59 Street (N,R) - The SubwayNut

59 Street, is an express stop on the BMT 4th Avenue Subway. South of the station, after universal crossovers between the Express and Local tracks, the N train and the Sea Beach Line curve away from the subway, becoming the express tracks, the local tracks continue father south as a two-track subway south to Bay Ridge.

The station has two island platforms and two exits, each on their own small mezzanines. Both station walls have mosaic trim lines at the top of the white tiles that spell out 59th Street at various intervals, but is extremely faint and a bit hard to read. Both platforms also have two sets along each track of I-beam columns that are painted yellow, both mezzanines also have there original trim lines along their walls.

At the extreme southern end of the platforms are single staircases up from each platform to an unsaffed High Entrance/Exit turnstile exit on a small mezzanine, these lead out to to streetstairs up to eitherside of 4th Avenue just north of 60th Street.

The full time exit is towards the northern end of the platform and there are two staircases up from each platform, to a small mezzanine area, short secondary staircases lead up to small intermediate landings before leading to two staircases out each side of 4th Avenue. One set of staircases leads to the NE and NW corners of 4th Avneue and 60th Street, a second staircase leads out to the sidewalk in the opposite direction, just to the north. with exits to corners of 4th Avenue and 59 Street. At the top of the pairs of staircases down to each platform are mosaic signs that say Downtown for the Bay Ridge/Coney Island-bound platform and Uptown for the Manhattan-bound platform. The reverse of the standard geographical Manhattan uptown/downtown directions.

ADA Accessible Update: On November 9, 2020, 59 Street became an accessible station. A new elevator was installed near the NW corner of 4th Avenue, replacing the second streetstair, with the remaining streetstair (closest to the corner) being widened. Two additional platform elevators were installed connecting the mezzanine down to each platform. The elevators are right in front of nicely uncovered and restored mosaics, including one that says Down Town Trains for Manhattan & Queens, which is accurate, but not the way people think of Uptown/Downtown on a Manhattan-centric basis normally.
Photos 1-13: June 9, 2009; 14-15: November 5, 2012; 16-40: September 25, 2023;

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Looking down the Brooklyn-bound platform towards its extreme southern end as passengers leave an R train, and make their way up the only staircase to the 60 Street exit at 59 Streets.

Two High Exit/Entrance Turnstiles in the decently sized mezzanine area at the now unstaffed exit to 60 Street at 59 Street.

A fenced off door to a room with a blank terra-cotta sign above it, a staircase down to the Manhattan & Queens platform is also visible.

Looking down the narrow and busy Manhattan & Queens island platform at 59 Street.

An older 59 column sign at 59 Street.

Another view down the Manhattan-bound platform at 59 Street, with a sign for the 24 hour booth and exit to 59 St & 4 Avenue visible.

A faded 59 Street mosaic name tablet sign along the Manhattan-bound local track.

Approaching one of the two staircases up to the 59 St & 4 Av exit.

Looking across to the Coney Island/Bay Ridge-bound, uptown platform at 59 St & 4 Avenue.

An old mosaic sign on the mezzanine for 59 St & 4 Av for Down Town Trains, the Manhattan & Queens trains.

The turnstiles out to 59 St & 4 Av in its small mezzanine area.

A mosaic sign for Up Town Trains, N R trains to 95 St & Coney Island on the mezzanine at 59 St & 4 Av

A final view on the Manhattan & Queens Platform at 59 St for one of the staircases that has an old format sign for 59 St & 4 Av.

A R46 R train sits idol on the Express track post Superstorm Sandy

A R160 N train re-enters service on the Local track after terminating at 59 Street because the Sea Beach Line is still out of service post-Superstorm Sandy

New Help Points and accessibilty logos on the platform

An Exit sign above a bench

The ADA Boarding Area

The little blue Accessible boarding area sign

The service sign for R to Forest Hills-71 Av and Late Nights to Whitehall (no street), with N trains stopping to Astoria via Lower Manhattan on the local track overnight

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