Norwood–205th Street station

The Norwood–205th Street station (formerly 205th Street station) is the northern terminal station on the IND Concourse Line of the New York City Subway. Located in Norwood, Bronx, it is served by the D train at all times. Due to changes in the street grid of the neighborhood, the station has exits to East 205th Street and Perry Avenue, as well as to East 206th Street and Bainbridge Avenue.

Norwood–205 Street
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
An R68 D train arriving at the station
Station statistics
Address	East 205th Street & Bainbridge Avenue Bronx, NY 10467
Borough	The Bronx
Locale	Norwood
Coordinates	40°52′30″N 73°52′46″W / 40.874908°N 73.879452°W / 40.874908; -73.879452
Division	B (IND)^[1]
Line	IND Concourse Line
Services	D  (all times)
Transit	NYCT Bus: Bx10, Bx16, Bx28, Bx34, Bx38
Structure	Underground
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	July 1, 1933; 90 years ago (July 1, 1933)
Opposite- direction transfer	N/A
Former/other names	205th Street
Traffic
2019	2,639,003^[3]  1%
Rank	186 out of 424^[3]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Terminus Bedford Park Boulevard toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend End of tail tracks to Concourse Yard to Bedford Park Boulevard
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times

This station was constructed as part of the Independent Subway System, and opened in 1933, along with the rest of the Concourse Line. This station was not intended to be the terminus of the Concourse Line or the D train; the tracks were supposed to have been extended east past Bronx Park and the IRT White Plains Road Line along Burke Avenue to serve the northeast section of the Bronx. But, with the city's acquisition of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway and subsequent conversion into the IRT Dyre Avenue Line, such an extension was deemed unnecessary. In the early 1950s, vacant land above the east end of the station was given to the New York Public Library and to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

History

The station was built as part of the sixth and seventh sections of the IND Concourse Line beginning in the late 1920s.^[4][5] The station was built underneath preexisting private property for most of its length, passing directly under East 205th Street at its eastern end.^[6] The station opened on July 1, 1933, along with the rest of the Concourse subway.^[7][8] On July 1, 1937, an escalator opened in the station, the first of its kind in the Bronx.^[9][10]

In the early 1950s, a portion of the vacant land above the east end of the station was relinquished by the New York City Board of Transportation in order to construct the New York Public Library's Mosholu Branch. The site, which had been purchased by the Board of Transportation in the 1930s for the construction of the station, had first been earmarked for a library in 1945.^{[11][12][13][14]} The library opened on August 6, 1954.^[15][16] That year, the remainder of the land, controlled by the New York City Transit Authority, was transferred to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation in order to construct Whalen Playground.^[11][17]

On August 23, 1954, a D train relaying east of the station overshot the bumper blocks at the end of the track, crashing into the wall at the end of the line.^[18][19] The train motorman was trapped in the tunnel for seven hours, and when he was freed, his left foot had to be amputated.^[18][19]

Station layout

Ground	Street Level	Exit/Entrance
Mezzanine		Fare control, station agent, MetroCard vending machines
Platform level	Southbound	←   toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (Bedford Park Boulevard)
	Island platform
	Northbound	→   termination track →

 

The escalator to the western fare control area at Bainbridge Avenue

 

D train at the platform

 

Tile caption below trim line

This underground station has two tracks and one island platform.^[20] The D train serves the station at all times.^[21] The station is the northern terminus for D trains; the next station to the south is Bedford Park Boulevard.^[22]

Both track walls have a lime green trim line with a medium Persian green border.^[23] Small tile captions reading "205" in white lettering on a black background are placed below the trim at regular intervals. The platform has a row of concrete-clad I-beam columns on both sides; these are painted medium Hunter green.^[24] There is clear evidence of water damage and mold due to poor drainage in numerous areas along the platform ceiling, the wall tiles, and to a number of the support columns.^{[25][26][27][28][29][30]} The station is also notorious for having piles of trash bags on the platform and at entrances, as well as for large amounts of litter on the tracks due to an absence of trash cans.^{[26][27][30][31]} 205th Street station was declared one of the five worst in the system in terms of maintenance and appearance by the New York City Transit Riders Council in 2005,^{[25][27][28][32]} problems which have persisted into the 2010s.^{[29][30][31][33]}

Due to changes in the street grid of the neighborhood, the station is located at East 205th Street and Perry Avenue at its eastern end, and at East 206th Street and Bainbridge Avenue at its western end. East 205th Street turns diagonally southwest at Perry Avenue, while the subway maintains its previous direction, lining up with Van Cortlandt Avenue before turning south onto Grand Concourse.^[4][34]

Exits

This station has two fare control areas. The full-time side at the west (railroad south) end has a turnstile bank, token booth, and two staircases going up to the southeast and northwest corners of East 206th Street and Bainbridge Avenue.^[31][34] Because of the varying topography of the surrounding neighborhood, a single escalator was installed in 1937 in this fare control area, traversing an elevation difference of 25 feet (7.6 m) between the mezzanine and platform.^[9][10] Access to fare control otherwise requires walking up three flights of stairs from platform level.^[33]

The other fare control area, at the station's east (railroad north) end, accessed by a ramp to the platform, is unstaffed, containing full-height turnstiles and two staircases going up to the northwest and southeast corners of East 205th Street and Perry Avenue.^[31][34] The token booth at this location was closed on July 30, 2005^[35] and removed sometime afterward.^[36]

Track layout

This station was not intended to be the terminus of the Concourse Line or the D train; both tracks were supposed to have been extended east past Bronx Park and the IRT White Plains Road Line along Burke Avenue to serve the northeast section of the Bronx.^[37][38][39] This idea was postponed due to lack of funding, and ultimately mothballed when the City of New York bought the right-of-way of the bankrupt New York, Westchester and Boston Railway and converted it for subway use in 1941.^[40] Another proposal in the 1970s involved extending the Concourse Line to White Plains Road, but financial troubles caused the plan to be aborted.^[40][41]

As a result of the planned extension, the two tracks continue east of this station for about 700 feet along 205th Street to Webster Avenue, ending at a concrete wall.^[18][19][40] This station does not have any crew quarters; crews are changed at Bedford Park Boulevard, the next station south. Additionally, there is no diamond crossover between the tracks west of this station; here, a center track forms leading west to the Concourse Yard.^[20][42] Because of this, terminating trains arrive on the southern (railroad northbound) track and discharge their passengers before continuing east to the end of the track. They then use the diamond crossover there to return to this station on the northern (railroad southbound) track and begin service to Manhattan and Brooklyn.^{[18][20][40][42]} Due to the track configuration, trains may reverse into the yard from the southern track, and trains from the yard may start service on the northern track.^[20][42]

Nearby points of interest

The station is located close to several Norwood landmarks, including the New York Public Library's Mosholu Branch; the Montefiore Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospital, north of the station on East 210th Street; St. Brendan's Church and School; the Valentine–Varian House; and the Williamsbridge Oval, the former site of the Williamsbridge Reservoir.^[34]

References

1. "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.
2. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
3. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
4. "Opens Subway Bids: Estimate Board Gets Twelve Offers for Bronx Work" (PDF). The New York Times. June 8, 1929. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
5. "$2,691,028 Is Low Bid on Section of Subway – Di Marco & Reimann Are Below Seven Others in Seeking Contract on City's Project" (PDF). The New York Times. June 29, 1930. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
6. "City Soon to Launch $600,000,000 Subway for the East Side – Delaney to Submit Plans for New System Including the Bronx in Two Months" (PDF). The New York Times. April 5, 1929. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
7. "New Bronx Subway Starts Operation". The New York Times. July 1, 1933. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
8. "Bronx-Concourse New Subway Link Opened at 12:57 A.M.: Adds 21 1/2 Miles to City's System−Connects With Manhattan Line at 145th". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 1, 1933. p. 20. Retrieved October 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Subway Din Mars A Fete in Bronx: Halley Starts to Dedicate a New Escalator but the Trains Drown out His Voice" (PDF). The New York Times. July 1, 1937. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
10. "New Escalator Ready: Bronx Demonstration Wednesday in 205th St. Subway Station" (PDF). The New York Times. June 27, 1937. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
11. "Whalen Playground: History". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
12. "Mosholu Library Site Saved, Auto Lot Plan Dropped". New York Post. Fultonhistory.com. March 23, 1951. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
13. Strand, Charles (May 15, 1952). "Oppose Parking Lot At Library Location". New York Post. Fultonhistory.com. p. 4. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
14. Strand, Charles (June 15, 1953). "See Mosholu Library Opening Next Year". New York Post. Fultonhistory.com. p. 2. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
15. "Epstein to Dedicate New Mosholu Library". New York Post. Fultonhistory.com. August 4, 1954. p. 62. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
16. "Library Unit Opening Set Tomorrow". New York Post. Fultonhistory.com. August 5, 1954. p. 2. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
17. "City Pledges to Build 'Sitting Park' Adjacent To Mosholu Library". New York Post. Fultonhistory.com. August 6, 1954. p. 24. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
18. "IND Motorman Trapped 7 Hours In Wreck, Loses Foot in the Rescue" (PDF). The New York Times. August 24, 1954. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
19. "IND Accident Traced: Subway Motorman's Crash Is Laid to 'Man Failure'" (PDF). The New York Times. August 25, 1954. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
20. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
21. "D Subway Timetable, Effective January 23, 2023". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
22. "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
23. Cox, Jeremiah (February 1, 2004). "A platform wall with lots of tile falling off at 205 Street (D)". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
24. Cox, Jeremiah (February 4, 2004). "An about to be in service downtown R68 D train enters 205 Street (D) from the re-lay tracks". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
25. Shannon, Ellyn (August 2004). (PDF). pcac.org. New York City Transit Riders Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 21, 2006. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
26. "Unwelcome Mats New York's Subway Stations in Disrepair: August 2008" (PDF). pcac.org. New York City Transit Riders Council. August 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
27. Thompson, Clive (February 28, 2005). "Derailed: Beset by floods and fires and built on technology that predates the Model T, the subway, the very essence of New York, has become frighteningly fragile. And now that the MTA has dug itself into a deep financial hole, it has started traveling back in time to 1975". New York. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
28. Chung, Jen (August 5, 2004). . Gothamist. Archived from the original on September 25, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
29. "Residents: Norwood subway station in disrepair". News 12. September 6, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
30. "Commuters: Mold growing at 205th St. station". News 12 Bronx. May 12, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
31. "Sanitation and Environmental Issues Committee Meeting Minutes: Monday, April 12th, 2010 @ 6:30 PM" (PDF). bronxcb7.info. The City of New York Borough of the Bronx Community Board 7. April 12, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
32. Chan, Sewell (June 21, 2005). "Report Finds Filthiest Subway Stations in the Bronx..." The New York Times. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
33. "MTA officials: Broken escalator at Norwood & 205th Street Station won't be fixed until April". News 12. December 24, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
34. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Van Cortlandt Park / NY Botanical Garden" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
35. "The D Line 205th Street token booth closes in the Bronx". News 12 Bronx. August 1, 2005. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
36. Hall, Imani (June 11, 2014). "5-2 Warns of "Swipers" At Local Stations" (PDF). Norwood News. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
37. Duffus, R.L. (September 22, 1929). "Our Great Subway Network Spreads Wider – New Plans of Board of Transportation Involve the Building of More Than One Hundred Miles of Additional Rapid Transit Routes for New York". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
38. "City Board Votes New Subway Links". The New York Times. March 19, 1937. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
39. "$101,200,000 Asked for 1930 Work on Tubes: Projects Include Jay, Fulton, Crosstown and Queens City Subways". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 14, 1930. Retrieved September 16, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
40. Joseph B. Raskin (November 1, 2013). The Routes Not Taken: A Trip Through New York City's Unbuilt Subway System. Fordham University Press. ISBN 978-0-8232-5369-2. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
41. "Full text of "Metropolitan transportation, a program for action. Report to Nelson A. Rockefeller, Governor of New York."". Internet Archive. November 7, 1967. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
42. Dougherty, Peter (2020). Tracks of the New York City Subway 2020 (16th ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 1056711733.

Further reading

• New York City Transit Riders Council − A Special Case Study–Norwood-205th Street station
• News 12 Bronx − Residents: Norwood subway station falling apart

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Norwood – 205th Street (IND Concourse Line).

• nycsubway.org – IND Concourse: 205th Street
• Station Reporter –
• The Subway Nut – Norwood–205th Street Pictures
• Bainbridge Avenue & 206th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Perry Avenue & 205th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platform from Google Maps Street View