149th Street–Grand Concourse station
The 149th Street–Grand Concourse station is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the IRT Jerome Avenue Line and the IRT White Plains Road Line. It is located at East 149th Street and Grand Concourse in Mott Haven and Melrose in the Bronx. The complex is served by the 2 and 4 trains at all times, and by the 5 train at all times except late nights. Station layout. Exits. There are two exit stairs each to the southwest and southeast corners of 149th Street and Grand Concourse. Elevators. When the station  was first opened, the only way to exit the station was through two elevators. The elevators had four levels: one at the northbound lower level platform, one at the level of a pedestrian overpass connecting the two lower level platforms at their southern ends, one at the mezzanine of the upper level platforms (added when those platforms were opened), and one at a street-level headhouse. In 1920, a project to extend the Mott Avenue station platforms to the west to provide a connection with a proposed station on the New York Central Railroad was completed. When the elevators were  opened up for service, they were considered state-of-the-art at the time, holding up to 20 people. However, the elevators and areas near the elevators were closed in 1975 due to security reasons. The MTA initially stated in February 2014 that there were no plans to reopen them as the station itself "was not a main station". In 2013, several local institutions and groups of riders protested in support of restoring elevator access to the station. All platforms are planned to receive full ADA accessibility as part of the MTA's 2015-2019 Capital Program. In December 2015 , the MTA initially agreed to repair both elevators in addition to installing another one across the street. It was estimated that $45 million would go towards this previous elevator installation and repair plan. The MTA currently plans to rebuild one of the two original elevators so that it operates from the headhouse to the pedestrian overpass above the lower level platforms, and build two new elevators with three stops; one will have stops at both Manhattan-bound platforms and the overpass, and the other will have stops at both northbound platforms and the overpass. A new fare control area  will be built somewhere in the overpass level. It is estimated that "over $50 million" will go towards the current installation and repair plan. Construction on new elevators and the refurbishment of the existing elevator started in August 2020 after a "preliminary design stage," and substantial completion is projected for July 2023. Unbuilt New York Central Railroad station. There are some remaining signs on the walls that point to a never-built station of the New York Central Railroad lines (now part of Metro-North Railroad). The station had been approved in 1908 and would have been located at  149th Street and Park Avenue, one block east. IRT Jerome Avenue Line platforms. The 149th Street–Grand Concourse station is an express station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line that has three tracks and two island platforms, with the center track used during rush hours in the peak direction. This station is on the upper level of the two-level station complex, with a free transfer to the IRT White Plains Road Line on the lower level. The station was opened on June 2, 1917, and was the southern terminus of the Jerome Avenue Line until it was extended through  Mott Haven Avenue into the Upper East Side extension of the IRT Lexington Avenue Line. IRT White Plains Road Line platforms. The 149th Street–Grand Concourse station on the IRT White Plains Road Line has two tracks and two side platforms. There is a high rounded ceiling that is visible at the west end of the station and is similar in design to those of 168th Street and 181st Street stations on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. The IRT White Plains Road Line platforms are located on the lower level of this two level complex. Originally opened as the  Mott Avenue station on July 10, 1905, 149th Street–Grand Concourse was the first subway station to be opened in the Bronx. The original headhouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Today, all of the original mosaic "Mott Avenue" name tablets have been covered over with metal "149 St–Grand Concourse" signs. Only one name tablet, located on the downtown platform between the last two staircases at the northern end, remained uncovered and survived intact until a few years into the 21st century when a serious water leak after very heavy rainfall caused individual tiles to separate  from the wall and fall off. There were no known plans by the MTA to repair or restore this name tablet. In late 2011, the MTA covered this name tablet with a metal "149 St–Grand Concourse" sign. South of the station, there are track connections to the IRT Jerome Avenue Line. The line splits and makes a sharp turn to merge with the Jerome Avenue Line just south of the upper level station. Due to high usage levels and the sharp turn of the connection, it often causes delays on the 5 train. The White Plains Road Line continues  straight under the Harlem River and merges with the IRT Lenox Avenue Line at 142nd Street Junction. From the station's 1905 opening until 2002, there were no columns between the northbound and southbound tracks, allowing an unobstructed view across the station. Thin supports for a communications conduit have since been installed.