Smith-9th Streets is the highest station on the MTA subway, with an elevation of 87 or so feet above street level. This height made it the highest-elevated subway station in the entire world for a while, until 2022 when Hualongqiao Station on Chongqing’s Line #9 opened (with an elevation of 157 feet above street level – almost double of Smith-9th!!!). Even then, the reason the station was built so high above the ground was actually a simple one – it was cheaper for the Independent Subway System (aka the IND) to build a stupidly oversized viaduct over the Gowanus Canal, than it was to dig a deep tunnel. With that, let’s look at the station.
Nevertheless, you can get a pretty flippin’ good view of the skyline. The station’s layout is your standard 2x side platform with two express tracks. However, typically, the express tracks aren’t used outside two runs of line FX during peak hours (or, <F> if you prefer, but I prefer denoting express lines and routes with the X suffix typically rather than ASCII art). The platform has your standard wastebaskets, benches, countdown clocks, etc., the usual stuff. Going down, there’s escalators going down to street level, where there’s an information booth. There’s also a bus connection, to the B57 and B61 bus routes. Notably, these buses also go to IKEA – and this station is also the nearest one to the Brooklyn IKEA. Neat!!! Just a fair warning though – line G uses 5-car trains and to board, you HAVE to be at the middle of the platform. So, be mindful! And, yes, this station isn’t accessible. Sad!
The good: It’s a cool station! Pretty damn high up! It’s got a nice skyline shot and presents good train photography opportunities – and, really, city skyline opportunities for that matter! There’s also decent bus connections as well! (at face value, anyways)
The bad: It’s not accessible! WHY?! It’s also not a good station if you’re scared of heights. The area is also pretty industrial.
Nearby points of interest: The Brooklyn IKEA is close-ish! Aside from that, there’s some industrial facilities and shipping ports nearby.
Transit connections:
6th Ave. (Line F)
Crosstown (Line G)
MTA bus (B57, B61)
Overall, Smith-9th is a little unique among NYC subways stations, it’s the highest one. It’s pretty tall, has express tracks, and a nice view of the city. However, the accessibility brings it down a bit. IKEA’s close by, though, so long live BLAHAJ. :3
Rating: 7/10
