59th St/Columbus Circle
islLines:
IND Eighth Ave Line
IRT Seventh Ave Line
List of closed areas:
59th St/Columbus Circle was built as an important transfer station between local IRT subway trains and IND subway trains. It is the last southern station before Sixth Avenue Line trains split off to the Six Avenue Line.
The IRT station previously had an underpass between both platforms, but it was closed due to crime. However, a new crossunder was made using a closed platform between the center express tracks in the IND station.
The IND station has a closed central island platform between both express tracks. It was built to allow for a "Spanish Solution" for express trains, in which both sides of of express trains would open and allow for passengers to enter one way and exit the other. Unfortunately, newer trains cannot achieve this easily, so the platform was eventually closed, and remained completely unused until a path was made on part of the platform to provide a crossunder between both directions of the IRT station. In addition to the closed platform, the IND station also has a closed northern mezzanine area with a single exit to 61st Street and Central Park West. The exit was closed in the 1990s when the mezzanine area at the exit was repurposed into a police precinct. This coincided with the reopening of an exit at Columbus Circle (60th Street).
Pictures of the closed platform and closed exit can be seen in the gallery below:
IND Eighth Ave Line
IRT Seventh Ave Line
List of closed areas:
- Closed exit to 61st St & Central Park West (NW, IND only)
- Closed underpass (IRT only)
- Closed platform (IND only)
59th St/Columbus Circle was built as an important transfer station between local IRT subway trains and IND subway trains. It is the last southern station before Sixth Avenue Line trains split off to the Six Avenue Line.
The IRT station previously had an underpass between both platforms, but it was closed due to crime. However, a new crossunder was made using a closed platform between the center express tracks in the IND station.
The IND station has a closed central island platform between both express tracks. It was built to allow for a "Spanish Solution" for express trains, in which both sides of of express trains would open and allow for passengers to enter one way and exit the other. Unfortunately, newer trains cannot achieve this easily, so the platform was eventually closed, and remained completely unused until a path was made on part of the platform to provide a crossunder between both directions of the IRT station. In addition to the closed platform, the IND station also has a closed northern mezzanine area with a single exit to 61st Street and Central Park West. The exit was closed in the 1990s when the mezzanine area at the exit was repurposed into a police precinct. This coincided with the reopening of an exit at Columbus Circle (60th Street).
Pictures of the closed platform and closed exit can be seen in the gallery below: