Note: There are three stations in the NYC Subway system named "Canal Street". All three are included in this writeup.


The New York City Subway Lines Project:
The Canal Street Station (1/9 Train, 2 Train)

What is it?

A station on the 1/9 Train and 2 Train (Seventh Avenue IRT) in the New York City Subway system.

Served By...

What's interesting About It

Very little. The station was renovated by New York City Transit employees (rather than outside contractors) in 1992. There is evidence of a sealed up crossunder passage on both platforms.

Visuals

Typical IRT-style large name and smaller letter mosaics.

What's Nearby?


The New York City Subway Lines Project:
The Canal Street Station(A Train, C Train, E Train)

What is it?

A station on the A/C/E (Eighth Avenue IND) in the New York City Subway system.

Served By...

What's interesting About It

This station opened in 1932. It is the last stop in Manhattan for Brooklyn-bound express (A) trains. Crossover (free transfer) between directions is available at the south end of the platform(s) only. When this station opened, there was a full mezzanine, but that has now been replaced by a police precinct. One interesting feature near the station is the beginnings of a tunnel planned for the IND Second System; from the front of a southbound train after leaving the station, you can see a bellmouth which was probably the opening for a tunnel to follow Worth Street to South 4th Street in Brooklyn.

The station configuration is:


downtown local track
island platform
downtown express track
uptown express track
island platform
uptown local track

Visuals

In usual IND style, the station has a colored tile border; in this case, dark blue with a darker blue border. There is also a "Canal Street" mosaic. If you go to the mezzanine in this part of the station, you can find iron ravens mixed in with the bars.

What's Nearby?


The New York City Subway Lines Project:
The Canal Street Station (N Train, R Train, 6 Train, J/Z Train, M Train)

What is it?

A station complex (two interconnected stations) on the N/R (Broadway BMT), 6 (Lexington Avenue IRT], and J/M/Z (Brooklyn Elevated BMT) in the New York City Subway system.

Served By...

What's interesting About It

This is one of the coolest stations in the whole system just because of its location. It's in the "four corners" spot where SoHo, TriBeCa, Chinatown, and Little Italy meet.

The Unused Platform

If you transferred between the N/ R and the J/M/Z before July 2001, you probably wondered what that strange unused platform was for and where the tracks went. If you've been through there since, you have seen service on those tracks. That station is the first stop in Manhattan if you ride the tracks from Brooklyn across the Manhattan Bridge south side. Since those tracks on the bridge were closed (due to bridge repair) for most of the 1990s, many people have never seen them in use. After leaving the Canal Street station, those tracks join up with the Broadway BMT and run along as the express tracks up to 57th Street, where the local and express tracks split with one going to Queens through the 60th Street Tunnel and one through the newer 63rd Street Tunnel.

N/R Local Platform

The "express tracks" seen at this platform are not really express tracks and have never been used in revenue sevice. They start at the unused lower level of the City Hall station and dead end shortly after the Canal Street N/R platform. The original plan for subway service in this area was
  1. Broadway local service would start at the upper level of City Hall and go north on the local tracks.
  2. Tracks coming from Brooklyn (through the Montague Street tunnel) would go through the lower level of City Hall and continue as Broadway express service using the express tracks.
  3. Tracks from the north side of the Manhattan Bridge would go crosstown to the Hudson River following Canal Street (and stopping at the Canal Street station).
  4. Tracks from the south side of the Manhattan Bridge would stop at the Chambers Street J/M/Z station.
As finally built,
  1. Tracks from the north side of the Manhattan Bridge connected to the Broadway BMT at Canal Street.
  2. Tracks from the south side of the Manhattan Bridge connected to the Nassau Street (J/M/Z) line.
  3. The upper level of City Hall was connected to the tracks through the Montague Street Tunnel.
  4. The lower level of City Hall was left as a 3-track terminal station, and has never been used for passenger traffic. It is currently used for train storage.
In 1967, when the Chrystie Street connection was built, the layout as we know it today was established:
  1. North side Manhattan Bridge tracks connecting to Sixth Avenue (B/D/F) tracks.
  2. South side Manhattan Bridge tracks connecting to Broadway tracks via Canal Street.

Visuals

N/R Platform

This station has recently been renovated to restore the original look. There are new mosaics with Chinese lettering to indicate the relationship to Chinatown. There are red plaques with Chinese symbols meaning "money" and "luck", and ideographs that actually read "China" and "Town".

6 Platform

This part of the station is being renovated. The original part of the station has tile-covered I beams with mosaics and an ornamental ceiling. The newer portion has green tile at the ends of the platforms and IND-style "To Canal Street" signs.

J/M/Z Platform

This part of the station has four tracks with two island platforms, though only two of the tracks are in use. Only the "Can" in the name tablet is showing, but the "C" mosaics are still visible. There are a number of closed exits.

Q/W Platform

I have not seen this platform since it opened. Anyone with first-hand knowledge should feel free to /msg me with a description.

What's Nearby?

Miscellaneous

Relative track depths in the Canal Street complex:

  • BMT Broadway (N/R) platforms: 40 feet below street level.
  • BMT bridge line (Q/W) platform: 50 feet below street level.
  • Lexington Avenue IRT (6) platform: 20 feet below street level.
  • Nassau Street BMT (J/M/Z) platform: 20 feet below street level.

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