Delancey Street – Essex Street (New York City Subway)

Delancey-Essex Streets is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the BMT Nassau Street Line and the IND Sixth Avenue Line. Located at Essex and Delancey Streets on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, it is served by

• F and J trains at all times
• M trains at all times except late nights.
• Z rush hours in the peak direction

The complex is on three levels, with the BMT platforms on the upper level, the IND mezzanine below, and the IND platforms on the lowest level. The full-time entrance is on the north side of Delancey Street, on either side of Essex Streets. It is located just west of the Williamsburg Bridge, in an area that in recent years has become a popular nightlife destination. The entire station complex needs renovation.

The connection between the Nassau Street and Sixth Avenue Line stations was instituted when the latter station opened, in 1936. It was one of the few places where the IND created a transfer to one of the competing lines.

BMT Nassau Street Line Platforms

Essex Street on the BMT Nassau Street Line has three tracks, one side platform, and one island platform. Southbound trains use the side platform. The other two tracks are on the island platform. The middle track, which was formerly the peak-direction express track, is now used for northbound trains over the Williamsburg Bridge. After a 2004 reconfiguration, the former northbound local track was taken out of service, although it can be used for special reroutes from the Broadway-Lafayette Street station. This connection has not been used in revenue service since 1982.

Next to the former Brooklyn-bound local track track is a closed trolley terminal. There are about three to four tracks against a wall and eight turning loops, which were used for trolley service from 1908 to 1948 that traveled over the Williamsburg Bridge to different parts in Brooklyn.

IND Sixth Avenue Line Platforms

Delancey Street on the IND Sixth Avenue Line has two tracks and two side platforms. The station has a part-time booth on the south side of Delancey Street and has two street staircases. Crossovers connect both platforms to the Essex Street station on the BMT Nassau Street Line. There were formerly exits at both the north (Rivington Street) and south (Broome Street) ends of the station. Twelve staircases, six on each side, led to the Rivington and Broome Street exits. They were all removed. Only the staircase at the southeast corner of Rivington and Essex Streets remains, but it is only used for storage. This staircase is easily identifiable, as it is adjacent to the rear of the Essex Street Market building. The tile band (purple with black border) and station name tablets have been replaced, replicating the style of the original design. In a departure from the norm of recent restorations, every other column at platform level has a large "D" for the station name.

There are two large wall-sized pieces of artwork, one on each wall where the staircase exits and transfers are located. The artist for both glass mosaics is Ming Fay (2004).

The artwork on the downtown side is titled Shad Crossing and details two giant shad fish swimming, along with another wall mosaic of blue waters. In the late 19th century, these shad were found along the Hudson River when new immigrants came to New York, many of whom settled on the Lower East Side. The new staircase to the relocated full-time booth also has another painting of a shad wrapped around the bottom of the stairs.

The uptown side is titled Delancey Orchard and has a cherry orchard tree mosaic, which symbolized the tree owned by the Delancey family in the 18th century. Along all staircases leading from the F platforms to either fare control are miniature versions of these paintings.

Bus connections

• B39
• M9
• M14

External links

• nycsubway.org
  • BMT Nassau Street Line: Essex Street
  • IND 6th Avenue: Delancey Street
• Station Reporter — Delancey Street/Essex Street Complex