Church Avenue station (BMT Brighton Line)

Template:Other uses
Template:Short description
Template:Infobox NYCS

The **Church Avenue station** is an express station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway, located at Church Avenue near East 18th Street in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn. The station is served by the Q train at all times and by the B train on weekdays only.

## History

### Early history

The original station at this location was a two-track side platform station that ran south from Church Avenue, whereas the current station runs to the north. At a point about Template:Convert south of Church Avenue, a clear difference in the form of the concrete retaining wall is visible on both sides of the right-of-way. This marks the point where the original Brighton Beach Line transitioned from an open-cut line depressed below ground level to a surface railroad for the remainder of the run to Coney Island. The line south of this point was converted from a two-track surface line to a four-track grade-separated line in 1907, and the portion north of this point was rebuilt from a two-track open cut to a four-track open cut in 1919.

After August 1, 1920, through service was shifted from the current BMT Franklin Avenue Line to a new subway alignment under Flatbush Avenue, which permitted direct access to Manhattan via the Manhattan Bridge and the Montague Street Tunnel.

### Renovations

During the 1964–1965 fiscal year, the platforms at Church Avenue, along with those at six other stations on the Brighton Line, were lengthened to Template:Convert to accommodate a ten-car train of Template:Convert-long IND cars, or a nine-car train of Template:Convert-long BMT cars.

In 1981, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system. In 1982, the MTA began renovating the station. In 2019, the MTA announced that this station would become ADA-accessible as part of the agency's 2020–2024 Capital Program.

## Station layout

 **P**Platform level

 File:Church Av BMT st jeh.JPG
Church Avenue is an open-cut express station with short tunnels at each end to carry the line between cross streets. The station has four tracks and two island platforms. Each platform has two staircases, leading to a station-house at each end.

### Exits

There are two exits and entrances to the station, both through station houses. The full-time end of the station is at Church Avenue, to the south. The original station-house was demolished and replaced with the current structure. Plain white tiles dot the interior and exterior of this entrance. There are restrooms inside fare control to the right side. The part-time entrance is at the north end of the station by Caton Avenue and St. Pauls Place, and the station-house there retains the original c.1918 exterior. This end of the station originally had a part-time booth during the morning rush; a high-exit turnstile was open at all other times.

After the 1980s renovation, the station was converted to booth operations from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM every day. All of the platform columns were covered with steel supports during the renovation. At the midpoint, the southbound platform has an abandoned exit to East 18th Street between Church and Caton Avenues. The exterior of the station-house was made with brick and stucco, and was added in the early 1960s. The boarded-up staircase still stands.

 SE corner of St Pauls Place & Caton Avenue

## See also

* Church Avenue (IRT Nostrand Avenue Line)
* Church Avenue (IND Culver Line)
* Church Avenue Line (surface)
* IND Church Avenue Line

## External links

Template:Commons category

* Template:NYCS ref
* Station Reporter — B Train
* Station Reporter — Q Train
* The Subway Nut — Church Avenue Pictures Template:Webarchive
* Church Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
* Caton Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
* Platform from Google Maps Street View

Template:NYCS stations navbox by service
Template:NYCS stations navbox by line

1. ↑ Template:Cite news
2. ↑ Template:Cite book
3. ↑ Template:Cite news
4. ↑ Template:Cite news
5. ↑ TA Announces 20 Additional Subway Stations to Receive Accessibility Improvements Under Proposed 2020-2024 Capital Plan. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (December 19, 2019).
6. ↑ Template:NYCS const
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 MTA Neighborhood Maps: Flatbush. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (2015). Retrieved on August 2, 2015.