86th Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)

86th Street is a local station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Central Park West and 86th Street on the Upper West Side, it is served by the B on weekdays, the C train at all times except nights, and the A train during late nights only.

86 Street  ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Uptown platform
Station statistics
Address	West 86th Street & Central Park West New York, NY 10024
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Upper West Side
Coordinates	40.785286°N 73.969316°W
Division	B (IND)
Line	IND Eighth Avenue Line
Services	A  (late nights) ​   B  (weekdays until 11:00 p.m.) ​   C  (all except late nights)
Transit	NYCT Bus: M10, M86 SBS
Structure	Underground
Levels	2
Platforms	2 side platforms (1 on each level)
Tracks	4 (2 on each level)
Other information
Opened	September 10, 1932[1]
Closed	June 4, 2018 (reconstruction)
Rebuilt	October 26, 2018
Station code	158[2]
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2019	3,232,637[3]  86.4%
Rank	155 out of 424[3]
Station succession
Next north	96th Street: A  ​B  ​C
Next south	81st Street–Museum of Natural History: A  ​B  ​C
Location
Track layout Upper level to 96 St Lower level to 81 St
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops late nights only Stops weekdays only

History

The station opened on September 10, 1932, as part of the city-operated Independent Subway System (IND)'s initial segment, the Eighth Avenue Line between Chambers Street and 207th Street.[1][4] Construction of the whole line cost $191.2 million. While the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line already provided parallel service, the new Eighth Avenue subway via Central Park West provided an alternative route.[5]

Under the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Plan, the station underwent a complete overhaul as part of the Enhanced Station Initiative and was entirely closed for several months. Updates included cellular service, Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, interactive service advisories and maps.[6][7] A request for proposals for the 72nd Street, 86th Street, Cathedral Parkway–110th Street, and 163rd Street–Amsterdam Avenue stations was issued on June 1, 2017,[8] and the New York City Transit and Bus Committee officially recommended that the MTA Board award the $111 million contract to ECCO III Enterprises in October 2017.[9] As part of the renovations, the station was closed from June 4, 2018, to October 26, 2018.[10]

Station layout

G	Street level	Exit/entrance
B1	Northbound express	← do not stop here
	Northbound local	← weekdays toward Bedford Park Boulevard or 145th Street (96th Street) ← toward 168th Street (96th Street) ← toward 207th Street late nights (96th Street)
	Side platform
	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent, MetroCard machines
B2	Southbound express	→ do not stop here →
	Southbound local	→ weekdays toward Brighton Beach (81st Street–Museum of Natural History) → → toward Euclid Avenue (81st Street–Museum of Natural History) → → toward Far Rockaway late nights (81st Street–Museum of Natural History) →
	Side platform

This underground station has two levels with northbound trains on the upper level and southbound trains on the lower one. From west to east, each level has one side platform, one local track and one express track.[11]

The platforms have no tile band and name tablets read "86TH ST." in white sans-serif lettering on a midnight blue background with a black border. There are small "86" and directional signs in white lettering on a black background. Grey I-beam columns run along both platforms at regular intervals with alternating ones having the standard black station name plate in white lettering. Before the station's renovation, the columns were painted blue.

Exits

This station has three fare control areas, all of which are on the upper level. The full-time one at 86th Street is at the south end and has a turnstile bank, token booth, and three street stairs. Right inside fare control, there is a staircase going down to the lower level.[12] The station's other two entrances/exits are unstaffed. The one at 87th Street, at the center of the upper level, has a staircase connecting both platforms.[12] The third fare control area at 88th Street has three turnstiles and one gate, installed as part of the station's renovation. These replace the two HEET turnstiles and one exit-only turnstile[12] which were present beforehand.

• One stair, NW corner of Central Park West and West 86th Street[12]
• Two stairs, SW corner of Central Park West and West 86th Street[12]
• One stair, NW corner of Central Park West and West 87th Street[12]
• One stair, NW corner of Central Park West and West 88th Street[12]

References

1. "List of the 28 Stations on the New 8th Av. Line". The New York Times. September 10, 1932. p. 6. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
2. "Station Developers' Information". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
3. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
4. Crowell, Paul (September 10, 1932). "Gay Midnight Crowd Rides First Trains In The New Subway: Throngs at Station an Hour Before Time, Rush Turnstiles When Chains are Dropped" (PDF). New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
5. Duffus, R. l (September 9, 1932). "NEW LINE FIRST UNIT IN CITY-WIDE SYSTEM; 8th Av. Tube to Ease West Side Congestion at Once -- Branches to Link 4 Boroughs Later. LAST WORD IN SUBWAYS Run From 207th to Chambers St. Cut to 33 Minutes -- 42d St. Has World's Largest Station. COST HAS BEEN $191,200,000 Years of Digging Up City Streets, Tunneling Rock and Building Road Finally Brought to Completion". The New York Times. p. 12. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
6. "MTA Will Completely Close 30 Subway Stations For Months-Long "Revamp"". Gothamist. January 8, 2016. Archived from the original on August 1, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
7. "MTAStations" (PDF). governor.ny.gov. Government of the State of New York. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
8. "Enhanced Stations Initiative Program; Contract A·36622C (Package 3) for Design & Construction at 72nd Street, 86th Street, Cathedral Parkway (110th Street), and 163rd Street - Amsterdam Avenue Stations on the 8th Avenue Line (IND), Manhattan" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 1, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
9. "New York City Transit and Bus Committee Meeting" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 23, 2017. p. 131. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 31, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
10. Warerkar, Tanay (February 19, 2018). "MTA will shutter 4 Upper Manhattan subway stations for repairs". Curbed NY. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
11. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
12. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Upper West Side" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2016.

External links

• nycsubway.org — IND 8th Avenue: 86th Street
• Station Reporter — B Train
• Station Reporter — C Train
• The Subway Nut — 86th Street Pictures
• 86th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 87th Street exit only stairs from Google Maps Street View
• 88th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platform from Google Maps Street View