18th Avenue station (BMT West End Line)

18th Avenue is a local station on BMT West End Line of the New York City Subway in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. It is served by the D train at all times. The station opened in 1916 as part of the BMT West End Line, which was upgraded into an elevated line as part of the Dual Contracts. Its platforms were extended to accommodate ten-car trains in the 1960s, and the station was renovated in 2012. The station is scheduled to become compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 through the installation of elevators.

18 Avenue
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Station statistics
Address	18th Avenue & New Utrecht Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11214
Borough	Brooklyn
Locale	Bensonhurst
Coordinates	40.608667°N 74.002115°W
Division	B (BMT)
Line	BMT West End Line
Services	D  (all times)
Transit	NYCT Bus: B1, B8
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	3 (2 in regular service)
Other information
Opened	June 24, 1916
Station code	066[1]
Accessible	not ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2019	1,942,617[2]  1.7%
Rank	244 out of 424[2]
Station succession
Next north	79th Street: D
Next south	20th Avenue: D
Location
Track layout to 79 St to 20 Av
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times

History

Construction and opening

The 18th Avenue station opened on June 24, 1916, as the terminal of the first portion of the BMT West End Line, which extended from 36th Street on the BMT Fourth Avenue Line.[3][4] The line was originally a surface excursion railway to Coney Island, called the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad, which was established in 1862, but did not reach Coney Island until 1864.[5] Under the Dual Contracts of 1913, an elevated line was built over New Utrecht Avenue, 86th Street and Stillwell Avenue. The section of the West End Line between 62nd Street and this station originally opened with only one track in service. The second track between 62nd Street and 18th Avenue opened on July 8, 1916.[6]

Renovations

The platforms were extended in the 1960s to accommodate the current standard B Division train length of 615 feet (187 m).

In 2012, the station was rehabilitated with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[7]

In 2019, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced that this station would become compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 through the installation of elevators as part of the agency's 2020–2024 Capital Program.[8]

Station layout

P Platform level	Side platform
	Northbound local	← toward 205th Street (79th Street)
	Peak-direction express	→ No regular service
	Southbound local	→ toward Coney Island (20th Avenue) →
	Side platform
M	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent, MetroCard machines
G	Street level	Entrance/exit

Southeastern stair

This elevated station has three tracks and two side platforms. The center express track is not normally used. The station is situated in between two curves and the platforms have been extended to the north on both sides.[9]

The 2012 artwork here is called Bensonhurst Gardens by Francesco Simeti. It features laminated glass windows on the platform windscreens, depicting imaginary flowery landscapes.[10]

Exits

There is a single mezzanine with three stairs to the street (two to the northeast corner of 18th Avenue and 85th Street, and one to the southeast corner) as well as two to each platform.[11]

In popular culture

Some exterior scenes of the 1991 Steven Seagal film Out for Justice were shot outside this station.

References

1. "Station Developers' Information". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
2. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
3. "Parade, Pageant Mark Celebration". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 24, 1916. p. 8. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
4. "Realty Boom Is Predicted for Borough Park Section". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 24, 1916. p. 8. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
5. "Opening of the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad". The New York Times. June 9, 1864. p. 2. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
6. Report of the Public Service Commission For The First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1916 Vol. 1. New York State Public Service Commission. 1917. p. 48.
7. Nunez, Jenifer (August 3, 2012). "MTA completes seven station rehabilitation projects along D Line". Railway Track & Structures. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
8. "MTA Announces 20 Additional Subway Stations to Receive Accessibility Improvements Under Proposed 2020-2024 Capital Plan". Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Press release). New York City. December 19, 2019. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
9. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
10. "18th Avenue - Francesco Simeti - Bensonhurst Gardens, 2012". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
11. "18th Avenue Neighborhood Map". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2020.

External links

• nycsubway.org – BMT West End Line: 18th Avenue
• Station Reporter — D Train
• 18th Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View