55th Street station

55 Street
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
View of the platforms
Station statistics
Address	55th Street, 13th Avenue & New Utrecht Avenue Brooklyn, New York
Borough	Brooklyn
Locale	Borough Park
Coordinates	40.631892°N 73.995709°W / 40.631892; -73.995709
Division	B (BMT)[1]
Line	BMT West End Line
Services	D  (all times)
Transit	NYCT Bus: B16
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	3 (2 in regular service)
Other information
Opened	June 24, 1916 (108 years ago) (1916-06-24)
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2023	418,218[2]  2.8%
Rank	399 out of 423[2]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station 50th Street toward Norwood–205th Street Local 62nd Street toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout to 50th Street to 62nd Street
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times

The 55th Street station is a local station on the BMT West End Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of 55th Street, 13th Avenue and New Utrecht 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.

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.^[9]

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 from the platform ones.^{[citation needed]}

Station layout

Platform level	Side platform
	Northbound local	← toward Norwood–205th Street (50th Street)
	Peak-direction express	→ No regular service
	Southbound local	→ toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (62nd Street) →
	Side platform
Mezzanine		Fare control, station agent, MetroCard and OMNY machines
Ground	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.^[10][11] Both platforms have beige windscreens and brown canopies with green frames and support columns along their entire lengths except for the sections at either ends. Here, they have waist-high black steel fences with lampposts at regular intervals.  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.^[12]

References

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. "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
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. pp. 47–49.
9. "For Release Sunday, July 12, 1964" (PDF). New York City Office of the Mayor. July 12, 1964. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
10. Dougherty, Peter (2020). Tracks of the New York City Subway 2020 (16th ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 1056711733.
11. "D Subway Timetable, Effective December 15, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
12. "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 Archived 2017-06-14 at the Wayback Machine
• 55th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View