Category: Public Transit

Okay, okay. So, the MTA subway system isn’t the only one in NYC. NY actually has a second, interstate system operated by the Port Authority known as PATH. Surprisingly, though, the system is split about 50/50 with 6 of the 13 stations being in NYC (namely, the stations along 6th Ave., Christopher St., and World Trade Center), while the other 7 are in eastern New Jersey (primarily in Jersey City, but also as far out as Newark’s Penn Station and Hoboken). Now, this and the other 12 PATH stations may be a bit sketch for me to do given the Port Authority has a no photography rule in place, but here we go…

So, this originally came to be when I suggested to Michael, Rome, and Metropolis that we should ride PATH for fun. Surprisingly, they agreed, and we went to the nearest PATH station. In this case, it was 9th Street. And, so, I commenced with the first PATH station review. Firstly, the entrance is actually a pretty long tunnel that’s inaccessible. Signage pointing to the station thankfully does exist at street level, and the entrance itself is pretty inconspicuous. Once inside the station, you have fare gates with OMNY- er, TAPP readers, and PATH ticketing machines. The station itself is relatively pretty clean, it clearly wasn’t trafficked as much as nearby West 4th St., and the platforms had standard amenities one would expect, including benches, trash bins, and even an LCD clock with the next train in each direction (in this case, towards 33rd St./Herald Sq., and towards World Trade Center, as Hoboken was closed). There was even an info board in the tunnel as well that even had the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail! (stay tuned!). Overall, not bad for an introductory entry into a new system! Yay! One other fun fact, this is also the least-used PATH station as well!

The good: It’s pretty well kept, and can serve both as a local alternative to the MTA subway (uptown) or to NJT buses (towards NJ). It’s also got the standard amenities you’d expect, and is actually very well lit. The station also has distinct character with the more low-key entrance.

The bad: The hole in the wall style of entrance can be a bit hard to find amid the amounts of signage for other businesses found in the area. Also, it’s not an accessible station. Of course, I’d also mention West 4th being close by, but it’s also not an MTA station so I can’t complain about that. My biggest gripes come down to inaccessibility primarily. Also, the platforms can get pretty easily crowded.

Nearby points of interest: You have a library nearby, Washington Square Park, even the Stonewall Inn if you walk a little (this is the closest PATH stations to all of these places). This is also the closest PATH station to NYU, as well.

Transit connections:
PATH (Blue/HOB-33, Orange/JSQ-33)
MTA bus (M8, M55)

Overall, not bad for a first PATH station. It’s nice for what it is, though inaccessibility is annoying. But, I guess that also means no piss-scented elevators! Anyways-

*hears police sirens getting closer*

Oh shit, Port Authority transit police is after me, aren’t they… FUCK.

Rating: 7/10

Stillwell Terminal, Stillwell Terminal, Stillwell Terminal… Well, this station manages to both be useful AND a rather season-dependent station. I mean, it’s no slouch for ridership during the colder months, but I’m making a safe presumption that even during warmer months, it’s busy here due to crowds gong to Luna Park and the beach. Oh yeah, did I mention there’s also a minor league stadium and an aquarium nearby too?

Now, we have a lot to unpack here, so let’s look at the history of this station. I’ll be giving the abridged version, so it’s not a full in-depth overview. So, here we go. The terminal was formally opened in 1919, and became the terminus of the the BMT’s (then Brooklyn Rapid Transit Co./BRT’s) West End (today’s D line), Sea Beach (N Line), and Brighton (Q Line) lines. The opening of the Brighton extension specifically marked the formal opening of the terminal, however it officially wasn’t official until the BMT’s Culver Line (now the F and FX lines) was opened into here. Also as a result of the Culver extension here, the special fare to access here was killed, making the area considerably more affordable to reach. Eventually, the BMT’s Culver Line was handed over to the IND, which then operated its D line over it (later, presumably in the MTA years, the F would then be sent down the Culver elevated, with the D then being sent down the ex-BMT West End elevated). Unfortunately, the station would quickly fall apart, and in the 2000s, the MTA stepped in, evicted everyone for renovations, and spent almost 4 years renovating the station. These renovations also made the station accessible with elevators and ramps to each platform. Neat!

Coney Island has four island platforms and 8 tracks, one for each line that runs through. You have the D to Norwood via the West End, the F to Jamaica via the Culver elevated, the N to Astoria via Sea Beach/Gravesend, and the Q to the East Side via Brighton. All the platforms also have the standard amenities: countdown clocks, benches, signage, that stuff. As stated in the intro, ramps and elevators both exist, making the station fully accessible. There’s also restrooms, but I would probably be traumatized if I looked. There’s even a Dunkies here! Neat! Also interestingly, this station also has a busway. Hell, there’s even a customer service center here as well! Also, the roofing here is all solar panels, and it was the first station on the whole system to be solar-powered. Cool! 😀

The good: It’s pretty nice in how it looks, and is very distinct! It’s also an important station in terms of usefulness and for how important it is to the community at large! Furthermore, it’s the closest station to a pretty major tourist attraction as well. I mean, it’s no Times Square or Penn Station, but it’s no 96th/Lexington either. I actually genuinely like this station. Not because of the station itself (although it is cool in appearance) but because of what’s around it. There’s also restrooms, I guess… But hey, a customer service booth exists!

The bad: The ramps can be annoying to navigate if you need accessibility, and good luck if the elevators shit themselves. I’m also scared to think of what the bathrooms look like.

Nearby points of interest: C’mon, this should be obvious. But nah, to specify: Luna Park @ Coney Island, Coney Island Beach, and Maimonides Park, where the Brooklyn Cyclones play (repping minor league baseball, woohoo!). NYU’s baseball team also plays here, as does Brooklyn FC. There’s also the New York Aquarium, but that has a station considerably closer (though, stops ARE very close together, so I may as well mention it anyways). There’s also a skating rink and the Ford Amphitheater as well. Also, Nathan’s Hot Dogs, and you can get Coney Island dogs here, (of which, RI’s famed NY system weiners are derived from), and there’s also the Wonder Wheel.

Transit connections:
6th Ave. Lines (D, F, FX)
Broadway Lines (N, Q)
MTA bus (B36, B64, B68, B74, B82)

Overall, this station’s an important one, one of the most famous (I’m not even sure I can do it fair justice!), and is very iconic. It’s also one of the most-used stations by the tourist population, as well.

Rating: 7/10

49th Street is an ex-BMT subway station on the MTA’s N, R, and W lines. With it as close to Times Square, is it as good as it? Or, perhaps, is it better as a lesser-trafficked alternative? Let’s find out!

49th St. is located on the intersection of its namesake street and 7th Ave., with the platform reaching all the way down to 47th Street. The setup is pretty standard, being two side platforms. The R and W both stop here, predictably, as both are the designated local lines among the yellow-colored lines. However, the N line (Astoria-Coney Island via Sea Beach, Manhattan express) also serves here, which is unusual for an express line. However, this anomaly exists for a pretty good reason, actually: Astoria-bound trains run through the 60th St. tunnel, and since the 60th St. tunnel can only be accessed by the local tracks, the N has to run locally. Furthermore, the N can’t be forced onto the local tracks immediately before for one reason: there’s no interlocking between here and Times Square! Though, I do find it odd that the N doesn’t switch at 57th St./7th Ave., but rather switch between Herald and Times Squares. I digress. The station is pretty standard, with two platforms built to BMT specifications, has your standard amenities, is pretty well-used (but not to the same degree as Times Square), and is even accessible! Well, kinda. Annoyingly, elevators ONLY exist on the northbound platform. But, allegedly, plans exist to install one on the southbound platform. So, I guess if you need accessibility, take a local train north, and then turn around at 57th/7th. Alternatively, just take the bus to Times Square, I guess. There’s also, allegedly, a concourse connection to 47th-50th/Rockefeller Center, as well, but I didn’t look. Overall though, it’s not too bad a station. Neat!

The good: It’s an alternative to Times Square, if you’re claustrophobic! If you’re using the northbound platform, there’s also a connection to the Rockefeller Center as well. It’s also got some accessibility!

The bad: It’s only partly accessible. The southbound platform needs an elevator. The N should not stop here. There’s also no in-station transfer to the opposite side. Oof.

Nearby points of interest: Times Square’s northern fringes! You also have Olive Garden and M&M’s! Primarily, though, it’s still Times Square – just the northern fringes of it.

Transit connections:
Broadway Line (N, R, W)
MTA bus (M7, M20, M50, M104)

Overall, it’s not a bad station, however I’d take Times Square any day.

Rating: 7/10

On New Years Day in 2017, a new MTA subway line opened, with service to three new stations underneath 2nd Ave. in Manhattan’s East Side: 72nd, 86th, and 96th St.’s. However, there’s plans for extensions both north to 125th/Lexington & Park, and down to Hanover Square and Manhattan’s Seaport. This happens to be the northernmost of the 3 stations, and the current-day (as of writing this) terminus of the Q line. Welcome to 96th St./2nd Ave.

For some weird reason, despite it being defunct for many years now, these stations are all classed as ex-IND stations. Not sure why given only the MTA exists, and as far as I could find the IND was killed off in the ’50s when the system was unified into the present-day MTA (& as such also the ex-BMT and ex-IRT sections were merged in too, though only the BMT and IND are inter-operable, as the B division of the present-day system. If you need to know, numbered lines are the A division, lettered are the B division, essentially.) Anyways, with that out of the way, and the fact it took a REALLY LONG TIME just for these three stations to be built (& with phases 2, 3, and 4 in limbo presently), the station itself is really, REALLY overbuilt. Was the MTA really trying to channel the inner ex-IND energy here?! Like, gee, I get the IND in particular was overbuilt to handle the potential for crowding, but I don’t exactly think that’s an issue that needs apply here. This isn’t a major transfer station in lower Manhattan, for crying out loud! Nevertheless, while it feels a little sterile, it’s not to an extreme to where it’s overbearing. The stone accents are pretty cool, and the platforms all have standard amenities. There’s even countdown clocks and signs pointing to the next platform departing. Neat! The escalators down have a cool light installation (it was nighttime when I was here and was able to see it!). However, though, while the restrooms are closed overnights and between 12 and 1, Rome informed me the women’s restroom was essentially unusable. I didn’t even want to look in the men’s room for fear of being traumatized. On the upside, for buses, you primarily have the M15 which runs down 2nd Ave. between 125th St. and South Ferry, and the M96 crosstown route (that is, east-west). I do have one question though: WHY WASN’T THIS SECTION OF THE SYSTEM BUILT WITH CBTC FROM THE OUTSET?! I digress. Overall, not a bad station! And, I’m sure 72nd and 86th St.’s will hold up pretty well (given they’re largely carbon copies).

The good: The lights outside look cool, as does the headhouse! The station itself is relatively pretty damn clean vs. the rest of the system (can be attributed to it still being a very new station), restrooms at least exist, and overall it’s a pretty decent station. Elevators also exist, with it still being new.

The bad: The women’s restroom is unusable (per Rome) and I am presuming the men’s room is outright traumatizing. This station is kinda overbuilt, too.

Nearby points of interest: There’s some section 8 housing nearby, along with some playgrounds and other green spaces. The Harlem River is also a stone’s toss away, if you can cross FDR Drive somehow.

Transit connections:
Broadway Line (Line Q)
MTA bus (M15, M15-SBS, M96)

Overall, this station isn’t that bad. A bit overbuilt, yeah, and admittedly not the best place to turn trains or to terminate them, but it really isn’t that bad in the grand scheme of things. And, given phase 2 of the 2nd Ave. tunnel has funding (that’s to build the tunnel to Park/Lexington Ave.’s, and to build stations at 106th, 116th, and 125th & Park/Lexington for a transfer to the #s 4-6 lines, which I think is a better place to terminate than in the middle of relatively nowhere), there’s actually a decent future for this station. Not bad! But, I do have a question though: Why IS this station classed as an IND station, if the IND is long dead?!

Rating: 8.5/10