Why is Union Sq-4.5.6 Built As it is..?

[Juelz4309]

Grew Up On The Lower East Side And Been Usin This station my whole life But I Still Cant figure Out Why  

 

The station is offset...I Understand its on the Curve Under 4th Avenue But the street itself dosent Narrow 

 

Overhead And Not sure if it Had to do with The Broadway or Canarsie Lines Being Built either...

 

It Just seems it was like a "Mistake" Made during Construction......Might as Well Throw 72 Street/Broadway In here 

 

also Since Im askin...Thanx 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Good question... Also why are the platforms so bloody narrow at the 72nd street station?

[itmaybeokay]

It's built that way because 1904.

[realizm]

Answer:

 

 

1) The IRT Lexington Ave 14 St station on the  is unusual in shape as the line runs around the reverse curve from Fourth Ave into Union Square East as we can see. The first reason is this: Because of the same reasons that the BMT Broadway Line south of Canal Street to Whitehall Street with it's oddly steep curves along its ROW -- Property acquisition rights related problems. Where the entities runs into problems with acquiring property from landowners of landmarks or buildings, the engineers and architects are forced to make unusual changes to the layout of the tunnels resulting in sharp turns to follow the street grids instead of tunneling under private property. Of course those problems was over with the conception of the IND which was a City Agency.......

 

2) We know that particularly the island platform on the downtown side of the station has an especially sharp curve, and comes to a narrow point at the south end. There were actually side platforms which are no longer in use in the station, They are now walled up.

 

 

 

3) These island platforms had to be extended in 1910 from original opening for service in 1904, to handle longer trains. Therefore the downtown platform was extended north that was previously occupied by a solid wall which was demolished. The uptown platform was extended at each end. Then the side platforms were closed up resultantly.

 

These reasons are why the full length of the station is about 900 feet with offset platforms today.

 

Sources:

 

http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/14st.html

 

http://the-tech.mit.edu/~Subway/Archives/14/14.html

 

**On 72nd St, on the IRT 7th Ave line,   , it's simply because the IRT never anticipated that today there would be such high traffic necessitating wider platforms then it's original design. Oversight on the part of the IRT, a similar problem as to why they never anticipated the same with Columbus Circle and built a local station instead of an express station. Another oversight. The IND obviously caught on learning from the mistake and built their station as a full length express stop.

[Minato ku]

Interesting.

In this map, I see that there is a closed station north of Union Sq on Lexington ave line.

[Fresh Pond]

Interesting.

In this map, I see that there is a closed station north of Union Sq on Lexington ave line.

18 St...closed around the same time Union Square was extended since it was too close

[Calvin]

 about the Union Square   , why does that station have a gap that you gotta step back only on the brooklyn side?

[realizm]

18 St...closed around the same time Union Square was extended since it was too close

 

Indeed, that fact exists as a parallel to why Worth Street Station is no longer in revenue service either, in relation to the close proximity to Brooklyn Bridge City Hall on the IRT Lex. Exactly the same reason.

 

To add to your comment, 91st Street between 86th Street and 96th Street on the   and , another ghost station. Interborough Rapid Transit realized it would be pointless to keep such stations which are in such a close proximity (in terms of distance) to each other open for revenue service, particularly with the decisions made to extend platforms at certain IRT stations to accommodate longer 10 car trains if I'm correct. To add with the decision to extend the platforms @ 96th St as far as 94th St, as well as another extension of platforms @ 86th St proved that it would be redundant to keep that station open. Note that first the platforms at 91st street was extended before the other stations.

 

 

From nycsubway.org - 91st St, credits to David Pirmann:

 

 

Those changes in infrastructure occurred in the 1911, then in the 1950's respectively and as late as 1988. Keep in mind that 96th St also has abandoned platforms as well.

 

 

 

 

Interesting.

In this map, I see that there is a closed station north of Union Sq on Lexington ave line.

 

Yes it is complicated, but that was what occurred and that is why the IRT is configured the way that it is today, not to forget the construction of the express platforms @ 59th Street and Lex, with transfer, another milestone for its time, as a critical link to the BMT into Queens...... 

[Culver]

 about the Union Square   , why does that station have a gap that you gotta step back only on the brooklyn side?

Because the curve is extra tight and train cars need space to make turn...

Not really difficult to figure out, man.

[Quill Depot]

 about the Union Square   , why does that station have a gap that you gotta step back only on the brooklyn side?

 

You should step back wherever, the yellow line is extremely hazardous to be on.

 

Those gap fillers move closer to the train, allowing customers to step off and on, without the hazard of falling into the gap. Pretty simple dude.

[pjbr40]

culver and quill , you missing the point. the OP want to know why it built on curve, not a straight station.

[Fresh Pond]

What's funny is that they also extended the southbound platform at Worth St...then closed it

 

culver and quill , you missing the point. the OP want to know why it built on curve, not a straight station.

The original station was built on the straight portion. When it was extended, they had no choice but extend it on the curve

[PATCOman]

I think Calvin was asking why the gap fillers are only on the southbound side and not the northbound.

[SubwayGuy]

I think Calvin was asking why the gap fillers are only on the southbound side and not the northbound.

 

northbound doesn't need it. curves aren't that sharp.

 

What's funny is that they also extended the southbound platform at Worth St...then closed it

 

worth street was extended to handle increased customer loads downtown as a local station. brooklyn bridge was originally extended southward to accommodate 10 car trains, and had gap fillers on Tracks 2 and 3 (express tracks), the plates for which are still there. when brooklyn bridge was extended north to accomodate full length trains and thus close the southern extension (and no longer use gap fillers at Brooklyn Bridge), it was too close to Worth St., which was subsequently closed in both directions along with the southern tip of Brooklyn Bridge, both of which can be seen from passing 4 and 5 trains in the area.

[LTA1992]

3) These island platforms had to be extended in 1910 from original opening for service in 1904, to handle longer trains. Therefore the downtown platform was extended north that was previously occupied by a solid wall which was demolished. The uptown platform was extended at each end. Then the side platforms were closed up resultantly.

I thought both platforms were extended over the sidings that used to exist at that location? You can see them on the map you posted.

[realizm]

 

 

I thought both platforms were extended over the sidings that used to exist at that location? You can see them on the map you posted.

 

Actually only the downtown platform which was extended northward into that space originally occupied by that siding which was demolished. I rechecked my sources. I did mention as well that the northboard platform was extended at both sides.  

 

http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/14st.html

 

The island platforms were extended in 1910 to handle longer express trains. The downtown platform was extended northward into space originally occupied by a siding that was removed. The uptown platform was extended at both ends, and the siding to the south is still there today.

 

 

3) These island platforms had to be extended in 1910 from original opening for service in 1904, to handle longer trains. Therefore the downtown platform was extended north that was previously occupied by a solid wall which was demolished. The uptown platform was extended at each end. Then the side platforms were closed up resultantly.

[RestrictOnTheHanger]

I thought the downtown siding or stacking track as I've heard it called was removed after the wreck in 1991 when they had to rebuild the area

[bstar1]

South Ferry Loop Station also has gap fillers.