page_title: Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station
section_title: Expansion for the Second Avenue Subway
hierarchical_section_title: Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station / History / Expansion for the Second Avenue Subway
caption_attribution_description: This is an update of the status of construction of the Second Avenue Subway as of late January 2013. This photo shows work underway at station at 63rd Street and Lexington Avenue, which is being expanded to accommodate Second Avenue Subway trains. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
context_page_description: Lexington Avenue–63rd Street is a New York City Subway station in Lenox Hill, Manhattan, shared by the IND and BMT 63rd Street Lines. Located at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 63rd Street, it is served by the:
  F and Q trains at all times
  limited N trains during rush hours
  <F> trains during rush hours in the peak direction
  one A.M. rush hour R train in the northbound direction only
  The station has two platform levels; trains headed southbound to downtown and Brooklyn use the upper level, while trains headed northbound to uptown and Queens use the lower level. This is one of the deepest stations in the subway system, requiring several banks of long escalators or elevators.
  Construction started at this station in 1969, but as a result of the New York City fiscal crisis in 1975, the station did not open until 1989. Originally, the station was intended to be a transfer point for Sixth Avenue/Queens Boulevard and Broadway/Second Avenue services. As such, the station was designed to allow for cross-platform interchanges on both levels. However, construction of the Second Avenue Subway was halted in 1975 during the station's construction.
context_section_description: In 2007, the Second Avenue Subway resumed construction. As part of the project, the station was to undergo renovation to finish the BMT side, which would serve Second Avenue Line trains. The renovation included installation of new platform staircases, new wall tiles, new columns and column cladding, new platform pavings, new entrances/exits, new low-vibration track, and new mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and communication systems. The contract for renovation of the station was awarded to Judlau Contracting on January 13, 2011.
  On September 22, 2011, a Second Avenue Subway tunnel-boring machine completed its run to the Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station's bellmouth from 92nd Street and Second Avenue. Controlled blasting for the section of tunnel between Third Avenue/63rd Street and Second Avenue/65th Street was completed in March 2012.
  The orange false walls at platform level were removed in 2012 as part of construction, but the orange tiles at the Lexington Avenue mezzanine, as well as on the corridors to platform level, were kept for the time being. In spring 2012, temporary blue walls separating most of the IND and BMT sides were erected for the duration of construction. Both sides had large white and grey panels on the track side, as well as "temporary" tiles that said "Lex 63" at regular intervals. This differed vastly from the small beige tiles that were on the IND side of the tracks from 1989 to 2013. New platform signs for the Second Avenue Subway were erected in December 2016.
  When the contract was awarded, renovation was estimated to be finished by May 2014, but the completion date had been pushed back constantly, and as of August 2015, the completion date was Spring 2016, though this was later pushed back to Summer 2016. As of July 2015, the renovation was 90% complete, and as of June 2016, 98% complete with only cosmetic finishes and power upgrades to be completed.
  To accommodate the increased patronage expected after the beginning of Second Avenue Subway service, the MTA built four new entrances at the intersection of Third Avenue and 63rd Street, leading to a new mezzanine at the eastern end of the station. Passengers travel between the new mezzanine and the platforms using four high-speed elevators, similar to the layout of several other stations deep underground. These elevators are the most space-efficient means of transporting people. These entrances opened on December 30, 2016. The MTA inaugurated Phase 1 of Second Avenue Subway service on January 1, 2017.
caption: Unused tracks on BMT side under construction in 2013
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