Delancey Street/Essex Street station

Delancey Street/Essex Street   B39
Structure	Underground
Levels	2
Other information
Opened	July 1, 1948; 75 years ago (1948-07-01)
Accessible	not ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Traffic
2023	7,083,681[2]  18.8%
Rank	29 out of 423[2]
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 Stops all times except late nights Stops rush hours in the peak direction only

The Delancey Street/Essex Street station is a

• J
  trains at all times
• M train at all times except late nights
• <F>
  trains during rush hours in the peak direction

In addition to the two track levels—the

] The full-time entrance is on the north side of Delancey Street, on either side of Essex Street.

Station layout

G	Street level	Exit and entrance
B1	North mezzanine	Fare control
	Side platform
	Westbound[note 1]	← toward Broad Street (Bowery) ← weekdays toward Forest Hills–71st Avenue (Broadway–Lafayette Street) ← AM rush toward Broad Street (Bowery)
	Center track[note 1]	← weekdays/late nights toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Marcy Avenue) → ← PM rush toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Marcy Avenue) → → weekends toward Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue (Marcy Avenue) →
	Island platform
	Eastbound[note 1]	→ weekends toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Marcy Avenue) → → weekdays toward Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue (Marcy Avenue) →
	Trolley trackways	Emergency exit, former trackbed, proposed Lowline
B2	South mezzanine	Fare control, exits/entrances
B3	Side platform
	Northbound	← toward Jamaica–179th Street (Second Avenue)
	Southbound	→ toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (East Broadway) →
	Side platform

Since June 2010, both the F and the M operate local along the

As part of the construction of the nearby Essex Crossing development, Site 9, which is located at 120 Essex Street (between Rivington and Delancey Streets), there is an easement for a future elevator entrance.^[7]

BMT Nassau Street Line platforms

Essex Street   Z  (rush hours, peak direction)​
Platforms	1 island platform cross-platform interchange (eastbound only) 1 side platform
Tracks	3
Other information
Opened	September 16, 1908; 115 years ago (1908-09-16)[8]
Accessible	not ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Former/other names	Delancey Street
Traffic
2023	7,083,681[2]  18.8%
Rank	29 out of 423[2]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Z  toward Broad Street Z  ​ eastbound Broadway–Lafayette Street M  toward Forest Hills–71st Avenue Local
Track layout Legend to Marcy Avenue to Broadway–Lafayette Street to Bowery
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops all times except late nights Stops weekends during the day Stops weekdays during the day Stops rush hours in the peak direction only

The Essex Street station (announced as Delancey Street–Essex Street) on the BMT Nassau Street Line has three tracks, one

This station is a bottleneck for eastbound trains, which can be delayed momentarily at this station because the island platform’s two eastbound tracks merge into one upon leaving the station and before crossing the Williamsburg Bridge.

History

Next to the Brooklyn-bound local track is the closed Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Terminal, which was built along with the subway station and opened several months earlier. The terminal consisted of eight turning loops with low-level platforms which were used for trolley service from 1908 to 1948 that traveled over the Williamsburg Bridge to different parts of Brooklyn.^[9][10][11]

The underground terminal for the subway adjacent to the trolley terminal opened on September 16, 1908. The station initially contained only two tracks which ended at the west end of the station. It also had an additional southern side platform adjacent to the trolley terminal, with the station organized in a Spanish solution.^[9] The station was rebuilt for through service from 1911 to 1913 for the Centre Street Subway to extend to Chambers Street. The station's platforms originally could only fit six 67-foot-long (20 m) cars. In April 1926, the New York City Board of Transportation (BOT) received bids for the lengthening of platforms at three stations on the Centre Street Loop, including the Essex Street station, to accommodate eight-car trains.^[12] The New York City Board of Estimate approved funds for the project in July 1926,^[13] and the extensions were completed in 1927, bringing the length of the platforms to 535 feet (163 m).^[14][15]

The rest of the subway line has four tracks while there was room at Essex Street station for only three tracks and two platforms. There is provision for a fourth track to run through the trolley terminal area and join the subway west of the trolley terminal, should a four-track subway station be wanted. For many years, the elevated train service was very intensive, but at the same time, the trolley service was also well patronized, so no expansion was ever proposed. This would have added a second side platform to the south of the southernmost track, directly against the trolley terminal. The island platform would have been demolished to make room for the fourth track; alternatively, the fourth track would have been constructed adjacent to the southernmost track, resulting in a 2 side-platform, 1 island-platformed station, similar to the IRT platforms at

After streetcar service ended in 1948, the former track area on the south side of the bridge was rebuilt into auto lanes with a new ramp from street level closing off the former downhill ramp to the trolley terminal.^[16][17] The trolley terminal itself, however, was left vacant, and small portions were converted to storerooms and an emergency exit to the southern corners of Norfolk Street and Delancey Street.^[18] The vacant space was the proposed location of the LowLine, a planned underground park, but after fundraising proved unsuccessful, the project was indefinitely postponed in February 2020.^[19] Prior to 1913, the BMT station was also known as Delancey Street.

Image gallery

• 
  Platform
• 
  Name mosaic
• 
  Letter mosaic
• 
  Abandoned trolley terminal
• 
  Abandoned trolley terminal

IND Sixth Avenue Line platforms

Delancey Street   <F>  (two rush hour trains, peak direction)​
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	January 1, 1936; 88 years ago (1936-01-01)
Accessible	not ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2023	7,083,681[2]  18.8%
Rank	29 out of 423[2]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station <F> ​ toward Jamaica–179th Street Local <F> ​ toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue
Track layout Legend to Second Avenue to East Broadway
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops rush hours in the peak direction only (limited service)

The Delancey Street station (also announced as Delancey Street–Essex Street) on the IND Sixth Avenue Line has two tracks and two side platforms. The station has a part-time booth on the south side of Delancey Street and has two street staircases. Crossovers connect both platforms to the BMT platforms, which are above and perpendicular to the IND platforms. Both platforms have a renovated medium Parma violet trim line with a black border, as well as renovated tile captions in a different font, spaced farther apart, and far lower on the wall than the originals. Only the original mosaic name tablets remain, which read "DELANCEY ST." in white sans-serif lettering on a dark Parma violet background and medium Parma violet border. The southbound platform is lined with indigo I-beam columns, while the northbound platform has tiled columns, both having the standard black station name plate with white lettering every other columns. In a departure from the norm of recent restorations, northbound platform columns that don't have the station name plate feature a large "D" composed of four tiles.

The station formerly had two mezzanine areas, split by the BMT station. Twelve staircases, six on each platform, led to the mezzanine. Most were removed; only the stairs at the extreme north end and the extreme south end of both platforms remain as stairways to emergency exits and storage space.

There are two large wall-sized pieces of artwork, one on each wall where the staircase exits and transfers are located. The artist for both glass mosaics is

• 
  Original mosaic name tablet under renovated trim line
• 
  "D" tiles on alternating northbound platform columns
• 
  Delancey Orchard mosaic on the northbound platform
• 
  Shad Crossing mosaic on the southbound platform

Notes

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Delancey Street – Essex Street (New York City Subway).

External videos
Essex St Trolley Terminal, Metropolitan Transportation Authority; November 23, 2011; 4:15 YouTube video clip

Subway station:

• nycsubway.org – BMT Nassau Street Line: Essex Street
• nycsubway.org – IND 6th Avenue: Delancey Street
• Station Reporter – Delancey Street/Essex Street Complex
• MTA's Arts For Transit – Delancey Street–Essex Street
• Delancey Street and Essex Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Delancey Street and Norfolk Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• IND platforms from Google Maps Street View
• Westbound BMT Platform from Google Maps Street View
• Eastbound BMT Platform from Google Maps Street View

Trolley terminal:

• Abandoned Stations – "Williamsburg Bridge Railway terminal". Joseph Brennan, Columbia University, 2001.