Metropolitan Avenue/Lorimer Street station

The Metropolitan Avenue/Lorimer Street station is an underground New York City Subway station complex shared by the BMT Canarsie Line and the IND Crosstown Line. Located in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, the complex is served by the G and L trains at all times.

Metropolitan Avenue/  Lorimer Street  ​
New York City Subway station complex
Station statistics
Address	Metropolitan Avenue between Lorimer Street & Union Avenue Brooklyn, NY
Borough	Brooklyn
Locale	Williamsburg
Coordinates	40°42′46″N 73°57′05″W / 40.712752°N 73.951464°W / 40.712752; -73.951464
Division	BMT/IND^[1]^[2]
Line	BMT Canarsie Line    IND Crosstown Line
Services	G  (all times)​    L  (all times)
Transit	NYCT Bus: B24, B48, Q59
Levels	2
Other information
Opened	July 1, 1948; 75 years ago (1948-07-01)
Accessible	ADA-accessible (Transfer passageway between IND Crosstown Line platforms and BMT Canarsie Line platforms is not accessible; use OMNY farecard readers for free accessible transfer)
Traffic
2023	3,903,034^[3]  14.5%
Rank	73 out of 423^[3]
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times

The BMT Canarsie Line platforms, which are named Lorimer Street, are located above the IND Crosstown Line platforms, which are named Metropolitan Avenue. The Canarsie Line station opened in 1924, and the Crosstown Line station opened in 1937. Free transfers between the stations started in 1948.

Station layout

Ground	Street level	Entrances/exits
Basement 1	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent, MetroCard machines   Elevator to   train at northwest corner of Lorimer Street and Metropolitan Avenue.
Basement 2	Side platform
	Westbound	←   toward Eighth Avenue (Bedford Avenue)
	Eastbound	→   toward Canarsie–Rockaway Parkway (Graham Avenue) →
	Side platform
	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent, MetroCard machines, connection between platforms   Elevator to   train at southeast corner of Union Avenue and Metropolitan Avenue.
Basement 3	Side platform
	Northbound	←   toward Court Square (Nassau Avenue)
	Southbound	→   toward Church Avenue (Broadway) →
	Side platform

The L-shaped passageway, located above the Crosstown Line at its northern end and below the Canarsie Line at its western end, also serves as the mezzanine for the Crosstown Line lower level. When viewed from the Crosstown Line mezzanine, the passageway splits up as the right half leads to a ramp for Canarsie-bound trains while the left half leads to a crossunder to Eighth Avenue-bound trains.

Originally, passengers who wished to transfer between the Canarsie and Crosstown lines had to pay a separate fare, because the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (operator of the Canarsie Line) and the Independent Subway System (the Crosstown Line's operator) were competing companies. On July 1, 1948, eight years after the three operators of New York's subways were unified into a single entity, the transfer passageway was reconfigured to be inside fare control, thus permitting free transfers between lines.^[1][4]

In 2019, the MTA announced that the station would become ADA-accessible as part of the agency's 2020–2024 Capital Program.^[5] A contract for five elevators at the station (three for the Canarsie Line platforms and two for the Crosstown Line platforms) was awarded in December 2020.^[6] A street-to-mezzanine elevator for the Crosstown Line platforms was added to the contract, resulting in a total of six elevators. All elevators opened on April 1, 2024. The transfer passageway between the Canarsie and Crosstown lines is not accessible, so an out-of-system transfer for disabled riders is provided using OMNY farecard readers. The passageway to the Manhattan-bound Canarsie Line platform has stairs, and the passageway to the Canarsie-bound platform has a ramp that is not accessible.^[7]

A precinct of the New York City Transit Police is also located on the Crosstown Line mezzanine.

Artwork

The artwork in the transfer passageway and the Crosstown Line mezzanine is called Signs of Life,^[8] designed by Jackie Chang in 2000.^[9][10] Signs of Life is made of ceramic tiles of glass and consists of numerous juxtaposed words and icons.^[9] The words in the artwork are compound words that have been taken apart, such as "useless" or "mankind".^[8] In designing the artwork, Chang intended for the pieces to be "challenging" and cryptic.^[9] Signs of Life originally consisted of six mosaics, but two additional mosaics were added when the station's elevators opened in 2024.^[7]

The Lorimer Street station's fare control area also contains the artwork Personal Choice #5, designed by Chloë Bass and completed in 2024. The artwork is split up into three sections and depicts human connections and touch. Each portion of Personal Choice #5 is accompanied by a text caption, which is overlaid atop the artwork.^[7]

 

Panoramic view of the mezzanine

Exits

The main entrances at the corner of Metropolitan and Union Avenues lead to the transfer corridor between the lines.^[11] The high entry-exit turnstiles in the transfer corridor would be replaced with waist-high "low turnstiles" to accommodate increased passenger flow.^[12]

Each platform has a second set of entrances. The BMT platforms have a second set to the eastern corners of Lorimer Street and Metropolitan Avenue at their east ends. The IND platforms have one stair leading to the northwestern corner of Union Avenue and Hope Street and another leading to the northeastern corner of Union Avenue and Powers Street. The exits to Powers and Hope Streets were previously closed in 2000 due to safety concerns, blocked by metal street grates, and used as emergency exits.^[12] They were reopened on February 28, 2019 to accommodate the increased volume of passengers transferring between the Crosstown and Canarsie Line stations due to the 14th Street Tunnel shutdown.^[13] Originally, only one of these exits was planned to be reopened.^[14]

Despite the IND station's name on tiling, there is no longer an open exit to Grand Street. A passage beyond the Hope and Powers Streets exits leads to two more exits that led to both northern corners of Grand Street and Union Avenue.^[15][16][17] These exits were also closed in 2000 due to safety concerns. While the exit to the northeastern corner is also blocked by a metal sheet grate, the exit to the northwestern corner has been sealed and is inaccessible from street level.^[15][18] The exits to Grand Street were open until the section of the mezzanine that had the exits to Hope Street and Powers Street was closed; this is corroborated by photos of this portion of the mezzanine during its closure, which had signage directing to Grand Street intact, as well as MTA documents outlining the closure of the whole area.^[19]

The BMT station previously had two closed exits; they led to the western corners of Lorimer Street and Metropolitan Avenue. They were also closed in 2000 and were repurposed into emergency exits. As part of the ADA accessibility improvements, the exit to the southwestern corner was reopened while the exit to the northwestern corner was demolished to make room for a street elevator at that corner.

The transfer mezzanine also features one closed staircase to the southeastern corner of Metropolitan Avenue and Union Avenue. The staircase was also closed in 2000, but has been completely sealed from both the street level and the mezzanine level.

BMT Canarsie Line platforms

For the station at Lorimer Street and Broadway, see Lorimer Street (BMT Jamaica Line).

Lorimer Street
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Northbound platform
Station statistics
Division	B (BMT)^[2]
Line	BMT Canarsie Line
Services	L  (all times)
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	June 30, 1924; 99 years ago (1924-06-30)
Accessible	ADA-accessible (Use OMNY farecard readers to transfer to IND Crosstown Line platforms)
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Services Preceding station   New York City Subway Following station Bedford Avenue toward Eighth Avenue   Graham Avenue toward Canarsie–Rockaway Parkway
Track layout Legend     to Bedford Avenue                             to Graham Avenue
Station service legend Symbol Description   Stops all times

The Lorimer Street station (announced as Metropolitan Avenue-Lorimer Street station) on the BMT Canarsie Line has two tracks and two side platforms. It opened on June 30, 1924, as part of the initial segment of the underground Canarsie Line, a product of the Dual Contracts, stretching from Sixth Avenue in Manhattan to Montrose Avenue.^[20][21] The L stops at the station at all times.^[22] The station is between Bedford Avenue to the west and Graham Avenue to the east.^[23]

The Lorimer Street entry point has a mezzanine above the station. There is also another entrance at Union Avenue that leads directly to the Manhattan-bound platform. The transfer to the Crosstown Line is toward the Union Avenue (western; railroad northern) end of the station, where passageways descend from each platform to the Union Avenue mezzanine.

Image gallery

•  
  Lorimer Street full-name mosaic
•  
  Lorimer Street "L" mosaic
•  
  Metropolitan Avenue stair
•  
  Elevator from the southbound platform

IND Crosstown Line platforms

For other uses, see Metropolitan Avenue (disambiguation).

Metropolitan Avenue
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
View of northbound platform
Station statistics
Division	B (IND)^[2]
Line	IND Crosstown Line
Services	G  (all times)
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	July 1, 1937; 86 years ago (1937-07-01)^[24]
Accessible	ADA-accessible (Use OMNY farecard readers to transfer to BMT Canarsie Line platforms)
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Former/other names	Metropolitan Avenue–Grand Street
Services Preceding station   New York City Subway Following station Nassau Avenue toward Court Square   Broadway toward Church Avenue
Track layout Legend     to Nassau Avenue                                   to Broadway
Station service legend Symbol Description   Stops all times

The Metropolitan Avenue station (also announced as Metropolitan Avenue-Lorimer Street station) on the IND Crosstown Line opened on July 1, 1937 as part of the extension of the Crosstown Line from Nassau Avenue to Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets.^[24] The station also has two tracks and two side platforms.^[25] The G stops at the station at all times.^[26] The station is between Nassau Avenue to the north and Broadway to the south.^[23]

The station has green tiles. The tiles were part of a color-coded tile system used throughout the IND.^[27] The tile colors were designed to facilitate navigation for travelers going away from Lower Manhattan. Because the Crosstown Line does not merge into a line that enters Manhattan at either end, all stations on the line had green tiles.^[28][29] Station tile signage retains the original name of the station: Metropolitan Avenue–Grand Street. Directional tile captions mimicking the style of original IND captions indicate "To Street and Transfer;"^[30] the tile captions replaced original captions pointing to Metropolitan Avenue at the north end and Grand Street at the south end.^[31] Two staircases from the north end of either platform lead to the mezzanine and transfer passageway to the BMT Canarsie Line.^[25][32]

The mezzanine is full-length, but has been reduced in size. A central portion was closed in the late 1990s and is now occupied by a police facility, employee space, and offices.^[30] The south portion was also previously closed and used as storage space, but was reopened on February 28, 2019 in preparation for the 14th Street Tunnel shutdown in April 2019. A previously removed staircase between the southbound platform and the mezzanine was also built.^[33]

Image gallery

•  
  Street stair at southeast corner of Metropolitan & Union Avenues
•  
  Closed southern portion of the mezzanine, prior to its reopening
•  
  Reopened south mezzanine
•  
  Artwork by Jackie Chang

References

1. "Transfer Points Under Higher Fare: Board of Transportation Lists Stations and Intersections for Combined Rides". New York Times. June 30, 1948. p. 19. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
2. "Glossary". (PDF). Vol. 1. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 4, 2003. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
3. "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
4. Sparberg, Andrew J. (October 1, 2014). From a Nickel to a Token: The Journey from Board of Transportation to MTA. Fordham University Press. ISBN 9780823261901.
5. . MTA. December 19, 2019. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
6. (Press release). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 16, 2020. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
7. "MTA Celebrates Accessibility Upgrades at Metropolitan Av-Lorimer St G and L Stations". MTA. April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
8. Michalos, Michelle (August 28, 2013). "Art in Your Pocket: Artist Reed Seifer's optimism MetroCard". THIRTEEN - New York Public Media. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
9. "Signs of Life". MTA. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
10. "Top ten: MTA subway art". Time Out New York. April 12, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
11. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Williamsburg & Bedford Stuyvesant" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
12. New York City Transit Authority (July 2018). "MTA New York City Transit Canarsie Tunnel Project Supplemental Environmental Assessment and Section 4(f) Review: Final Report" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. pp. 15–16. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
13. Hanrahan, Laura (March 1, 2019). . Greenpoint Post. Archived from the original on March 1, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
14. Kabak, Benjamin (December 13, 2017). "First Look: DOT, MTA present initial plans for L train shutdown". Second Ave. Sagas. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
15. Hogan, Gwynne (February 29, 2016). . DNAinfo.com. Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
16. "Closed subway entrances". WNYC (AM). October 31, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
17. "2012-11-10 22.15.52". November 10, 2012.
18. Harshbarger, Rebecca (November 1, 2015). "NYC subway station entrances closed despite ridership spike: over one in four". AM New York. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
19. Kabak, Benjamin (January 24, 2013). "Inside Metropolitan Avenue's shuttered G passageway". Second Ave. Sagas. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
20. "Subway Tunnel Through". The New York Times. August 8, 1919. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
21. "Celebrate Opening of Subway Link". The New York Times. July 1, 1924. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
22. "L Subway Timetable, Effective December 4, 2022". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
23. "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
24. "New Crosstown Subway Line Is Opened". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 1, 1937. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
25. "Review of the G Line: Appendices" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 10, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
26. "G Subway Timetable, Effective July 2, 2023". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
27. "Tile Colors a Guide in the New Subway; Decoration Scheme Changes at Each Express Stop to Tell Riders Where They Are". The New York Times. August 22, 1932. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
28. Carlson, Jen (February 18, 2016). "Map: These Color Tiles In The Subway System Used To Mean Something". Gothamist. from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
29. Gleason, Will (February 18, 2016). "The hidden meaning behind the New York subway's colored tiles". Time Out New York. from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
30. Kabak, Benjamin (January 24, 2013). "Inside Metropolitan Avenue's shuttered G passageway". Second Avenue Sagas. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
31. "Showing Image 56257".
32. "Review of the G Line" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 10, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
33. "Station Capacity Enhancements at Metropolitan Avenue". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 31, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2018.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lorimer Street / Metropolitan Avenue (New York City Subway).

• nycsubway.org – BMT Canarsie Line: Lorimer Street
• nycsubway.org – IND Crosstown Line: Metropolitan Avenue
• Station Reporter —
• The Subway Nut — Lorimer Street Pictures
• The Subway Nut — Metropolitan Avenue–Grand Street Pictures
• MTA's Arts For Transit —

Google Maps Street View:

• Union Avenue, Keap Street, and Metropolitan Avenue entrances
• Metropolitan Avenue entrance
• Lorimer Street entrances
• BMT platforms
• IND platforms