168th Street
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168th Street (IRT West Side Line)

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Transfer here to: IND 8th Avenue

168th Street Station · Opened 3/16/1906

We now enter the deepest section of the IRT: the Washington Heights Mine Tunnel. This is two-track round tunnel section blasted through bedrock. The stations along this stretch, 168th Street, 181st Street, and 191st Street, all use elevators to access the fare control and the street. The three deep tunnel stations are among the grandest stations in the subway system. All are of round, bored tunnel construction, approximately 8 to 10 stories beneath the street.

168th Street. Aside from City Hall, this is probably the grandest of the original IRT stations. It features an extremely high ceiling for most of the station with the ends being regular flat ceilings. The south transition to low ceiling features marble-like accents. There are two low crossover bridges inside the tunnel arch, from which you can watch trains passing below. The crossovers are lit by low street lamp-style fixtures (mercury vapor); there mercury vapor lights along the platforms as well. The two-tone tile is unglazed brown brick on the bottom with a "dirty" tan brick on top. The typical IRT mosaics are found along the platforms.

The elevators, recently modernized, are on the west side of the station and are used to access the fare control and the IND 8th Avenue Subway mezzanine. There is a closed stairway leading up from the extreme north end of the northbound platform leading to an unknown location. The original elevator shafts are still visible, there is a window looking into the shaftway. At the rear of the shaftway is a closed-off passage leading to the theory that the original elevators had separate front and rear exits for arriving and departing passengers. The original elevators were double-deckers, near the northern of the two crossover bridges. They were destroyed in the building of the IND and the space is now a vent chamber. If you will notice, the north overpass extends into the wall; look on top of the wall behind the overpass and you'll see a scissor gate leading to the elevators.


(image 104702) (111k, 1024x768)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld
Date: 10/1/2009
Notes: Overpass covered during ceiling reconstruction.
Viewed (this week/total): 11 / 474


(image 84144) (205k, 864x574)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 1851
Photo by: Peter Ehrlich
Date: 5/2/2008
Viewed (this week/total): 6 / 1738


(image 84145) (188k, 864x554)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 1851
Photo by: Peter Ehrlich
Date: 5/2/2008
Notes: Note old logo (MTA logo peeled off).
Viewed (this week/total): 4 / 1277


(image 84160) (205k, 864x567)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2421
Photo by: Peter Ehrlich
Date: 5/2/2008
Viewed (this week/total): 3 / 1260


(image 67019) (195k, 1044x701)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2218
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 6/9/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 2089


(image 67020) (197k, 1044x701)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2380
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 6/9/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 1847


(image 67021) (188k, 1044x701)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 6/9/2007
Notes: View of structure at northbound end of station from northbound platform.
Viewed (this week/total): 4 / 1786


(image 67022) (200k, 701x1044)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 6/9/2007
Notes: View of structure at northbound end of station from northbound platform.
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 1222


(image 67023) (214k, 1044x701)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 6/9/2007
Notes: Tile detail, northbound platform.
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 975


(image 67024) (205k, 701x1044)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 6/9/2007
Notes: View of stairway into structure at north end of station. It appears there is a crossover to the left and a corridor along the length of the station on the right. Purpose unknown.
Viewed (this week/total): 4 / 1824


(image 67025) (221k, 1044x701)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2258
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 6/9/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 4 / 2249


(image 67026) (213k, 1044x701)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2433
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 6/9/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 1910


(image 67027) (225k, 1044x701)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 6/9/2007
Notes: Mosaic name tile.
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 803


(image 67028) (208k, 1044x701)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2164
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 6/9/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 1548


(image 67029) (188k, 1044x701)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2165
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 6/9/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 2 / 1736


(image 77346) (180k, 1044x712)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Photo by: David M. Kelly
Date: 2007
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 992


(image 77347) (183k, 1044x712)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Photo by: David M. Kelly
Date: 2007
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 869


(image 77348) (168k, 1044x712)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Photo by: David M. Kelly
Date: 2007
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 701


(image 77349) (205k, 1044x712)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Photo by: David M. Kelly
Date: 2007
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 894


(image 77344) (194k, 1044x712)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: 168th Street
Photo by: David M. Kelly
Date: 2007
Viewed (this week/total): 2 / 1103


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