9 Avenue
9 Avenue is an extremely unusual West End Line station and the only one located at and below a grade instead of on an el. Historically the station was a junction and transfer point. The station opened on June 24, 1916 as a, and is still a 6 track two-level station although only the Upper Level is currently used in revenue service.
The station originally saw service from Manhattan with interlockings west of the station from both the current 4th Avenue Subway and Fifth Avenue elevated, and to Coney Island from both the current West End Line on the Upper-Level platforms and Culver Line on the Lower Level platforms.
Both the West End Line and Culver Lines were originally (and get their historical names from) surface steam railways that opened in 1875 and 1864 respectively. Under the Dual Contracts these former surface railways were supplemented (streetcars continued operating on the former lines until 1956) as elevated railways after the 9th Avenue Station both leading to Coney Island.
The Fifth Avenue elevated railway closed in 1941 and all subway service on the Culver and West End Lines operated into the 4th Avenue Subway. On October 30, 1954 the Culver Inline opened at Ditmas Avenue and the former through service on the Culver Line to Coney Island was replaced by the Culver Shuttle, operating between the lower-level of 9 Avenue at Ditmas Avenue with two intermediate stops at 13th Avenue & Fort Hamilton Parkway. At 12:01am on May 11th, 1975 the Culver Shuttle SS service was discontinued and the elevated line beyond the 9 Avenue station was abandoned with the structure above 37 Street.
Also west of the station is the 36th Street-38th Street Yard where no revenue service subway cars are based but the equipment that houses the C-Division of various work cars and diesel locomotives. West of the station are also connections to the New York-New Jersey Railway along with connections to the South Brooklyn Railway and what is now NY-NJ Rail.
The present open portion of the station consists of three tracks and two island platforms. D trains currently stop on the outer two local tracks. The middle track was previously used by terminating M train service during middays only for two stints of service. The first stint was from April 26, 1986 when M train service was relocated off of the Brighton Line until April 30, 1995 when midday service was cut back to Chambers Street because of Manhattan Bridge reconstruction requiring Q trains to operate via the Montague Street tunnel, a change that was made permanent because of budget cuts. Later from July 23, 2001 to February 22, 2004 M train service was extended again during Middays to provide a one seat ride between Manhattan's Chinatown (at Bowery, the closest stop to Grand Street) and Brooklyn's Chinatown Sunset Park while the north side of the Manhattan Bridge was closed and B and D train service wasn't operating south of 34 Street (9 Avenue saw service at all times from the W train). During all of these time periods and continuously between 1986 and 2010, Rush Hour Brown M trains stopped at 9 Avenue as an intermediate stop before continuing to their rush hour terminal at Bay Parkway. There was no M train service to South Brooklyn during Evenings, Nights and Weekends with service operating only as a Myrtle Avenue to Metropolitan Avenue Shuttle.
Today the middle track is currently only used by trains for reroutes, including when D trains run express via the Middle track in one direction to allow a local track to be closed for construction between 9 Avenue and Bay Parkway, or when a 4 Avenue subway line route needs to short turn, such as Weekend R train service during May 2022 when shuttle buses replaced service to Bay Ridge between 59 Street and 95 Street and R trains ran between 9 Avenue and Forest Hills.
The middle of the station is covered by a wide bridge containing 9 Avenue and the station house, where New Utrecht Avenue ends at a diagonal intersection just before the station. Extending from the bridge are canopies that cover about three-quarters of the middle portion of both platforms before the ends of the platforms are exposed to the elements. The platforms provide views to the 38 Street yard just north of the station, including an employee only footbridge at the western end of the platforms that leads into the yards. The northern (western end) of the platforms offers a nice view of the 38 Street yard and surrounding area, and the track connections down to the Culver Line lower level, with ramps up to the Upper Level platforms in use today. Just east of the station the West End Line rises up onto it’s elevated structure above New Utrecht Avenue, where all of the stations are before reaching Coney Island.
The abandoned Culver Line lower level consists of a similar three track, two island platform layout. This platform feels like an underground platform complete with a trimline saying 9 Avenue on the track walls. It has been often rented and used in recent years by Hollywood for film shoots. I visited it once around 2005 on a Railfan trip but those photos were lost in a hard drive crash.
To leave the platforms, two staircases lead up from each platform to a nicely restored BMT station house. On the Upper-level platform, just beyond each of these open staircases, were two staircases when the station opened that provided the only access down to the lower-level Culver Line platform. Today the western staircases have been slapped over on the Upper-Level platform, while the eastern staircases have been left intact to provide access to the lower-level platforms, with just a low gate preventing access to the abandoned lower-level.
The station house is extremely ornate and was restored in 2012. It feels more decorative with lots of mosaic tile than any of the station houses on the Sea Beach line which was completed at the same time. The station house, containing the only station entrance is located at street level on the eastern side of the wide 9 Avenue bridge across the subway line and is across from the entrance to the 38 Street yard.
Photos 1-4: February 28, 2004; 5-18: May 7, 2006; 19-39: August 11, 2009; 40-57: December 28, 2010; 58-88: September 26, 2012; 89-109: September 25, 2023;
Station Subway Lines (2004-2010)
Station Subway Lines (2000-2004)
