Franklin Avenue/Botanic Garden station

The Franklin Avenue/Botanic Garden station is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the IRT Eastern Parkway Line and the BMT Franklin Avenue Line. Located at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, the complex consists of two distinct stations, connected by a passageway within fare control, and is named for its proximity to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The Eastern Parkway Line station is served by the 2 and 4 trains at all times, the 3 train at all times except late nights, and the 5 train on weekdays only. The Franklin Avenue Line station is served by Franklin Avenue Shuttle (S) at all times.

For other uses, see Franklin Avenue Station and Botanical Garden Station.

 Franklin Avenue/Botanic Garden
 "2" train​"3" train​"4" train​"5" train​Franklin Avenue Shuttle
New York City Subway station complex
Entrance to the BMT station
Station statistics
AddressFranklin Avenue & Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11225[1]
BoroughBrooklyn
LocaleCrown Heights
Coordinates40.670711°N 73.958545°W / 40.670711; -73.958545
DivisionA (IRT), B (BMT)[2]
LineIRT Eastern Parkway Line
BMT Franklin Avenue Line
Services   2 all times (all times)
​   3 all except late nights (all except late nights)
​   4 all times (all times)
​   5 weekdays only (weekdays only)​
   S all times (all times)
TransitBus transport NYCT Bus: B45, B48[3]
Levels2
Other information
Opened1999
Traffic
20194,999,385[4] Increase 8.6%
Rank92 out of 424[4]
Location
Franklin Avenue/Botanic Garden station is located in New York City Subway
Franklin Avenue/Botanic Garden station
Franklin Avenue/Botanic Garden station is located in New York City
Franklin Avenue/Botanic Garden station
Franklin Avenue/Botanic Garden station is located in New York
Franklin Avenue/Botanic Garden station
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
Stops weekdays during the day Stops weekdays during the day

The BMT station has two side platforms and two tracks, while the IRT station has two island platforms and four tracks. The free transfer between the Eastern Parkway and Franklin Avenue shuttle platforms was added in 1999 using a passageway that had existed since October 1928, when the BMT Botanic Garden station opened.[5]

History

Development of IRT station

Franklin Avenue station was constructed as part of the Eastern Parkway Line. The line's section to Atlantic Avenue was part of Contract 2 of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT)'s plan to construct an extension of the original subway, Contract 1. Contract 2 extended the original line from City Hall in Manhattan to Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. The Board of Rapid Transit Commissioners approved the route on September 27, 1900,[6] and the contract was signed on September 11, 1902. Construction commenced on Contract 2 on March 4, 1903.[7] The first section opened on January 9, 1908, extending the subway from Bowling Green to Borough Hall.[8][9][10] On April 28, 1908, the IRT formally applied with the New York Public Service Commission for permission to open the final section of the Contract 2 line from Borough Hall to Atlantic Avenue near the Flatbush Avenue LIRR station. The application was approved, and the IRT extension opened on May 1, 1908.[11]: 194 [7]

On March 19, 1913, New York City, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, and the IRT reached an agreement, known as the Dual Contracts, to drastically expand subway service across New York City. As part of Contract 3 of the agreement, between New York City and the IRT, the original subway opened by the IRT in 1904 to City Hall,[12] and extended to Atlantic Avenue in 1908,[13] was to be extended eastward into Brooklyn.[14] The line was to be extended along Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway to Buffalo Street as a four-track subway line, and then along East 98th Street and Livonia Avenue to New Lots Avenue as an elevated two-track line, with provisions for the addition of a third track. In addition, a two-track branch line along Nostrand Avenue branching off east of the Franklin Avenue station was to be constructed.[15] The underground portion of the line became known as the Eastern Parkway Line, or Route 12, while the elevated portion became known as the New Lots Line.[16]

The IRT Eastern Parkway Line was built as part of Route 12 from 1915 to 1918.[17] On August 23, 1920, the Eastern Parkway Line was extended from Atlantic Avenue to Crown Heights–Utica Avenue, with the Franklin Avenue station opening at this time. The new trains would be served by trains from Seventh Avenue.[18]

The New York City Board of Transportation announced plans in November 1949 to extend platforms at several IRT stations, including Franklin Avenue, to accommodate all doors on ten-car trains. Although ten-car trains already operated on the line, the rear car could not open its doors at the station because the platforms were so short.[19][20] Funding for the platform extensions was included in the city's 1950 capital budget.[21]

Development of BMT station

There was no station on the BMT Franklin Avenue Line at this location until October 1, 1928,[22] when the new station that had been authorized in December 1926[23] to replace Consumers Park station was opened. Consumers Park had been renamed Botanic Garden on December 30, 1919. The new station assumed this name upon opening on September 30, 1928, and the old station closed at the same time.[24]

Creation of a free transfer

In April 1993, the New York State Legislature agreed to give the MTA $9.6 billion for capital improvements. Some of the funds would be used to renovate nearly one hundred New York City Subway stations,[25][26] including Botanic Garden.[27] The station had deteriorated over the years as the New York City Transit Authority considered whether to abandon or rehabilitate the station and the Franklin Avenue Line. Support in the Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights communities persuaded the city to rebuild the line from July 1998 to September 1999.[28] A transfer to Franklin Avenue on the IRT Eastern Parkway Line was added via a passageway that connects the Franklin Avenue-bound platform to the IRT mezzanine.[24] Prior to the rehabilitation project, only a portion of the station was in the tunnel, as the platforms were longer and continued outdoors.[29]

Station layout
G Street level Exit/entrance
B1 Mezzanine Fare control, station agent
B2 Side platform
Southbound ← Franklin Avenue Shuttle toward Prospect Park (Terminus)
Northbound → Franklin Avenue Shuttle toward Franklin Avenue (Park Place) →
Side platform
B3 Northbound local ← "2" train toward Wakefield–241st Street (Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum)
← "3" train toward Harlem–148th Street (Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum)
← "4" train toward Woodlawn late nights (Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum)
Island platform
Northbound express ← "4" train toward Woodlawn (Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center)
← "5" train weekdays toward Eastchester–Dyre Avenue or Nereid Avenue (Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center)
Southbound express → "4" train toward Crown Heights–Utica Avenue (Terminus) →
→ "5" train toward Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College (President Street–Medgar Evers College) →
→ "4" train toward New Lots Avenue (select rush hour trips) (Crown Heights–Utica Avenue) →
→ "5" train toward Crown Heights–Utica Avenue (select rush hour trips) (Terminus) →
Island platform
Southbound local → "2" train toward Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College (President Street–Medgar Evers College) →
→ "3" train ("4" train late nights) toward New Lots Avenue (Nostrand Avenue) →
→ "2" train toward New Lots Avenue (select rush hour trips) (Nostrand Avenue) →

Exits

Due to the free transfer passageway, all exits serve all platforms. From the Franklin Avenue Line station, there is a staircase to the south side of Eastern Parkway between Franklin Avenue and Classon Avenue. From the Eastern Parkway Line station, there are staircases to the northeast and southeast corners of Eastern Parkway and Franklin Avenue, and to the north and south side malls of Eastern Parkway to the east of Franklin Avenue.[30]

BMT Franklin Avenue Line platforms
For the commuter station in the Bronx, see Botanical Garden station (Metro-North).
 Botanic Garden
 Franklin Avenue Shuttle
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Northbound platform
Station statistics
DivisionB (BMT)[2]
LineBMT Franklin Avenue Line
Services   S all times (all times)
StructureEnclosed open-cut
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Other information
OpenedSeptember 30, 1928 (1928-09-30)[22]
RebuiltOctober 18, 1999 (1999-10-18)
Opposite-
direction
transfer		Yes
Former/other namesConsumers Park
Services
Preceding station New York City Subway New York City Subway Following station
Park Place
toward Franklin Avenue
 Franklin Avenue Prospect Park
Terminus
Track layout

O2
to Park Place
Bidirectional track
to Prospect Park
O1
O2
Station service legend
Symbol Description
Stops all times Stops all times

The Botanic Garden station on the BMT Franklin Avenue Line has two tracks and two side platforms.[31] The station is named for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden two blocks away from the station.[30]

The station's mezzanine is above the platforms and tracks. Two staircases from each side go up to a waiting area that allows a free transfer between directions (this is needed for passengers transferring between the IRT and Prospect Park-bound trains). Outside of the turnstile bank, there is a token booth and one street stair.

The rebuilt station was built in the open-cut right-of-way to the south of Eastern Parkway, and the half of the station closest to that street was roofed over in the appearance of a subway structure. The station is now located entirely inside the subway structure that was built in 1928. At street level, it features floral wrought iron fencing in recognition of its location near the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (entitled IL7/Square by Millie Burns). At track level it includes 1920s-era mosaic tiling. To the immediate north of the station, the 1878 railroad tunnel that carries the line under Eastern Parkway has been dramatically lighted. This is the oldest tunnel currently in subway use.[29]

  • Mosaics with name
    Mosaics with name
  • The tunnel north of the station
    The tunnel north of the station
  • Station as it appeared in the late 1970s. The wooden platform extensions no longer exist
    Station as it appeared in the late 1970s. The wooden platform extensions no longer exist

IRT Eastern Parkway Line platforms
 Franklin Avenue–
 Medgar Evers College
 "2" train​"3" train​"4" train​"5" train
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Northbound platform
Station statistics
DivisionA (IRT)[2]
LineIRT Eastern Parkway Line
Services   2 all times (all times)
​   3 all except late nights (all except late nights)
​   4 all times (all times)
​   5 weekdays only (weekdays only)
StructureUnderground
Platforms2 island platforms
cross-platform interchange
Tracks4
Other information
OpenedAugust 23, 1920 (1920-08-23)
AccessibilityCross-platform wheelchair transfer available
Opposite-
direction
transfer		Yes
Former/other namesFranklin Avenue (1920–2020)
Services
Preceding station New York City Subway New York City Subway Following station
Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center
4 all except late nights ​5 weekdays until 8:45 p.m.
via 138th Street–Grand Concourse
Express		 Crown Heights–Utica Avenue
4 all except late nights ​5 limited rush hour service only
Terminus

Express		 President Street–Medgar Evers College
2 all times ​5 weekdays only
toward Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College
Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum
2 all times ​3 all except late nights ​4 late nights, and limited rush hour service
via 135th Street
Local

Local		 Nostrand Avenue
2 limited weekday rush hour service in the peak direction only ​3 all except late nights ​4 late nights and limited weekday rush hour service in the peak direction
toward New Lots Avenue
Track layout

E1
E4
to Eastern Parkway
Local tracks
E2
E3
to Atlantic Avenue
Express tracks rise
from under local tracks
Superimposed tunnels
L tracks over R tracks
D1
to President Street
D2
to Nostrand Avenue
E1
E4
to Utica Avenue
E2
E3
Lower level track
 Upper level track
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
Stops rush hours only Stops rush hours only
Stops weekdays during the day Stops weekdays during the day

The Franklin Avenue–Medgar Evers College station (originally Franklin Avenue station) is an underground express station on the IRT Eastern Parkway Line that has four tracks with two island platforms.[31]

Both platforms have yellow i-beam columns on both sides at regular intervals with every other one having the standard black station name plate in white lettering. The platform walls have their original Dual Contracts trim line with "F" tablets for "Franklin" at regular intervals. At the extreme west (railroad north) end, the platforms were extended in the 1950s to accommodate the current standard IRT train length of 510 feet. The walls here have a blue trim line with "FRANKLIN AVE" in white sans serif lettering on two lines.

The station's main entrance is a mezzanine above the platforms and tracks at their center. Two staircases from each platform go up to a waiting area that allows a free transfer between directions. Outside of the turnstile bank, there is a token booth and four street stairs to either eastern corners of Franklin Avenue and Eastern Parkway.

The transfer to the Franklin Avenue Shuttle is at the west end of the station. A single staircase from each platform goes up to a mezzanine, where a passageway leads to the north end of the Franklin Avenue-bound platform. A crossover is required to reach the Prospect Park-bound platform.

The station has been adopted by Clara Barton High School as part of New York City Transit's Adopt-A-Station program.

Franklin Avenue, along with the President Street station on the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line, are the two closest stations to the City University of New York's Medgar Evers College. In 2019, a bill to add the college's name to both stations' names was passed in the New York state legislature and signed into law.[32] The name of the Franklin Avenue station was officially changed to Franklin Avenue–Medgar Evers College on October 1, 2020, both to reflect the station's proximity to the college and to honor the college's namesake, civil rights figure Medgar Evers.[33][34]

  • Mosaic frieze
    Mosaic frieze
  • Eastern street stair
    Eastern street stair

Nostrand Avenue Junction

East (railroad south) of the Eastern Parkway Line station is Nostrand Avenue Junction, also known as Rogers Junction, where trains can diverge to the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line or continue on Eastern Parkway. From west to east between the station and the junction, the northbound local track descends to a lower level directly below the southbound local track. Then, the northbound express track, which is still on the upper level at this point, descends to the lower level directly below the southbound express track, creating a dual level two-over-two track layout.[31][35]

At the junction, a switch on the upper level allows southbound 5 express trains to change to the local track, and a corresponding switch on the lower level allows 5 trains on the northbound local track to change to the express track. Directly to the east, all of the mainline tracks shift slightly to the north, and the Nostrand Avenue Line splits from the local tracks and head south. There is a closed tower at the south end of the southbound platform.[31][35]

This junction is a severe traffic bottleneck during rush hours, and rebuilding it would require massive construction including the tearing up of Eastern Parkway.[36] The reconstruction of the junction in order to alleviate train congestion has been suggested several times. The plan was first unveiled in the 1967 Transportation Studies for Southeast Brooklyn, and subsequently in 1968 as part of the Program for Action. The MTA's Engineering Department Planning Division considered such a project again in 1972. In 1993, as part of the 1992–1996 Capital Program, the MTA studied seven alternatives for rebuilding the junction. The 1993 study suggested the further scrutiny of two proposals: "Alternative 4", which would simply add a switch on each level east of the Nostrand Avenue Line split, and "Alternative 6", which would reconstruct the junction entirely.[37]

References
  1. "Borough of Brooklyn, New York City". Government of New York City. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  2. "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.
  3. "Brooklyn Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  4. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  5. Chang, Dean (January 21, 1993). "Shuttle rehab on trax". New York Daily News. p. KSI2. Retrieved May 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Report of the Public Service Commission for the First District of the State of New York for the Year Ending December 31, 1909 Vol. 1. New York State Public Service Commission. 1910. p. 195.
  7. "Brooklyn Joyful Over New Subway". The New York Times. May 2, 1908. p. 1.
  8. "Subway to Brooklyn Opened for Traffic; First Regular Passenger Train Went Under the East River Early This Morning. Not a Hitch in the Service. Gov. Hughes and Brooklyn Officials to Join in a Formal Celebration of Event To-day". the New York Times. January 9, 1908. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  9. "Brooklyn Joyful Over Its Tunnel". The New York Times. January 10, 1908. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
  10. Gasparini, D. A. (February 2006). "Battery-Joralemon Street Tunnel". Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities. American Society of Civil Engineers. 20 (1): 92–107. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)0887-3828(2006)20:1(92).
  11. Report of the Public Service Commission For The First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1908. New York State Public Service Commission. 1908.
  12. "Exercises In City Hall.; Mayor Declares Subway Open – Ovations for Parsons and McDonald". The New York Times. October 28, 1904. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  13. "Brooklyn Joyful Over New Subway — Celebrates Opening of Extension with Big Parade and a Flow of Oratory — An Ode to August Belmont — Anonymous Poet Calls Him "the Brownie of the Caisson and Spade" — He Talks on Subways". The New York Times. May 2, 1908. p. 1. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  14. "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.
  15. Comptroller's Monthly Report For March 1916 And From January 1, 1916 To March 31, 1916. New York City Department of Finance. 1916. p. 121.
  16. "Differ Over Assessment Plans in Transit Projects: Eastern Parkway Subway and Livonia Avenue Extension the Cause of Bitter Dissension Among Property Owners Uptown" (PDF). The Daily Standard Union. March 13, 1910. Retrieved August 14, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  17. "More Interborough Service for Brooklyn 2 New Lines". pudl.princeton.edu. Interborough Rapid Transit Company. August 23, 1920. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  18. "Brooklyn Tube Extensions Open: I.R.T. Begins Service on Eastern Parkway and Nostrand Avenue Lines" (PDF). The New York Times. August 23, 1920. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  19. Bennett, Charles G. (November 20, 1949). "Transit Platforms on Lines in Queens to Be Lengthened; $3,850,000 Program Outlined for Next Year to Care for Borough's Rapid Growth". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  20. "37 Platforms On Subways To Be Lengthened: All Stations of B. M. T. and I.R.T.in Queens Included in $5,000,000 Program". New York Herald Tribune. November 20, 1949. p. 32. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1325174459.
  21. Crowell, Paul (September 15, 1949). "Platforms Added at 32 IRT Stations; City Pays Out $13,327,000 in Lengthening Local Stops to Take 10-Car Trains". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  22. "Botanic Garden Station Opened". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 1, 1928. Retrieved November 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  23. "B.M.T. Gets Permit to Change Station". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 23, 1926. Retrieved November 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  24. "The lore of the FRANKLIN AVENUE SHUTTLE – Forgotten New York". forgotten-ny.com. October 4, 1998. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  25. Benenson, Joel (April 1, 1993). "Albany deal to save the $1.25 fare". New York Daily News. p. 1059. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  26. Faison, Seth (April 3, 1993). "$9.6 Billion Package for M.T.A. Is Crucial to its Rebuilding Plans". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  27. "Stop the Fussing". Newsday. May 28, 1993. p. 56. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  28. Blair, Jayson (July 25, 1998). "18-Month Renovation for Brooklyn Shuttle". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  29. Cox, Jeremiah. "Botanic Garden (S, Franklin Avenue Shuttle) – The SubwayNut". subwaynut.com. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  30. "Botanic Garden Neighborhood Map". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  31. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
  32. "Crown Heights subway stations to be renamed for Medgar Evers College". Brooklyn Eagle. December 17, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  33. Meyer, David (October 1, 2020). "Two Brooklyn subway stations renamed after civil rights figure Medgar Evers". New York Post. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  34. "MTA Renames 2 Brooklyn Subway Stations After Civil Rights Icon Medgar Evers". October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  35. "www.nycsubway.org: New York City Subway Track Maps". www.nycsubway.org. October 9, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  36. "Tomorrow's Transit New Mobility for the Region's Urban Core" (PDF). rpa.org. Regional Plan Association. October 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  37. CONCEPTUAL ENGINEERING DESIGN STUDY FOR RECONFIGURATION OF THE IRT NOSTRAND JUNCTION IN BROOKLYN: ALTERNATIVES 4 AND 6 (PDF) (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 2009. p. ii. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
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