The 42nd Street–Bryant Park/Fifth Avenue station is an underground New York City Subway station complex, consisting of stations on the IRT Flushing Line and IND Sixth Avenue Line. Located at 42nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) in Manhattan, it is served by the 7, D and F trains at all times, the B and M trains on weekdays, and the and trains during rush hours in the peak direction. A free passageway from the IND platforms to the station, served by the is open during the day from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m.
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) built the Flushing Line platform, which opened in 1926 as the first part of an extension of the Queensboro Subway (today's Flushing Line) from Grand Central to Times Square. The Sixth Avenue Line platforms opened in 1940, completing construction of the first phase of the Independent Subway System (IND). Free out-of-system walking transfers between the stations on the two lines began being provided on weekdays in 1967, and an underground passageway was completed in 1971, allowing free in-system transfers. In 1998, the entire station complex was renovated. A free transfer to the Times Square station was opened in 2021 with the completion of a renovation project on the 42nd Street Shuttle. There are plans to add elevators to the station to make it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
The IRT station has one island platform and two tracks and runs from west to east. The IND station has two island platforms and four tracks; it runs from north to south and is west of the IRT station. There is a mezzanine above the IRT platform, connected by a corridor to a mezzanine above much of the IND platform. A separate mezzanine exists above the extreme north end of the IND station. The 42nd Street–Bryant Park/Fifth Avenue complex served 17,213,702 passengers in 2019, making it the 13th busiest station in the subway system.
History
Planning for a subway line in New York City dates to 1864. However, development of what would become the city's first subway line did not start until 1894, when the New York State Legislature authorized the Rapid Transit Act. The Rapid Transit Construction Company, organized by John B. McDonald and funded by August Belmont Jr., signed the initial Contract 1 with the Rapid Transit Commission in February 1900, in which it would construct the subway and maintain a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line. Belmont incorporated the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) in April 1902 to operate the subway. As part of the project, a section of tunnel under 42nd Street was constructed between the intersections of Park Avenue/41st Street and Broadway/47th Street. Degnon-McLean was awarded the contract to build this section of the line, and construction began on February 25, 1901.
The first section of the line opened on October 27, 1904. The line did not serve Bryant Park directly; the nearest stations were Times Square, a local stop, and Grand Central, an express stop. Additional lines opened in 1918, thereby dividing the original line into an "H"-shaped system. The old route under 42nd Street became the 42nd Street Shuttle, which ran between Times Square and Grand Central without any intermediate stops.
IRT Flushing Line
The Dual Contracts were formalized in March 1913, specifying new lines or expansions to be built by the IRT and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT). The Dual Contracts involved opening the Steinway Tunnel as part of the new Flushing subway line. The route, traveling under 41st and 42nd Streets in Manhattan, was to go from Times Square through the tunnel over to Long Island City and from there continue toward Flushing. The section of the tunnel between Grand Central–42nd Street and Queens had opened on June 22, 1915.
Construction
In July 1920, the New York State Public Service Commission announced it would extend the Flushing Line two stops west to Times Square, with an intermediate station under Bryant Park. The western end of the Bryant Park station would be east of Sixth Avenue, while the eastern end would be about west of Fifth Avenue. The 42nd Street Association, a local civic group, regarded the station as very important. In May 1921, it was expected that contracts for the extension would be advertised shortly.