57th Street–Seventh Avenue station

Operation of the Broadway Line was assigned to the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT; after 1923, the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation or BMT) in the Dual Contracts, adopted on March 4, 1913.[4]

This station opened on July 10, 1919.[5][6] Initially, the station was only served by local trains from Brooklyn, whereas express trains terminated at Times Square.[7][8]

The station was operated by the BMT until the city government took over the BMT's operations on June 1, 1940.[9][10] This station underwent an overhaul in the late 1970s, which included fixing the station's structure and replacing the original wall tiles, old signs, and incandescent lighting with 1970s modern-look wall tile band and tablet mosaics, signs and fluorescent lights. Staircases and platform edges were also repaired.

Elevators

55th Street elevator, which is ADA-accessible

57th Street elevator, which is not ADA-accessible

In 1992–1993, the station received a major overhaul with state-of-the-art repairs as well as upgrading the station for ADA compliance. The original late 1910s tiling was restored, repairs were made to the staircases, new tiling on the floors, upgrades to the station's lights and public address system, installation of ADA safety treads along the platform edge, new signs, and new trackbeds in both directions. Accessibility to the mezzanine was further increased by the addition of a usable elevator on the southwest corner of 57th Street, which allowed disabled access to the fare booth and MetroCard vending machines. Initially, no elevators were installed from the mezzanine to the platforms; the MTA intended to provide ADA access to the platforms as part of its 2010–2014 Capital Plan.[11]

Elevators to the platforms had been under design for several years, with the MTA originally planning to award contracts in November 2013,[12] but the design process was delayed because of preexisting utilities blocking the way of the proposed elevator access.[13] Other issues included asbestos abatement, the lack of available space underground for the expansion of the mezzanine, and the need to negotiate with another developer to install elevators. The MTA started working on a revised design in September 2015, and the construction contract was awarded in December 2017, allowing the start of construction.[14] Ultimately, the location of the platform elevators was moved to the southern end of the station, near 55th Street, necessitating the installation of a new street-to-mezzanine elevator at 55th Street.[12][15] Substantial completion was projected for May 2021; the elevators opened that month.[16]

G	Street level	Exit/entrance
M	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent Elevators at: southwest corner of 57th Street and Seventh Avenue. northeast corner of 55th Street and Seventh Avenue. Note: only the 55th Street elevator is accessible
P Platform level	Northbound local	← toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard (Fifth Avenue–59th Street) ← toward Forest Hills–71st Avenue (Fifth Avenue–59th Street) ← toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard weekdays (Fifth Avenue–59th Street)
	Island platform
	Northbound express	← toward 96th Street (Lexington Avenue–63rd Street) ← toward 96th Street (one a.m. rush hour trip) (Lexington Avenue–63rd Street)
	Southbound express	← toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via Brighton (49th Street late nights, Times Square–42nd Street other times) → ← toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via Sea Beach (limited rush hour trips) (Times Square–42nd Street) →
	Island platform
	Southbound local	← toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via Sea Beach (49th Street) → ← toward Bay Ridge–95th Street (49th Street) → ← toward Whitehall Street–South Ferry weekdays (49th Street) →

Uptown island platform

With four tracks and two island platforms, this station is the northernmost express station on the BMT Broadway Line. Much of the BMT system is chained from the zero point here. The N, R, and W trains use the local tracks, which continue north under 59th and 60th Streets to Queens, while Q trains, limited weekday rush hour N trains and one weekday a.m. rush hour R train use the center express tracks to continue north along the BMT 63rd Street Line to Lexington Avenue–63rd Street and the Second Avenue Subway.

The BMT Broadway Line originally ended north of this station as six trackways. Both the innermost and outermost pairs of trackways curved slightly west before ending, which were a provision for the line to run to Upper Manhattan via Central Park West. Only the two center tracks on either side continued to the 60th Street Tunnel to Queens.[17] Both of the outermost trackways are ramps which have never been used, but the innermost tracks eventually connected the express tracks with the BMT 63rd Street Line, which was completed in 1989. Prior to then, the express tracks continued as layup spurs north of the station, running for about 400 feet (120 m). Construction of the 63rd Street Line from 1971 to 1978 continued the section between this station and the Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station.

North of the station, the local tracks continue into the 60th Street Tunnel to Queens, while the express tracks continue to 63rd Street, with switches to the 60th Street tunnel. South of the station, there are also crossovers between the two express tracks, between both northbound tracks, and between both southbound tracks.[18]

Exits

55th Street stairs

• Stair to NW corner of 7th Avenue and 57th Street (adjacent to the Osborne Apartments)[19]
• Stair to NE corner of 7th Avenue and 57th Street (adjacent to The Briarcliffe)[19]
• Stair and elevator to SW corner of 7th Avenue and 57th Street (adjacent to the Rodin Studios)[19]
• Stair to SE corner of 7th Avenue and 57th Street (adjacent to Carnegie Hall)[19]
• Stair to NW corner of 7th Avenue and 55th Street (adjacent to Park Central Hotel)[19]
• Stair and elevator to NE corner of 7th Avenue and 55th Street (adjacent to Hotel Wellington)[19]
• Stair to SW corner of 7th Avenue and 55th Street[19]
• Stair to SE corner of 7th Avenue and 55th Street[19]

57 Mosaic

North of this station are tunnel stub headings running straight from the local tracks[20] for a proposed line under Central Park West or Morningside Avenue, that would have terminated either at 145th Street or 155th Street.

When the BRT / BMT was building the Broadway line as part of the Dual Contracts, the company also wanted to be awarded the Central Park West / Eighth Avenue route, which was on the planning boards at that time. The company figured that if they built ramps from the Broadway line that could naturally be extended to an Eighth Avenue line, they would get a toehold on being awarded that line, rather than lose out to the IRT, the only other subway operator when the Dual Contracts were built.[21] The BMT / BRT never built that line for various reasons including the bankruptcy of the company after the Malbone Street Wreck and Mayor Hylan's plan to include the Eighth Avenue / CPW route in the IND system. The ramps were built but never used for revenue service. They were eventually used for storage until the tracks were disconnected.

The disused trackways for the proposed line ramp up and run for about 500 feet (150 m). The ramp on the northbound side has a Maintenance-of-Way shed built on it,[22] and the trackway on the southbound side also has a storage shed sitting in it, just north of where the local tracks come in, but this shed is few hundred feet north of the shed on the opposite trackway of the other side of the tunnel. Some of the actual rails remain and can be seen from passing express/63rd Street Line trains, but are covered by many years of dirt. The never-used trackways curve slightly west before ending.[17][23]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 57th Street – Seventh Avenue (BMT Broadway Line).

• nycsubway.org – BMT Broadway Subway: 57th Street
• Station Reporter – N Train
• Station Reporter – R Train
• Station Reporter – Q Train
• MTA's Arts For Transit – 57th Street–7th Avenue (BMT Broadway Line)
• 57th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 55th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platform from Google Maps Street View