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Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station

Coordinates: 40°37′56.5″N 73°56′50.95″W / 40.632361°N 73.9474861°W / 40.632361; -73.9474861
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This article is about the current New York City Subway station. For the former station on the BMT Fulton Street Line, see Flatbush Avenue (BMT Fulton Street Line). For the CTfastrak bus rapid transit station in Connecticut, see Flatbush Avenue (CDOT station).

 Flatbush Avenue–
 Brooklyn College
 "2" train​"5" train
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Station statistics
AddressFlatbush Avenue & Nostrand Avenue
Brooklyn, New York
BoroughBrooklyn
LocaleFlatbush
Coordinates40°37′56.5″N 73°56′50.95″W / 40.632361°N 73.9474861°W / 40.632361; -73.9474861
DivisionA (IRT)[1]
LineIRT Nostrand Avenue Line
Services   2 all times (all times)
​   5 weekdays only (weekdays only)
Transit
StructureUnderground
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Other information
OpenedAugust 23, 1920; 104 years ago (1920-08-23)
AccessibleThis station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ADA-accessible
Opposite-
direction
transfer		N/A
Former/other namesFlatbush Avenue
Traffic
20233,601,151[2] Increase 10.1%
Rank87 out of 423[2]
Services
Preceding station New York City Subway New York City Subway Following station
Newkirk Avenue–Little Haiti
2 all times ​5 weekdays only
via Franklin Avenue–Medgar Evers College
 Terminus
Location
Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station is located in New York City Subway
Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station
Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station is located in New York City
Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station
Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station is located in New York
Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station
Track layout

Legend
to Newkirk Avenue–Little Haiti
trackways end
Street map

Map

Station service legend
Symbol Description
Stops all times Stops all times
Stops weekdays during the day Stops weekdays during the day
Stops weekdays and weekday late nights Stops weekdays and weekday late nights
Stops all times except late nights Stops all times except late nights

The Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station (announced as Brooklyn College–Flatbush Avenue station on trains) is the southern terminal station on the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. It is located at the intersection of Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues in Flatbush, Brooklyn, locally called "The Junction".[3] The station is served by the 2 train at all times and the 5 train on weekdays. It is also the closest subway station to Brooklyn College and Midwood High School.

The Flatbush Avenue station was built along with the Nostrand Avenue Line as part of the Dual Contracts. The station opened on August 23, 1920, along with the rest of the line. Various proposals to extend the line past Flatbush Avenue were considered throughout the 20th century, but none were carried out.

The Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station contains two side platforms and two tracks; the platforms are connected to each other at the southern end. It is the only such terminal station in the subway system, creating an inefficient design in which passengers must know which track a train is departing from before going to the platform. The platforms contain exits to the intersection of Nostrand and Flatbush Avenues, with a secondary exit to Avenue H. The station contains an elevator, which makes it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

History

[edit]
Station tilework

The Dual Contracts, which were signed on March 19, 1913, were contracts for the construction and rehabilitation and operation of rapid transit lines in the City of New York. The Dual Contracts promised the construction of several lines in Brooklyn. As part of Contract 4, the IRT agreed to build a subway line along Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn.[4][5][6] The construction of the subway along Nostrand Avenue spurred real estate development in the surrounding areas.[7] The Nostrand Avenue Line opened on August 23, 1920, and the Flatbush Avenue station opened as its terminal.[8]

This underground station is the only "dead-end" terminal station in the subway system that does not have an island platform. It was built with two side platforms and two tracks to allow for a planned but ultimately unbuilt extension of the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line. The extension, proposed in 1929, would have brought the line south towards Voorhies Avenue in Sheepshead Bay.[9] These plans were revisited in 1939,[10] 1946,[11] 1951,[12] and 1968.[13]

On October 5, 1931, a new staircase at the station to the southeastern corner of Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue was opened for service.[14]

U-shaped connection between the two sides of the station

In 1968, as part of the Program for Action, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) gave consideration to extending the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line approximately 1,000 feet (300 m) beyond the station to provide room for turnaround facilities. This would eliminate the operational restrictions caused by the current layout.[13] However, a ballot measure for funding much of the program was voted down in 1971, delaying this plan indefinitely.[15][16] This plan was again considered in 1989.[17]

In 1981, the MTA listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.[18] As part of a plan to increase accessibility in the New York City Subway, the MTA had planned to install elevators at the Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station by 1995.[19] Starting in December 1993, the station was renovated at the cost of $6 million.[20] An elevator was installed, and the 1920s-style "Flatbush Avenue" name tablets, containing red backgrounds with blue borders, were restored on both platforms.[21] The elevator was closed from July to December 2021 for replacement.[22] The top and bottom of the platform walls contain a blue solid line with a colorful border trim. This results in a tiling scheme with blue tiles that create a wavy pattern that comes farther up whenever there is a "F" tile — which stands for Flatbush — in the station's trimline.[20][23]

In December 2020, the MTA announced that it would commission artwork in honor of subway operator Garrett Goble, who died on March 27, 2020, during an arson at the Central Park North–110th Street station. The Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station was selected because Goble had used it often while growing up.[24][25][26] The artwork was ultimately unveiled and installed on May 24, 2021.[27][28]

Station layout

[edit]
Station entrances on northwest corner of Flatbush Avenue & Nostrand Avenue
Ground Street level Exits/entrances
Disabled access Elevator at southeast corner of Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue
Platform level Side platform Disabled access
Track 3 ← "2" train toward Wakefield–241st Street (Newkirk Avenue–Little Haiti)
Track 2 ← "2" train nights and weekends toward Wakefield–241st Street (Newkirk Avenue–Little Haiti)
← "5" train weekdays toward Eastchester–Dyre Avenue or Nereid Avenue (Newkirk Avenue–Little Haiti)
Side platform Disabled access

This station has two side platforms, which are connected at the south end just past the bumper blocks, forming a "U" shape. The presence of the connection at the southern end mitigates what is otherwise an inefficient terminal design, in which passengers must know which track a train is departing from before going to one of the two platforms.[13] The station is served by the 2 train at all times[29] and by the 5 train on weekdays during the day.[30] It is the southern terminus of all service; the next stop to the north is Newkirk Avenue–Little Haiti.[31]

The IRT Nostrand Avenue Line tunnels continue beyond the bumper blocks at Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue. They extend for several hundred feet to Avenue H, but no tracks were ever laid in these tunnels.[32] Up until about 2006, passengers could see the cemented-over gratings extending down Nostrand Avenue. When a new building went up, the grates were removed. Prior to the construction of the exit at the south end of the station, there was only a temporary wooden ramp connecting the platforms and the tunnels were actually visible to passengers.[33]

On weekdays when 5 trains serve the station, all Manhattan-bound 2 trains depart from Track 3, and all Manhattan-bound 5 trains depart from Track 2. When the 5 does not serve the station, 2 trains depart from both tracks.[34]

The station platforms have several doors for various non-public uses, including crew quarters.[35] A 2 train crew office is on the Track 3 side, and a 5 train crew office is on the Track 2 side.[36] There are public restrooms along Track 3 just within the station's main entrance.[37] The columns along the platforms are painted light-blue.[38]

The 1996 cast bronze relief artwork at this station is called Flatbush Floogies by Muriel Castanis.[39][40]

Exits

[edit]

At the U-shaped end, there is an unstaffed exit containing two HEET turnstiles and one exit-only turnstile. The single staircase here goes up to the west side of Nostrand Avenue north of Avenue H. The station's main entrance is on the Track 3 (eastern) platform.[41] Two street stairs from each eastern corner of Nostrand and Flatbush Avenues lead to where the full-time token booth and two separate banks of turnstiles are. The single elevator from street level down to fare control is at the southeast corner.[41] There is another entrance on the platform of Track 2 (west side). This entrance has two sets of street stairs adjacent to each other at the northwest corner of Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue.[41] The token booth and turnstile bank are open weekdays only. A single HEET turnstile provides access to this entrance other times.[42][43]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ a b "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  3. ^ Blau, Reuven (September 30, 2013). "Proposal to widen traffic lanes would be a decongestant for clogged Flatbush Ave. passage". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 12, 2014. ...and at the major Nostrand Ave. intersection [with Flatbush Avenue], known as the Junction...
  4. ^ Willcox, W.R. (1912). Dual System of Rapid Transit for New York City. Public Service Commission for First District ... September 1912. The Commission. pp. 37–44. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  5. ^ State of New York (1912). Dual system of rapid transit for New York city. pp. 17, 49. Retrieved January 16, 2018 – via University of Michigan.
  6. ^ "Most Recent Map of the Dual Subway System WhIch Shows How Brooklyn Borough Is Favored In New Transit Lines". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 9, 1917. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  7. ^ "Big Eastern Parkway Deal". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 1, 1915. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  8. ^ "Brooklyn Tube Extensions Open: I.R.T. Begins Service on Eastern Parkway and Nostrand Avenue Lines" (PDF). The New York Times. August 23, 1920. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
  9. ^ "100 Miles of Subway In New City Project; 52 Of Them In Queens" (PDF). The New York Times. September 16, 1929. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  10. ^ Proceedings. New York City Board of Transportation. 1943. p. 372.
  11. ^ "Borough Subway Relief Still 2 to 3 Years Off". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Newspapers.com. December 6, 1946. pp. 1, 5.
  12. ^ Crowell, Paul (September 14, 1951). "$500,000,000 Voted For 2d Ave. Subway By Estimate Board: Program Including Connections to Existing Lines Depends on Public's Exemption of Bonds: Offer to L.I.R.R. Backed: Authorization Comes After Quill Admits That He Cannot Support "Steal" Charge" (PDF). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  13. ^ a b c Metropolitan transportation, a program for action. Report to Nelson A. Rockefeller, Governor of New York. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. February 1968. p. 22. Retrieved October 1, 2015 – via Internet Archive.
  14. ^ Eleventh Annual Report For The Calendar Year 1931. New York State Transit Commission. 1922. p. 80.
  15. ^ Prial, Frank J. (March 21, 1971). "Long-Awaited Subway Line on Utica Ave. in Brooklyn Is Still an Idea That Keeps Getting Untracked". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  16. ^ 1968–1973, the Ten-year Program at the Halfway Mark. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 1973.
  17. ^ "The Bulletin". New York Division Bulletin. 30 (1). Electric Railroaders' Association: 5. January 1987.
  18. ^ Gargan, Edward A. (June 11, 1981). "Agency lists its 69 most deteriorated subway stations". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  19. ^ Sachar, Emily (July 16, 1993). "Long Wait". Newsday. p. 2. ISSN 2574-5298. ProQuest 278657263.
  20. ^ a b "Postings: $6 Million Restoration for IRT Stop; Flatbush Ave. Station Gets New Old Look". The New York Times. March 6, 1994. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  21. ^ Cox, Jeremiah (July 22, 2009). "A Flatbush Ave name tablet". subwaynut.com. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  22. ^ Brachfeld, Ben (December 23, 2021). "MTA Reopens Flatbush Ave-brooklyn College Elevator, Work Starts on Church Ave Lift". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  23. ^ Cox, Jeremiah (July 22, 2009). "A close up of a mosaic F in the trimline at Flatbush Avenue". subwaynut.com. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  24. ^ "Subway station gets new life in honor of train operator killed in arson fire". WABC TV. December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  25. ^ Moses, Dean (December 22, 2020). "MTA to honor Garrett Goble, victim of Harlem subway arson, with Flatbush memorial". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  26. ^ Iqbal, Zainab (December 22, 2020). "Flatbush Avenue Subway Station To Honor Garrett Goble, A Motorman Killed In Arson Fire". Bklyner. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  27. ^ Hallum, Mark (May 24, 2021). "MTA unveils memorial to slain motorman Garrett Goble at Brooklyn subway station". amNewYork. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  28. ^ "MTA, TWU Local 100 and family unveil memorial at Brooklyn subway station honoring train operator killed in arson fire". News 12 – New Jersey. May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  29. ^ "2 Subway Timetable, Effective June 26, 2022". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  30. ^ "5 Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  31. ^ "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  32. ^ "Number One Transportation Progress An Interim Report". thejoekorner.com. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 1968. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  33. ^ Fischler, Stan (2000). The Subway: A Trip Through Time on New York's Rapid Transit. H & M Productions. p. 163. ISBN 9781882608232.
  34. ^ PrecipiceofDuck (July 28, 2014). Sign showing which trains leave from which tracks. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  35. ^ Cox, Jeremiah (July 22, 2009). There are many doors into MTA Employee only rooms along both platforms at Flatbush Avenue.
  36. ^ Cox, Jeremiah (July 22, 2009). A sticker on a door saying it is home to the 5 Line Team Facility at Flatbush Avenue.
  37. ^ Cox, Jeremiah (July 22, 2009). Doors to the currently OOS public restrooms along Track 1 at Flatbush Avenue.
  38. ^ Cox, Jeremiah (November 21, 2004). Looking down a track at Flatbush Avenue as the crowded Museum train of Low-Vs stops in the station on a Fan Trip.
  39. ^ "Art en Route: A Guide to Art in the MTA Network" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2009. p. 5.
  40. ^ Heydarpour, Roja (November 26, 2006). "Muriel Castanis, 80, Sculptor of Fluidly Draped Forms, Dies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  41. ^ a b c "Flatbush Avenue—Brooklyn College Neighborhood Map" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  42. ^ Cox, Jeremiah (July 22, 2009). Looking down an entrance staircase to Flatbush Avenue, a side of it is an unusual concrete slab. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  43. ^ Cox, Jeremiah (July 22, 2009). A single High Entrance/Exit Turnstile provides the only way to leave Track 2 at this exit except during rush hour when the turnstiles are open. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
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