28th Street station (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)

Construction and opening Planning for a subway line in New York City dates to 1864. The subway plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by William Barclay Parsons, the Rapid Transit Commission's chief engineer. It called for a subway line from New York City Hall in lower Manhattan to the Upper West Side, where two branches would lead north into the Bronx. A plan was formally adopted in 1897, in which it would construct the subway and maintain a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line. That December, workers installed the station's eight entrance and exit kiosks. The 28th Street station opened on October 27, 1904, as one of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway from City Hall to 145th Street on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. the station was served by local trains along both the West Side (now the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line to Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street) and East Side (now the Lenox Avenue Line). West Side local trains had their southern terminus at City Hall during rush hours and South Ferry at other times, and had their northern terminus at 242nd Street. East Side local trains ran from City Hall to Lenox Avenue (145th Street). To address overcrowding, in 1909, the New York Public Service Commission proposed lengthening the platforms at stations along the original IRT subway. As part of a modification to the IRT's construction contracts made on January 18, 1910, the company was to lengthen station platforms to accommodate ten-car express and six-car local trains. In addition to $1.5 million (equivalent to $ million in ) spent on platform lengthening, $500,000 (equivalent to $ million in ) was spent on building additional entrances and exits. It was anticipated that these improvements would increase capacity by 25 percent. Platforms at local stations, such as the 28th Street station, were lengthened by between . Both platforms were extended to the north and south. In December 1922, the Transit Commission approved a $3 million project to lengthen platforms at 14 local stations along the original IRT line, including 28th Street and seven other stations on the Lexington Avenue Line. Platform lengths at these stations would be increased from . The commission postponed the platform-lengthening project in September 1923, at which point the cost had risen to $5.6 million. On August 6, 1927, bombs exploded at the 28th Street station and at the 28th Street station on the Broadway Line. Numerous passengers were injured, but there were no casualties, although investigators initially believed one person may have been killed. The perpetrator of the bombings is unknown; they were initially blamed on Galleanists (as Sacco and Vanzetti had been denied appeal three days prior), though police later believed they were unrelated. With the completion of the New York Life Building between 26th and 27th Streets in 1928, a new entrance opened from the building's basement to the southbound platform. The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940. In January 1947, the New York City Board of Transportation awarded a $4.003 million contract for the lengthening of platforms at the , 28th Street, and stations. The preexisting passageway to the New York Life Building was converted to an extension of the southbound platform. The New York Life Company and the city shared the cost of converting the passageway into a platform. The platform extensions at all three stations opened on April 13, 1948, after which they could accommodate ten-car trains. In 1987, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) allocated $31 million to renovate 44 stations across the subway system, including the 28th Street station. The station's original tiles, which were peeling off, were entirely replaced. At the fare control area, glass block walls were installed above the turnstiles. New tiles were also installed on the floors and walls of the fare control areas. The tower was completed in 2015. Under the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Plan, the station underwent a complete overhaul as part of the Enhanced Station Initiative, and was entirely closed for several months. Updates included cellular service, Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, interactive service advisories and maps. In January 2018, the NYCT and Bus Committee recommended that Judlau Contracting should receive the $125 million contract for the renovations of 57th and 23rd Streets on the IND Sixth Avenue Line, 28th Street on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, and 34th Street–Penn Station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line and IND Eighth Avenue Line. However, the MTA Board temporarily deferred the vote for these packages after city representatives refused to vote to award the contracts. The contract was put back for a vote in February, where it was ultimately approved. The station was closed for renovations on July 16, 2018, and reopened to the public January 14, 2019, delayed from December 2018. == Station layout ==

Like other local stations, 28th Street has four tracks and two side platforms. The 6 stops here at all times, rush-hour and midday <6> trains stop here in the peak direction, The two express tracks are used by the 4 and 5 trains during daytime hours. The station is between to the north and to the south. The platforms were originally long, like at other local stations on the original IRT, but were later extended to . Fixed platform barriers, which are intended to prevent commuters falling to the tracks, are positioned near the platform edges. The express tracks stay level, while the local tracks slowly incline into the station to allow for the easier deceleration of local trains. As such, the express tracks are at a slightly lower elevation than the local tracks. The tunnel is covered by a U-shaped trough that contains utility pipes and wires. This trough contains a foundation of concrete no less than thick. There is a gap between the trough wall and the platform walls, which are made of -thick brick covered over by a tiled finish. The platform extensions are decorated with blue and buff tile bands, and contain blue mosaic tile plaques with the number "28" atop the pilasters. The far southern end of the southbound platform has square ceramic tiles topped by marble belt courses. Two works of art have been installed in this station. The first was a glass block wall artwork at the main fare control by Gerald Marks, entitled Seven Waves 4 Twenty-Eight. It was installed during station renovations in 1996. Roaming Underfoot showcases flora in the Madison Square Park Conservancy's Perennial Collection and was installed during the 2018 renovation. Exits Each platform has exits to 28th Street; the northbound platform's exits are on the eastern side of Park Avenue South while the southbound platform's exits are on the western side. The only control area for the northbound platform is at the northern end of the station, at 28th Street and Park Avenue South, where four stairs lead to street level, two each to the northeastern and southeastern corners. These stairs contain simple, modern steel railings like those seen at most New York City Subway stations. The main fare control area for the southbound platform is also at the northern end of the station. A stair leads up to 45 East 28th Street on the north side of that street, and a stair and elevator lead up to 50 East 28th Street directly across to the south. It is only open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. == References ==