IRT White Plains Road Line

West Farms Square station is a southern station of the White Plains Road Line.

The White Plains Road Line is a rapid transit line of the IRT division of the New York City Subway serving the central Bronx. It is mostly elevated and served both subway and elevated trains until 1952.^[2] The original part of the line, the part opened as part of the first subway was called the West Farms Division, and the extension north to 241st Street as part of the Dual Contracts was called the White Plains Road Line. Eventually, however, the two parts came to be known as the White Plains Road Line.

It is currently being used by the 2 as the local at all times and the 5 as the local at all times except rush hours in peak direction (when it runs express between East 180th Street and Third Avenue–149th Street) and late nights (when it runs as a shuttle between Eastchester–Dyre Avenue and East 180th Street).

Extent and service

The following services use part or all of the White Plains Road Line:

IRT White Plains Road Line
Legend
Wakefield–241st Street 239th Street Yard Nereid Avenue 233rd Street 225th Street 219th Street Gun Hill Road Burke Avenue former IRT Third Avenue Line Allerton Avenue Pelham Parkway IRT Dyre Avenue Line Bronx Park East Unionport Yard East 180th Street Yard East 180th Street Yard & Shops East 180th Street remainder of IRT Dyre Avenue Line demolished 180th Street – Bronx Park (demolished) West Farms Yard (demolished) West Farms Square–East Tremont Avenue 174th Street Freeman Street Simpson Street Intervale Avenue Prospect Avenue Jackson Avenue former IRT Third Avenue Line Third Avenue–149th Street IRT Jerome Avenue Line 149th Street–Grand Concourse IRT Jerome Avenue Line 149th Street Tunnel under Harlem River IRT Lenox Avenue Line IRT Lenox Avenue Line

The IRT White Plains Road Line begins at the Wakefield–241st Street terminal, with two tracks, one island platform, and two closed side platforms. Crossovers just south of the station take trains to the correct tracks and a center express track comes out of those crossovers. Between Wakefield–241st Street and Nereid Avenue, a connection comes in from the 239th Street Yard.

Just north of Gun Hill Road, the now demolished IRT Third Avenue Line split from the local tracks (with crossovers to the express tracks just to the north). The line went to a lower level of Gun Hill Road and then turned west.

The IRT Dyre Avenue Line merges to the local tracks just north of East 180th Street, and then crossovers allow those trains to reach the express tracks. The 5 late-night Dyre Avenue Shuttle uses the center track to end its run, and rush hour 5 trains in the peak direction change to the express track here. On the west side of this junction is the East 180th Street Yard while the Unionport Yard is to the east.

The now-gone three-track Bronx Park Spur merged from the west after East 180th Street with one track into each of the mainline tracks. Just after this on the east side was a connection to the West Farms Yard, also gone.

The express track ends north of Third Avenue–149th Street, and from there to the end the line has two tracks. Formerly in that area there was a connection just to the north to the local tracks of the IRT Third Avenue Line, and a connection to the south, bypassing 149th Street on the Third Avenue Line. Just past those former connections, the White Plains Road Line goes underground.

Just after 149th Street–Grand Concourse, the tracks split off and the two currently used by the 5 train turn south to merge with the local tracks of the IRT Jerome Avenue Line. The other tracks, currently used by the 2 train, pass under the Harlem River via the 149th Street Tunnel and end at the at-grade 142nd Street Junction, connecting to the IRT Lenox Avenue Line.

History

The first contract for the construction of a subway in New York, Contract 1, was executed on February 21, 1900, between the Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners and the Rapid Transit Construction Company, organized by John B. McDonald and funded by August Belmont, for the construction of the subway and a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line. Contract 1 called for the construction of a line from City Hall north to Kingsbridge and a branch under Lenox Avenue and to Bronx Park.^[3]

The initial segment of the IRT White Plains Road Line opened on November 26, 1904 between East 180th Street and Jackson Avenue. Initially, trains on the line were served by elevated trains from the IRT Second Avenue Line and the IRT Third Avenue Line, with a connection running from the Third Avenue local tracks at Third Avenue and 149th Street to Westchester Avenue and Eagle Avenue. Once the connection to the IRT Lenox Avenue Line opened on July 10, 1905, trains from the newly opened IRT subway ran via the line.^[4][5][6] Elevated service via this connection was resumed on October 1, 1907 when Second Avenue locals were extended to Freeman Street during rush hours.^[5]

On October 28, 1910, the new 180th Street station, known as Zoological Park station, opened as the new terminal of the West Farms Division of the subway, replacing the temporary station at 180th Street, which was later abandoned.^[7]

The Dual Contracts, which were signed on March 19, 1913, were contracts for the construction, rehabilitation, and operation of rapid transit lines in the City of New York. The contracts were "dual" in that they were signed between the City and two separate private companies (the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company), all working together to make the construction of the Dual Contracts possible. The Dual Contracts promised the construction of several lines in the Bronx. As part of Contract 3, the IRT agreed to extend the existing West Farms Division from 179th Street to 241st Street as an elevated line along White Plains Road.^[8][9][10]

This Intervale Avenue station opened on April 30, 1910 as an in-fill station. It was the first station in the Bronx with escalators. The station was built at the cost of $100,000, and it was paid with private capital.^[11][12]

Portions of the White Plains Road Line were opened at different times, and they opened once construction finished on a segment, as opposed to waiting for the completion of the entire line. The first segment, from East 177th Street–East Tremont Avenue to East 219th Street–White Plains Road, opened on March 3, 1917, providing access to rapid transit service to the communities of Williamsbridge and Wakefield in the Bronx.^[13][14] Service on the new portion of the line was operated as a four-car shuttle from 177th Street due to the power conditions at the time. Service was extended to East 238th Street on March 31, 1917.^[13][15] The part of the line from the S-curve north of the West Farms Square–East Tremont Avenue (IRT White Plains Road Line)|West Farms Square—East Tremont Avenue station]] to the terminal at 241st Street was built as a part of the Dual Contracts.^[9]

On July 1, 1917, a new connection between the White Plains Road Line and the Third Avenue el express tracks opened as part of the Dual Contracts expansion of the Third Avenue Line, and since it ran via Bergen Avenue and bypassed the 149th Street station, it was called the Bergen Avenue cutoff or bypass.^[13] The Bergen Avenue cutoff was abandoned on November 5, 1946, as part of the gradual curtailment of elevated service on the IRT Third Avenue Line.^[5] The cutoff was removed in 1950.

On December 13, 1920, the final portion of the line opened, extending the line from its previous terminal at 238th Street to the line's permanent terminus at 241st Street.^[16] This portion of the line had its opening delayed, owing to construction on the line between the two stations for the construction of the 239th Street Yard. Additional time was required to modify the structure to avoid a grade crossing at the entrance to the yard.^[17]

A 1929 proposal included a spur off the line that would have run from Van Nest to Baychester. The spur was to begin near Garfield Street as an elevated line then run underground beneath Morris Park Avenue and Wilson Avenue, finally terminating at Boston Road, where it was to connect to the formerly proposed Concourse Line extension. This proposal was never carried out, however the IRT acquired the former New York, Westchester and Boston Railway right-of-way to create the IRT Dyre Avenue Line instead.

On June 13, 1949, the platforms extensions at the stations on the line from Jackson Avenue to 177th Street opened. The platforms were lengthened to 514 feet to allow full ten-car express trains to platform. Previously the stations could only platform six car local trains.^[18]

On March 1, 1951, announced projects to allow for the use of the third track for peak-direction express service between 241st Street and Third Avenue–149th Street. New signaling, including the installation of block signals, was to be installed on the local tracks. Signaling was to be added to the express track at the cost of $3,500,000.^[19]

On April 23, 1953, express service began on the White Plains Road line; it skipped all stops between East 180th Street and Third Avenue–149th Street.^[20]

In 1956, 180th Street—Bronx Park was closed and was demolished. Former trackways of this station can still be seen north of the current West Farms Square—East Tremont Avenue Station.^[21]

The Dyre Avenue Line was connected directly to the White Plains Road Line north of East 180th Street for $3 million and through service began on May 6, 1957. Night service continued to be operated by a shuttle.^[22] Through service was operated by Seventh Avenue express trains between 5:30 AM and 8:30 PM. Between 8:30 and 1:15 shuttle trains operated from East 180th Street to Dyre Avenue, and in the early morning hours no trains operated over the line.^[23]

Due to rehabilitation of East 180th Street and signal replacements along the line, rush hour peak direction 5 express service was suspended from March 29 to September 3, 2010. PM northbound express service was suspended again on March 28, 2011 to allow for the second phase of the signal replacement project. Normal service was restored on August 8, 2011.

Station listing

Station service legend
	Stops all times
	Stops all times except late nights
	Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction
	Stops rush hours in the peak direction only
Time period details

Neighborhood (approximate)		Station	Tracks	Services	Opened	Transfers and notes
Wakefield		Wakefield–241st Street		2	December 13, 1920[16]	originally East 241st Street Connection to Metro-North Railroad (Harlem Line at Wakefield)
	Center Express track begins (no regular service)
	connecting tracks to 239th Street Yard
		Nereid Avenue	local	2  5	March 31, 1917[13][15]	originally East 238th Street
		233rd Street	local	2  5	March 31, 1917[13][15]	originally East 233rd Street Connection to Metro-North Railroad (Harlem Line at Woodlawn)
		225th Street	local	2  5	March 31, 1917[13][15]	originally East 225th Street
Williamsbridge		219th Street	local	2  5	March 3, 1917[13][14]	originally East 219th Street
		Gun Hill Road	all	2  5	March 3, 1917[13][14]	Connection to Metro-North Railroad (Harlem Line at Williams Bridge) Bx41 Select Bus Service
Allerton		Burke Avenue	local	2  5	March 3, 1917[13][14]
		Allerton Avenue	local	2  5	March 3, 1917[13][14]
Pelham Parkway		Pelham Parkway	local	2  5	March 3, 1917[13][14]	Bx12 Select Bus Service
Van Nest		Bronx Park East	local	2  5	March 3, 1917[13][14]
	Merge from IRT Dyre Avenue Line (5 )
	connecting tracks to Unionport Yard (east of the line)
	connecting tracks to East 180th Street Yard (west of the line)
West Farms		East 180th Street	all	2  5	March 3, 1917[13][14]
		180th Street–Bronx Park	Bronx Park spur		November 26, 1904	Closed August 4, 1952; later demolished.
		West Farms Square–East Tremont Avenue	local	2  5	November 26, 1904	originally 177th Street, then East Tremont Avenue–Boston Road Q44 Select Bus Service
Crotona Park East		174th Street	local	2  5	November 26, 1904
		Freeman Street	local	2  5	November 26, 1904
Longwood		Simpson Street	local	2  5	November 26, 1904
		Intervale Avenue	local	2  5	April 30, 1910[11][12]	originally Intervale Avenue–163rd Street
		Prospect Avenue	local	2  5	November 26, 1904
Mott Haven		Jackson Avenue	local	2  5	November 26, 1904
	Center Express track ends
		Third Avenue–149th Street	all	2  5	July 10, 1905[4][5]	originally Third Avenue Bx41 Select Bus Service
		149th Street–Grand Concourse	all	2  5	July 10, 1905[4][5]	4  (IRT Jerome Avenue Line) originally Mott Avenue
	Split with connection to IRT Jerome Avenue Line (5 )
149th Street Tunnel
Merge with IRT Lenox Avenue Line (2 )

Gallery

• 
  An R142  2  train enters East Tremont Avenue Station
• 
  An R142  2  train at Allerton Avenue Station in the Bronx

References

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

Wikimedia Commons has media related to IRT White Plains Road Line.

• nycsubway.org - IRT Lenox/White Plains Line

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