The Third Avenue–138th Street station is an express station on the IRT Pelham Line of the New York City Subway located at the intersection of Third Avenue and East 138th Street in the Bronx. It is served by the 6 train at all times and the <6> train during weekdays in the peak direction.
In 1913, New York City, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, and the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) reached an agreement, known as the Dual Contracts, to dramatically expand subway service across the City. The portion of the agreement between New York City and the IRT was known as Contract 3. As part of this contract, the IRT agreed to construct a branch of the original subway, which opened in 1904,[5] north along Lexington Avenue with branches along Jerome Avenue and a three-track branch running northeast via 138th Street, Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue to Pelham Bay Park.[6]
The construction of the Lexington Avenue Line, in conjunction with the construction of the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line would change the operations of the IRT system. Instead of having trains go via Broadway, turning onto 42nd Street, before finally turning onto Park Avenue, there would be two trunk lines connected by the 42nd Street Shuttle. The system would be changed from looking like a "Z" system on a map to an "H" system. One trunk would run via the new Lexington Avenue Line down Park Avenue, and the other trunk would run via the new Seventh Avenue Line up Broadway.[7]
Openingedit
The Third Avenue–138th Street station was opened on August 1, 1918, and was the first station of the IRT Pelham Line to open. Service was provided by Lexington Avenue Line local service.[8][9][10][2] The construction of the Pelham Line was part of the Dual Contracts, signed on March 19, 1913 and also known as the Dual Subway System.[11] The Pelham Line was proposed to be a branch of the Lexington Avenue Line running northeast via 138th Street, Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue to Pelham Bay Park.[12] This was the terminal of the line until January 7, 1919, when the Pelham Line was extended to Hunts Point Avenue.[9][10]
Under the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Plan, the station, along with thirty other New York City Subway stations, will undergo a complete overhaul and would be entirely closed for up to 6 months. Updates would include cellular service, Wi-Fi, charging stations, improved signage, and improved station lighting.[13][14] However, these renovations are being deferred until the 2020–2024 Capital Program due to a lack of funding.[15] In 2019, the MTA announced that this station would become ADA-accessible as part of the agency's 2020–2024 Capital Program.[16] In early 2024, to discourage fare evasion, the MTA reconfigured emergency exits at the station so the exits opened only after a 15-second delay.[17][18]
The station has two island platforms and three tracks, with the center track used for weekday peak direction express service.[19] The 6 stops at the station at all times, while the <6> stops there during weekdays in the peak direction.[20] The next stop to the south is 125th Street. The next stop to the north is Brook Avenue for local trains and Hunts Point Avenue for express trains.[21] During weekday morning rush hour, two southbound 6 trains originate here.[20]
The mosaic trim on the station's track walls are predominantly tan and buff, with the numeral "3" shown in slightly cruciform-shaped friezes with a slate blue background appearing at regular intervals. Clusters of small blue diamonds set in dark blue sit on either side of these plaques. A crossover exists via the mezzanine, and a closed crossunder is located at the center of the platforms. A high ceiling is found in the station and the northbound platform has an old tower at the south end.
To the south, the line goes under the Harlem River into Manhattan and merges with the IRT Jerome Avenue Line to form the IRT Lexington Avenue Line. Just before the slight jog going towards Manhattan, a provision was provided in anticipation of its connection with the then newly planned Second Avenue Subway, which was originally planned to take over the service south of this point, and relieve congestion on the IRT Lexington Avenue Subway.
A paid transfer was available to the IRT Third Avenue Line at the 138th Street station. This is the southernmost station in the Bronx on the IRT Pelham Line.
^"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.
^ ab"New Subway Lines Will Open Tonight: Ceremonies to Mark Through Service on 7th and Lexington Links of System" (PDF). The New York Times. August 1, 1918. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
^"Exercises In City Hall.; Mayor Declares Subway Open -- Ovations for Parsons and McDonald". The New York Times. October 28, 1904. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
^The Dual System of Rapid Transit. New York State Public Service Commission. September 1912. from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2019 – via nycsubway.org.
^Sealey, D. A. (May 4, 1916). "Rapid Transit Work in 1915, New York City". Engineering News-record. McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. 75 (18): 812–814.
^"Opening New Subway H Shortens Distance to A. & S." Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 1, 1918. p. 8. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
^ abCunningham, Joseph; DeHart, Leonard O. (1993). A History of the New York City Subway System. J. Schmidt, R. Giglio, and K. Lang. p. 48.
^"The Dual System of Rapid Transit (1912)". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
^Whitford, Emma (January 8, 2016). . Gothamist. Archived from the original on August 1, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
^"MTAStations" (PDF). governor.ny.gov. Government of the State of New York. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
^Berger, Paul (April 3, 2018). "New York Subway Cuts Back Plans to Renovate Stations". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
^"Press Release - MTA Headquarters - MTA Announces 20 Additional Subway Stations to Receive Accessibility Improvements Under Proposed 2020-2024 Capital Plan". MTA. December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
^Nessen, Stephen (January 29, 2024). "Emergency gates will soon take 15 seconds to open at 3 NYC subway stations". Gothamist. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
^"Subway emergency gates at some stations to test 15-second delay to help deter fare evasion in New York City". ABC7 New York. January 30, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
^Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
^"Third Avenue–138th Street Neighborhood Map" (PDF). new.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Third Avenue – 138th Street (IRT Pelham Line).
nycsubway.org – IRT Pelham Line: 3rd Avenue/138th Street
Station Reporter –
The Subway Nut – 3rd Avenue–138th Street Pictures
Third Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
Alexander Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
Platforms from Google Maps Street View
February 18, 2024
third, avenue, 138th, street, station, other, places, with, same, name, third, avenue, york, city, subway, express, station, pelham, line, york, city, subway, located, intersection, third, avenue, east, 138th, street, bronx, served, train, times, train, during. For other places with the same name see Third Avenue New York City Subway The Third Avenue 138th Street station is an express station on the IRT Pelham Line of the New York City Subway located at the intersection of Third Avenue and East 138th Street in the Bronx It is served by the 6 train at all times and the lt 6 gt train during weekdays in the peak direction 3 Avenue 138 Street New York City Subway station rapid transit Station statisticsAddressThird Avenue amp East 138th StreetBronx NY 10454BoroughThe BronxLocaleMott HavenCoordinates40 48 39 N 73 55 38 W 40 810963 N 73 927217 W 40 810963 73 927217DivisionA IRT 1 LineIRT Pelham LineServices 6 all times lt 6 gt weekdays until 8 45 p m peak direction TransitNYCT Bus Bx1 Bx2 Bx21 Bx32 Bx33 M125StructureUndergroundPlatforms2 island platformscross platform interchangeTracks3Other informationOpenedAugust 1 1918 105 years ago 1918 08 01 2 Accessiblenot ADA accessible accessibility plannedOpposite directiontransferYesTraffic20221 503 905 4 10 6 Rank190 out of 423 4 ServicesPreceding station New York City Subway Following stationHunts Point Avenue lt 6 gt toward Pelham Bay Park Express 125th Street6 lt 6 gt toward Brooklyn Bridge City HallBrook Avenue6 toward Pelham Bay Park LocalLocationShow map of New York City SubwayShow map of New York CityShow map of New YorkTrack layoutLegendto Hunts Point Avenueto Brook Avenueto 125th StreetStreet mapStation service legendSymbol DescriptionStops all timesStops rush hours in the peak direction only Contents 1 History 1 1 Background 1 2 Opening 2 Station layout 2 1 Exits 3 References 4 External linksHistory editBackground edit In 1913 New York City the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company and the Interborough Rapid Transit Company IRT reached an agreement known as the Dual Contracts to dramatically expand subway service across the City The portion of the agreement between New York City and the IRT was known as Contract 3 As part of this contract the IRT agreed to construct a branch of the original subway which opened in 1904 5 north along Lexington Avenue with branches along Jerome Avenue and a three track branch running northeast via 138th Street Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue to Pelham Bay Park 6 The construction of the Lexington Avenue Line in conjunction with the construction of the Broadway Seventh Avenue Line would change the operations of the IRT system Instead of having trains go via Broadway turning onto 42nd Street before finally turning onto Park Avenue there would be two trunk lines connected by the 42nd Street Shuttle The system would be changed from looking like a Z system on a map to an H system One trunk would run via the new Lexington Avenue Line down Park Avenue and the other trunk would run via the new Seventh Avenue Line up Broadway 7 Opening edit The Third Avenue 138th Street station was opened on August 1 1918 and was the first station of the IRT Pelham Line to open Service was provided by Lexington Avenue Line local service 8 9 10 2 The construction of the Pelham Line was part of the Dual Contracts signed on March 19 1913 and also known as the Dual Subway System 11 The Pelham Line was proposed to be a branch of the Lexington Avenue Line running northeast via 138th Street Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue to Pelham Bay Park 12 This was the terminal of the line until January 7 1919 when the Pelham Line was extended to Hunts Point Avenue 9 10 Under the 2015 2019 MTA Capital Plan the station along with thirty other New York City Subway stations will undergo a complete overhaul and would be entirely closed for up to 6 months Updates would include cellular service Wi Fi charging stations improved signage and improved station lighting 13 14 However these renovations are being deferred until the 2020 2024 Capital Program due to a lack of funding 15 In 2019 the MTA announced that this station would become ADA accessible as part of the agency s 2020 2024 Capital Program 16 In early 2024 to discourage fare evasion the MTA reconfigured emergency exits at the station so the exits opened only after a 15 second delay 17 18 Station layout editGround Street level Exit entranceMezzanine Fare control station agentPlatform level Southbound local nbsp toward Brooklyn Bridge City Hall 125th Street Island platformPeak direction express nbsp AM rush toward Brooklyn Bridge City Hall 125th Street nbsp PM rush toward Pelham Bay Park Hunts Point Avenue Island platformNorthbound local nbsp toward Pelham Bay Park Parkchester PM rush Brook Avenue nbsp Mosaic 3 frieze on trimThe station has two island platforms and three tracks with the center track used for weekday peak direction express service 19 The 6 stops at the station at all times while the lt 6 gt stops there during weekdays in the peak direction 20 The next stop to the south is 125th Street The next stop to the north is Brook Avenue for local trains and Hunts Point Avenue for express trains 21 During weekday morning rush hour two southbound 6 trains originate here 20 The mosaic trim on the station s track walls are predominantly tan and buff with the numeral 3 shown in slightly cruciform shaped friezes with a slate blue background appearing at regular intervals Clusters of small blue diamonds set in dark blue sit on either side of these plaques A crossover exists via the mezzanine and a closed crossunder is located at the center of the platforms A high ceiling is found in the station and the northbound platform has an old tower at the south end To the south the line goes under the Harlem River into Manhattan and merges with the IRT Jerome Avenue Line to form the IRT Lexington Avenue Line Just before the slight jog going towards Manhattan a provision was provided in anticipation of its connection with the then newly planned Second Avenue Subway which was originally planned to take over the service south of this point and relieve congestion on the IRT Lexington Avenue Subway A paid transfer was available to the IRT Third Avenue Line at the 138th Street station This is the southernmost station in the Bronx on the IRT Pelham Line Exits edit nbsp Street levelExit location 22 Number of exits Platform servedNE corner of 138 Street and Third Avenue 1 Both HEET turnstile entrance only SE corner of 138 Street and Third Avenue 2 Both HEET turnstile entrance only NW corner of 138 Street and Alexander Avenue 2 BothSW corner of 138 Street and Alexander Avenue 2 BothReferences edit Glossary Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement SDEIS 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 a b New Subway Lines Will Open Tonight Ceremonies to Mark Through Service on 7th and Lexington Links of System PDF The New York Times August 1 1918 Retrieved June 30 2015 Annual Subway Ridership 2017 2022 Metropolitan Transportation Authority 2022 Retrieved November 8 2023 a b Annual Subway Ridership 2017 2022 Metropolitan Transportation Authority 2022 Retrieved November 8 2023 Exercises In City Hall Mayor Declares Subway Open Ovations for Parsons and McDonald The New York Times October 28 1904 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on May 4 2022 Retrieved December 16 2018 The Dual System of Rapid Transit New York State Public Service Commission September 1912 Archived from the original on September 25 2019 Retrieved September 12 2019 via nycsubway org Sealey D A May 4 1916 Rapid Transit Work in 1915 New York City Engineering News record McGraw Hill Publishing Company 75 18 812 814 Opening New Subway H Shortens Distance to A amp S Brooklyn Daily Eagle August 1 1918 p 8 Retrieved January 25 2016 a b Cunningham Joseph DeHart Leonard O 1993 A History of the New York City Subway System J Schmidt R Giglio and K Lang p 48 a b Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac Brooklyn Daily Eagle 1922 p 372 nycsubway org The Dual Contracts The Dual System of Rapid Transit 1912 www nycsubway org Retrieved March 25 2014 Whitford Emma January 8 2016 MTA Will Completely Close 30 Subway Stations For Months Long Revamp Gothamist Archived from the original on August 1 2016 Retrieved July 18 2016 MTAStations PDF governor ny gov Government of the State of New York Retrieved July 18 2016 Berger Paul April 3 2018 New York Subway Cuts Back Plans to Renovate Stations Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Retrieved April 3 2018 Press Release MTA Headquarters MTA Announces 20 Additional Subway Stations to Receive Accessibility Improvements Under Proposed 2020 2024 Capital Plan MTA December 19 2019 Retrieved December 25 2019 Nessen Stephen January 29 2024 Emergency gates will soon take 15 seconds to open at 3 NYC subway stations Gothamist Retrieved January 30 2024 Subway emergency gates at some stations to test 15 second delay to help deter fare evasion in New York City ABC7 New York January 30 2024 Retrieved February 2 2024 Dougherty Peter 2006 2002 Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 3rd ed Dougherty OCLC 49777633 via Google Books a b 6 Subway Timetable Effective August 12 2023 Metropolitan Transportation Authority Retrieved August 26 2023 Subway Map PDF Metropolitan Transportation Authority September 2021 Retrieved September 17 2021 Third Avenue 138th Street Neighborhood Map PDF new mta info Metropolitan Transportation Authority April 2018 Retrieved February 28 2019 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Third Avenue 138th Street IRT Pelham Line nycsubway org IRT Pelham Line 3rd Avenue 138th Street Station Reporter 6 train The Subway Nut 3rd Avenue 138th Street Pictures Third Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View Alexander Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View Platforms from Google Maps Street View Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Third Avenue 138th Street station amp oldid 1202507754, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
