Times. May 26, 1930. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  9. "Eighth Av. Subway Nearly Completed; Basic Construction Work From Chambers to 207th St. Done Except on Few Short Stretches". The New York Times. August 24, 1930. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  10. O'Brien, John C. (September 9, 1931). "8th Ave. Line Being Rushed For Use Jan. 1: Turnstile Installation on Subway Begins Monday; Other Equipment Ready for Start of Train Service City Has Yet to Find Operating Company Transit Official on Trip, 207th to Canal Street, Inspects Finished Tube". New York Herald Tribune. p. 1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1331181357.
  11. Crowell, Paul (September 10, 1932). "Gay Midnight Crowd Rides First Trains In The New Subway: Throngs at Station an Hour Before Time, Rush Turnstiles When Chains are Dropped" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  13. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
  14. "Arts & Design - NYCT Permanent Art". MTA. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  15. Review of the A and C Lines (PDF) (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 11, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 3, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  16. Polsky, Carol (March 9, 1987). "Builders' Bonus Draws New Fire; Critics Say Developer 'Abused' City Policy". Newsday. p. 9. ProQuest 285356126.
  17. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Midtown West" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
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