Pelham Parkway Subway Station (Dyre Avenue Line)

Pelham Parkway is a station on the IRT Dyre Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Pelham Parkway North and the Esplanade (erroneously signed as "Esplanade Avenue" in the station) in the Bronx, it is served by the 5 train at all times. This station was built as part of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway (NYW&B), and opened in 1912. This station closed in 1937 with the NYW&B, but reopened in 1941 as a subway station after the portion of the line in the Bronx was purchased by New York City.

Station layout

This station was originally opened on May 29, 1912, as an express station of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway, with two island platforms and four tracks. It was closed on December 31, 1937, after the NYW&B went bankrupt but was opened again when the City of New York purchased the Bronx portion of the railroad for use in the subway system. An original NYW&B-era train indicator can still be found inside the station.

Today, the two local tracks remain in revenue service, and the southbound express track remains in use as a test track. The northbound express track ends about halfway between the north end of the station and the northern tunnel portal, however, it used to end at a bumper block just south of the station. The station is designed with two island platforms; however it is not considered an express station. The northbound express track had been restored at this station in October 2014. The purpose of the restoration was to serve work trains for the Dyre Avenue Line signal modernization project. As of 2017 the express tracks are also being used to develop a pilot program for platform screen doors technology.

Pelham Parkway is the only completely underground station on the Dyre Avenue Line and the only underground station in the system not originally built for subway use. It is also the northernmost underground IRT station. It is also the only 4-track underground station in the Bronx.

In 1981, the MTA listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system. Under the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Plan, the station, along with thirty other New York City Subway stations, will undergo a complete overhaul and would be entirely closed for up to 6 months. Updates would include cellular service, Wi-Fi, charging stations, improved signage, and improved station lighting. However, these renovations are being deferred until the 2020–2024 Capital Program due to a lack of funding.

Exit

The station's only entrance/exit is a head house in the median of the Esplanade north of Pelham Parkway North.

Text imported from Wikipedia article "Pelham Parkway station (IRT Dyre Avenue Line)" and modified on May 28, 2020 according to the CC-BY-SA 4.0 International license.