The Avenue J station is a local
station on the
BMT Brighton Line
The BMT Brighton Line, also known as the Brighton Beach Line, is a rapid transit line in the B Division of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Local service is provided at all times by the Q train, but is joined ...
of the
New York City Subway, located on Avenue J between East 15th and East 16th Streets in
Midwood, Brooklyn
Midwood is a neighborhood in the south-central part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded on the north by the Bay Ridge Branch tracks just above Avenue I and by the Brooklyn College campus of the City University of New York, a ...
. The station is served by the
Q train at all times.
History
The station was opened around 1900 as a two-track surface station and named Manhattan Terrace. It was renamed "Avenue J" in 1907, the same year the railroad line was grade separated. Vestiges of the spur built to reconnect the
Brighton Line and
Long Island Rail Road's Bay Ridge Branch
The Bay Ridge Branch is a rail line owned by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and operated by the New York and Atlantic Railway in New York City. It is the longest freight-only line of the LIRR, connecting the Montauk Branch and CSX Transporta ...
after grade separation still exist to this day.
This station underwent reconstruction from September 2009 to December 2011. Both platforms were rebuilt with new windscreens, canopies, and
tactile strip edges. A temporary platform over the express tracks was used to provide service on the side that was under rebuilding. The new windscreens were controversial with nearby community members, since the windscreens contained gaps that allowed trash and noise through while causing privacy issues for residents whose backyards faced the station.
Station layout
The station is located on a raised earthen embankment. There are four tracks and two
side platform
A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platform ...
s. The two center tracks are used by the
B express train on weekdays.
The 2011 artwork here is called ''Bird Laid Bare'' by Rita MacDonald. It consists of murals and mosaics on the walls of the Coney Island-bound platform's main staircase depicting various species of birds.
Exits
The station's main house is located underneath the
right-of-way
Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another.
A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...
on the south side of Avenue J and has a full-time turnstile bank and token booth. There is a double-wide staircase facing north going up to the Coney Island-bound platform and one narrow staircase facing south going up to the Manhattan-bound platform. The Coney Island-bound staircase's landing has two exit-only turnstiles leading directly to the street.
Both platforms have an unstaffed bank of turnstiles leading to a staircase that goes down to the north side of Avenue J. The Coney Island-bound one is double-wide.
[
]
Gallery
File:Avenue J - Exit.jpg, Exit on platform
File:Avenue J - Exit from Exit.JPG, Exit-only turnstile and gate at Avenue J
File:NYC Subway Avenue J (BMT Brighton Line) Temporary platform - Northward.jpg, Temporary platform during the reconstruction in 2011
See also
* Manhattan Beach Branch
The Manhattan Beach Branch, Manhattan Beach Line, or Manhattan Beach Division was a line of the Long Island Rail Road, running from Fresh Pond, Queens, south to Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, New York City, United States. It opened in 1877 and 1878 ...
* Bay Ridge Branch
The Bay Ridge Branch is a rail line owned by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and operated by the New York and Atlantic Railway in New York City. It is the longest freight-only line of the LIRR, connecting the Montauk Branch and CSX Transporta ...
References
External links
*
* Station Reporter â€
Q Train
* Art's Archives — Manhattan Beach Branc
(''Original photos of the Manhattan Terrace station, signal houses and track diagrams of the LIRR connection'')
* The Subway Nut â€
Avenue J Pictures
Avenue J entrance from Google Maps Street View
Platforms from Google Maps Street View
{{NYCS stations navbox by line, brighton=yes
J
New York City Subway stations in Brooklyn
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1908
1908 establishments in New York City
Midwood, Brooklyn