The Fourth Avenue/Ninth Street station is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the elevated IND Culver Line and the underground BMT Fourth Avenue Line. It is located at the intersection of Ninth Street and Fourth Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn and served by the: , and trains at all times and trains late nights W train during rush hours only, with some trips in the peak direction
The Ninth Street portion of the station was constructed as part of the Fourth Avenue Line, which was approved in 1905. Construction on the segment of the line that includes Union Street started on December 20, 1909, and was completed in September 1912. The station opened on June 22, 1915, as part of the initial portion of the BMT Fourth Avenue Line to 59th Street. The station's platforms were lengthened in 1926–1927, and again in 1970. The Fourth Avenue portion was built as part of the Culver Line of the city-operated Independent Subway System, and was constructed as an elevated station so the line could pass over the Gowanus Canal to the west. This station opened on October 7, 1933. The two stations were consolidated into a single station complex on May 28, 1959.
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History Fourth Avenue Line
Construction and opening The Ninth Street station was constructed as part of the Fourth Avenue Line, and was the first part of this station complex to open. The plan for the line was initially adopted on June 1, 1905. The Rapid Transit Commission was succeeded on July 1, 1907, by the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC), which approved the plan for the line in late 1907. The contract for the section of the line that included the Ninth Street station, Route 11A2, which extended from 10th Street to Sackett Street, was awarded on May 22, 1908, to the E.E. Smith Construction Company for $2,296,234.93 (). The New York City Board of Estimate approved the contract on October 29, 1909. Construction on the segment started on December 20, 1909, and was completed in September 1912. The South Brooklyn Board of Trade proposed in 1910 to change the Ninth Street and DeKalb Avenue stations from local to express stops, as well as changing the Pacific Street station from an express stop to a local stop, but this was not done.
As part of negotiations between New York City, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT), and the Interborough Rapid Transit Company for the expansion of the city's transit network, the line was leased to a subsidiary of the BRT. The agreement, known as Contract 4 of the Dual Contracts, was signed on March 19, 1913. Ninth Street opened on June 22, 1915, as part of an extension of the subway to Coney Island, which included the Fourth Avenue Line north of 59th Street as well as the entire Sea Beach Line. The station's opening was marked with a competition between two trains heading from Chambers Street station in Manhattan to the Coney Island station, one heading via the West End Line and the other via the Sea Beach Line; the latter got to Coney Island first.
1920s platform extensions On June 27, 1922, the New York State Transit Commission commissioned its engineers to examine platform-lengthening plans for 23 stations on the lines of the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT), the successor to the BRT, to accommodate eight-car trains. As part of the project, Ninth Street's platforms would have been lengthened from to . Though the Transit Commission ordered the BMT to lengthen these platforms in September 1923, no further progress was made until February 16, 1925, when the New York City Board of Transportation (NYCBOT) commissioned its engineers to examine platform-lengthening plans for this and eleven other stations along the Fourth Avenue Line. It estimated the project would cost $633,000 (). The NYCBOT received bids for the project on February 25, 1926. The contract was awarded to the Corson Construction Company for $345,021 (). The extensions opened on August 1, 1927.
Culver Line The Fourth Avenue station was constructed as part of the Culver (South Brooklyn) Line of the Independent Subway System (IND). One of the goals of Mayor John Hylan's IND, proposed in the 1920s, was a line to Coney Island, reached by a recapture of the BMT Culver Line. As originally designed, service to and from Manhattan would have been exclusively provided by Culver express trains, while all local service would have fed into the IND Crosstown Line.
In 1925, the IND finalized plans to build the line. The line's path crossed the Gowanus Canal, and the IND originally wanted to build a deep-river tunnel under the canal. To save money, the IND built a viaduct over the canal instead, resulting in the creation of the only above-ground section of the original IND. The first section of the line opened on March 20, 1933, from Jay Street to Bergen Street. The line was extended from Bergen Street to Church Avenue on October 7, 1933, including the Fourth Avenue station.Information adapted from:
Station complex and subsequent years The city government took over the BMT's operations on June 1, 1940. A free transfer point was established between the two stations on May 28, 1959, to compensate for the loss of through Culver service via the Fourth Avenue Line.
Fourth Avenue Line renovation In July 1959, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) announced that it would install fluorescent lighting at the Ninth Street station and five other stations along the Fourth Avenue Line for between $175,000 and $200,000. Bids on the project were to be advertised on August 7, 1959, and completed by fall 1960.
In the 1960s, the NYCTA started a project to lengthen station platforms on its lines in Southern Brooklyn to to accommodate 10-car trains. On July 14, 1967, the NYCTA awarded a contract to conduct test borings at eleven stations on the Fourth Avenue Line, including Ninth Street, to the W. M. Walsh Corporation for $6,585 () in preparation of the construction of platform extensions. The NYCTA issued an invitation for bids on the project to extend the platforms at stations along the Fourth Avenue Line between Pacific Street and 36th Street, including those at Ninth Street, on March 28, 1969. Funding for the renovation projects came out of the NYCTA's 1969–1970 Capital Budget, costing $8,177,890 () in total.
As part of the renovation project, the station's platforms were extended, and the station's elaborate mosaic tile walls were covered over with white cinderblock tiles. The latter change, which was also made to 15 other stations on the BMT Broadway and Fourth Avenue Lines, was criticized for being dehumanizing. The NYCTA spokesman stated that the old tiles were in poor condition and that the change was made to improve the appearance of stations and provide uniformity. Furthermore, it did not consider the old mosaics to have "any great artistic merit".
Culver Viaduct renovation In 2007, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced a three-year renovation project of the elevated Culver Viaduct. The work area covers from south of Carroll Street to north of Ditmas Avenue. For Phase 2A of the project, a temporary platform was built over the southbound express track to allow northbound trains to stop at the station. The platform was then removed for Phase 2B. For Phase 3A a temporary platform was built over the northbound express track to allow southbound trains to stop. Reconstruction of the Fourth Avenue station was completed in April 2013. As part of the project, the arch bridge over Fourth Avenue was restored with the elimination of billboards and the removal of paint over the windows. The station received a public address system as part of the project. In addition, the MTA reopened the east station house to the station, after it had been closed for over 40 years.
Before 2009, G service terminated at Smith–Ninth Streets, one stop to the north. Terminating southbound trains used the switches just west of Fourth Avenue to enter the southbound express tracks. After being stored on the southbound express track, the G trains would start their Queens-bound runs by using the switches to enter the northbound local track. The switches were taken out of regular service in 2009, when the viaduct's reconstruction started and the G was extended to Church Avenue.
Planned accessibility As part of its 2025–2029 Capital Program, the MTA has proposed making the station wheelchair-accessible in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Station layout 3rd floorCulver platformsNorthbound local← toward ()← toward (Smith–Ninth Streets)Northbound express← does not stop hereSouthbound express does not stop here →Southbound local toward () → toward (Seventh Avenue) →2nd floorMezzanineConnection between platforms, fare control, station agent, OMNY machinesGroundStreet levelExit/entranceBasementFourth Avenue platformsEast mezzanineNorthbound fare control, OMNY machinesNorthbound local← toward ( late nights) ()← toward late nights (Union Street)← toward late nights (Union Street)← toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard (select weekday trips) (Union Street)Northbound express← do not stop hereSouthbound express do not stop here →Southbound local toward () → toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue late nights (Prospect Avenue) → toward (select weekday trips) (Prospect Avenue)West mezzanineSouthbound fare control, OMNY machines
Exits
Exit location Exit type Number of exits Platform served Building on the west side of 4th Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets Two doorways 1 Southbound Fourth Avenue Line Both Culver Line platforms Building on the east side of 4th Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets Two doorways 1 Northbound Fourth Avenue Line Both Culver Line platforms NW corner of 4th Avenue and 9th Street Staircase 1 Southbound Fourth Avenue Line NE corner of 4th Avenue and 9th Street Staircase 1 Northbound Fourth Avenue Line
This station has four entrances. There are three doorways to common fare areas to large buildings on both sides of 4th Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets. Each building has two doorways to 4th Avenue and one to 10th Street. The other two are entrances on either northern corner of 4th Avenue and 9th Street, and lead directly to the BMT Fourth Avenue Line platforms.
IND Culver Line platforms
The Fourth Avenue station (announced as Fourth Avenue-Ninth Street) is a local station on the IND Culver Line that has four tracks and two side platforms. The station is between to the north and to the south. It along with Smith–Ninth Streets are the only two elevated stations in the original IND system, both located on the Culver Viaduct crossing over the Gowanus Canal. The platforms are the IND's usual length of , and the width of the platforms is . Both platforms have tan brick windscreens with covered-up windows and column-less cantilevered canopies along their entire lengths except for a small portion of the west (railroad north) end.
At the east (railroad south) end of the station, the line crosses over Fourth Avenue atop an Art Deco truss arch bridge, consisting of massive steel arches with glass panes forming the outer walls of the station and platforms; each arch is anchored between two limestone-and-brick towers, one on either side of the arch. Running along the top of the arches are straight brick piers with patterns. Above the four tracks is an additional truss structure. The windows of the arches were formerly painted over, while billboards were affixed to the outside of each arch; these were removed in the 2012 renovation.