Seventh Avenue station (IND Culver Line)

Seventh Avenue, occasionally referred to as Seventh Avenue–Park Slope, is an express station on the IND Culver Line of the New York City Subway, located at Seventh Avenue and Ninth Street in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. It is served by the F and G trains at all times, and by the <F> train during rush hours in the peak direction.

7 Avenue  ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
View from southbound platform
Station statistics
Address	Seventh Avenue & Ninth Street Brooklyn, NY 11215
Borough	Brooklyn
Locale	Park Slope
Coordinates	40°40′0.59″N 73°58′53.76″W
Division	B (IND)
Line	IND Culver Line
Services	F  (all times) <F>  (two rush hour trains, peak direction) ​   G  (all times)
Transit	NYCT Bus: B61, B67, B69
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	October 7, 1933
Station code	240[1]
Accessible	not ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Former/other names	Seventh Avenue–Park Slope
Traffic
2019	3,675,218[2]  2.9%
Rank	136 out of 424[2]
Station succession
Next north	Jay Street–MetroTech (express): <F> Bergen Street (express): no regular service Fourth Avenue (local): F  ​G
Next south	15th Street–Prospect Park (local): F  ​G  Church Avenue (express): <F>
Location
Track layout to Bergen St to 4 Av to 15 St to Church Av
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops rush hours in the peak direction only (limited service)

The Seventh Avenue station was constructed by the Independent Subway System (IND). It opened on October 7, 1933, as part of an extension of the Culver Line, which was known as the Smith Street Line or the South Brooklyn Line at the time. Though the Seventh Avenue station contains four tracks and two island platforms, as with most express stations in the New York City Subway express stations, the inner tracks see limited use, being used only by peak-direction <F> trains.

History

One of the goals of Mayor John Hylan's Independent Subway System (IND), proposed in the 1920s, was a line to Coney Island, reached by a recapture of the BMT Culver Line.[3][4] As originally designed, service to and from Manhattan would have been exclusively provided by Culver express trains, while all local service would have fed into the IND Crosstown Line.[5] The line was extended from Bergen Street to Church Avenue on October 7, 1933, including the Seventh Avenue station.[6][7]

The station received a $400,000 renovation starting in 2015.[8] In January 2016, it was proposed to relocate the station booth to the 7th Avenue entrance (where 65% of entrances and exits occur). Most of the mezzanine would also be closed off, and the turnstiles would be replaced.[9] Waist-high turnstiles at the 7th and 8th Avenue ends were installed in August 2016, replacing the HEETS.[10] Much of the mezzanine closed permanently on January 23, 2018, at which time the station booth was relocated.[11] A 2015 proposal to add elevators at the station was rejected because it would have cost $15 million.[12] However, in 2019, the MTA announced that this station would become ADA-accessible as part of the agency's 2020–2024 Capital Program.[13]

Service changes

The station was originally served by the A train. In 1936, the A was rerouted to the IND Fulton Street Line and was replaced by E trains from the Queens Boulevard Line.[6] In 1937, the connection to the IND Crosstown Line opened and GG (later renamed the G) trains were extended to Church Avenue, complementing the E. In December 1940, after the IND Sixth Avenue Line opened, E trains were replaced by the F, and the GG was cut back to Smith–Ninth Streets.[6] Following the completion of the Culver Ramp in 1954,[14][15] D Concourse Express trains replaced F service to Coney Island.[15][16] In November 1967, the Chrystie Street Connection opened and D trains were rerouted via the Manhattan Bridge and the BMT Brighton Line to Coney Island. F trains were extended once again via the Culver Line.[16][17]

The center tracks at the station were used for F express service starting in June 1968,[18] while G trains were extended from Smith–Ninth Streets to Church Avenue to provide local service.[19][5] Express service between Bergen and Church ended in 1976 due to budgetary concerns and passenger complaints, and the GG, later renamed the G, was again terminated at the Smith–Ninth Streets station.[19][5][20]

In July 2009, the G was extended from its long-time terminus at Smith–Ninth Streets to a more efficient terminus at Church Avenue to accommodate the rehabilitation of the Culver Viaduct.[19][21] The G extension was made permanent in July 2012.[22] In July 2019, the MTA revealed plans to restore express service on the Culver Line between Jay Street and Church Avenue. Express service started on September 16, 2019.[23][24]

Station layout

G	Street level	Exit/entrance
B1	Staircase landing	Eighth Avenue staircase landing
B2	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent
B3 Platform level	Northbound local	← toward 179th Street (Fourth Avenue) ← toward Court Square (Fourth Avenue)
	Island platform
	Northbound express	← AM rush toward 179th Street (Jay Street–MetroTech) → (No service: Bergen Street)
	Southbound express	→ PM rush toward Coney Island (Church Avenue) →
	Island platform
	Southbound local	→ toward Coney Island (15th Street–Prospect Park) → → toward Church Avenue (15th Street–Prospect Park) →

Tile caption below trim line

This station has two island platforms and four tracks. South of this station, the express tracks separate from the local tracks and rejoin beneath them north of Fort Hamilton Parkway, then rise up again. The tile band is mustard yellow with a sienna brown border, set in a three-high "express station" course. The top border is slightly wider than the bottom and bisects the center of the band at regular intervals. This appears to be a modern aberration done during a renovation sometime in the 1980s as historical images show standard IND style color bands before 1972.[25] There is evidence of water damage on both trackside walls.

While this station is underground and Fourth Avenue is on an elevated trestle, this station is actually at a higher elevation than Fourth Avenue. This is because Brooklyn's topography slopes downwards towards the west (hence the neighborhood name of Park Slope), allowing the line to enter into the hillside between the two stations.

The station contains a full-length mezzanine with exits at 7th Avenue and 8th Avenue. Before January 2018, there was around 500 feet (150 m) of open mezzanine stretching across the station outside of fare control. while much of the space within fare control was fenced in. The full-time fare control area and station booth was located in the middle of the mezzanine, between 7th Avenue at 8th Avenue. Waist-high turnstiles led to single staircases to either platform.[9] Unstaffed entrances were located at the either end of the station, allowing customers to exit the station without having to walk to the middle area. Full-height High Entry-Exit Turnstiles (HEETs) were formerly present at these locations. There was a passageway within fare control from the platform stairs at 7th Avenue to a HEET turnstile leading to the station booth.[9] There are four staircases to each platform, two at the 7th Avenue end and two at the 8th Avenue end.[9] One staircase from each platform formerly led to the mezzanine,[15] but has been closed off.[11] Crossovers between service directions are available at all staircases.[9]

Exits

Northern street stair

There are eight street stairs – four going up to all four corners of 9th Street and 7th Avenue, and four going up to all four corners of 9th Street and 8th Avenue.[9] The 8th Avenue entrance also has an intermediate level at the first staircase, otherwise a descending hill.[9]

Inside the fare control near the Eighth Avenue entrance is a large scale painting of Prospect Park's The Raven.[26]

References

1. "Station Developers' Information". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
2. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
3. "Plan to Recapture Culver Line Ready" (PDF). The New York Times. July 12, 1932. p. 9. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
4. "New Subway Routes in Hylan Program to Cost $186,046,000" (PDF). The New York Times. March 21, 1925. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
5. Feasibility and Analysis of F Express Service in Brooklyn (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Report). May 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
6. "Independent Subway Services Beginning in 1932". thejoekorner.com. August 21, 2013. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
   Information adapted from:
   • New York Division Bulletin (Report) (October and November 1968 ed.). Electric Railroaders’ Association, Inc. Fall 1968.
7. "City Subway Extended" (PDF). The New York Times. October 7, 1933. p. 16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
8. Albrecht, Leslie (September 16, 2015). "7th Avenue F/G Subway Station Up For $400K Renovation". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on January 21, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
9. "Transit & Bus Committee Meeting: January 2016" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
10. Culliton, Kathleen (August 5, 2016). "Park Slope's 7th Ave. Subway Station Gets New High-Speed Turnstiles". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on January 21, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
11. Rizzi, Nicholas (January 19, 2018). "Mezzanine Of 7th Ave F/G Station To Permanently Close, MTA Says". Park Slope, NY Patch. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
12. Albrecht, Leslie (September 22, 2015). "MTA to Park Slope: If You Want Subway Elevators, Find $15 Million". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on November 17, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
13. "Press Release - MTA Headquarters - MTA Announces 20 Additional Subway Stations to Receive Accessibility Improvements Under Proposed 2020-2024 Capital Plan". MTA. December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
14. "NYCTA- Pass for Culver Line Ceremonies - 1954". flickr.com. New York City Transit Authority. 1954. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
15. "Adequate Transit Promised For City" (PDF). The New York Times. October 29, 1954. p. 25. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
16. Sparberg, Andrew J. (October 1, 2014). From a Nickel to a Token: The Journey from Board of Transportation to MTA. Fordham University Press. ISBN 978-0-8232-6190-1.
17. Perlmutter, Emanuel (November 16, 1967). "Subway Changes To Speed Service" (PDF). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
18. "'F' Line Rush-Hour Service Will Be Added in Brooklyn" (PDF). The New York Times. June 8, 1969. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
19. Review of F Line Operations, Ridership, and Infrastructure (PDF). nysenate.gov (Report). MTA New York City Transit Authority. October 7, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 31, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
20. Geberer, Raanan (March 6, 2013). "Light at End of Tunnel: F Train Express may return". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Archived from the original on March 27, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
21. Review of the G Line (PDF). mta.info (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 10, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 24, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
22. Flegenheimer, Matt (July 19, 2012). "M.T.A. Subway, Train and Bus Services to be Restored". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
23. Barone, Vincent (July 9, 2019). "Limited F express service coming to Brooklyn for rush hour". AMNY. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
24. "MTA NYC Transit Adding Limited F Express Service for Brooklyn Residents with Longest Commutes" (Press release). New York City Transit. July 10, 2019. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
25. "Showing Photos 1-24 of 24". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
26. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Park Slope/Prospect Park" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.

External links

• nycsubway.org – IND Crosstown: 7th Avenue/Park Slope
• Station Reporter — F Train
• Station Reporter — G Train
• The Subway Nut — 7th Avenue Pictures
• Seventh Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Eighth Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View