Westchester Square (IRT Pelham Line)
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Street map |
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Station service legend | |
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Symbol | Description |
Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction | |
Stops rush hours in the peak direction only |
The Westchester Square–East Tremont Avenue station (formerly Westchester Square station) is a local station on the IRT Pelham Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of East Tremont and Westchester Avenues in the Westchester Square neighborhood of the Bronx, it is served by the 6 train at all times except weekdays in the peak direction, when the <6> train takes over.
History
This station was built as part of the Pelham Line, which was part of the Dual Contracts, signed on March 19, 1913, and also known as the Dual Subway System. The Pelham Line was proposed to be a branch of the Lexington Avenue Line running northeast via 138th Street, Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue to Pelham Bay Park. This station opened on October 24, 1920 as the line's new terminal with the line's extension from East 177th Street. Service was initially served by a mix of through and shuttle trains during the 1920s.
In 1981, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.
Under the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program, the station, along with thirty other New York City Subway stations, was to undergo a complete overhaul and would have been entirely closed for up to 6 months. Updates would have included cellular service, Wi-Fi, charging stations, improved signage, and improved station lighting. However, these renovations were deferred due to a lack of funding. Regardless, the station was closed in one direction for approximately two months (one month per direction) to facilitate ADA accessibility renovations.
As part of a revision to the Capital Program in April 2018, the MTA announced that the station would have elevators installed, making the station ADA-accessible. By February 2021, funding had been committed to accessibility renovations at the station. In December 2021, the MTA awarded a contract for the installation of elevators at eight stations, including the Westchester Square station. The project, which also included structural repairs and restoration of historic features, cost $122.5 million. As of July 2022, the project was scheduled to be completed in May 2024, but the elevators did not open until January 2025.
Station layout
Platform level | Side platform | |
Southbound local | ← toward Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall (Zerega Avenue) | |
Peak-direction express | No regular service | |
Northbound local | toward Pelham Bay Park (Middletown Road) → | |
Side platform | ||
Mezzanine | Fare control, station agent, MetroCard and OMNY machines Elevator at northeast corner of Westchester Avenue and Lane Avenue | |
Ground | Street level | Exit/entrance |
This elevated station has three tracks and two side platforms. The center track is not used in regular service. The 6 local train serves the station at all times except rush hours in the peak direction, when the <6> express train serves the station instead. The next stop to the south is Zerega Avenue, while the next stop to the north is Middletown Road.
As part of the MTA Arts & Design program, the station features a stained glass artwork by Romare Bearden, which is known variously as City of Light or City of Glass. The artwork, a triptych measuring 9 by 6 feet (2.7 by 1.8 m) across, depicts a subway train traveling past a skyline. It was designed in 1982 but not installed until 1993, after Bearden died.
There are glass block tile and "uptown" and "downtown" directional mosaics in the mezzanine. From the northbound platform, there is a good view of the Bronx–Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridges. Westchester Yard is located railroad north of the station, to the west of the Pelham Line itself. There are no windscreens.
Exit
The station's only exit is a mezzanine beneath the tracks in Westchester Square. Outside fare control, a stair and an elevator lead to the northeast corner of Westchester Avenue and Lane Avenue.