Division A (IRT) Borough The Bronx Level 2 | Levels 2 Locale Mott Haven | |
 | ||
Line IRT Jerome Avenue Line
IRT White Plains Road Line Services 2 (all times)
4 (all times)
5 (all except late nights) Transit connections NYCT Bus: Bx1, Bx2, Bx19 Passengers (2015) 4,424,754 (station complex) 4.5% Address Bronx, NY 10451, United States Similar East 149th Street, Third Avenue–149th Street, East 180th Street, 138th Street–Grand Concourse, Wakefield–241st Street | ||
149th Street–Grand Concourse is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the IRT Jerome Avenue Line and the IRT White Plains Road Line. Located at East 149th Street and Grand Concourse in Mott Haven and Grand Concourse in the Bronx. The complex is served by the:
Contents
Exits
There are two exit stairs each to the southwest and southeast corners of 149th Street and Grand Concourse.
IRT Jerome Avenue Line platforms
149th Street–Grand Concourse is an express station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line that has three tracks and two island platforms, with the center track used during rush hours in the peak direction. This station is on the upper level of the two-level station complex, with a free transfer to the IRT White Plains Road Line on the lower level. There are some remaining signs on the walls that point to a never-built station of the New York Central Lines (now part of Metro-North Railroad).
The station was opened on June 2, 1917, and was the southern terminus of the Jerome Avenue Line until it was extended through Mott Haven Avenue into the Upper East Side extension of the IRT Lexington Avenue Line.
IRT White Plains Road Line platforms
149th Street–Grand Concourse on the IRT White Plains Road Line has two tracks and two side platforms. There is a high rounded ceiling that is visible at the west end of the station and is similar in design to those of 168th Street and 181st Street stations on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. The IRT White Plains Road Line platforms are located on the lower level of this two level complex. There are elevators (now closed) and a pedestrian bridge between the two platforms (also closed) on this level at the southern end of the platforms.
Originally opened as Mott Avenue on July 10, 1905, 149th Street–Grand Concourse was the first subway station to be opened in the Bronx. The original headhouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Today, all of the original mosaic "Mott Avenue" name tablets have been covered over with metal "149 St–Grand Concourse" signs. Only one name tablet, located on the downtown platform between the last two staircases at the northern end, remained uncovered and survived intact until a few years into the 21st century when a serious water leak after very heavy rainfall caused individual tiles to separate from the wall and fall off. There were no known plans by the MTA to repair or restore this name tablet. In the fall of 2011, the MTA covered this name tablet with a metal "149 St–Grand Concourse" sign.
South of the station, there are track connections to the IRT Jerome Avenue Line. The line splits and makes a sharp turn to merge with the Jerome Avenue Line just south of the upper level station. There is a huge amount of train traffic in this area, and the connections' turns are so sharp that 5 trains using the connections usually get delayed for about a minute. The White Plains Road Line continues straight under the Harlem River and merges with the IRT Lenox Avenue Line at 142nd Street Junction.
From the time of the opening of the station in 1905 until 2002, there were no columns between the northbound and southbound tracks, allowing an unobstructed view across the station. Thin supports for communications conduit have since been installed.