116th Street–Columbia University (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)

116th Street–Columbia University
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Platform for uptown trains
Station statistics
Address	West 116th Street & Broadway New York, NY 10027
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Morningside Heights
Coordinates	40°48′29″N 73°57′50″W / 40.808°N 73.964°WCoordinates: 40°48′29″N 73°57′50″W / 40.808°N 73.964°W
Division	A (IRT)
Line	IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line
Services	1  (all times)
Transit connections	NYCT Bus: M4, M60 SBS, M104
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	3 (2 in regular service)
Other information
Opened	October 27, 1904[1]
Wireless service	[2]
Traffic
Passengers (2015)	4,846,181[3]  1.5%
Rank	98 out of 422
Station succession
Next north	125th Street: 1
Next south	Cathedral Parkway–110th Street: 1
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times
Location
116th Street–Columbia University Subway Station (IRT)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
MPS	New York City Subway System MPS
NRHP Reference #	04001020[4]
Added to NRHP	September 17, 2004

116th Street–Columbia University is a local station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, served by the 1 train at all times. It is located at the intersection of Broadway and 116th Street, just outside the west gate to the main campus of Columbia University and the southeast corner of the Barnard College campus. The express track that passes through the station is currently unused in revenue service.

History

Track layout
Legend
to 125 St to 110 St

Operation of the first subway began on October 27, 1904, with the opening of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway from City Hall to 145th Street on the West Side Branch including the 116th Street station.^[5][6]

In 1948, platforms on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line from 103rd Street to 238th Street were lengthened to 514 feet to allow full ten-car express trains to platform. Previously the stations could only platform six car local trains. The platform extensions were opened in stages. On April 6, 1948, the stations from 103rd Street to Dyckman Street had their platform extensions opened, with the exception of the 125th Street, which had its opened on June 11, 1948.^[7][8]

Station layout

G	Street Level	Exit/Entrance
P Platform level	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Northbound local	← toward Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street (125th Street)
	Peak-direction express	→ No regular service
	Southbound local	→ toward South Ferry (110th Street) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right

The station's downtown platform in 1978.

The 116th Street–Columbia University station is laid out in a typical local stop setup.^[9] There are two side platforms and three tracks, the center one being an unused express track.^[9] The southbound local track is technically known as BB1 while the northbound one is BB4; the BB designation is used for chaining purposes along the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line from 96th Street to 242nd Street. Although it cannot be accessed at 116th Street–Columbia University, the center track is designated as M. It is important to note that these designations are rarely, if ever, used in ordinary conversation. Unlike most local stops, there is a crossover at the station. There is also an exit-only near the southern end of the northbound platform that leads to the east side of Broadway at 115th Street, outside the Alfred Lerner Hall.

Until the 1960s, the station was served by an entrance kiosk similar to the one still in use two miles south at 72nd Street. Today, the concourse is entirely underground, with stairways on either side of Broadway that serve both uptown and downtown trains. In 2004, the station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[4]

Image gallery

• 

  The above-ground 116th Street entrance, 1910.

• 

  Original tablet and medallions by Heins & LaFarge

• 

  Faience plaque of the number 116

• 

  Faience plaque of the seal of Columbia University

• 

  NW corner stairs

References

1. New York Times, Our Subway Open: 150,000 Try It, October 28, 1904
2. "NYC Subway Wireless – Active Stations". Transit Wireless Wifi. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
3. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
4. "NPS Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
5. James Blaine Walker, Fifty Years of Rapid Transit, 1864-1917, published 1918, pp. 162-191
6. "New York City subway opens - Oct 27, 1904". HISTORY.com. 1904-10-27. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
7. Report for the three and one-half years ending June 30, 1949. New York City Board of Transportation. 1949.
8. "MORE LONG PLATFORMS; Five Subway Stations on IRT to Accommodate 10-Car Trains". The New York Times. 1948-07-10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
9. 116th Street/Columbia University NYCSubway Retrieved 2009-06-24

Further reading

• Lee Stokey. Subway Ceramics : A History and Iconography. 1994. ISBN 978-0-9635486-1-0

External links

• nycsubway.org – IRT West Side Line: 116th Street
• Station Reporter – 1 Train
• Forgotten NY – Original 28 - NYC's First 28 Subway Stations
• MTA's Arts For Transit – 116th Street–Columbia University (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)
• 116th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View