The Prince Street station is a local station on the BMT Broadway Line of the New York City Subway. Located in SoHo, Manhattan, it is served by the R train at all times except late nights, the W train on weekdays, the N train during late nights and weekends, and the Q train during late nights.

 Prince Street
 "R" train"W" train
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
View of the Downtown platform
Station statistics
AddressPrince Street & Broadway
New York, New York
BoroughManhattan
LocaleSoHo
Coordinates40°43′27″N 73°59′52″W / 40.724202°N 73.997812°W / 40.724202; -73.997812
DivisionB (BMT)[1]
Line   BMT Broadway Line
Services   N weekends and late nights (weekends and late nights)
   Q late nights only (late nights only)
   R all except late nights (all except late nights)
   W weekdays only (weekdays only)
TransitBus transport NYCT Bus: M55, X27, X28
StructureUnderground
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks4
Other information
OpenedSeptember 4, 1917; 107 years ago (September 4, 1917)[2]
Opposite-
direction
transfer
No
Traffic
20233,128,710[3]Increase 17%
Rank104 out of 423[3]
Services
Preceding station New York City Subway New York City Subway Following station
Eighth Street–New York University
N weekends and late nightsQ late nights onlyR all except late nightsW weekdays only
Canal Street
N late nightsR all except late nightsW weekdays only
Canal Street
N weekends onlyQ late nights only
via bridge
Location
Prince Street station is located in New York City Subway
Prince Street station
Prince Street station is located in New York City
Prince Street station
Prince Street station is located in New York
Prince Street station
Track layout

Street map

Map

Station service legend
Symbol Description
Stops all times except late nights Stops all times except late nights
Stops weekdays during the day Stops weekdays during the day
Stops weekends during the day Stops weekends during the day
Stops late nights and weekends Stops late nights and weekends
Stops late nights only Stops late nights only

The station opened in 1917, had its platforms extended in the late 1960s, and was renovated in the late 1970s and in 2001.

History

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Prince Street opened on September 4, 1917, as part of the first section of the BMT Broadway Line from Canal Street to 14th Street–Union Square.[2] The station's platforms originally could only fit six 67-foot-long (20 m) cars. In 1926, the New York City Board of Transportation received bids for the lengthening of platforms at nine stations on the Broadway Line, including the Prince Street station, to accommodate eight-car trains. Edwards & Flood submitted a low bid of $101,775 for the project.[4] The platform-lengthening project was completed in 1927, bringing the length of the platforms to 535 feet (163 m).[5][6]

The city government took over the BMT's operations on June 1, 1940.[7][8] In the late 1960s, New York City Transit extended the platforms for 10 car trains, and fixed the station's structure and the overall appearance. The station was overhauled in the late 1970s.[9] The original trim lines were replaced with white cinderblock tiles, except for small recesses in the walls, which contained yellow-painted cinderblock tiles. The staircases were repaired and new platform edges were installed. The yellow cinderblock field contained the station-name signs and black text pointing to the exits. The renovation also replaced incandescent lighting with fluorescent lighting.

In 2001, the station received a major overhaul. This project included restoration of the station's original tiling as well as upgrades such as platform widening.[9][10]

Station layout

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G Street level Exit/entrance
P
Platform level
Side platform
Northbound local   toward Forest Hills–71st Avenue (Eighth Street–New York University)
  toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard weekdays (Eighth Street–New York University)
  toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard late nights/weekends (Eighth Street–New York University)
  toward 96th Street late nights (Eighth Street–New York University)
Northbound express    do not stop here
Southbound express    do not stop here →
Southbound local   toward Bay Ridge–95th Street (Canal Street/Tunnel)
  toward Whitehall Street–South Ferry weekdays (Canal Street/Tunnel)
  toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via Sea Beach (Canal Street/Bridge weekends, Tunnel late nights)
  toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via Brighton late nights (Canal Street/Bridge)
Side platform
Mosaic and frieze

This underground station has two side platforms and four tracks, the inner two of which are express tracks that do not serve the station. South of Prince Street, there are diamond crossovers between both directional pairs of local and express tracks.[11] A punch box is located at the south end of the southbound platform to allow weekend N and late-night Q trains to cross the Manhattan Bridge.[12]

The 2004 artwork, Carrying On, is by Janet Zweig. It uses water jet-cut steel, marble, and slate to create a mural along the entire length (totaling 1,200 feet) of both platforms. The 194 different frames in this frieze detail contain images of New Yorkers from all walks of life. As the title suggests, almost all of the images involve carrying something.

Exits

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Fare control for each platform is at platform level. There is no free transfer between directions. Outside of fare control, the northbound platform has one street stair to either eastern corner of Broadway and Prince Street, while the southbound platform has one street stair to either western corner of that intersection.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ a b The New York Times, Open First Section of Broadway Line, September 5, 1917
  3. ^ a b "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  4. ^ "Bids for B.M.T. Stations; Platforms South of Fourteenth Street to Be Lengthened". The New York Times. July 8, 1926. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  5. ^ "B.M.T. to Operate Eight-car Trains; Platforms in Forty Stations Are Lengthened, Increasing Capacity 33 1-3%". The New York Times. August 2, 1927. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  6. ^ "B. M, T. Station Lengthening Is Nearly Finished: 76 Platforms Are Extended 3,186 Feet to Make Room for 126.000 Additional Passengers in Rush Hours City Carried Out Work I.R.T. Changes Planned, but That Company Refuses to Pay Its Share of Costs". New-York Tribune. August 2, 1927. p. 32. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1113704092.
  7. ^ "B.M.T. Lines Pass to City Ownership; $175,000,000 Deal Completed at City Hall Ceremony-- Mayor 'Motorman No. 1'". The New York Times. June 2, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  8. ^ "City Takes Over B. M. T. System; Mayor Skippers Midnight Train". New York Herald Tribune. June 2, 1940. p. 1. ProQuest 1243059209.
  9. ^ a b Erlitz, Jeffrey (February 2001). "Tech Talk" (PDF). The Bulletin. Vol. 44, no. 2. New York Division, Electric Railroaders' Association. p. 5. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  10. ^ Erlitz, Jeffrey (July 2001). "Tech Talk" (PDF). The Bulletin. Vol. 44, no. 7. New York Division, Electric Railroaders' Association. p. 5. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  11. ^ "www.nycsubway.org: New York City Subway Track Maps". www.nycsubway.org. October 9, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  12. ^ Shepard, Richard F. (July 26, 1977). "About New York; The 'N' Train's 22-Mile Journey". The New York Times. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  13. ^ "MTA Neighborhood Maps: East Village" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
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