Bergen Street (IND Culver Line)

History

Bergen Street opened on March 20, 1933, as the first station of the IND Culver Line. Service began one month after the expansion of the IND into Brooklyn to Jay Street–Borough Hall. The station's construction was expedited in order to both connect with and compete with the Bergen Street and Smith Street streetcar lines of the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT). Construction was slightly stalled due to supply delays, and to complete the ventilation system for the Culver tunnel from Jay Street.

Upon opening, only the primary entrances of the station at Bergen Street (see below) were open, with the southern exits completed at a later date. The first express train for Manhattan from Bergen Street left at 6:25 A.M. carrying 30 passengers, and the first rush hour of service for the station brought 121 passengers, of which most of came from the Bergen and Smith Street Line Trolleys of the BMT. A and C trains from the IND Eighth Avenue Line terminated here, running to 207th Street in Manhattan and 205th Street in the Bronx respectively. A southward extension to Church Avenue opened on October 7 of that same year. In 1937, the IND Crosstown Line was connected to the station, served by the GG train (today's G service).

The lower-level express platforms only operated between 1968 and 1976, and they were permanently removed from service in 1992. There are no plans to restore express service to the station, even with the proposed introduction of rush-hour F express service on the IND Culver Line in fall 2017 (see below).

Around the 1990s, the station was modernized. On March 11, 1999, a major fire occurred originating in an equipment room on the station's lower level after water shorted out old wires in the station. A 1930s-era relay room at the station, which controlled the interlocking north of the station, was destroyed in the fire. The station was closed for several months, with G service suspended south of Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets and F trains simply bypassing the station at a lower-than-normal operating speed. Signals and switches at the station were replaced and modernized after the fire, and again in Fall 2008 when the relay room was rebuilt.

In May 2016, the MTA revealed plans to restore express service on the Culver Line between Jay Street and Church Avenue by Fall 2017. The Bergen Street lower level, however, will not be restored and reactivated for express service. This is in spite of the fact that the station is one of the most heavily used on the line.

Station layout

Bergen Street is laid out similar to other subway stations located below narrow streets, with two levels. The upper level—the only one used in regular service—serves local trains, while the lower level has formerly seen express service. As a result of the station's proximity to ground level, it is one of only three as-built express stations in the system that do not allow free transfers between directions.

Exits

Each platform has one same-level fare control area at either end and there are no crossovers or crossunders. The full-time ones are at the north end and each has a turnstile bank, token booth, and two street stairs. The ones on the Manhattan-bound platform go up to either eastern corners of Bergen and Smith Streets while those on the Coney Island-bound platform go up to either western corners. The fare control areas on the south end of the platforms are unstaffed, containing full height turnstiles and one street stair to the northeast corner of Warren and Smith Streets on the Manhattan-bound platform and the northwest corner for the Coney Island-bound platform. The south fare control area is more heavily used.

Tracks and platforms

Bergen Street's lower level, though opened at the same time as the upper level, was not used in revenue service until 1968, when rush hour F express service along the IND Culver Line began. This service ran until 1976, ending due to service cuts and complaints from Culver local residents about losing direct access to Manhattan. The lower level was abandoned afterward; trains rerouted via the express tracks during construction or service disruptions bypass the station towards Jay Street (northbound) or 7th Avenue (southbound). The lower level platforms have not been used since except for a scene for the movie Jacob's Ladder. The tile was removed during 1990's renovations, leaving unpainted concrete and corrugated metal, old lights and signage (including original IND signs reading "BERGN" on support pillars, and modern Exit signs); all of which are not in usable condition. The only remaining IND tilework exists in the stairwells between the levels, with copperplate directional plaques reading "EXPRESS TRAINS" and pointing to the lower level. Steel doors on the upper level block access to the staircases to the lower level, which is used for support facilities, storage of heavy equipment and occasional layups of A and C trains. Repairs to restore the lower level to operating conditions, as well as upgrades to make the station ADA-accessible, are estimated to cost over $75 million.

At the north (Manhattan- and Queens-bound) end of the upper level, the Culver Line local tracks diverge, splitting into four tracks. The F train, using the outer pair of tracks, ramps down to the lower level, merges with the innermost, express tracks located on the lower level, and continues north to Jay Street–MetroTech. Meanwhile, the G train, using the inner pair of tracks, stays on the upper level before making a hard right turn east under Schermerhorn Street to Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets. The lower level tracks can only be reached by trains running to or from Jay Street–MetroTech since they do not connect to the IND Crosstown Line.

Both levels have a switch south of the platforms, allowing terminating trains to reverse direction. This was used in regular service prior to the extension of the line south to Church Avenue.

Design and artwork

Both platforms on the upper level have a dark green trim line on a lime green border and name tablets reading "BERGEN ST." in white sans serif lettering on a dark green background and green border, much of which was installed during the 1990s renovations. The new tile job replaced the original small "BERGEN" tiles, and tiled over advertisement panels. Dark green i-beam columns run along the entire length of both platforms at regular intervals with alternating ones having the standard black station name plate in white lettering.