42 Street
This is a summary of the shuttle platforms before their 2019 to 2021 reconstruction that resulted in the shuttle being completely reconfigured to operate 6 car trains instead of 3 or 4 car trains, a single island platform opening farther east of this former platform alignment, a new connecting corridor to the B,D,F, and V trains at 6 Avenue/Bryant Park. The platform area's described in this summary are no longer open to the public.
The Shuttle's platforms at Times Square doesn't really have a genuine entry area off the large upper mezzanine except the pillars start being the IRT original round shape instead of the basic Square I-beam shape. The first of 3 platforms started immediately at what was basically the curved platform to track 1, shorter than the other platforms and on a curve requiring the use of gap fillers (a foot beneath the actual center doors of the cars with about a nine inch step) with fencing except where the doors to the train line up, along with "Watch Your Step" signage. A bit farther up along what is really the platform of Track 1 is a bank of turnstiles that lead out to 42 Street & Broadway, that's all the sign says above them. It is out to the SE corner. In this little fare control area history is on display with walls with tiling issues in the original formats and a terra-cotta panel over a sealed door saying Knickerbocker for the former hotel.
Continuing beyond the bumper block of track one we pass the open gates (they are closed during midnight hours when the shuttle doesn't operate, passengers can use the 7) that close off the passageway that leads to the other two tracks, two and four. Track two is the next one we come to, its platform is between tracks 1 and 3, in an area where the former track 2 (on the IRT's opening day the original Times Square station was a local stop), and marked by red fencing along it except where the doors are because its also on a bit of a curve. Continuing beyond the end of then platform for track 3 (there is no track 2), we walk over the metal bridge (that covers the end of track 4 and its only connection to the outside world) that leads to the side platform for track 4, and have a good view of the dark tunnels of the IRT 7th Avenue line as they curve to follow Broadway, before passing a high exit turnstile that leads to the exit to at the SW corner of Broadway and 43 Street with two High Entrance/Exit Turnstiles, directly beneath one of Times Square's ads along the small police kiosk in the Broadway pedestrian zone and a good entrance to know about to catch the shuttle quickly from street level. Beyond this entrance is track 4s side platform that now only has a simple tiled wall, with lots of ads plastered not in panels designed for them) on it. There is some original celing molding though along the platform.
Photos 1: June 4, 2004; 2-4: December 18, 2004; 5: June 5, 2008; 6: December 21, 2008; 7-17; June 2, 2009; 18-32: August 12, 2011; 33 & 34: Feburary 2, 2012; 35: October 31, 2012; 36: October 12, 2012; 37-40: Marhc 8, 2013; 41-44: May 11, 2013; 45-47: May 12, 2013; 48-50: November 12, 2013;
