IND Concourse Line

(click to enlarge)

IND Concourse Line station at Bedford Park Boulevard. Photo by David Pirmann, August 2008.

Overview

The Concourse Line runs from 145th Street in Manhattan (lower level) to 205th Street in the Bronx. Due to the Grand Concourse having grade separations at cross streets many stations have an exit at platform level or, in the case of one station, going down to exit from the subway, as well as the traditional going up to exit via a mezzanine. The line parallels the IRT #4 Woodlawn/Jerome Ave. line which is one and a half blocks further west, a clear example of the attempt by then Mayor Hylan to try to put the IRT and BMT out of business via direct competition.

Proposals have been made to extend this line past 205th Street into the East Bronx but when the city acquired the Dyre Ave. Line this idea was shelved.

All stations along this line feature the standard IND station name in white on black tile. All stations are local with two wall platforms except where noted as having island platforms.

Opening/Closing Dates

Route Map

Station by Station

205th Street

D

Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne	Collection of: David Pirmann
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This terminal station has a two track, single island platform configuration. Tile colors are medium light green with a slightly darker green border. The line has curved and the 205th Station is oriented east-west.

The 205th Street exit is at the east end of the station. The mezzanine is under the intersection of East 205th Street and Perry Ave. There are two stairways to the token booth and turnstiles; one facing south on Perry Ave. on the southeast corner; the other facing north on Perry Ave. on the northwest corner. The lay-up/turn-back tracks that proceed east from the station under 205th St. are under the mezzanine. A long ramp (50 yds. or so) extends down to the platform level.

The west end of the station is under the intersection of 206th Street and Bainbridge Ave, which is about 80 or so feet higher in elevation. At this point you will have to understand the topography of the area being described. This area of the north central Bronx is dominated by what was known as Valentine's Hill, the highest point being about the intersection of 210th Street and Bainbridge Ave., where Gun Hill road intersects, and all around the Montefiore Hospital Complex. At one time, until the early 30's there was a reservoir where Reservoir Oval Park currently occupies the high ground east of Bainbridge Ave. and 208th Street.

The station entrance at East 206th Street and Bainbridge Ave. is about halfway up this hill. The 205th St. entrance is near the bottom of the (Perry Ave.) hill. The eastern half of the station is cut and cover method construction. The western half is tunnel construction.

The lay-up/turn-back tracks proceed east from the station under 205th St. go about 3 blocks from Perry to Hull Ave, Decatur Ave. and terminate at or under Webster Ave. There is a scissors crossover east of the station. There is a switchman's tower (control room) at the west end of the platform. The west end of the platform exit is reached by a triple level stairway or a correspondingly long escalator to the 206th St mezzanine.

Viewed as an above ground railway, the 205th St Station and turn-back tracks would be the right half of the top of a "T" configuration. The Concourse mainline would be the stem portion. The left side and top of the "T" are composed of the yard lead tracks to Concourse Yard. The yard itself is actually parallel to the Concourse and Jerome Ave. lines, and to the west.

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Area Track Map

Bedford Park Boulevard

BD

Photo by: Michael Hodurski	Photo by: Glenn L. Rowe
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Three tracks, two island platforms. At the south end we can exit to the underpass or go up stairs to to the Concourse. Tile colors are Lawn Green with a darker green border, and there is no name tablet. This station at one time had a full length mezzanine as evidenced by closed center stairs on both platforms and plywood behind grills in the mezzanine. At the north exit, you can see into this dark space, with a handful of bare bulbs illuminating it. There are crew quarters and an active tower at the south end of the southbound platform. There is also an equipment room over the south end of the northbound platform. There is also a short, one-car length platform just north of the southbound platform after a gap of about one or two car lengths. "B" Trains terminate here in the rush hours, and "D" trains often lay up here as well.

Kingsbridge Road

BD

Photo by: David Pirmann	Photo by: Jie Wen Li
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Three tracks, two island platforms. The tile band is Royal Blue with a slightly darker blue border. At the south end, the exit is above street level with stairs down, while at the north end the exit is up to the street. There is a crossover or crossunder at each end. The north exit at 196th Street is rather small, dimly lit, and nondescript.

Fordham Road

BD

Photo by: David-Paul Gerber	Photo by: Doug Grotjahn
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Three tracks, two island platforms. Tile is Grape with a Plum border. The downtown platform is particularly wide as it approaches a wall to the north where that island splits into narrow individual platforms serving the downtown and center tracks. That section has name tablets in plum with a grape border, matching and reversing the pattern of the wall tile.

Although called "Fordham Road" the actual station lies principally beneath 188th Street and a bit south of there. The full mezzanine is a block to the south of Fordham Road with two independent downward sloping passenger ramps from Fordham to 188th under the side walks on each side of the Concourse. At Fordham one can not pass from one side of the Concourse to the other using the subway entrances as is the case at 188th and most other Concourse stations; a feature often used by those wanting to get from one side of the wide boulevard to the other -- often well utilized during rain.

The boulevard itself passes under Fordham Road via a vehicular underpass starting at 188th which forces the tracks at the north third of the station to diverge. There the center and uptown tracks veer to the east and the single downtown track stays directly under the west side service road which turns slightly east as it exits the station as the above Concourse turns a bit after passing north of Fordham. (Passengers on the platforms at the north ends can clearly hear traffic - car horns, brake squeaks, diesel noise, etc., sounds of vehicles as they travel on the ramp.) At this point the station is physically divided with the uptown platform and tracks to one side passing under the east service road and private property while the downtown platform is walled-off and separated to the west as the vehicle ramp descends through the mezzanine level down to the track/station platform level. The tracks remain physically separated by the underpass until just a hundred or so yards before the Kingsbridge Road Station.)

There is an inactive tower at the south end of the southbound platform. During anticipated snow of significant accumulation or extremely cold weather, the MTA removes idle equipment from the Concourse yard (outdoors) and parks them underground on the center track where temperatures remain above freezing; for those moves including relaying equipment back north to Bedford & 205th for rush-hour service, the tower is usually pressed into temporary service.

The full mezzanine has fare control in the center at the 188th Street direct entrances. The south end of the mezzanine has a mosaic indicating "to change booth." The northwest exit, leading to the northwest corner of Fordham and Grand Concourse is closed off; the northeast one is closed except at certain hours and is then the only entrances actually from "Fordham Road" proper, all others being at 188th Street.

182nd-183rd Street

BD

Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne	Photo by: David-Paul Gerber
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A local station with three tracks, two 660 ft side platforms. Tile color like that at Tremont Ave. plus a black name tablet with maroon border. The station features a full mezzanine. The 183rd St. exit at platform level but is closed. The tile walls are patched; in one location there are some lilac-colored tiles. Historical curiosity, several of the columns on the downtown platform have screw-holes in them at somewhat below eye-level where penny gum machines once predominated.

Tremont Avenue

BD

Photo by: Adam Kaminsky	Photo by: David-Paul Gerber
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An express station with three tracks, two 660 ft. island platforms. There is no name tablet; the tile is maroon with a black border. There is an inactive tower is located at the south north end of the southbound uptown platform. There are two diamond crossovers that were managed by the tower, one set just north of the station serving the uptown local and center track, and one set to the south serving the center and downtown local track. This station has a full length mezzanine.

Artwork Uptown New York (Frank Leslie Hampton, 2000)

174th-175th Street

BD

Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne	Photo by: David-Paul Gerber
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Three tracks, two side platforms. Tile colors match the preceding stations, but the brickwork found there gives way to traditional square IND tile. The south end fare control is at platform level; a mezzanine is at the north end. This station also has mosaics in the 174th St. exit pointing to the west and east sides of the Grand Concourse. This exit leads to the underpass of 174th St. under the Concourse.

Artwork Bronx Seasons Everchanging (Roy Secord, 2018)

170th Street

BD

Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne	Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne
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Three tracks, two side platforms. Brick with accent colors the same as 167th Street. A crossover is at the north end mezzanine while south end fare control is at platform level. There is a closed crossover at this end of the station, with two separate stairways.

167th Street

BD

Photo by: David-Paul Gerber	Photo by: Jie Wen Li
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Three tracks, two side platforms. Brick with name tablet in black only, with no color tile border. There is a closed stairway at the south end outside the fare control leading to equipment rooms. The south fare control is at platform level and the north end is via mezzanine and a crossover. The station has a high ceiling for most of the length of the platforms.

161st Street-Yankee Stadium

BD

Photo by: Phillip Lee	Photo by: Michael Romero
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Three tracks, two side platforms. On the northbound side there is an extra stair from platform to street for traffic to Yankee Stadium, and an additional exit which has a sharp upturn outside the fare control. Colors are the same as 155th St. The station also features a low curtain wall separating the center express track from the local tracks. The brick on the walls is being replaced with glazed white tile, covering some but not all of the name tablets. While the color scheme remains the same, an interesting feature is found at the stairways on the northbound platform; the east walls of the stair are in the yellow accent color with the accent stripe being white.

Artwork Wall-Slide/Room of Tranquility (Acconci/Brandt, 2002)

155th Street-8th Avenue

BD

Photo by: Frank LeViness	Photo by: Frank LeViness
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A local station with three tracks, two side platforms of 660 ft. Tile colors the same as 145th Street. The station has white brick walls and many closed exits. A close inspection of the mezzanine reveals that the mezzanine used to be full length but was reduced in size. There are also "Uptown" and "Downtown" directional mosaics in the mezzanine. At the north end exit, the stairs are extra wide. This was no doubt done to accommodate crowds going to and from the Polo Grounds, which, until April 1964, stood right outside this station. Curiously, the number of (former) platform stairways is much greater here than at 161st Street-Yankee Stadium, despite Yankee Stadium predating the subway by 10 years.

While the station was originally (1933) designated "155th STR 8th AVE," the portion of that Avenue north from West 110th Street was renamed "Frederick Douglass Blvd." in 1977. Heading uptown this is the last stop in Manhattan on the IND's "C"-line (chaining & signal designation) before crossing under the Harlem River and into The Bronx.

When the 9th Avenue El was discontinued (June 1940) service to the Polo Grounds was thereafter cut back to a 4-stop shuttle between the IRT's 167th Str. station on the Woodlawn-Jerome El over in The Bronx, and what remained of the 9th's original structure & station here at West 155th. There was an out-of-system paper transfer between the subway (this station) and the El 'just upstairs.' Football's N.Y. Giants moved to Yankee Stadium at the end of the 1956 season, Baseball's N.Y. Giants left town at the end of the 1957 season, the "Polo Grounds" shuttle ceased operations August 1958, the N.Y. Mets later played one season at the Park and it was thereafter razed to make way for apartments.

The station is oriented closer to east-west and crosses under West 155th Str. diagonally from St. Nicholas Place north-easterly to "8th Avenue." As the lower-level tracks north of the 145th stop first head out under St. Nicholas PLACE (Not St. Nick's AVENUE under which runs the "A"-line from that point northward) they then turn eastward with this station's platforms largely under the south parking lot of the City Housing Authority's "Polo Grounds Towers" and extending toward Frederick Douglass Blvd. (previously 8th Ave.)

This locale -- the northern end of Coogan's HOLLOW, is popularly known as "Coogan's BLUFF," and the topography at the station area is striking. The uptown (Bronx-bound) end is situated only a few hundred yards from the Harlem River Drive and the river's seawall. There is a steep cliff face atop the downtown end of the station. This escarpment starts at Edgecomb Ave. and then descends precipitously -- a drop-off of some 17-stories (~175 feet.)

Page Credits

By Peggy Darlington and David Pirmann.