81st Street – Museum of Natural History (IND Eighth Avenue Line)

81st Street–Museum of Natural History
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Station statistics
Address	West 81st Street & Central Park West New York, NY 10024
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Upper West Side
Coordinates	40°46′55″N 73°58′18″W / 40.781971°N 73.971763°W / 40.781971; -73.971763Coordinates: 40°46′55″N 73°58′18″W / 40.781971°N 73.971763°W / 40.781971; -73.971763
Division	B (IND)
Line	IND Eighth Avenue Line
Services	A  (late nights)       B  (weekdays until 11:00 p.m.)       C  (all except late nights)
Transit connections	NYCT Bus: M10, M79 MTA Bus: BxM2
Structure	Underground
Levels	2
Platforms	2 side platforms (1 on each level)
Tracks	4 (2 on each level)
Other information
Opened	September 10, 1932 (84 years ago) (1932-09-10)
Wireless service
Traffic
Passengers (2015)	4,584,041  0.5%
Rank	106 out of 425
Station succession
Next north	86th Street: A  B  C
Next south	72nd Street: A  B  C
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops late nights only Stops weekdays only
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York Show map of the US

81st Street–Museum of Natural History is a local station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. It is served by the C train at all times except nights, when the A train takes over service. The B train provides additional service here on weekdays except nights.

The station opened on September 10, 1932, and has four tracks and two side platforms. On this section of the line, the local tracks are stacked, uptown above downtown, and the express tracks are stacked in the same order to the east of them, so both platforms are on the west side, one above the other. The station is at Central Park West and 81st Street, rather than the major crosstown 79th Street, in order to accommodate the American Museum of Natural History, which largely fills the area of what was once called the Manhattan Square. The 79th Street Transverse Road, through Central Park, exits the park here.

South of this station are storage/lay up tracks between the local and express tracks on each level. Both ends of the tracks merge with the express tracks, with switches to the local tracks.

The station was renovated in 1998–2000, in coordination with building the new Hayden Planetarium, within the Rose Center for Earth and Space. The floors were replaced, new lighting installed, the token booth upgraded, and the walls and staircases re-tiled. Structural improvements were also made during the renovation.

There are two fare control areas, both on the upper platform. One is at the station's extreme south end, on Central Park West midblock between 77th and 81st Streets. From this fare control, a passageway leads to a staircase on the west side of Central Park West, just south of the American Museum of Natural History's front entrance. This fare control also has an underground entrance directly into the museum's lowest level. The other is at the station's north end, at Central Park West and West 81st Street. Two staircases lead to either western corner of the intersection (one to each corner).

...
Wikipedia