The Rector Street station on the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT)'s Broadway Line opened on January 5, 1918.[2] The station's platforms originally could only fit six 67-foot-long (20 m) cars. In 1926, the New York City Board of Transportation received bids for the lengthening of platforms at nine stations on the Broadway Line, including the Rector Street station, to accommodate eight-car trains. Edwards & Flood submitted a low bid of $101,775 for the project.[5] The platform-lengthening project was completed in 1927, bringing the length of the platforms to 535 feet (163 m).[6][7] The city government took over the BMT's operations on June 1, 1940.[8][9]
Since the station is on a grade, there is a noticeable slant. The station has two side platforms, and there are no overpasses, underpasses, or mezzanines to connect the platforms within fare control. The station was overhauled in the late 1970s. The original trim lines were replaced with white cinderblock tiles, except for small recesses in the walls, which contain blue-painted cinderblock tiles. The staircases were repaired and new platform edges were installed. The blue cinderblock field contains the station-name signs and white text pointing to the exits. The renovation also replaced incandescent lighting with fluorescent lighting.
The uptown platform maintains one old style sign while at the north end of the downtown/Brooklyn platform is an entire closed off portion of the platform. There are several (painted over) old style Rector Street mosaic signs on this platform.
Each platform has its own platform-level fare controls. The full-time exit is at the north end of the station, at Rector Street and Trinity Place. The uptown platform contains a token booth and three street stairs: two to the northeast corner of the aforementioned intersection, and one to the southeast corner. The downtown platform is unstaffed and has four street stairs: two to the southwest corner and two to the northwest corner.[11][10]
Just south of the fare control for the downtown platform, there are two exit-only turnstiles leading to an exit-only stair to the western side of Trinity Place.[11][10]
The downtown platform is proposed to become ADA-accessible with the construction of an elevator leading from an easement in 50 Trinity Place to the downtown platform. The elevator's installation was required per zoning regulations, which mandated that the developers of 77 Greenwich Street (also known as 42 Trinity Place) fund transit improvements at the station.[3] However, whether the elevator will be installed has been unknown since April 2020 due to various lawsuits involving the MTA and FIT Investment Corp (the developer for 50 Trinity Place).[12][13] The MTA and the developers of 77 Greenwich Street allege that FIT Investment Corp "has blocked the MTA and 42 Trinity from building the elevator with more than a year of stalling, empty promises and excuses. They have continued to occupy the sidewalk, and, when we tried to stop them, sued the MTA." However, FIT Investment Corp claims that it is "actually constructing a component of this station’s accessibility project, specifically the mechanical room for the elevator equipment."
^"B. M, T. Station Lengthening Is Nearly Finished: 76 Platforms Are Extended 3,186 Feet to Make Room for 126.000 Additional Passengers in Rush Hours City Carried Out Work I.R.T. Changes Planned, but That Company Refuses to Pay Its Share of Costs". New-York Tribune. August 2, 1927. p. 32. ISSN1941-0646. ProQuest1113704092.
Note: Service variations, station closures, and reroutes are not reflected here. Stations with asterisks have no regular peak, reverse peak, or midday service on that route. See linked articles for more information.
Stations and line segments in italics are closed, demolished, or planned (temporary closures are marked with asterisks). Track connections to other lines' terminals are displayed in brackets. Struck through passenger track connections are closed or unused in regular service.