125th Street station (IRT Lenox Avenue Line)

New York City Subway station in Manhattan 125th Street (disambiguation)125th Street August 2023 August 2023 125 Street IRT Lenox 125th Street Northbound Platform.jpg A southbound R142 2 train at the station West 125th Street & Malcolm X BoulevardNew York, New York Manhattan Harlem 40.807 N 73.945 W inline,title IRT IRT Lenox Avenue Line Lenox south NYCT Bus: M7, 12px|alt=Airport transportation M60 SBS, M101 M102 M125 2 side platforms 2 Underground future 1904 11 23 New York City Subway Lenox 135th Street 116th Street services split alltimes y 135th Street 116th Street IRT Lenox Avenue Line 330 The 125th Street station (referred to on some strip maps as 125th Street–Lenox Avenue) is a station on the IRT Lenox Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 125th Street (also known as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard) and Lenox Avenue (also known as Malcolm X Boulevard) in Harlem, it is served by the 2 and 3 trains at all times. The 125th Street station was constructed for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) as part of the city's first subway line, which was approved in 1900. Construction on the tunnel segment that includes the 125th Street station started on October 2 of the same year. The station opened on November 23, 1904. The station platforms were lengthened in 1910. The 125th Street station contains two side platforms and two tracks. The station was built with tile and mosaic decorations. The platforms contain exits to Lenox Avenue's intersection with 125th Street and are not connected to each other within fare control. History Construction and opening Planning for a subway line in New York City dates to 1864.21 However, development of what would become the city's first subway line did not start until 1894, when the New York State Legislature passed the Rapid Transit Act.Walker James Blaine https://archive.org/details/fiftyyearsrapid00walkgoog Fifty Years of Rapid Transit — 1864 to 1917 1918 Law Printing New York, N.Y. November 6, 2016139–140 The subway plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by William Barclay Parsons, the Rapid Transit Commission's chief engineer. It called for a subway line from New York City Hall in lower Manhattan to the Upper West Side, where two branches would lead north into the Bronx.October 23, 1979 Interborough Rapid Transit System, Underground Interior http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1096.pdf November 19, 2019 New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission September 21, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200921135400/https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1096.pdf live3 A plan was formally adopted in 1897, and legal challenges were resolved near the end of 1899.148 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,https://archive.org/details/cu31924022794253/page/n253/mode/2up?q=april+28 Report of the Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners for the City of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1904 Accompanied By Reports of the Chief Engineer and of the Auditor Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners 1905 229–236 in which it would construct the subway and maintain a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line.165 In 1901, the firm of Heins & LaFarge was hired to design the underground stations.4 Belmont incorporated the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) in April 1902 to operate the subway.182 The 125th Street station was constructed as part of the IRT's East Side Branch (now the Lenox Avenue Line). Farrell & Hopper began building the section from 110th Street to 135th Street on August 30, 1900, subcontracting the section north of 116th Street to John C. Rodgers.Scott Charles 1978 Design and Construction of the IRT: Civil Engineering https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf live https://web.archive.org/web/20210117001227/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf January 17, 2021 December 20, 2020 Historic American Engineering Record 208–282 (PDF pp. 209–283) 252 The excavation was relatively easy because the subway was under one side of Lenox Avenue and there were no street railway tracks to work around.252–253 On November 23, 1904, the East Side Branch opened to 145th Street.https://books.google.com/books?id=kKUlAQAAIAAJ&q=november+26%2C+1904+subway+extension&pg=PA191 Report of the Public Service Commission For The First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1909 1910 Public Service Commission Albany en 191 January 8, 2021 February 5, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230205172826/https://books.google.com/books?id=kKUlAQAAIAAJ&q=november+26%2C+1904+subway+extension&pg=PA191 livehttps://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/11/23/100479050.pdf East Side Subway Open — Train from 145th Street to Broadway in 9 Minutes and 40 Seconds November 23, 1904 The New York Times March 27, 2016 1 0362-4331 January 23, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220123113320/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/11/23/100479050.pdf live Initially, the station was served by East Side local and express trains. Local trains ran from City Hall to Lenox Avenue (145th Street). Express trains had their southern terminus at South Ferry or Atlantic Avenue and had their northern terminus at 145th Street or West Farms (180th Street).https://archive.org/details/pocketguidetone00yorkgoog The Merchants' Association of New York Pocket Guide to New York March 1906 Merchants' Association of New York 19–26 en Express trains to 145th Street were eliminated in 1906, and West Farms express trains operated through to Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn.https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433081730503;view=1up;seq=151 Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac Brooklyn Daily Eagle 1916 119 January 8, 2021 May 11, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210511155639/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433081730503;view=1up;seq=151 live Service changes and station renovations To address overcrowding, in 1909, the New York Public Service Commission proposed lengthening the platforms at stations along the original IRT subway.Hood Clifton 1978 The Impact of the IRT in New York City https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf December 20, 2020 Historic American Engineering Record 146–207 (PDF pp. 147–208) January 17, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210117001227/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf live168 As part of a modification to the IRT's construction contracts made on January 18, 1910, the company was to lengthen station platforms to accommodate ten-car express and six-car local trains. In addition to $1.5 million (equivalent to $c US 1.5 1910 1 million in US) spent on platform lengthening, $500,000 (equivalent to $c US 0.5 1910 1 million in US) was spent on building additional entrances and exits. It was anticipated that these improvements would increase capacity by 25 percent.https://books.google.com/books?id=0fBLAQAAMAAJ&q=+zoological+station&pg=PA596 Report of the Public Service Commission for the First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1910 1911 Public Service Commission en January 8, 2021 February 5, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230205172820/https://books.google.com/books?id=0fBLAQAAMAAJ&q=+zoological+station&pg=PA596 live15 The platforms at the 125th Street station were extended 55 ft to both the north and south.112 On January 23, 1911, ten-car express trains began running on the East Side Branch.168https://www.nytimes.com/1911/01/23/archives/tencar-trains-in-subway-today-new-service-begins-on-lenox-av-line.html Ten-car Trains in Subway to-day; New Service Begins on Lenox Av. Line and Will Be Extended to Broadway To-morrow. January 23, 1911 The New York Times April 5, 2018 en-US 0362-4331 subscription April 5, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180405224750/https://www.nytimes.com/1911/01/23/archives/tencar-trains-in-subway-today-new-service-begins-on-lenox-av-line.html live left|thumb|Northbound street stair In 1918, the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line opened south of Times Square–42nd Street, and the original line was divided into an H-shaped system. Local trains were sent to South Ferry, while express trains used the new Clark Street Tunnel to Brooklyn.August 2, 1918 Open New Subway Lines to Traffic; Called a Triumph — Great H System Put in Operation Marks an Era in Railroad Construction — No Hitch in the Plans — But Public Gropes Blindly to Find the Way in Maze of New Stations — Thousands Go Astray — Leaders in City's Life Hail Accomplishment of Great Task at Meeting at the Astor 1 The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1918/08/02/archives/open-new-subway-lines-to-traffic-called-a-triumph-great-h-system.html subscription November 6, 2016 January 6, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210106233417/https://www.nytimes.com/1918/08/02/archives/open-new-subway-lines-to-traffic-called-a-triumph-great-h-system.html?searchResultPosition=1 live The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940.1940-06-13 City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1940/06/13/archives/city-transit-unity-is-now-a-reality-title-to-irt-lines-passes-to.html 2022-05-14 0362-4331 January 7, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220107193115/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/06/13/archives/city-transit-unity-is-now-a-reality-title-to-irt-lines-passes-to.html live June 13, 1940 Transit Unification Completed As City Takes Over I. R. T. Lines: Systems Come Under Single Control After Efforts Begun in 1921; Mayor Is Jubilant at City Hall Ceremony Recalling 1904 Celebration 25 New York Herald Tribune 1248134780 The IRT routes were given numbered designations with the introduction of "R-type" rolling stock. These fleet contained rollsigns with numbered designations for each service. The first such fleet, the R12, was put into service in 1948.Brown Nicole How did the MTA subway lines get their letter or number? NYCurious amNewYork May 17, 2019 https://www.amny.com/transit/nyc-subway-name-1-31116195/ January 27, 2021 March 2, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210302020704/https://www.amny.com/transit/nyc-subway-name-1-31116195/ live The route to White Plains Road, formerly the route to West Farms, became known as the 2, while the route to Lenox Avenue–145th Street became the 3.Friedlander Alex Lonto Arthur Raudenbush Henry April 1960 A Summary of Services on the IRT Division, NYCTA https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/1960/1960-01-bulletin.pdf New York Division Bulletin Electric Railroaders' Association 3 1 2 March 28, 2021 September 14, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200914232631/https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/1960/1960-01-bulletin.pdf dead The New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) announced plans in 1956 to add fluorescent lights above the edges of the station's platforms.Katz Ralph 1956-01-27 Subway Stations to Get New Lights; $3,750,000 to Be Spent on Fluorescents for I.R.T. and B.M.T. Transfer Points en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1956/01/27/archives/subway-stations-to-get-new-lights-3750000-to-be-spent-on.html 2023-05-08 0362-4331 May 11, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230511214254/https://www.nytimes.com/1956/01/27/archives/subway-stations-to-get-new-lights-3750000-to-be-spent-on.html live In 1959, all 2 and 3 trains became express.February 7, 1959 Wagner Praises Modernized IRT — Mayor and Transit Authority Are Hailed as West Side Changes Take Effect 21 The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1959/02/07/archives/wagner-praises-modernized-irt-mayor-and-transit-authority-are.html November 6, 2016 0362-4331 subscription January 1, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180101082503/http://www.nytimes.com/1959/02/07/archives/wagner-praises-modernized-irt-mayor-and-transit-authority-are.html?_r=0 live In November 1959, the Warshaw Construction Company received a contract to remove fifteen entrance/exit kiosks on IRT lines, including four at the 125th Street station. This was part of a citywide initiative to remove the kiosks, which obstructed motorists' views of pedestrians.1959-11-09 15 More City Kiosks Slated for Scrap en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1959/11/09/archives/15-more-city-kiosks-slated-for-scrap.html 2022-01-30 0362-4331 January 30, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220130164105/https://www.nytimes.com/1959/11/09/archives/15-more-city-kiosks-slated-for-scrap.html live On May 23, 1968, poet Henry Dumas was fatally shot by a New York City Transit Police officer on the station's southbound platform.Jeffrey B. Leak, Visible Man: The Life of Henry Dumas, pages 2 and 145-53 (2014). In 1981, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.Gargan Edward A. https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/11/nyregion/agency-lists-its-69-most-deteriorated-subway-stations.html Agency Lists Its 69 Most Deteriorated Subway Stations June 11, 1981 The New York Times August 13, 2016 live https://web.archive.org/web/20190331204421/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/11/nyregion/agency-lists-its-69-most-deteriorated-subway-stations.html March 31, 2019 B5S 0362-4331 Starting on March 2, 1998, the tunnel was reconstructed along with the cracked tunnel floor. This was done to correct a major water problem that had existed for many years due to the presence of the Harlem Creek and other underground streams, which caused extensive flooding, water damage, and seepage problems that occasionally contributed to severe service disruptions.http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffhist.htm New York City Transit - History and Chronology mta.info Metropolitan Transportation Authority live https://web.archive.org/web/20200324081453/http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffhist.htm March 24, 2020 April 8, 2020Lii Jane H. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/28/nyregion/tunnel-work-to-cut-service-on-2-subways.html Tunnel Work To Cut Service On 2 Subways February 28, 1998 The New York Times January 17, 2020 live https://web.archive.org/web/20200328161534/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/28/nyregion/tunnel-work-to-cut-service-on-2-subways.html March 28, 2020 B-4 en-US 0362-4331 The project cost $82 million and was finished on October 12, 1998.Lueck Thomas J. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/13/nyregion/beating-deadline-normal-service-returns-for-the-nos-2-and-3-subway-lines.html Beating Deadline, Normal Service Returns for the Nos. 2 and 3 Subway Lines October 13, 1998 The New York Times January 17, 2020 live https://web.archive.org/web/20200328161535/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/13/nyregion/beating-deadline-normal-service-returns-for-the-nos-2-and-3-subway-lines.html March 28, 2020 B-3 en-US 0362-4331 During the reconstruction, many 2 trains were rerouted via the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, while the 3 trains were rerouted to the 137th Street–City College station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. Each of the two Lenox Avenue Line tracks were alternately taken out of service and supplemental shuttle bus service connecting to other lines in the area were provided for much of this time.Newman Andy https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/12/nyregion/repairs-to-lenox-ave-tunnel-to-affect-many-subway-lines.html Repairs to Lenox Ave. Tunnel To Affect Many Subway Lines December 12, 1997 The New York Times July 31, 2013 live https://web.archive.org/web/20200328161538/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/12/nyregion/repairs-to-lenox-ave-tunnel-to-affect-many-subway-lines.html March 28, 2020 B-8http://www.thejoekorner.com/brochures/index-lenox-rehab.html Lenox Rehab '98 2 3 Lenox Line Service Guide March 2-October 1998 1998 thejoekorner.com New York City Transit live https://web.archive.org/web/20200328161536/http://www.thejoekorner.com/brochures/index-lenox-rehab.html March 28, 2020 November 6, 2016 The MTA announced in 2024 that it would replace the station's existing waist-high turnstiles with taller, wide-aisle turnstiles.Brachfeld Ben May 22, 2024 MTA will test middle-out turnstiles at 15 subway stops this year https://www.amny.com/transit/mta-test-middle-out-turnstiles-subway/ May 23, 2024 amNewYork As part of its 2025–2029 Capital Program, the MTA has proposed making the station wheelchair-accessible in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.https://new.mta.info/document/151266 2025-2029 Capital Plan September 25, 2024 mta.info Metropolitan Transportation Authority 187 (PDF p. 95) January 1, 2025 The MTA also refurbished the station in 2026.Stark-Miller Ethan MTA refurbishes 125th Street 2/3 station for Central Harlem riders amNewYork 2026-07-31 https://www.amny.com/nyc-transit/mta-refurbish-125th-street-station-harlem/ 2026-08-01 In January 2026, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she would request funding to extend the Second Avenue Subway along 125th Street. Although Phase 2 of the line's construction was initially planned to extend only to 125th Street and Lexington Avenue, Hochul's proposal called for additional connections to existing stations at Lenox Avenue, St. Nicholas Avenue, and Broadway.Stark-Miller Ethan Hochul pitches funding for extending Second Avenue Subway to Broadway in State of the State – amNewYork amNewYork 2026-01-13 https://www.amny.com/nyc-transit/hochul-extend-second-avenue-subway-broadway/ 2026-01-13Khalifeh Ramsey Gov. Hochul demands 125th Street subway extension, shelves downtown 2nd Ave. subway plan Gothamist 2026-01-13 https://gothamist.com/news/gov-hochul-demands-125th-street-subway-extension-nixing-downtown-2nd-ave-subway-plan 2026-01-13 Station layout GroundStreet levelEntrance/exitPlatform levelSide platformNorthbound← newyork 2 toward NYCS Wakefield–241st Street (NYCS 135th Street Lenox)← newyork 3 toward NYCS Harlem–148th Street (135th Street)Southbound→ newyork 2 toward NYCS Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College (NYCS 116th Street Lenox) →→ newyork 3 toward NYCS New Lots Avenue New Lots (NYCS 34th Street–Penn Station Broadway-Seventh late nights) (116th Street) →Side platform thumb|Original plaque The station has two tracks and two side platforms.trackref trackbook3 The 2 and 3 trains stop here at all times.timetable 2timetable 3 The station is between 116th Street to the south and 135th Street to the north.map The platforms were originally 350 ft long, like at other stations north of 96th Street.48 The platform extensions are at the north ends of the original platforms.42 Fixed platform barriers, which are intended to prevent commuters falling to the tracks, are positioned near the platform edges.Wassef Mira Platform barriers installed at 56 subway stations in NYC PIX11 July 18, 2025 https://pix11.com/news/local-news/platform-barriers-installed-at-56-subway-station-in-nyc/ July 21, 2025 July 21, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250721224335/https://pix11.com/news/local-news/platform-barriers-installed-at-56-subway-station-in-nyc/ dead Russo-Lennon Barbara These are the NYC subway stations that now have protective platform barriers amNewYork July 20, 2025 https://www.amny.com/nyc-transit/platform-barriers-nyc-subway-stations/ July 21, 2025 Fare control is at platform level. There are no crossovers or crossunders between the two side platforms to allow free transfer between directions. Design left|thumb|A remaining original name tablet left|thumb|Newer name tablet As with other stations built as part of the original IRT, the station was constructed using a cut-and-cover method.237 The tunnel is covered by a U-shaped trough that contains utility pipes and wires. This trough contains a foundation of concrete no less than 4 in thick.Framberger David J. 1978 Architectural Designs for New York's First Subway https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf 2020-12-20 Historic American Engineering Record 1–46 (PDF pp. 367–412) January 17, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210117001227/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf live9 The platforms consist of 3 in cm -thick mid concrete slabs, beneath which are drainage basins. The original platforms contain circular, cast-iron Doric-style columns spaced every 15 ft, while the platform extensions contain I-beam columns. Additional columns between the tracks, spaced every 5 ft, support the jack-arched concrete station roofs.49 There is a 1 in on gap between the trough wall and the platform walls, which are made of 4 in on-thick brick covered over by a tiled finish.9 The original decorative scheme consists of blue tile station-name tablets, pink tile bands, a green terracotta cornice, and dark blue terracotta plaques.42 The mosaic tiles at all original IRT stations were manufactured by the American Encaustic Tile Company, which subcontracted the installations at each station.31 The decorative work was performed by tile contractor Manhattan Glass Tile Company and terracotta contractor Atlantic Terra Cotta Company.42 Many of the original name tablets have since been replaced with newer renditions, but most of the plaques remain intact. The artwork in the station is Flying Home: Harlem Heroes and Heroines, by Faith Ringgold, installed in 1996.http://web.mta.info/mta/aft/permanentart/permart.html?agency=nyct&line=2&station=21&xdev=2260 125th Street - FAITH RINGGOLD - Flying Home: Harlem Heroes and Heroines (Downtown and Uptown), 1996 web.mta.info Metropolitan Transportation Authority live https://web.archive.org/web/20200417184728/http://web.mta.info/mta/aft/permanentart/permart.html?agency=nyct&line=2&station=21&xdev=2260 April 17, 2020 April 17, 2020 Exits Two staircases from each platform lead to the intersection of Lenox Avenue and West 125th Street. The staircases from the southbound platform lead to the western corners, while those from the northbound platform lead to the eastern corners.Harlem/East Harlem References External links http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/stations?199:3152 IRT White Plains Road Line 125th Street nycsubway.org — Flying Home Harlem Heroes and Heroines Artwork by Faith Ringgold (1996) Station Reporter — 2 Train Station Reporter — 3 Train The Subway Nut — 125th Street Pictures https://web.archive.org/web/20170612090723/http://www.subwaynut.com/irt/125n2/index.php June 12, 2017 MTA's Arts For Transit — 125th Street (IRT Lenox Avenue Line) 125th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View Platforms from Google Maps Street View y y yes Category:1904 establishments in New York City Category:Harlem Category:IRT Lenox Avenue Line stations Category:New York City Subway stations in Manhattan Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1904