18th Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)

18th Street is a local station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 18th Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, it is served by the 1 train at all times and by the 2 train during late nights.

18 Street
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Platform view
Station statistics
Address	West 18th Street & Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10011
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Chelsea
Coordinates	40.741°N 73.998°W / 40.741; -73.998
Division	A (IRT)
Line	IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line
Services	1  (all times) ​      2  (late nights)
Transit connections	NYCT Bus: M7, M20
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	July 1, 1918 (1918-07-01)
Station code	321[1]
Wireless service	[2]
Opposite-direction transfer available	No
Traffic
Passengers (2019)	2,649,616[3]  1.3%
Rank	184 out of 424[3]
Station succession
Next north	23rd Street: 1  ​2
Next south	14th Street: 1  ​2
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops late nights only Stops late nights and weekends

History

The Dual Contracts, which were signed on March 19, 1913, were contracts for the construction and/or rehabilitation and operation of rapid transit lines in the City of New York. The contracts were "dual" in that they were signed between the City and two separate private companies (the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company), all working together to make the construction of the Dual Contracts possible. The Dual Contracts promised the construction of several lines in Brooklyn. As part of Contract 4, the IRT agreed to build a branch of the original subway line south down Seventh Avenue, Varick Street, and West Broadway to serve the West Side of Manhattan.[4][5][6]

The construction of this line, in conjunction with the construction of the Lexington Avenue Line, would change the operations of the IRT system. Instead of having trains go via Broadway, turning onto 42nd Street, before finally turning onto Park Avenue, there would be two trunk lines connected by the 42nd Street Shuttle. The system would be changed from looking like a "Z" system on a map to an "H" system. One trunk would run via the new Lexington Avenue Line down Park Avenue, and the other trunk would run via the new Seventh Avenue Line up Broadway. In order for the line to continue down Varick Street and West Broadway, these streets needed to be widened, and two new streets were built, the Seventh Avenue Extension and the Varick Street Extension.[7] It was predicted that the subway extension would lead to the growth of the Lower West Side, and to neighborhoods such as Chelsea and Greenwich Village.[8][9]

18th Street opened as the line was extended south to South Ferry from 34th Street–Penn Station on July 1, 1918, and was served by a shuttle.[10] The new "H" system was implemented on August 1, 1918, joining the two halves of the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line and sending all West Side trains south from Times Square.[11] An immediate result of the switch was the need to transfer using the 42nd Street Shuttle in order to retrace the original layout. The completion of the "H" system doubled the capacity of the IRT system.[8]

Station layout

Track layout
to 23 St to 14 St

G	Street level	Exit/entrance
P Platform level	Side platform
	Northbound local	← toward 242nd Street (23rd Street) ← toward 241st Street late nights (23rd Street)
	Northbound express	← do not stop here
	Southbound express	→ do not stop here →
	Southbound local	→ toward South Ferry (14th Street) → → toward Flatbush Avenue late nights (14th Street) →
	Side platform

This station has two side platforms and four tracks. The two express tracks are used by the 2 and 3 trains during daytime hours. It was renovated in 1991–92, but retains its original trim line and name tablet mosaics and no artwork was installed. Beige columns run along the entire length of both platforms with every other one having a name tablet.

Exits

Each platform has a same-level fare control area that is staffed full-time and contains a turnstile bank, token booth, and two street stairs. The southbound side leads to both western corners of Seventh Avenue and 18th Street while the northbound side leads to the eastern corners.[12]

Each platform has an exit-only at the north end containing a platform level turnstile and emergency gate and single street staircase leading to 19th Street and Seventh Avenue (the southwest corner for the southbound side and southeast corner for the northbound one).[12]

Gallery

• 
  Frieze mosaics with number "18"
• 
  Exit-only on the southbound platform
• 
  NE corner stairs at 18th Street and 7th Avenue

References

1. "Station Developers' Information". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
2. "NYC Subway Wireless – Active Stations". Transit Wireless Wifi. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
3. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
4. "Terms and Conditions of Dual System Contracts". nycsubway.org. Public Service Commission. March 19, 1913. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
5. "The Dual System of Rapid Transit (1912)". nycsubway.org. Public Service Commission. September 1912. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
6. "Most Recent Map of the Dual Subway System Which Shows How Brooklyn Borough Is Favored In New Transit Lines". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 9, 1917. p. 37. Retrieved August 23, 2016 – via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com.
7. Engineering News-record. McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. 1916.
8. Whitney, Travis H. (March 10, 1918). "The Seventh and Lexington Avenue Subways Will Revive Dormant Sections" (PDF). The New York Times. p. 12. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
9. "Public Service Commission Fixes July 15 For Opening of The New Seventh and Lexington Avenue Subway Lines" (PDF). The New York Times. May 19, 1918. p. 32. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
10. "Open New Subway to Regular Traffic" (PDF). The New York Times. July 2, 1918. p. 11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
11. "Open New Subway Lines to Traffic; Called a Triumph" (PDF). The New York Times. August 2, 1918. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
12. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: 18 St (1)" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2018.

External links

• nycsubway.org – IRT West Side Line: 18th Street
• Station Reporter – 1 Train
• 18th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 19th Street exit only stairs from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View