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14th Street – Union Square ​​​​​​​
New York City Subway station complex
Station entrance within Union Square Park
Station statistics
Address	East 14th Street, Park Avenue South & Broadway New York, NY 10003
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Union Square
Coordinates	40°44′05″N 73°59′25″W / 40.73472°N 73.99028°W / 40.73472; -73.99028
Division	A (IRT), B (BMT)
Line	BMT Broadway Line    BMT Canarsie Line    IRT Lexington Avenue Line
Services	4  (all times) ​   5  (all times except late nights) ​   6  (all times) <6>  (weekdays until 8:45 p.m., peak direction)​    L  (all times)​    N  (all times) ​   Q  (all times) ​   R  (all except late nights) ​   W  (weekdays only)
Transit	NYCT Bus: M1, M2, M3, M14A/D, X1, X7, X9, X10, X12, X17, X27, X28
Structure	Underground
Levels	3
Other information
Opened	July 1, 1948 (76 years ago) (1948-07-01)
Accessible	ADA-accessible (BMT Broadway Line & BMT Canarsie Line platforms only)
Traffic
2023	21,527,757  20.9%
Rank	4 out of 423
Location Show map of New York City SubwayShow map of New York CityShow map of New York
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops in station at all times Stops all times except late nights Stops late nights only Stops late nights and weekends only Stops weekdays during the day Stops weekends during the day Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction Stops all times except weekdays in the peak direction Stops all times except nights and rush hours in the peak direction Stops rush hours only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Station is closed (Details about time periods)
14th Street-Union Square Subway Station (IRT; Dual System BMT)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
MPS	New York City Subway System MPS
NRHP reference No.	05000671
Added to NRHP	July 6, 2005

14th Street – Union Square is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the BMT Broadway Line, the BMT Canarsie Line and the IRT Lexington Avenue Line. It is located at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and 14th Street, underneath Union Square in Manhattan, and is served by the:

• 4, 6, L, N, and Q trains at all times
• 5 and R trains at all times except late nights
• <6> train weekdays in the peak direction

In 2013, 35,309,414 passengers entered this station, making it the fourth-busiest station of the New York City Subway.

Overview

The complex is located on the border of several neighborhoods with popular business, residential and nightlife destination spots, including the East Village to the southeast, Greenwich Village to the south and southwest, Chelsea to the northwest, and both the Flatiron District and Gramercy Park to the north and northeast.

There are three originally separate stations here, which were combined sometime after unification of the subways in 1940. They now share a mezzanine, common entrance points, and unified signage. This complex was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Station layout

Template:NYCS Platform Layout 14th Street-Union Square Station

IRT Lexington Avenue Line platforms

14th Street – Union Square ​​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Downtown platform for the local services (left) and express services (right), showing the curvature of the station and the movable platforms
Station statistics
Division	A (IRT)
Line	IRT Lexington Avenue Line
Services	4  (all times) ​   5  (all times except late nights) ​   6  (all times) <6>  (weekdays until 8:45 p.m., peak direction)
Platforms	2 island platforms (in service) cross-platform interchange 2 side platforms (abandoned)
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	October 27, 1904 (120 years ago) (1904-10-27)
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2023	21,527,757  20.9%
Rank	4 out of 423
Station succession
Next north	Template:NYCS next Template:NYCS next 18th Street (closed)
Next south	Template:NYCS next Template:NYCS next
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops in station at all times Stops all times except late nights Stops late nights only Stops late nights and weekends only Stops weekdays during the day Stops weekends during the day Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction Stops all times except weekdays in the peak direction Stops all times except nights and rush hours in the peak direction Stops rush hours only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Station is closed (Details about time periods)

14th Street – Union Square, opened on October 27, 1904, is an express station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line that has four tracks and two island platforms. The uptown and downtown platforms are offset from each other and slightly curved. Gap-filling movable platforms on the downtown side are automatically operated via proximity sensors when trains arrive. The station's mezzanines are located over the platforms.

The station has two abandoned local side platforms; the northbound one is visible through windows, bordered with wide, bright red frames. From the north end of the downtown platform's mezzanine, the adjacent side platform can be seen through a hole in the plywood.

1991 accident

On August 28, 1991, an accident just north of the station killed five riders and injured 215 others in one of the worst wrecks since a crash at Times Square – 42nd Street on the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line in 1928 that killed 16 people. The train operator, Robert Ray, was intoxicated and had been overshooting platforms during the entire run from Woodlawn in the Bronx. Just north of this station, his Utica Avenue-bound 4 train was to be shifted to the local track due to repair work on the express one. He was running at 40 mph (65 km/h) at a 10 mph (16 km/h) zone and took the switch so fast that only the first car made it through the crossover. The rest of the train was involved in a derailment that led to a massive pile-up. Cars 1435, 1436, 1437, 1439, and 1440 were essentially scrapped on the site, and the IRT Lexington Line suffered heavy structural damage as a result. Service was disrupted for six days (with trains terminating at 59th Street for the duration) as transit workers toiled around the clock to clean up the wreckage. The entire infrastructure, including signals, switches, track, roadbed, cabling, and 23 support columns needed to be replaced. Ray was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison, but released in April 2002 for good behavior.

The wreck occurred at the entry to a former pocket track. Like 72nd Street on the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line, this station was built with extra tracks on the approach to the station. These were between the local and express tracks and approximately 300 feet (91 m) long. The idea was to have a "stacking" track where a train could be held momentarily until the platform cleared for it to enter the station. The tracks here and at 72nd Street were rendered useless when train lengths grew beyond these tracks' capacity. When the damage from the 1991 wreck was repaired, the stacking track was removed.

Image gallery

• Old IRT "14" eagle cartouche
• Abandoned side platform behind the wall and the black bars on the right, whose edge is still visible.
• Mosaic depicting the platform at Spring Street on the IND Eighth Avenue Line

BMT Broadway Line platforms

14th Street – Union Square ​​​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Template:NYCS-bull-small train of R160 cars arriving on the local track
Station statistics
Division	B (BMT)
Line	BMT Broadway Line
Services	N  (all times) ​   Q  (all times) ​   R  (all except late nights) ​   W  (weekdays only)
Platforms	2 island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	September 4, 1917 (107 years ago) (1917-09-04)
Accessible	ADA-accessible (Transfer to IRT Lexington Avenue Line platforms not yet accessible)
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2023	21,527,757  20.9%
Rank	4 out of 423
Station succession
Next north	Template:NYCS next Template:NYCS next
Next south	Template:NYCS next Template:NYCS next
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops in station at all times Stops all times except late nights Stops late nights only Stops late nights and weekends only Stops weekdays during the day Stops weekends during the day Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction Stops all times except weekdays in the peak direction Stops all times except nights and rush hours in the peak direction Stops rush hours only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Station is closed (Details about time periods)

14th Street – Union Square, opened on September 5, 1917 is an express station on the BMT Broadway Line that has four tracks and two island platforms.

It is the southernmost station in Manhattan with a cross-platform interchange between all three Broadway services. A mosaic on the platform side walls is a depiction of "the junction of Broadway and … Bowery Road, 1828," as the area was once known. The mezzanine and crossover level has been reconstructed as well. Some former passageways and stairways have been closed off, including one immediately adjacent to the southernmost staircase on the northbound side.

This station was overhauled in the late 1970s. The MTA replaced the original wall tiles, old signs, and incandescent lighting with the 1970s wall tile band and tablet mosaics, signs and fluorescent lights. They also fixed staircases and platform edges. In 2002, the station was upgraded for ADA-accessibility and its original late 1910s tiling was restored. As part of the upgrade, the MTA repaired the staircases, re-tiled for the walls and floors, upgraded the station's lights and the public address system, installed yellow safety treads along the platform edge, new signs, and new trackbeds in both directions. The station now has an elevator on both platforms as well as connection to the station entrances and passageway to the IRT Lexington Avenue Line.

In 2005, an artwork called City Glow by Chiho Aoshima was installed here.

Image gallery

• Mosaic
• Depiction of the junction of Broadway and Bowery Road in 1828
• New tile name tablets on the mezzanine with names of 9/11 victims
• Elevator to southbound platform from mezzanine

BMT Canarsie Line platform

Union Square
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Elevator and "countdown clock"
Station statistics
Division	B (BMT)
Line	BMT Canarsie Line
Services	L  (all times)
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	September 21, 1924 (100 years ago) (1924-09-21)
Accessible	ADA-accessible (transfer to IRT Lexington Avenue Line platforms not yet accessible)
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2023	21,527,757  20.9%
Rank	4 out of 423
Station succession
Next north	Template:NYCS next
Next south	Template:NYCS next
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops in station at all times Stops all times except late nights Stops late nights only Stops late nights and weekends only Stops weekdays during the day Stops weekends during the day Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction Stops all times except weekdays in the peak direction Stops all times except nights and rush hours in the peak direction Stops rush hours only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Station is closed (Details about time periods)

Union Square on the BMT Canarsie Line, opened on September 21, 1924 has two tracks and one island platform with numerous stairways and exits leading from it. There is one mezzanine attached to this station with entrances on the south side of 14th Street between Broadway and University Place. Other entrances in the complex serve the other services that stop here. The original mosaic band of sky blue, sea green, lime green and yellow ochre stands clearly visible above new green-bordered tile panels. The station has been renovated and is now ADA-accessible with a single elevator going up from the platform to the mezzanine.

References

1. ^ "Glossary". Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) (PDF). Vol. 1. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 4, 2003. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
2. New York Times, Transfer Points Under Higher Fare, June 30, 1948, page 19
3. ^ "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
4. "NPS Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
5. ^ "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
6. New York County Listings at the National Register of Historic Places (Structure #05000671)
7. New York Times, Our Subway Open: 150,000 Try It, October 28, 1904
8. http://www.nysubway.com/safety/subwaysafety.html
9. 44:10-50:10 in this video do a small documentary on the accident: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KKVupF7Uug
10. New York Times, Open First Section of Broadway Line, September 5, 1917
11. New York Times, Open New Subway to Times Square, January 6, 1918

Further reading

• Lee Stokey. Subway Ceramics : A History and Iconography. 1994. ISBN 978-0-9635486-1-0

External links

• nycsubway.org – IRT East Side Line: 14th Street/Union Square
• nycsubway.org – BMT Broadway Subway: 14th Street/Union Square
• nycsubway.org – BMT Canarsie Line: Union Square
• nycsubway.org — Framing Union Square Artwork by Mary Miss (1998)
• nycsubway.org — Paradise Artwork by Chiho Aoshima (2005)
• nycsubway.org — City Glow Artwork by Chiho Aoshima (2005)
• Station Reporter — 14th Street – Union Square Complex
• Forgotten NY — Original 28 - NYC's First 28 Subway Stations
• MTA's Arts For Transit — 14th Street – Union Square
• Abandoned Stations - Abandoned Stations - 14th Street side platforms
• 14th Street and Broadway entrance to Canarsie Line from Google Maps Street View
• 14th Street and Fourth Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• entrance by Union Square East from Google Maps Street View
• Union Square East and 15th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• entrance in Union Square Park from Google Maps Street View
• Union Square West and 16th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View

v t e Stations of the New York City Subway, by line (physical trackage)
Lexington Ave. Line ​​	[← to 138th Street–Grand Concourse, Jerome Ave. Line / ← to Third Avenue–138th Street, Pelham Line] 125th Street 116th Street 110th Street 103rd Street 96th Street 86th Street 77th Street 68th Street–Hunter College 59th Street 51st Street Grand Central–42nd Street 33rd Street 28th Street 23rd Street 18th Street 14th Street–Union Square Astor Place Bleecker Street Spring Street Canal Street Worth Street Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall ←City Hall Fulton Street Wall Street Bowling Green [to Borough Hall, Eastern Pkwy. Line →] South Ferry
Broadway Line ​​​	[← to Queens Plaza, Queens Blvd. Line via 60th Street Tunnel and connection / ← to Queensboro Plaza, Astoria Line via 60th Street Tunnel] Lexington Avenue–59th Street Fifth Avenue–59th Street [← to Lexington Avenue–63rd Street, 63rd St. lines] 57th Street–Seventh Avenue 49th Street Times Square–42nd Street 34th Street–Herald Square 28th Street 23rd Street 14th Street–Union Square Eighth Street–New York University Prince Street Canal Street [to DeKalb Avenue, 4th Ave./Brighton Lines via Manhattan Bridge →] City Hall Cortlandt Street Rector Street Whitehall Street–South Ferry [to Court Street, Fourth Ave. Line via Montague Street Tunnel →]
Canarsie Line	Eighth Avenue Sixth Avenue Union Square Third Avenue First Avenue Bedford Avenue Lorimer Street Graham Avenue Grand Street Montrose Avenue Morgan Avenue Jefferson Street DeKalb Avenue Myrtle–Wyckoff Avenues Halsey Street Wilson Avenue Bushwick Avenue–Aberdeen Street Broadway Junction [← to Broadway Junction, Jamaica Line] Atlantic Avenue Sutter Avenue Livonia Avenue New Lots Avenue East 105th Street Canarsie–Rockaway Parkway
See also Lists by borough (The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens) Accessible Closed Terminals Transfer Commons category Stations and line segments in italics are closed, demolished, or planned (temporary closures are marked with asterisks). Track connections to other lines' terminals are displayed in brackets. Struck through passenger track connections are closed or unused in regular service.

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Category List National Register of Historic Places Portal

• Accessible New York City Subway stations
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