Spring Street (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)

Spring Street
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Spring Street going downtown
Station statistics
Address	Spring Street & Lafayette Street New York, NY 10012
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Little Italy, SoHo
Coordinates	40°43′20″N 73°59′50″W / 40.72222°N 73.99722°WCoordinates: 40°43′20″N 73°59′50″W / 40.72222°N 73.99722°W
Division	A (IRT)
Line	IRT Lexington Avenue Line
Services	4  (late nights)       6  (all times) <6> (weekdays until 8:45 p.m., peak direction)
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	October 27, 1904[1]
Wireless service	[2]
Traffic
Passengers (2015)	3,782,314[3]  4.6%
Rank	133 out of 422
Station succession
Next north	Bleecker Street: 4  6  <6>
Next south	Canal Street: 4  6  <6>
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops late nights only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only
Location

Spring Street is a local station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Lafayette Street and Spring Street in SoHo and Little Italy, Manhattan, it is served by the 6 train at all times, the <6> during weekdays in the peak direction, and the 4 during late night hours.

History

Track layout
Legend
to Bleecker St to Canal St

Spring Street was one of the 28 original stations of the first subway line in Manhattan, which opened on October 27, 1904.^[4] At this time, Spring Street served local trains from the now-abandoned City Hall station to 145th Street at Broadway.

Station layout

G	Street Level	Exit/Entrance
P Platform level	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Northbound local	← toward Pelham Bay Park ( toward Parkchester rush hours and middays) (Bleecker Street) ← toward Woodlawn late nights (Bleecker Street)
	Northbound express	← do not stop here
	Southbound express	→ do not stop here →
	Southbound local	→ toward Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall ( toward New Lots Avenue late nights) (Canal Street) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right

A 1905 photo of the station's original glass ceilings, which let in natural light

Stairs to downtown platform

Spring Street is laid out in a typical local stop setup.^[5] There are two side platforms and four tracks, the center two of which are express tracks.^[5] The southbound local track is technically known as MM1 and the northbound one is MM4; the MM designation is used for chaining purposes along the Lexington Avenue Line from Brooklyn Bridge – City Hall to Times Square – 42nd Street via Grand Central and the 42nd Street Shuttle. Although they cannot be accessed at Spring Street, the southbound and northbound express tracks are known as MM2 and MM3, respectively. These designations are rarely, if ever, used in everyday speech. Both platforms have a slight curve which creates a gap between the train and the platform. Because this gap is not significant, gap fillers are not necessary.

Spring Street had a unique fifth center track which has now been removed.^[5] This track did not last long; it was reportedly disconnected and removed in 1906, only two years after the subway opened. Although its function has never been determined, the trackway is now used as the location of a mechanical room.^[5]

Small "S" cartouches, Atlantic Terra Cotta (1904)

The station retains the typical large and small IRT mosaics in the old (prior to platform lengthening) portion. The station has small "S" cartouches with two poppies from 1904, made by Atlantic Terra Cotta, and large mosaic tablets by Heins & LaFarge, also from 1904. Other small "S" and "Spring St" mosaics are newer.^[5] The "S" cartouches are similar to the ones cast for Canal Street station.

Entrances and exits

Spring Street has four entrances, or two to each platform. The northbound entrances are at either western corner of Lafayette and Spring Streets, while the southbound entrances are at either eastern corner of the same intersection.^[6]

In popular culture

This station is featured in the 2008 film Cloverfield. The scene was not filmed there, however.^[7] The station is featured in the season 3 episode, "Lo-Fi", in the television show Criminal Minds.

References

Original name tablet mosaic, by Heins & LaFarge / Manhattan Glass Tile Company

Additional mosaic on the downtown platform extension

1. Our Subway Open: 150,000 Try It New York Times Retrieved August 30, 2008
2. "NYC Subway Wireless – Active Stations". Transit Wireless Wifi. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
3. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
4. Subway opening to-day with simple ceremony New York Times Retrieved August 30, 2008
5. Spring Street (IRT East Side Line)NYCSubway Retrieved August 30, 2008
6. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: East Village" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
7. Cloverfield (2008)

Further reading

• Lee Stokey. Subway Ceramics : A History and Iconography. 1994. ISBN 978-0-9635486-1-0

External links

• nycsubway.org – IRT East Side Line: Spring Street
• Station Reporter — 4 train
• Station Reporter — 6 Train
• Forgotten NY — Original 28 – NYC's First 28 Subway Stations
• Spring Street uptown entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Spring Street downtown entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View