Bedford Park Blvd
Bedford Park Blvd is a well-designed terminus for B trains rush hours only extension from 145 Street into the Bronx. This is unlike the terminus for D trains one stop north at 205 Street. The station has two island platforms for the three-track line. Terminating 'local' trains, which are B trains during rush hours only, stop on the middle center track. Trains continuing from the 'express' track (if running), or through D trains to 205 Street stop on the two wall through tracks. This is all possible with out really being felt when the express tracks split into two and dip below the two local tracks with high speed switches between this station and Kingsbridge Road.
After the station the middle terminating track splits into two tracks again to continue into the Concourse yard, after more switches with the tracks that curve east to 205 Street (which also has a direct yard lead in that direction). A train is often stored on the center track during the weekends. The station holds crew quarters for both the B and D lines so D trains stop for a minute to change crew, generally after entering service at 205 Street, which lacks crew quarters. The crew quarters are accessed via a staircase at the southern end of each platform.
The station platform walls have a green trim line with Bedford written on the tiles beneath. Each platform has two sets of dark green columns. The station was built with a nearly full length mezzanine but this mezzanine has been split into two sections, with only small open portions of the mezzanine by each station exit towards each end of the platforms. In the middle of each platform is a closed staircase. The subway line is narrower than the wide Grand Concourse, and within the station the subway shifts from being more under the western side of the Grand Concourse at the southern end of the station to being towards the eastern side by the northern end.
The main station exit is towards the southern end of each platform, here two staircases lead up to the main lower mezzanine before a short additional wide staircase leads up to an upper mezzanine area. Here two elevators lead directly down to each platform below. These elevators opened as part of a $38.2 million accessibility project on October 15, 2022. Turnstiles lead out facing the token booth. There are multiple exits: Straight ahead a few steps lead downwards to the northern sidewalk of Bedford Park Blvd's underpass under the Grand Concourse. Along the northern wall is a staircase that loops around at an intermediate landing to the NW corner of the western side of the Grand Concourse and one of the Bedford Park Blvd service roads to the Grand Concourse. Near this staircase is the new street elevator, it leads up to an island between the southbound service roadway of the Grand Concourse and the main roadway. A longer passageway leads east and to a streetstair up to the NE corner of Bedford Park Blvd and the eastern side of the Grand Concourse.
Towards the northern end of each platform two still open staircases from each platform lead up to the lower mezzanine before another wider staircase leads up to another fare control area, here are only two High Entrance/Exit Turnstiles, and 3 Exit only Turnstiles, plus some MVMs. A street stair leads up to the SE corner of 203 Street and the eastern side of the Grand Concourse, a passageway this time is required that ramps up another staircase up to the western side of the Grand Concourse. This staircase is midblock (203 Street doesn't cross the Grand Concourse) and is next to St. Philip Neri School.
Photos 1: April 4, 2004; 2-11: March 24, 2007; 12-35: January 6, 2011
