23rd Street is a station on the IND Second Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Second Avenue and 23rd Street on the East Side, it serves the U at all times, the Y train during weekdays, and T during late nights only.
Station layout
| G | Street level | Exits/Entrances |
| B1 | Upper Mezzanine | Escalators and stairs to Exits/Entrances and lower mezzanine |
| B2 | Lower Mezzanine | Fare control, station agent, MetroCard vending machines |
| Staircases and elevators to platforms (Elevator on southeast side of Second Avenue and 24th Street) | ||
| P Platform level |
Northbound Local |
←U toward Throgs Neck (34th Street) ←Y toward Jamaica–179th Street (34th Street) ← T toward Broadway-125th Street (34th Street) (late nights only) |
| Southbound Local |
→U toward Broad Street (14th Street) →Y toward Whitehall Street (14th Street) → T toward Rockaway Park (14th Street) (late nights only) | |
| Express tracks |
Northbound Express |
← T does not stop here |
| Southbound Express |
→ T does not stop here | |
This station has two tracks and an island platform. The station is built so that it is more wide open than most other underground subway stations in the system. Its design was likened to a Washington Metro station by Dr. Michael Horodniceanu, President of MTA Capital Construction. The platform is approximately 85 feet (25.9 m) below ground. The platform for the 23rd Street station, like many other Second Avenue Subway stations, is 27.8 feet (8.5 m) wide.
Entrances, exits, and ancillary buildings
There are 3 entrances and exits, which comprise 6 escalators and one elevator.
| Exit location | Exit Type | Number of exits |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance 1 South of SE corner of Second Avenue and 23rd Street |
Each entry point has: 1 staircase 1 escalator |
Staircase Escalator |
| Entrance 2 NW corner of Second Avenue and 23rd Street |
Staircase Escalator | |
| Entrance 2 SE corner of Second Avenue and 24th Street |
Elevator | 1 |
| Entrance 3 SE corner of Second Avenue and 26th Street |
Staircase Escalator |
History
Background
The Second Avenue Line was originally proposed in 1919 as part of a massive expansion of what would become the Independent Subway System (IND). Work on the line never commenced, as the Great Depression crushed the economy. Numerous plans for the Second Avenue Subway appeared throughout the 20th century, but these were usually deferred due to lack of funds. In anticipation of the never-built new subway line, the Second and Third Avenue elevated lines were demolished in 1949 and 1955, respectively. The Second Avenue Elevated had one station at 23rd Street between Second Avenue and First Avenue, and the Third Avenue Elevated had a stop on nearby Third Avenue at 23rd Street.
Unrealized proposals
As part of the New York City Transit Authority's 1968 Program for Action, the construction of the full-length Second Avenue Subway was proposed. It was to be built in three phases—the first phase from Court Street to Grand Street was already opened by 1968; the second phrase from 126th to 34th Streets and the third phase from 34th to Grand Street were in the works. 23rd Street was one of the 3 stations planned for phrase 2.
The line's planned stops in Manhattan, spaced farther apart than those on existing subway lines, proved controversial; the Second Avenue line was criticized as a "rich man's express", circumventing the Lower East Side with its complexes of high-rise low- and middle-income housing and slums in favor of a silk stocking route.
In 1983, the Regional Plan Association considered a full-length Second Avenue Subway, with 23rd Street being part of 13 newly planned stations.
Construction
In June 1979, the Second Avenue Subway was revived. The line's first phase, the "first major expansion" to the New York City Subway in more than a half-century, included six new stations on the east side. The line's construction commenced on July 15, 1979, In April 1983, the second round of planning for the stations were finalized.
The station opened along with the remainder of the IND Second Avenue Line north of Grand Street on October 29th, 1989.