55th Street station

55th Street is a local station on the BMT West End Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of 55th Street and 13th Avenue in Borough Park, Brooklyn. It is served by the D train at all times. The station opened in 1916, and had its platforms extended in the 1960s.

55 Street
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
The 55th Street station in April 2015.
Station statistics
Address	55th Street & New Utrecht Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11219
Borough	Brooklyn
Locale	Borough Park
Coordinates	40.631892°N 73.995709°W / 40.631892; -73.995709
Division	B (BMT)
Line	BMT West End Line
Services	D  (all times)
Transit connections	NYCT Bus: B16
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	3 (2 in regular service)
Other information
Opened	June 24, 1916 (1916-06-24)
Station code	062[1]
Opposite-direction transfer available	Yes
Traffic
Passengers (2019)	637,405[2]  2%
Rank	397 out of 424[2]
Station succession
Next north	50th Street: D
Next south	62nd Street: D
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

History

55th Street station opened on June 24, 1916 along with the first portion of the BMT West End Line from 36th Street on the BMT Fourth Avenue Line to 18th Avenue station.[3][4] The line was originally a surface excursion railway to Coney Island, called the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad, which was established in 1862, but did not reach Coney Island until 1864.[5] Under the Dual Contracts of 1913, an elevated line was built over New Utrecht Avenue, 86th Street and Stillwell Avenue.[6][7][8]

The platforms at the station were extended in the 1960s to 615 feet (187 m) to accommodate ten-car trains.

The station house was renovated as part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 2005-2009 Capital Program. Square windows were installed in the mezzanine and chain link fences separate the street stairs with the platform ones.

Station layout

Track layout
to 50 St to 62 St

P Platform level	Side platform
	Northbound local	← toward 205th Street (50th Street)
	Peak-direction express	→ No regular service
	Southbound local	→ toward Coney Island (62nd Street) →
	Side platform
M	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent, MetroCard machines
G	Street level	Entrance/exit

Southwestern street stair

This elevated station has three tracks and two side platforms. The D train stops here at all times, and the center express track is not normally used in service.[9][10] Both platforms have beige windscreens along the entire length and beige canopies with green frames and support columns in the center. The station signs are in the standard black plates in white lettering.

Exits

The station's only entrance/exit is an elevated station house beneath the tracks. It has three staircases from the streets, one on the northeast corner of 55th Street and New Utrecht Avenue and two to either southern corners. Inside the station house, there is a token booth, turnstiles and two staircases to each platform at the center. The waiting area inside fare control allows free transfer between directions.[11]

References

1. "Station Developers' Information". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
2. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
3. "Parade, Pageant Mark Celebration". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 24, 1916. p. 8. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
4. "Realty Boom Is Predicted for Borough Park Section". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 24, 1916. p. 8. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
5. "Opening of the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad" (PDF). The New York Times. June 9, 1864. p. 2. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
6. "The Dual System of Rapid Transit". New York State Public Service Commission. September 1912. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
7. "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.
8. Report of the Public Service Commission For The First District Of The State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1916 Vol. 1. New York State Public Service Commission. January 10, 1917. p. 47-49.
9. Dougherty, Peter (2020). Tracks of the New York City Subway 2020 (16th ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 1056711733.
10. "D Subway Timetable, Effective November 17, 2019" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
11. "55th Street Neighborhood Maps". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2020.

External links

• nycsubway.org – BMT West End Line: 55th Street
• Station Reporter — D Train
• The Subway Nut — 55th Street Pictures
• 55th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View