Abandoned NYC Subway Tunnel Called Middle Ground - anyone know about this?

[SubwayDude1919]

Hi there, first time poster but long time subway enthusiast. 

I was browsing a subreddit dedicated to NYC transit and came across a post that mentioned a largely unexplored tunnel called "middle ground". There's also a post on the LTV squad page about it: https://ltvsquad.com/2012/10/29/middle-ground/

Does anyone know anything about this? I have been pulling my hair trying to figure out it's location. Supposedly, it's from the dual contracts era and is in Brooklyn somewhere. Middle Ground gets it's name as it's located between an active station and an active tunnel. The tunnel and pics I saw make it look like an IRT tunnel. 

There's a whole host of pics on Instagram from urban explorers and happy to share those pics if it helps. There's no information on this tunnel anywhere. Sorry if this has been posted or discussed recently. 

 

[ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ]

Welcome to the forum and interesting share!

I agree it's almost certianly some part of the IRT, and as the photos show, it seems like an inactive shell of a tunnel next to a 2 track actual tunnel. What makes this interesting is there aren't that many 2-tracks underground sections of IRT, and many can be ruled out. Tbf though, there are several "stacked" sections of the IRT that would look "2-tracked" in a photo. Not the answer you're looking for but I'm not sure; more higher-res photos could be helpful though.

[Lawrence St]

12 hours ago, ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ said:

Welcome to the forum and interesting share!

I agree it's almost certianly some part of the IRT, and as the photos show, it seems like an inactive shell of a tunnel next to a 2 track actual tunnel. What makes this interesting is there aren't that many 2-tracks underground sections of IRT, and many can be ruled out. Tbf though, there are several "stacked" sections of the IRT that would look "2-tracked" in a photo. Not the answer you're looking for but I'm not sure; more higher-res photos could be helpful though.

From my research for the past 20 minutes, I have two theories. This is either a place where the Eastern Parkway line splits into two levels and the empty section is most likely support, or a place that was suppose to be 4 tracks and was downsized to 2.

So, my final two guesses are either between Atlantic Ave & Bergen St, or Franklin Ave & Nostrand Ave.

[SubwayDude1919]

Here are some pics from Instagram showing more detail. Note these arent mine and credit to the original photographers:

https://ibb.co/album/qCywHy

I agree that it's somewhere near Atlantic and Bergen. In one of the photos, there is a box labeled "atlantic ave" and the support columns look very similar to those in the IRT tunnels. 

[ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ]

Did a bit more digging with these new photos:

This photo stuck out because it shows space above a clearly active IRT track. If one watches this video of a Utica Bound  train and skips to about 59:40, one can clearly see it becomes hollow above for quite a bit. This is between Bergen and Grand Army Plaza where the express tracks dive below the local tracks. One can also see the tunnel style from the phot is clearly the same as this section of Eastern Parkway. This would also explain the "middle ground" term as it's an area mushed above the express tracks and between the 2 local tracks. Perhaps after a while, the tunnel continues even as the floor below is no longer hollow; fromt the video there seems to be one or two breaks from hollow to solid. The part that doesn't seem quite right is that these photos suggests the tunnel comes to an abrupt end, but in the video it appears that space above slowly comes back down.

Also, one can observe this in the  train video on the opposite track,

Idk how this "Welcome to An Experience" youtube channel works, but they seem to mount decent quality cameras onto the fronts of trains.

I'm not by any means confident this is this "Middle-Ground" tunnel thing, but it's my best guess. Perhaps there's more expansive infrastructure up there we can't deduce from the video.

Edited March 3, 2023 by ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ

[ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ]

9 minutes ago, ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ said:

Did a bit more digging with these new photos:

This photo stuck out because it shows space above a clearly active IRT track. If one watches this video of a Utica Bound  train and skips to about 59:40, one can clearly see it becomes hollow above for quite a bit. This is between Bergen and Grand Army Plaza where the express tracks dive below the local tracks. One can also see the tunnel style from the phot is clearly the same as this section of Eastern Parkway. This would also explain the "middle ground" term as it's an area mushed above the express tracks and between the 2 local tracks. Perhaps after a while, the tunnel continues even as the floor below is no longer hollow; fromt the video there seems to be one or two breaks from hollow to solid. The part that doesn't seem quite right is that these photos suggests the tunnel comes to an abrupt end, but in the video it appears that space above slowly comes back down.

Also, one can observe this in the  train video on the opposite track,

Idk how this "Welcome to An Experience" youtube channel works, but they seem to mount decent quality cameras onto the fronts of trains.

I'm not by any means confident this is this "Middle-Ground" tunnel thing, but it's my best guess. Perhaps there's more expansive infrastructure up there we can't deduce from the video.

Watched a bit more and it also becomes visibly hollow above right before entering Franklin Avenue. The most damming evidence of all might be this video where if one looks closely at 15:42 (which is while the Wakefield bound  train is between Wakefield and Eastern Parkway, one can see what appears to be a dead-end wall of graffiti through a slit if they look very very carefully to the left at exactly this 15:42-15:47. Perhaps there's a whole unused tunnel space up there between roughly Bergen St and Franklin Avenue? The question would be why; was it just easier to build that way, or did they want to run some sort of service up there in the future?

[SubwayDude1919]

Thanks for digging and trying to help figure this out. I agree it's definitely in the area. Its just so weird that the IRT would build this tunnel and then cover it up. 

There's another video on Instagram with another series of pictures. Unfortunately, I cant link it, but I noticed there were a series of numbers painted on the walls. They look like coordinates or markers of some kind, but I cant figure it out. Could this help pinpoint the location?

24+15

24+20

23+?

26+50

75+15

180+00

I had a browse through the NY historical society subway photograph collection and many of the pictures had the same number convention (station xx+xx). Here is an example of what I am writing about: https://digitalcollections.nyhistory.org/islandora/object/nyhs%3A93278

[ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ]

2 hours ago, SubwayDude1919 said:

Thanks for digging and trying to help figure this out. I agree it's definitely in the area. Its just so weird that the IRT would build this tunnel and then cover it up. 

There's another video on Instagram with another series of pictures. Unfortunately, I cant link it, but I noticed there were a series of numbers painted on the walls. They look like coordinates or markers of some kind, but I cant figure it out. Could this help pinpoint the location?

24+15

24+20

23+?

26+50

75+15

180+00

I had a browse through the NY historical society subway photograph collection and many of the pictures had the same number convention (station xx+xx). Here is an example of what I am writing about: https://digitalcollections.nyhistory.org/islandora/object/nyhs%3A93278

If you could post the Instagram thing, perhaps with a broken link, that would be incredibly insightful.

From the research I did, these are the results I got for those "coordinates":

"Flatbush Avenue and Dean Street, Station 24+15, Brooklyn"

"Flatbush Avenue and Dean Street, Station 24+15, Brooklyn"

"Butler Street, Station 26+50, Brooklyn"

"Butler Street, Station 26+50, Brooklyn"

"Butler Street, Station 26+50, Brooklyn"

"Flatbush Avenue between Atlantic Avenue and St. Marks Avenue, Station 24+20, Brooklyn"

From my understanding, it's referring not to subway stations but to surveying stations. The coordinates are just a measurement of feet where you literally add them together, you get 2415 feet, 2420 feet, and 2650 feet. Perhaps this is the measurement relative to the start of the new Eastern Parkway Line?

The 75+15 and 180+00 coordinates seem a bit out of place, but this def isn't a coincidence if true; that likely means those numbers are original to when it was built, and the first bunch seem to indicate the area around Atlantic Avenue; perhaps the lower-level Nevins platform is a lot more robust than known?

What is clear is that Eastern Parkway seems to be a lot more expansive in it's "provisions" than we thought.

Also one thing that's worth noting is from the photos that this whole "Middle Ground" thing seems to have several components.

1. An empty subway cavern above existing IRT track (which I think may very well be what I sent in the  and  train ride videos above)

2. An abandoned trackless 2 track ROW with visibility to active tracks on it's exterior (I think that's the  video)

3. An abandoned trackless 2 track ROW that is completely closed-off on either side. 

4. Abandoned single-track ROW (could just be a 2 track ROW with a wall inbetween). Again, no track.

5. Some sort of doorway leading to a room, with what appears to have another doorway directly through it. 

How these elements connect to one-another and where they even exist is confusing.

[SubwayDude1919]

Here's a link to the video I mentioned if you're on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVq9M7Jg_o0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

[ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ]

3 hours ago, SubwayDude1919 said:

Here's a link to the video I mentioned if you're on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVq9M7Jg_o0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Thank you; will thoroughly investigate later when I have time. One thing that does stand out is it seems relatively untouched, at least relative to a lot of other abandoned parts of the subway.

[Eric B]

On 3/3/2023 at 10:18 PM, SubwayDude1919 said:

Thanks for digging and trying to help figure this out. I agree it's definitely in the area. Its just so weird that the IRT would build this tunnel and then cover it up. 

For this section, it wasn't just the IRT building it, but rather the Dual Contracts, which included the BMT, which also runs through this section, and has that opening visible to 7th Ave. station in this area (where it's level wit hte Brookly bound local track, and the express tracks have gone below). All six tracks were built together in a common structure, so you have to take into consideration that as well. I don't know if there were any provisions for more BMT tracks, but it is likely just extra space to support the rest of the infrastucture; or could even stem from a time when it wasn't decided which portions of the new construction the BMT would get and which the IRT would get (lke there had been talks of IRT getting 4th Ave.)

[ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ]

10 hours ago, Eric B said:

For this section, it wasn't just the IRT building it, but rather the Dual Contracts, which included the BMT, which also runs through this section, and has that opening visible to 7th Ave. station in this area (where it's level wit hte Brookly bound local track, and the express tracks have gone below). All six tracks were built together in a common structure, so you have to take into consideration that as well. I don't know if there were any provisions for more BMT tracks, but it is likely just extra space to support the rest of the infrastucture; or could even stem from a time when it wasn't decided which portions of the new construction the BMT would get and which the IRT would get (lke there had been talks of IRT getting 4th Ave.)

I was thinking about it, and especially since they built cut and cover back then, if they have "excess" space left between tunnels, it wouldn't really make sense to just get a bunch of concrete and fill it in; might as well leave it empty incase one day you want to include it as part of something.

[Scandinavian927]

Someone familiar with the matter said it’s BMT and that’s all he want to say. Rumours said it might be a failed attempt to build a crosstown line under Bedford Blvd by BMT

[ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ]

9 hours ago, Scandinavian927 said:

Someone familiar with the matter said it’s BMT and that’s all he want to say. Rumours said it might be a failed attempt to build a crosstown line under Bedford Blvd by BMT

Interesting. I think one thing that's tripping me up is that on the BMT (and frankly IRT/IND too), there's not that many places where the median is just exposed columns (other than in active stations which LTV squad is clearly not). If anyone has an idea of where these sections of 2 track BMT with exposed column medians are, I'm all ears.

Not sure if this have anything to do with "Middle Ground", but after a lot of video watching, it seems like both the BMT and IRT portions of the 6-track segment in BK have a lot of hollowed space above the tunnel structures at various parts.

(When I say exposed column median, this is what I'm reffering to).

Edited April 15, 2023 by ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ

[ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ]

https://www.reddit.com/r/nycrail/comments/12mqz87/abandoned_middle_ground_nyc_subway_tunnel/

Here's a reddit thread I started on it. One person purposed it could be the lead to the supposed subway shell under the Brooklyn Musuem of Books, which seems interesting and sort of makes sense.

The competing theories are that it's some sort of infrastructure tangled within the Eastern Parkway Line, either there as a formal provision or just structural support. The other possibility is it's some part of a BMT crosstown, but it's unclear exactly where; it's clearly somehow connected to an active line and there's honestly not that many underground lines a BMT crosstown would've crossed that can't be instantly ruled out. For this reason, I still tend to lean towards it being part of Eastern Parkway.

Also, this is a bit off topic, but I was looking at the photo below some more, and to me it appears that the area above the trackway is smaller than the actual trackway below. If the trackway below is IRT, then the area above appears too narrow to carry a train, and if the area below is BMT then the ROW above might be to the specs of IRT. Again though, with all the shadows and stuff it's hard to tell for sure. Imma see if I can use some sort of software to brighten up the shadows as much as possible and if it yields any results.

 

[ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ]

OMG I FINALLY FOUND SMTG.

Found this exact spot in the tunnel. It's visible in these 2 videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oHyhnf0-S0 at 14:33

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzbdfwR-kig at 21:14

I confirmed 100% it's that part of the tunnel based on infrastructure in the median, some correspondence of graffiti, and a few other markers.

This places it in between Atlantic Avenue and Bergen Street on the nortbound .

[ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ]

Yep Middle Ground it officially solved - it's the space between the 2 IRT express tracks and above the BMT tracks just South of Atlantic Avenue when the BMT tracks are underneath. It seems like it wasn't built as an actual provision but just to fill space as the trackways literally don't have anywhere to go to the North.