Station: Bowling Green (IRT East Side Line)
From nycsubway.org
| IRT East Side Line |
Overview
Opened: 7/10/1905
Bowling Green station serves the express trains from the IRT East Side line heading to/from Brooklyn. The station layout is unusual; it has a full length island platform, a side platform slightly offset on the eastern (northbound) side, and a quarter-length island platform on the western (southbound) side. Only the island platform is original construction, the rest were added later. Now, northbound trains open their doors on the right side of the train, onto the eastern side platform; southbound trains open their doors on the left side of the train onto the island platform. A railing runs the length of the island platform along the northbound track face. The short southbound-side platform is abandoned; so one could consider the station now having two tracks and two side platforms. The diagram below will more clearly illustrate the platform arrangement.
So why is this station so unusual? An overview of the service patterns at this station should make it clear. The station opened in July 1905 with only the island platform, and as of yet, no service to Brooklyn. Express trains from the East Side line entered the station from the north, stopped at Bowling Green, then circled the "Battery Loop" to South Ferry station, returning northbound and stopping at Bowling Green on their uptown journey. (Yes, South Ferry was built as part of the East Side line, and not of the IRT West Side/7th Ave. Line of which it is now primarily a part.)
South of Bowling Green, the Battery Loop consisted of one main track (connecting the downtown side of Bowling Green to the uptown side); one station on this loop track (South Ferry, with a single side platform on the outside of the loop), and a second inner loop track used for layups, storage, disabled trains, etc., and provision for the two main tracks to pass under the loop to Brooklyn.
In January, 1908, the tunnel to Brooklyn opened, and the initial service pattern had some express trains running to Borough Hall and some terminating at South Ferry via the Battery Loop. Demand for Brooklyn service was immediately higher than this service pattern permitted and it was necessary to run all rush hour trains through to Borough Hall. So, to provide rush hour service to South Ferry, construction started February 23, 1909 on the strange, short side platform on the west side of the Bowling Green station, and a new trackway connecting into the Battery Loop. Completed in April, 1909, shuttles then provided all rush hour service to South Ferry using this short platform. Off-peak trains continued to circle the South Ferry loop (and still do, although the terminating trains from the East Side line use the inner track and do not stop at South Ferry).
In 1918, the completion of the IRT West Side line from Times Square to South Ferry created a second connection into the Battery Loop. The West Side service began using the South Ferry station as its southern terminal. To continue providing the shuttle service, South Ferry had a second platform face added on the inside of the loop along the second track (the one formerly used only to turn or layup trains mentioned above.) The tracks are arranged so that the shuttle train enters and South Ferry Inner and returns in the same direction from which it came, without fouling the West Side service on the outer track.
The shuttle operation was discontinued in 1977 due to budget cuts, yet the platform and wall were renovated anyway in 1978. The 1978 renovation covered over original Heins & LaFarge mosaic "tapestries" that were along the side walls.
So one more piece of Bowling Green requires explanation, the side platform on the eastern (northbound) side. This was built as part of the 1970s renovations, due to high passenger volume on the island platform. Additional exits were required from the island platform; building the side platform allowed for an underpass to be built, with exits to the street from the side platform. This funneled some of the traffic away from the headhouse exit at the south end. The fare control now consists of the restored headhouse entrance at the south end, which serves only the island platform, and various other entrances that lead to the eastern side platform and down to a large fare control gate area in the underpass.
Artwork
The Essence of Time, Nicole Bengiveno (2007)
A Way To Go, Zach DeSart (2009)
Photo Gallery
 Image 9 (363k, 1044x682) Collection of: David Pirmann Location: Bowling Green |
 Image 3794 (110k, 1044x788) Photo by: David Pirmann Location: Bowling Green |
 Image 4411 (87k, 600x450) Photo by: Trevor Logan Location: Bowling Green |
 Image 24202 (105k, 720x478) Photo by: Peter Ehrlich Location: Bowling Green |
 Image 33442 (586k, 1044x711) Photo by: Charles Fiori Location: Bowling Green |
 Image 66688 (125k, 820x620) Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld Location: Bowling Green |
 Image 78027 (103k, 1044x726) Photo by: John Barnes Location: Bowling Green |
 Image 85372 (197k, 1044x705) Photo by: Filip Matuska Location: Bowling Green |
 Image 91270 (252k, 1044x788) Photo by: Zach Summer Location: Bowling Green |
 Image 92702 (109k, 800x600) Photo by: Phillip Lee Location: Bowling Green |
 Image 94810 (195k, 820x529) Photo by: Joel Shanus Location: Bowling Green |
 Image 115384 (250k, 1024x685) Collection of: Collection of nycsubway.org Location: Bowling Green |
 Image 115891 (281k, 1024x685) Collection of: Collection of nycsubway.org Location: Bowling Green |
 Image 130849 (340k, 1044x700) Photo by: John Dooley Location: Bowling Green |
 Image 130851 (363k, 1044x700) Photo by: John Dooley Location: Bowling Green |