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Canal Street (New York City Subway)
Encyclopedia
Canal Street is a New York City Subway
station
complex in the Manhattan
neighborhoods of Chinatown and SoHo, shared by the IRT Lexington Avenue Line
, the BMT Nassau Street Line
, and the BMT Broadway Line
. It is served by:
, crossing at Broadway
(Broadway Main Line), Lafayette Street (Lexington Avenue Line) and Centre Street (Nassau Street Line). The Broadway Manhattan Bridge Line platforms are directly underneath Canal Street itself. The Bridge Line platforms serve as the transfer passageway between all other lines. After leaving Canal Street, the Manhattan Bridge line makes a hard right onto Broadway.
characters, reflecting the station's location in Chinatown. The symbols on the red wall plaques mean "money" and "luck" and the "Canal Street" name tablet has ideographs that read "China" and "Town." During the most recent renovation in the 1990s, the original mosaics were uncovered but then either removed or covered over again. One of the original tablets has been preserved at the New York Transit Museum
.
Some relative depths of the stations in the Canal Street complex are as follows:
is a local station
that has four tracks and two side platform
s. Due to platform lengthening in the 1940s and 1950s, there are two distinct sections of this station. The original portion has tile-covered I-beam
s with small and large mosaics and an ornamental ceiling. The newer portion has 1950s green tile at the end of the platforms. There are also IND
-type "To Canal Street" signs. New lights are being installed. Non-original name tables and small "C" mosaics exist.
s, but only the western island platform is accessible to passengers. Formerly, Canal Street resembled a typical express station except that the inner tracks dead-ended at the south end with a platform-level connection joining the southern ends of the two platforms. These stub-end tracks were last used in the mid 1990s when weekend service ended here instead of Chambers Street.
After a reconfiguration of the Nassau Street Line in 2004, the eastern (former "northbound") platform was abandoned and now used as a storage area and the platform-level connection was removed, allowing the former southbound express track to continue south. The westernmost (former "southbound") platform remains in operation and both tracks provide through service with southbound traffic using the former southbound "local" track and northbound traffic using the former southbound "express" track. The former northbound local track is now used only for non-revenue moves, train storage and emergencies while the northbound express stub track was removed.
This station was completed at the end of 1909 and included a bridge over the proposed Canal Street subway to cross underneath. Part of the Canal Street subway was built and is part of the Manhattan Bridge Line.
Delayed by construction of the Chambers Street, this part of the Nassau/Centre Street subway opened in August 1913.
There is an opening in the center wall about fifty feet from the end of the station that has a narrow platform. This was used by train crews to cross between trains on the center tracks.
South of this station there are unused trackways curving towards the Manhattan Bridge
.
In the renovation, the original "Canal Street" mosaics were restored, and new wall and floor tiling were installed.
has four tracks and two side platform
s. Only the outer local tracks provide through service on the BMT Broadway Line ( trains) via the Montague Street Tunnel
. The center "express" tracks, which have never seen revenue service, begin at the lower level of City Hall
and run north to Canal Street, dead-ending at bumper blocks about two-thirds of the way through.
As part of the Dual Contracts, these express tracks were to have continued up Broadway, fed by traffic from Brooklyn
and the Montague Street Tunnel
; local service was to have terminated at the upper level of City Hall. That plan was dropped prior to the line's completion. A new plan favored local service via City Hall's upper level, reconstruction south of that station to join the local tracks with the rest of the line and express service via the Manhattan Bridge
. Thus, City Hall's lower level was abandoned during construction and never placed in service. Today, just north of this station, the tracks from the lower level curve north, rise up and replace the stub-end express tracks from City Hall's lower level.
In the late 1970s, New York City Transit fixed the station's structure and overall appearance by replacing the original wall tiles, old signs, and incandescent lighting to 70's style wall tiles, signs and fluorescent lights. They also fixed staircases and platform edges.
In 2001, the upper level received a major overhaul before the lower level reopened. Among the repairs included the staircases, re-tiling for the walls, new tiling on the floors, upgrading the station's lights and the public address system, installing ADA
yellow safety threads along the platform edges, new signs, and new track beds in both directions.
s. When it originally opened, this station was known as Broadway. Although technically located on the BMT Broadway Line, it was originally a distinct station from the main line. Located on the lower level and oriented perpendicular to the other portions of the complex, it is served by the trains. Northbound, trains enter from the south tracks of the Manhattan Bridge
. After the station, the bridge tracks curve north, and ramp up to form the express tracks of the Broadway Line.
Under the Dual Contracts, this station was meant to be part of a crosstown line under Canal Street, running from the Manhattan Bridge to the Hudson River
, or towards West Street; however, prior to the opening of the Broadway Line, the BMT decided to route Manhattan Bridge traffic to the Broadway express tracks instead. After the lower level tracks curve north from the Bridge Line platforms, the tunnel continues straight ahead, past the diverge to the Broadway line. The bellmouths going westward from the west end of the station are a provision from the original plans and run for about 100 feet. Also, sitting on one of the trackways is a storage building.
The original tile on this station read simply "Broadway" and there was a small either wood or metal sign attached to the wall beneath the tile name that read "Canal Street."
With the exception of a three-month period in 1990, train service to these platforms was suspended from 1988 to 2001 during the Manhattan Bridge reconstruction project. The platforms remained open as the transfer passageways between the rest of the complex. Service between Manhattan and Brooklyn was redirected to the Main Line platforms and the Montague Street Tunnel
. The three-month period was supposed to have allowed train service while work on the bridge was not being done, but on December 27, 1990, the discovery of missing steel plates and corrosion that threatened the bridge's integrity halted this service. In 1997, a temporary art exhibit known as the Canal Street Canal by Alexander Brodsky
, was installed on the northbound trackway. It consisted of a large waterproof tub filled with water, with Venetian
canal boats floating inside. The platforms reentered revenue service on July 22, 2001 with new tiling on the floors, upgraded lights and public address system, ADA
yellow safety threads along the platform edge, new signs, and new trackbeds in both directions.
East of this station are the trackways leading from Chambers Street on the BMT Nassau Street Line
. These trackways led onto the Manhattan Bridge south side tracks, while Broadway trains ran on the north side tracks of the bridge. These tracks were disconnected as part of the Chrystie Street Connection
in 1967 and no longer have rails or any other infrastructure.
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
station
Metro station
A metro station or subway station is a railway station for a rapid transit system, often known by names such as "metro", "underground" and "subway". It is often underground or elevated. At crossings of metro lines, they are multi-level....
complex in the Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
neighborhoods of Chinatown and SoHo, shared by the IRT Lexington Avenue Line
IRT Lexington Avenue Line
The Lexington Avenue Line is one of the lines of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, stretching from Downtown Brooklyn or Lower Manhattan north to 125th Street in East Harlem. The portion in Lower and Midtown Manhattan was part of the first subway line in New York...
, the BMT Nassau Street Line
BMT Nassau Street Line
The BMT Nassau Street Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway system in Manhattan. It is served by the and trains which are colored brown on maps and signage...
, and the BMT Broadway Line
BMT Broadway Line
The BMT Broadway Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Manhattan, New York City, United States. , it is served by three services, all colored yellow: the on the express tracks and the on the local tracks...
. It is served by:
- 66 (New York City Subway service)The 6 Lexington Avenue and Pelham Local and Lexington Avenue Local and Pelham Express are two rapid transit services of the New York City Subway. The 6 local has a circle shape while the ' express has a diamond shape...
, J, NN (New York City Subway service)The N Broadway Local is a service of the New York City Subway. Its route bullet is colored yellow, which appears on station signs and the NYC Subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line through Manhattan....
and QQ (New York City Subway service)The Q Broadway Express is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored yellow on the route sign, on station signs and the official subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line through Manhattan....
trains at all times - RR (New York City Subway service)The R Broadway Local is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored yellow on the route sign and on station signs and the NYC Subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan.The R service operates at all times...
train at all times except late nights - <6> train on weekdays in the peak direction
- Z train during rush hours in the peak direction
- 44 (New York City Subway service)The 4 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored green on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan....
train during late nights
Layout
The complex consists of four originally separate stations joined by underground passageways. Three of the four are perpendicular to Canal StreetCanal Street (Manhattan)
Canal Street is a major street in New York City, crossing lower Manhattan to join New Jersey in the west to Brooklyn in the east . It forms the main spine of Chinatown, and separates it from Little Italy...
, crossing at Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
(Broadway Main Line), Lafayette Street (Lexington Avenue Line) and Centre Street (Nassau Street Line). The Broadway Manhattan Bridge Line platforms are directly underneath Canal Street itself. The Bridge Line platforms serve as the transfer passageway between all other lines. After leaving Canal Street, the Manhattan Bridge line makes a hard right onto Broadway.
History
This complex was fully renovated between 1999 and 2004. The Broadway Main Line station was restored to its original look with new mosaics featuring ChineseChinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
characters, reflecting the station's location in Chinatown. The symbols on the red wall plaques mean "money" and "luck" and the "Canal Street" name tablet has ideographs that read "China" and "Town." During the most recent renovation in the 1990s, the original mosaics were uncovered but then either removed or covered over again. One of the original tablets has been preserved at the New York Transit Museum
New York Transit Museum
The New York Transit Museum is a museum which displays historical artifacts of the New York City Subway, bus, commuter rail, and bridge and tunnel systems; it is located in a decommissioned Court Street subway station in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of New York City...
.
Some relative depths of the stations in the Canal Street complex are as follows:
- IRT Lexington Avenue LineIRT Lexington Avenue LineThe Lexington Avenue Line is one of the lines of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, stretching from Downtown Brooklyn or Lower Manhattan north to 125th Street in East Harlem. The portion in Lower and Midtown Manhattan was part of the first subway line in New York...
, 20 feet below street - BMT Nassau Street LineBMT Nassau Street LineThe BMT Nassau Street Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway system in Manhattan. It is served by the and trains which are colored brown on maps and signage...
, 20 feet - BMT Broadway LineBMT Broadway LineThe BMT Broadway Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Manhattan, New York City, United States. , it is served by three services, all colored yellow: the on the express tracks and the on the local tracks...
, main branch, 40 feet - BMT Broadway Line, Manhattan Bridge branch, 50 feet
IRT Lexington Avenue Line platforms
Canal Street on the IRT Lexington Avenue LineIRT Lexington Avenue Line
The Lexington Avenue Line is one of the lines of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, stretching from Downtown Brooklyn or Lower Manhattan north to 125th Street in East Harlem. The portion in Lower and Midtown Manhattan was part of the first subway line in New York...
is a local station
Metro station
A metro station or subway station is a railway station for a rapid transit system, often known by names such as "metro", "underground" and "subway". It is often underground or elevated. At crossings of metro lines, they are multi-level....
that has four tracks and two side platform
Side platform
A Side platform is a platform positioned to the side of a pair of tracks at a railway station, a tram stop or a transitway. A pair of side platforms are often provided on a dual track line with a single side platform being sufficient for a single track line...
s. Due to platform lengthening in the 1940s and 1950s, there are two distinct sections of this station. The original portion has tile-covered I-beam
I-beam
-beams, also known as H-beams, W-beams , rolled steel joist , or double-T are beams with an - or H-shaped cross-section. The horizontal elements of the "" are flanges, while the vertical element is the web...
s with small and large mosaics and an ornamental ceiling. The newer portion has 1950s green tile at the end of the platforms. There are also IND
Independent Subway System
The Independent Subway System , formerly known as the Independent City-Owned Subway System or the Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad, was a rapid transit rail system in New York City that is now part of the New York City Subway...
-type "To Canal Street" signs. New lights are being installed. Non-original name tables and small "C" mosaics exist.
BMT Nassau Street Line platforms
Canal Street on the BMT Nassau Street Line has three tracks and two island platformIsland platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
s, but only the western island platform is accessible to passengers. Formerly, Canal Street resembled a typical express station except that the inner tracks dead-ended at the south end with a platform-level connection joining the southern ends of the two platforms. These stub-end tracks were last used in the mid 1990s when weekend service ended here instead of Chambers Street.
After a reconfiguration of the Nassau Street Line in 2004, the eastern (former "northbound") platform was abandoned and now used as a storage area and the platform-level connection was removed, allowing the former southbound express track to continue south. The westernmost (former "southbound") platform remains in operation and both tracks provide through service with southbound traffic using the former southbound "local" track and northbound traffic using the former southbound "express" track. The former northbound local track is now used only for non-revenue moves, train storage and emergencies while the northbound express stub track was removed.
This station was completed at the end of 1909 and included a bridge over the proposed Canal Street subway to cross underneath. Part of the Canal Street subway was built and is part of the Manhattan Bridge Line.
Delayed by construction of the Chambers Street, this part of the Nassau/Centre Street subway opened in August 1913.
There is an opening in the center wall about fifty feet from the end of the station that has a narrow platform. This was used by train crews to cross between trains on the center tracks.
South of this station there are unused trackways curving towards the Manhattan Bridge
Manhattan Bridge
The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn . It was the last of the three suspension bridges built across the lower East River, following the Brooklyn and the Williamsburg bridges...
.
In the renovation, the original "Canal Street" mosaics were restored, and new wall and floor tiling were installed.
Main Line platforms (upper level)
Canal Street on the BMT Broadway – Main LineBMT Broadway Line
The BMT Broadway Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Manhattan, New York City, United States. , it is served by three services, all colored yellow: the on the express tracks and the on the local tracks...
has four tracks and two side platform
Side platform
A Side platform is a platform positioned to the side of a pair of tracks at a railway station, a tram stop or a transitway. A pair of side platforms are often provided on a dual track line with a single side platform being sufficient for a single track line...
s. Only the outer local tracks provide through service on the BMT Broadway Line ( trains) via the Montague Street Tunnel
Montague Street Tunnel
The Montague Street Tunnel carries the trains of the New York City Subway under the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. It opened to revenue service on Sunday, August 1, 1920 at 2 am with a holiday schedule, the same day as the 60th Street Tunnel. Regular service began...
. The center "express" tracks, which have never seen revenue service, begin at the lower level of City Hall
City Hall (BMT Broadway Line)
City Hall is a local station on the BMT Broadway Line of the New York City Subway. It is served by the R train at all times except late nights and by the N train during late night hours...
and run north to Canal Street, dead-ending at bumper blocks about two-thirds of the way through.
As part of the Dual Contracts, these express tracks were to have continued up Broadway, fed by traffic from Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and the Montague Street Tunnel
Montague Street Tunnel
The Montague Street Tunnel carries the trains of the New York City Subway under the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. It opened to revenue service on Sunday, August 1, 1920 at 2 am with a holiday schedule, the same day as the 60th Street Tunnel. Regular service began...
; local service was to have terminated at the upper level of City Hall. That plan was dropped prior to the line's completion. A new plan favored local service via City Hall's upper level, reconstruction south of that station to join the local tracks with the rest of the line and express service via the Manhattan Bridge
Manhattan Bridge
The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn . It was the last of the three suspension bridges built across the lower East River, following the Brooklyn and the Williamsburg bridges...
. Thus, City Hall's lower level was abandoned during construction and never placed in service. Today, just north of this station, the tracks from the lower level curve north, rise up and replace the stub-end express tracks from City Hall's lower level.
In the late 1970s, New York City Transit fixed the station's structure and overall appearance by replacing the original wall tiles, old signs, and incandescent lighting to 70's style wall tiles, signs and fluorescent lights. They also fixed staircases and platform edges.
In 2001, the upper level received a major overhaul before the lower level reopened. Among the repairs included the staircases, re-tiling for the walls, new tiling on the floors, upgrading the station's lights and the public address system, installing ADA
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
yellow safety threads along the platform edges, new signs, and new track beds in both directions.
Bridge Line platforms (lower level)
Canal Street on the BMT Broadway Manhattan Bridge Line has two tracks and two side platformSide platform
A Side platform is a platform positioned to the side of a pair of tracks at a railway station, a tram stop or a transitway. A pair of side platforms are often provided on a dual track line with a single side platform being sufficient for a single track line...
s. When it originally opened, this station was known as Broadway. Although technically located on the BMT Broadway Line, it was originally a distinct station from the main line. Located on the lower level and oriented perpendicular to the other portions of the complex, it is served by the trains. Northbound, trains enter from the south tracks of the Manhattan Bridge
Manhattan Bridge
The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn . It was the last of the three suspension bridges built across the lower East River, following the Brooklyn and the Williamsburg bridges...
. After the station, the bridge tracks curve north, and ramp up to form the express tracks of the Broadway Line.
Under the Dual Contracts, this station was meant to be part of a crosstown line under Canal Street, running from the Manhattan Bridge to the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
, or towards West Street; however, prior to the opening of the Broadway Line, the BMT decided to route Manhattan Bridge traffic to the Broadway express tracks instead. After the lower level tracks curve north from the Bridge Line platforms, the tunnel continues straight ahead, past the diverge to the Broadway line. The bellmouths going westward from the west end of the station are a provision from the original plans and run for about 100 feet. Also, sitting on one of the trackways is a storage building.
The original tile on this station read simply "Broadway" and there was a small either wood or metal sign attached to the wall beneath the tile name that read "Canal Street."
With the exception of a three-month period in 1990, train service to these platforms was suspended from 1988 to 2001 during the Manhattan Bridge reconstruction project. The platforms remained open as the transfer passageways between the rest of the complex. Service between Manhattan and Brooklyn was redirected to the Main Line platforms and the Montague Street Tunnel
Montague Street Tunnel
The Montague Street Tunnel carries the trains of the New York City Subway under the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. It opened to revenue service on Sunday, August 1, 1920 at 2 am with a holiday schedule, the same day as the 60th Street Tunnel. Regular service began...
. The three-month period was supposed to have allowed train service while work on the bridge was not being done, but on December 27, 1990, the discovery of missing steel plates and corrosion that threatened the bridge's integrity halted this service. In 1997, a temporary art exhibit known as the Canal Street Canal by Alexander Brodsky
Alexander Brodsky
Alexander Savvich Brodsky is a Russian architect and sculptor. He is one of Russia’s best known architects, particularly for his works of paper architecture.- Early Work :...
, was installed on the northbound trackway. It consisted of a large waterproof tub filled with water, with Venetian
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
canal boats floating inside. The platforms reentered revenue service on July 22, 2001 with new tiling on the floors, upgraded lights and public address system, ADA
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
yellow safety threads along the platform edge, new signs, and new trackbeds in both directions.
East of this station are the trackways leading from Chambers Street on the BMT Nassau Street Line
BMT Nassau Street Line
The BMT Nassau Street Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway system in Manhattan. It is served by the and trains which are colored brown on maps and signage...
. These trackways led onto the Manhattan Bridge south side tracks, while Broadway trains ran on the north side tracks of the bridge. These tracks were disconnected as part of the Chrystie Street Connection
Chrystie Street Connection
The Chrystie Street Connection is a major connecting line of the New York City Subway, and is one of the few connections between lines of the BMT and IND divisions...
in 1967 and no longer have rails or any other infrastructure.
Further reading
- Lee Stokey. Subway Ceramics : A History and Iconography. 1994. ISBN 978-0-9635486-1-0
External links
- nycsubway.org — Canal Street Canal Artwork by Alexander Brodsky (1997) (no longer in display)
- nycsubway.org — Empress Voyage 2/27/1784 Artwork by Bing Lee (1998)
- nycsubway.org:
- Early Rapid Transit in Brooklyn, 1878 to 1913
- Broadway Subway Now Open, Public Service Record, Volume IV, Number 9: September 1917
- Opening of the Broadway Subway, a collection of New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
articles from 1918 regarding the then-new BMT Broadway Line
- Station Reporter — Canal Street Complex
- Forgotten NY — Original 28 - NYC's First 28 Subway Stations
- MTA's Arts For Transit — Canal Street
- Centre Street entrance south of Canal Street from Google Maps Street View
- Canal Street and Lafayette Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
- Canal Street and Broadway entrance from Google Maps Street View
- Abandoned Stations - Canal St east side platform (BMT Nassau/Centre Street Subway)