View source for 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal station

{{Short description|New York City Subway station in Manhattan}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox NYCS
| name              = 42nd Street–<br/>&nbsp;Port Authority Bus Terminal
| image             = 42nd Street-PABT Entrance.JPG
| image_caption     = Southeastern stair
| address           = West 42nd Street &amp; Eighth Avenue<br />New York, New York
| accessible        = yes
| acc_note          = passageway to [[Times Square–42nd Street station|Times Square–42nd Street]] not accessible
|transfer           = At {{stn|Times Square–42nd Street}}:<br />{{NYCS Times Square|time=color}}
| connection        = {{bus icon}} [[NYCT Bus]]: {{NYC bus link|M7|M20|M34A SBS|M42|M104|SIM8|SIM8X|SIM22|SIM25|SIM26|SIM30}}<br />{{bus icon}} [[MTA Bus]]: {{NYC bus link|BxM2}}<hr />{{bus icon}} [[Port Authority Bus Terminal]] [[NJ Transit Bus Operations|New Jersey Transit Bus]]: {{NJ bus link|101|102|105|107|108|109|111|112|113|114|115|116|117|119|121|122|123|124|125|126|127|128|129|130|131|132|133|135|136|137|138|139|144|145|148|151|153|154|155|156|157|158|159|160|161|162|163|164|165|166|167|168|177|190|191|192|193|194|195|196|197|198|199|319|320|321|324|355}}
| division          = IND
| line              = [[IND Eighth Avenue Line]]
| service           = Eighth south
| platforms         = 2 [[island platform]]s<br />[[cross-platform interchange]] (upper level)<br />1 abandoned [[side platform]] (lower level)
| tracks            = 4 (upper level)<br />1 (lower level)
| levels            = 2 (lower level abandoned)
| structure         = Underground
|open_date          = {{start date and age|1932|09|10}}<ref name=Chambers>{{cite news|title=List of the 28 Stations on the New 8th Av. Line|issn=0362-4331|url-access=subscription|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/09/10/100849595.html?pageNumber=6|access-date=April 21, 2020|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 10, 1932|page=6|archive-date=December 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214084958/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/09/10/100849595.html?pageNumber=6|url-status=live}}</ref> (upper level)<br />{{start date and age|1952|08|25}}<ref name=NYTimes-42PABTLwrLvl-1952 /> (lower level)
| close_date        = 1981 (lower level)
| adjacent_stations = 
{{Adjacent stations
| system            = New York City Subway
| line1             = Eighth express south
| left1             = 59th Street–Columbus Circle
| right1            = 34th Street–Penn Station
| note-left1        = {{NYCS Eighth 50th express|time=1}}
| note-right1       = {{NYCS Eighth south|time=1}}
| to-right1         = southbound
| line2             = Eighth local south
| left2             = 50th Street
| right2            = 34th Street–Penn Station
| note-left2        = {{NYCS Eighth south local|time=1}}
| note-right2       = {{NYCS Eighth south|time=1}}
| to-left2          = services split
| to-right2         = southbound
}}
| layout            = {{Routemap
| inline            = y
| legend            = track
| map-title         = Upper level
| map               = 
uvSTR!~MFADEg ~~ ~~ ~~ to {{stl|NYCS|59th Street–Columbus Circle|Eighth}}
numN330\udSTR!~dMFADEg\uvSTR\udSTR!~dMFADEg\ ~~ ~~ ~~ to {{stl|NYCS|50th Street|Queens}} lower level
udSTR!~dMFADEg\ubvvvSTR\udSTR!~dMFADEg ~~ ~~ ~~ to {{stl|NYCS|50th Street|Eighth}} upper level
uvSTRf\uvSTRfg\uvSTRg
udSHI2g+l\udSHI2glr\udSHI2g+r\udSHI2g+l\udSHI2lr\udSHI2g+r
d\udSTR\udENDExe\uvSTR\d\uvSHI2l-
d\uxvSTR\uvSTR\PLT\udSTR
d\uxvSTR\uvSTR\PLT\udSTR
d\uxvSTR\uvSTR\PLT\udSTR
uv-STR\uexdSTR!~dMFADEf\uvSTR\PLT\udSTR ~~ ~~ ~~ to former lower level
uv-STR\dPLT\uvSHI2l\udSHI2+r\dPLT\udSTR
uv-STR\PLT\uvSTR\uv-SHI2r
udSTR\PLT\udSTR\uvSTR
udSTR\PLT\udSTR\uvSTR
udSTR\PLT\udSTR\uvSTR
udSTR\uexdSTR!~dMFADEg\uvSHI2+l\uvSHI2r ~~ ~~ ~~ from former lower level
udSHI2l\uxdSHI2gxl+r\uedSHI2g+r\uvSTR\d
uvSTRf\uvSTRg
uvSTR!~MFADEf\uvSTR!~MFADEf ~~ ~~ ~~ to {{stl|NYCS|34th Street–Penn Station|Eighth}}
| map2-title        = Former lower level
| map2              = 
uexSTR!~MFADEg ~~ ~~ ~~ from middle southbound track
uexSTRf
uexPSTR(R)
uexPSTR(R)
uexPENDE@F(R) ~~ ~~ ~~ ''platform cut off by wall''
vSTRq fuchsia!~MFADEgq\vSTRfgq_fuchsia\vSTRq fuchsia\vSTRq fuchsia\vSTRfgq_fuchsia\vSTRq fuchsia!~MFADEfq ~~ ~~ ~~ {{rint|newyork|7}}{{rint|newyork|7d}} tracks
uexENDE@G!~MFADEf
}}
}}
The '''42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal station''' is an express [[Metro station|station]] on the [[IND Eighth Avenue Line]] of the [[New York City Subway]]. Located at the intersection of [[42nd Street (Manhattan)|42nd Street]] and [[Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)|Eighth Avenue]] in [[Manhattan]], it is served by the [[A (New York City Subway service)|A]] and [[E (New York City Subway service)|E]] trains at all times, and by the [[C (New York City Subway service)|C]] train at all times except late nights. Passageways connect this station to the nearby station at [[Times Square–42nd Street station|Times Square–42nd Street]], providing a free transfer, and to the [[Port Authority Bus Terminal]].

The 42nd Street station was built as an express station for the [[Independent Subway System]] (IND)'s Eighth Avenue Line. The station opened on September 9, 1932, as part of the initial section of the Eighth Avenue Line. The connection to the Port Authority Bus Terminal opened in 1950, and a platform on a lower level operated intermittently between 1952 and 1981. A free transfer to the Times Square station opened in 1988. 

The station has two offset [[Island platform|island platforms]] and four tracks, as well as a mezzanine leading from 40th to 42nd Streets. There was originally a lower level with one track and one [[side platform]] that served southbound trains from the [[IND Queens Boulevard Line|Queens Boulevard Line]]. The station is compliant with the [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990]], but the passageway to the Times Square–42nd Street complex is not accessible. The Times Square/Port Authority stations comprise the busiest station complex in the system, serving 65,020,294 passengers in 2019.<ref name="ridership">{{NYCS const|riderref}}</ref>

__TOC__

== History ==

=== Planning and construction ===
As early as March 1918, soon after the [[Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation]] (BMT)'s [[BMT Broadway Line|Broadway Line]] opened to [[Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal (New York City Subway)|Times Square–42nd Street]], plans were being considered for an extension of that line beyond the stubs at [[57th Street–Seventh Avenue station|57th Street–Seventh Avenue]] to the [[Upper West Side, Manhattan|Upper West Side]] and [[Washington Heights, Manhattan|Washington Heights]] via [[Central Park West]] (Eighth Avenue).<ref>{{cite news |date=March 3, 1918 |title=Plan a New Subway on Upper West Side |page=27 |work=The New York Times |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/articles/nytimes-1918-broadway.html |access-date=June 29, 2018 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> On August 3, 1923, the [[New York City Board of Estimate]] approved the '''Washington Heights Line''', an extension of the Broadway Line to Washington Heights. The line was to have four tracks from Central Park West at 64th Street under Central Park West, Eighth Avenue, [[Saint Nicholas Avenue (Manhattan)|Saint Nicholas Avenue]], and private property to 173rd Street, and two tracks under [[Fort Washington Avenue (Manhattan)|Fort Washington Avenue]] to 193rd Street. South of 64th Street, one two-track line would connect to the Broadway Line stubs at 57th Street, and another would continue under Eighth Avenue to [[30th Street (Manhattan)|30th Street]] at [[Penn Station (New York)|Penn Station]], with provisions to continue downtown.<!--says four tracks south of 41st Street - why? shuttle between Penn Station and Times Square?--><ref>{{cite news |date=August 4, 1923 |title=Two Subway Routes Adopted by City |page=9 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1923/08/04/archives/two-subway-routes-adopted-by-city-estimate-board-accepts-wash.html |access-date=June 29, 2018 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=March 12, 1924 |title=Plans Now Ready to Start Subways |page=1 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1924/03/12/archives/plans-now-ready-to-start-subways-commission-notifies-city-it-can.html |access-date=June 29, 2018 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Mayor [[John Hylan]] instead wanted to build an independent subway system, operated by the city. The [[New York City Board of Transportation]] (NYCBOT) gave preliminary approval to several lines in Manhattan, including one on Eighth Avenue, on December 9, 1924. The main portion of the already-approved Washington Heights Line—the mostly-four track line north of 64th Street—was included, but was to continue north from 193rd Street to 207th Street. South of 64th Street, the plan called for four tracks in Eighth Avenue, [[Greenwich Avenue (Manhattan)|Greenwich Avenue]], the planned extension of [[Sixth Avenue (Manhattan)|Sixth Avenue]], and [[Church Street (Manhattan)|Church Street]]. Two tracks would turn east under [[Fulton Street (Manhattan)|Fulton Street]] or [[Wall Street (Manhattan)|Wall Street]] and under the [[East River]] to [[Downtown Brooklyn]].<ref>{{cite news |date=December 10, 1924 |title=Hylan Subway Plan Links Four Boroughs at $450,000,000 Cost |page=1 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1924/12/10/archives/hylan-subway-plan-links-four-boroughs-at-450000000-cost-manhattan.html |access-date=June 29, 2018 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Raskin-RoutesNotTaken-2013">{{Cite Routes Not Taken}}</ref> The BOT announced a list of stations on the new line in February 1928, with an express station at 40th Street.<ref name="p1113431477">{{cite news |date=5 Feb 1928 |title=Express and Local Stations For New Eighth Avenue Line |page=B1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1113431477}}}}</ref>

A [[groundbreaking]] ceremony was held at St. Nicholas Avenue and 123rd Street on March 14, 1925.<ref>{{cite news |date=March 14, 1925 |title=Will Break Ground Today for New Uptown Subway |page=15 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/03/14/archives/englandaustralia-air-route-via-america-seen-in-3-years.html |access-date=June 29, 2018 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Most of the Eighth Avenue Line was dug using a cheap [[cut-and-cover]] method, where the street above was excavated. Still, the construction of the line was difficult, as it had to go under or over several subway lines. 42nd Street, the longest station along the line at {{Convert|1115|ft|m}}, was expected to be a major express station with large platforms, so the platforms were staggered away from each other in order to avoid going under property lines.<ref name="Galloway. 1931">{{cite news |last=Warner |first=Arthur |date=November 22, 1931 |title=The City's New Underground Province; The Eighth Avenue Subway Will Be Not Only a Transit Line but a Centre for the Shopper A New Underground Province of New York The Eighth Avenue Subway Will Be a Rapid Transit Line With Innovations and Will Provide Centres for the Shoppers |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/11/22/archives/the-citys-new-underground-province-the-eighth-avenue-subway-will-be.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503050550/https://www.nytimes.com/1931/11/22/archives/the-citys-new-underground-province-the-eighth-avenue-subway-will-be.html |archive-date=May 3, 2018 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The station's construction required over {{convert|4000|ST|LT t}} of structural steel and nearly {{convert|15000|ft3}} of concrete. Neighboring buildings, such as the [[Times Square Hotel]] and the Franklin Savings Bank at 42nd Street, had to be underpinned because the station extended all the way to the property line on either side.<ref name="nyt-1928-07-16">{{Cite news |date=1928-07-16 |title=Big Station Built for New Subway; Times Square Stop of City's Eighth Avenue Line Sets Record for Size |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1928/07/16/archives/big-station-built-for-new-subway-times-square-stop-of-citys-eighth.html |access-date=2022-12-03 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Several workers died in cave-ins during construction.<ref name="Galloway. 1931" /> The stations on the line were built with {{Convert|600|feet|meters}} long platforms, but they had provisions to lengthen them to {{Convert|660|feet|meters}} to accommodate eleven-car trains.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=620TAAAAIAAJ&q=660 |title=Transit Journal |date=1932 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, Incorporated |language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|70}} 

The IND's 42nd Street station was substantially completed by December 1930 except for some interior finishes.<ref name="nyt-1930-12-19">{{Cite news |date=1930-12-19 |title=Finish Structure of 8th Av. Subway; Contractors Now Doing Work on Tracks, Signals, Lighting and Stations |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/12/19/archives/finish-structure-of-8th-av-subway-contractors-now-doing-work-on.html |access-date=2023-02-12 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The entire line was completed by September 1931, except for the installation of turnstiles.<ref name="p1331181357">{{cite news |last=O'Brien |first=John C. |date=9 Sep 1931 |title=8th Ave. Line Being Rushed For Use Jan. 1: Turnstile Installation on Subway Begins Monday; Other Equipment Ready for Start of Train Service City Has Yet to Find Operating Company Transit Official on Trip, 207th to Canal Street, Inspects Finished Tube |page=1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1331181357}}}}</ref> The Eighth Avenue Line station opened on September 10, 1932, as part of the city-operated [[Independent Subway System]] (IND)'s initial segment, between [[Chambers Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|Chambers Street]] and [[Inwood–207th Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|207th Street]].<ref name="Chambers" /><ref name="Opening">{{cite news |last1=Crowell |first1=Paul |date=September 10, 1932 |title=Gay Midnight Crowd Rides First Trains In The New Subway: Throngs at Station an Hour Before Time, Rush Turnstiles When Chains are Dropped |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/09/10/100849529.pdf |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=November 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190918222843/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/09/10/100849529.pdf |archive-date=September 18, 2019}}</ref> At the time of the IND Eighth Avenue Line's completion, the ''New York Herald Tribune'' referred to the line's 42nd Street station as the "largest platform in the world".<ref name="p1114750201">{{cite news |date=11 Sep 1932 |title=Largest Platform in World at Forty-second Street and Eighth Avenue |page=J4 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1114750201}}}}</ref> The line's opening was expected to spur development around the intersection of 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue.<ref name="p1114749846">{{cite news |date=11 Sep 1932 |title=Tube Expected To Open More Trade Centers: 34th, 42d and 57th Street Areas Seen Benefiting From 8th Avenue Line |page=D1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1114749846}}}}</ref> The construction of the Eighth Avenue Line caused real-estate values along Eighth Avenue to increase by as much as 400&nbsp;percent.<ref name="p1113474993">{{cite news |date=29 Jul 1928 |title=Eighth Avenue Site Enhanced 400 Per Cent: Parcel Offered for $2,000 a Front Foot Seven Years Ago Now Worth $10,000 Great Changes Predicted Subway Under Construction Han Opened New Future |page=D2 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1113474993}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1928-08-26">{{Cite news |date=1928-08-26 |title=Eighth Av. Gradually Emerging From Its Chaotic Condition; New Pavement Likely to Be Finished by End of Year--Building Has Continued Active in Midtown Section Despite Upheaval Due to New Subway Construction. New Building Work. Sidewalk Paving. Big Advance in Values. Subway Work Progress. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1928/08/26/archives/eighth-av-gradually-emerging-from-its-chaotic-condition-new.html |access-date=2023-04-29 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

A pedestrian passageway under 41st Street, connecting the IND station at 42nd Street with the IRT and BMT stations at Times Square, opened on December 24, 1932; the passageway included an entrance on 41st Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.<ref name="The New York Times 1932">{{Cite news |date=December 24, 1932 |title=600-Foot Pedestrian Tunnel, Linking Subways, Opens Today |work=The New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/12/24/100884849.pdf |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=October 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619171809/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/12/24/100884849.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=June 19, 2022}}</ref> Passengers had to pay an additional fare to transfer to and from the IND.<ref name="nyt-1932-09-09">{{Cite news |date=September 9, 1932 |title=City to Open Subway in 8th Av. Tonight; Crowds Visit Tube; First Line in Huge Municipal Network to Take First Nickel One Minute After Midnight |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/09/09/archives/city-to-open-subway-in-8th-av-tonight-crowds-visit-tube-first-line.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006235819/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/09/09/archives/city-to-open-subway-in-8th-av-tonight-crowds-visit-tube-first-line.html |archive-date=October 6, 2018 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== Mid-20th century ===

With the construction of the [[Port Authority Bus Terminal]], in September 1950, the Board of Transportation approved the construction of a {{convert|30|ft|m|-wide|adj=mid}} ramp between the Eighth Avenue Line station and the bus terminal for $100,000.<ref name="nyt-1950-09-11">{{Cite news |date=1950-09-11 |title=Ramp Will Link Subway With New Bus Terminal |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/09/11/archives/ramp-will-link-subway-with-new-bus-terminal.html |access-date=2023-02-12 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The IND's lower level was built together with the upper-level platforms but existed as an unfinished shell.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Transportation |first=New York (N Y. ) Board of |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yQwxAAAAMAAJ&q=queens+line |title=Proceedings |date=1953 |language=en |access-date=December 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426020253/https://books.google.com/books?id=yQwxAAAAMAAJ&q=queens+line |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|484}}<ref name="NYTimes-42PABTLwr-Expedite-1952">{{cite web |last1=Ingraham |first1=Joseph C. |date=June 20, 1952 |title=New IND Platform at 8th and 42d To Expedite Service From Queens |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1952/06/20/93496604.pdf |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619171817/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1952/06/20/93496604.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=June 19, 2022 |access-date=June 30, 2015 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> The city approved a $300,000 renovation of the lower level in June 1952,<ref name="NYTimes-42PABTLwr-Expedite-1952" /> and the lower level opened on August 25, 1952, to serve rush hour E trains.<ref name="NYTimes-42PABTLwrLvl-1952">{{cite web |date=August 23, 1952 |title=New IND Platform Will Open Monday |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1952/08/23/84347733.pdf |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619171810/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1952/08/23/84347733.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |archive-date=June 19, 2022 |access-date=June 30, 2015 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> For most of its existence, the lower-level platform was only used for occasional service specials, including summer "Rockaway Special" trains to [[Beach 98th Street (IND Rockaway Line)|Beach 98th Street]] at the [[Rockaways' Playland]] beginning in 1958, the [[Aqueduct Racetrack (IND Rockaway Line)|Aqueduct Racetrack]] special fare trains from 1959 to 1981, and rush hour E trains in the 1970s, beginning on March 23, 1970.<ref name="NYT2008">{{cite news |last=Mindlin |first=Alex |date=April 20, 2008 |title=No Whoosh, No 'All Aboard' |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/nyregion/thecity/20port.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=July 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619171813/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/nyregion/thecity/20port.html |archive-date=June 19, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Brennan |first=Joseph |year=2002 |title=Abandoned Stations: 42 St Lower Level |url=http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/42st.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111225134/http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/42st.html |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |access-date=May 4, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=July 3, 1958 |title=Non-Stop Trips, Reserved Seats On Special Here: Deluxe Subway Express Ride Also Features Music; $1.55 Round-Trip Fare From 42nd Street To Playland Station Provides Admission And Rides |page=1 |work=[[Wave of Long Island]] |agency=[[Fultonhistory.com]] |url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/viewer/?file=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspapers%252021%2FRockaway%2520Beach%2520NY%2520%2520Wave%2520Of%2520Long%2520Island%2FRockaway%2520Beach%2520NY%2520%2520Wave%2520Of%2520Long%2520Island%2520%25201958%2FRockaway%2520Beach%2520NY%2520%2520Wave%2520Of%2520Long%2520Island%2520%25201958%2520-%25200286.pdf&highlightsFile=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2Fhighlighter%2Fhits%2F652bb2fd7e9ec6c4f0e39d15f1b10cf5#page=1 |url-status=live |access-date=August 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619171813/https://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/viewer/?file=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspapers%252021%2FRockaway%2520Beach%2520NY%2520%2520Wave%2520Of%2520Long%2520Island%2FRockaway%2520Beach%2520NY%2520%2520Wave%2520Of%2520Long%2520Island%2520%25201958%2FRockaway%2520Beach%2520NY%2520%2520Wave%2520Of%2520Long%2520Island%2520%25201958%2520-%25200286.pdf&highlightsFile=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2Fhighlighter%2Fhits%2F652bb2fd7e9ec6c4f0e39d15f1b10cf5#page=1 |archive-date=June 19, 2022}}</ref>

By the 1970s, city officials planned to raise funds for a renovation of the Times Square station complex, using sales-tax revenue from materials used in the construction of the [[New York Marriott Marquis]] hotel.<ref name="nyt-1978-11-14">{{Cite news |last=Oelsner |first=Lesley |date=1978-11-14 |title='New' Times Square Waiting in the Wings |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/11/14/archives/new-times-square-waiting-in-the-wings-projects-include-mall-and-big.html |access-date=2023-02-12 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> As part of a pilot program to reduce high crime in the New York City Subway system, in May 1981, the MTA spent $500,000 to install [[CCTV]] screens at the Columbus Circle subway station. The MTA expanded the experiment to the Times Square–42nd Street station in 1983.<ref name="nyt-1983-02-05">{{Cite news |last=Goldman |first=Ari L. |date=February 5, 1983 |title=Crime in Subway Station Rises in Spite of TV Monitors |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/05/nyregion/crime-in-subway-station-rises-in-spite-of-tv-monitors.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425151920/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/05/nyregion/crime-in-subway-station-rises-in-spite-of-tv-monitors.html |archive-date=April 25, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The cameras were deactivated in 1985 after further tests showed that their presence did not help reduce crime.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carmody |first=Deirdre |date=October 4, 1985 |title=Subway Anticrime TV Test Abandoned |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/04/nyregion/subway-anticrime-tv-test-abandoned.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171124082102/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/04/nyregion/subway-anticrime-tv-test-abandoned.html |archive-date=November 24, 2017 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The MTA considered transferring 220 CCTV cameras from these stations to token booths at the stations with the most crime.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gordy |first=Margaret |date=October 14, 1985 |title=TA Aim: Make Subways Unsafe For Muggers: Will Spend $22M To Upgrade Safety |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79044015/newsday/ 3], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79044000/newsday/ 19] |work=Newsday}}</ref> On August 1, 1988, the passageway between the IND Eighth Avenue Line station and the IRT/BMT complex was finally placed within fare control.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hirsch |first=James |date=1988-07-30 |title=Authority to Begin Free-Transfer Policy In Times Sq. Station |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/30/nyregion/authority-to-begin-freetransfer-policy-in-times-sq-station.html |access-date=2022-07-15 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The two previously separate stations had the highest crime rates in the system at the time.<ref name="Johnson 1988" />

=== Late 20th and early 21st centuries ===
[[File:Times_Square_station_entrance_vc.ogv|thumb|Entrance]]
The [[Empire State Development Corporation]] (ESDC), an agency of the New York state government, had proposed redeveloping the area around a portion of West 42nd Street in 1981.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lueck |first=Thomas J. |date=February 14, 1988 |title=The Region: Redevelopment; Times Square Plan Takes A Shaky Step Forward |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/14/weekinreview/the-region-redevelopment-times-square-plan-takes-a-shaky-step-forward.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917225606/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/14/weekinreview/the-region-redevelopment-times-square-plan-takes-a-shaky-step-forward.html |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> As part of the redevelopment, in 1988, the state and NYCTA announced that they would spend $125 million on renovating the Times Square subway complex.<ref name="Johnson 1988" /> The project would have included an underground rotunda with stores, connecting several office buildings; new subway entrances inside these buildings; and elevators.<ref name="Johnson 1988" /><ref name="p278045126">{{cite news |last=Gordy |first=Molly |date=9 Nov 1988 |title=Mission Impossible? There are big doings under foot at Times Square. And all of them are to be accomplished without a disruption of train or street traffic |page=4 |work=Newsday |id={{ProQuest|278045126}}}}</ref> The project excluded renovation of the platforms or the passageway under 41st Street.<ref name="p278045126" /> Park Tower Realty, which had committed to developing four buildings in the redevelopment, would have paid for 60 percent of the project's cost, while the [[New York City Transit Authority]] would have provided $45 million and the city would have provided $10 million.<ref name="Johnson 1988">{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Kirk |date=1988-06-18 |title=Crossroads for Times Square Subway: Is Tidier Better? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/18/nyregion/crossroads-for-times-square-subway-is-tidier-better.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=2021-09-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619171811/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/18/nyregion/crossroads-for-times-square-subway-is-tidier-better.html |archive-date=June 19, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The project was canceled in August 1992 after [[Prudential Insurance]] and Park Tower Realty was given permission to postpone the construction of these buildings.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Silverman |first=Edward R. |date=1992-08-24 |title=TA Sent Back To (Times) Square 1 |pages=25 |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85979130/ta-sent-back-to-times-square-1edward/ |url-status=live |access-date=2021-09-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925223212/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85979130/ta-sent-back-to-times-square-1edward/ |archive-date=September 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Levy |first=Clifford J. |date=1992-08-23 |title=Times Sq. Subway Station Plan Is Canceled |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/23/nyregion/times-sq-subway-station-plan-is-canceled.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=2021-09-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925223213/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/23/nyregion/times-sq-subway-station-plan-is-canceled.html |archive-date=September 25, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The station underwent total reconstruction in three stages starting in 1994.<ref name="Dunlap 2004">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=March 28, 2004 |title=1904-2004; Crossroads of the Whirl |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/28/nyregion/1904-2004-crossroads-of-the-whirl.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=December 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810053526/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/28/nyregion/1904-2004-crossroads-of-the-whirl.html |archive-date=August 10, 2017 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The Eighth Avenue Line platforms were renovated as part of the second phase of the project, finished in 2006.<ref name="Dunlap 2004" />

In the late 2000s, the MTA began construction on an [[7 Subway Extension|extension of the IRT Flushing Line]] to 34th Street, which would require demolishing the IND Eighth Avenue lower level platform.<ref name="SASblog2008">{{cite web |last=Kabak |first=Benjamin |date=April 21, 2008 |title=With the 7 on the way, a swan song for a Times Square platform |url=http://secondavenuesagas.com/2008/04/21/with-the-7-on-the-way-a-swan-song-for-a-times-square-platform/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027171951/http://secondavenuesagas.com/2008/04/21/with-the-7-on-the-way-a-swan-song-for-a-times-square-platform/ |archive-date=October 27, 2020 |access-date=April 6, 2013}}</ref> By January 2010, the lower level platform was being demolished as part of the Flushing Line extension, which slopes down through where the old lower level platform was.<ref>{{cite news |last=Donohue |first=Pete |date=June 20, 2009 |title=Abandoned No More: 2nd Life Drilled into Old 7 Subway Platform |newspaper=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]] |location=New York |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/06/20/2009-06-20_abandoned_no_more_2nd_life_drilled_into_old_7_subway_platform.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090623061323/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/06/20/2009-06-20_abandoned_no_more_2nd_life_drilled_into_old_7_subway_platform.html |archive-date=June 23, 2009}}</ref> On September 13, 2015, the Flushing Line was extended one stop west from Times Square to [[34th Street–Hudson Yards (IRT Flushing Line)|34th Street–Hudson Yards]].<ref>{{cite web |title=New 34 St-Hudson Yards 7 Station Opens |url=http://web.mta.info/capital/no7_alt.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304003930/http://web.mta.info/capital/no7_alt.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=March 10, 2016 |work=Building for the Future |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority|Metropolitan Transit Authority]] |quote=The new station opened September 13, 2015 |location=New York, New York}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 2015 |title=7 subway service is now running to/from the new 34 St-Hudson Yards station. Times Sq-42 St is no longer the Manhattan terminal. At Times Sq-42 St, Queens-bound express and local service leave from Track 2 only. |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/7_timesSq_Sep15.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915060814/http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/7_timesSq_Sep15.htm |archive-date=September 15, 2020 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority}}</ref> The [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] announced in 2024 that it would replace the station's existing [[Turnstile#Waist-high|waist-high turnstiles]] with taller, wide-aisle turnstiles.<ref name="Brachfeld 2024 y467">{{cite web |last=Brachfeld |first=Ben |date=May 22, 2024 |title=MTA will test middle-out turnstiles at 15 subway stops this year |url=https://www.amny.com/transit/mta-test-middle-out-turnstiles-subway/ |access-date=May 23, 2024 |website=amNewYork}}</ref> In April 2025, the MTA announced plans to install taller fare gates with glass panels at 20 stations, including the 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal station. The fare gates would be manufactured by [[Cubic Transportation Systems]], [[Conduent]], [[Scheidt & Bachmann]], and STraffic as part of a pilot program to reduce fare evasion.<ref>{{cite web | title=NYC fare evasion: MTA to test four different modern gates for subway system in New York City | website=ABC7 New York | date=April 28, 2025 | url=https://abc7ny.com/post/mta-testing-fare-evasion-gates-nyc-subway-new-york/16269253/ | access-date=April 28, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Simko-Bednarski | first=Evan | title=NYC to get new subway turnstiles at 20 stations by year’s end: MTA | website=New York Daily News | date=April 28, 2025 | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/04/28/nyc-to-get-new-subway-turnstiles-at-20-stations-by-years-end-mta/ | access-date=April 28, 2025}}</ref>

== Station layout ==
[[File:Layout_stazione_Times_Square-42nd_Street.png|right|thumb|350x350px|Physical locations of the platforms]]
[[File:42nd Street - Port Authority Bus Terminal - Downtown Platform.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Downtown platform]]
{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" style="border:0; font-size:100%;"
| style="border-top:solid 1px gray;width:50px;" |'''Ground'''
| style="border-top:solid 1px gray;width:100px;" |Street level
| style="border-top:solid 1px gray;width:650px;" |Exits/entrances
|-
| style="border-top:solid 1px gray;border-bottom:solid 1px gray;vertical-align:top;" |'''Basement&nbsp;1'''
| style="border-top:solid 1px gray;border-bottom:solid 1px gray;" |Upper mezzanine
| style="border-top:solid 1px gray;border-bottom:solid 1px gray;" |Fare control, station agents, [[MetroCard]] machines, passageway to [[Port Authority Bus Terminal]] and [[Times Square–42nd Street station|Times Square–42nd Street]]<br />{{NYCS Platform Layout access}}
|-
| rowspan="6" style="vertical-align:top;" |'''Basement&nbsp;2'''
|<span style="color:#{{rcr|NYCS|blue}}">'''Northbound local'''</span>
|← {{rint|newyork|C}} toward {{stl|NYCS|168th Street|Eighth}} <small>({{stl|NYCS|50th Street|Eighth}})</small><br />← {{rint|newyork|E}} toward {{stl|NYCS|Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer}} <small>({{stl|NYCS|50th Street|Queens}})</small><br />← {{rint|newyork|A}} toward {{stl|NYCS|Inwood–207th Street}} late nights <small>({{stl|NYCS|50th Street|Eighth}})</small>
|-
| colspan="2" style="border-top:solid 2px black;border-right:solid 2px black;border-left:solid 2px black;border-bottom:solid 2px black;text-align:center;" |{{small|[[Island platform]] {{access icon}}}}
|-
| style="border-bottom:solid 1px gray;" |<span style="color:#{{rcr|NYCS|blue}}">'''Northbound express'''</span>
| style="border-bottom:solid 1px gray;" |← {{rint|newyork|A}} toward {{stl|NYCS|Inwood–207th Street}} <small>({{stl|NYCS|59th Street–Columbus Circle|Eighth}})</small>
|-
|<span style="color:#{{rcr|NYCS|blue}}">'''Southbound express'''</span>
|{{0|→}} {{rint|newyork|A}} toward {{stl|NYCS|Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue}}, {{stl|NYCS|Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street}}, or {{stl|NYCS|Ozone Park–Lefferts Boulevard}} <small>({{stl|NYCS|34th Street–Penn Station|Eighth}})</small>  →
|-
| colspan="2" style="border-top:solid 2px black;border-right:solid 2px black;border-left:solid 2px black;border-bottom:solid 2px black;text-align:center;" |{{small|[[Island platform]] {{access icon}}}}
|-
|<span style="color:#{{rcr|NYCS|blue}}">'''Southbound local'''</span>
|{{0|→}} {{rint|newyork|C}} toward {{stl|NYCS|Euclid Avenue}} <small>({{stl|NYCS|34th Street–Penn Station|Eighth}})</small> →<br />{{0|→}} {{rint|newyork|E}} toward {{stl|NYCS|World Trade Center}} <small>({{stl|NYCS|34th Street–Penn Station|Eighth}})</small> →<br />{{0|→}} {{rint|newyork|A}} toward {{stl|NYCS|Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue}} late nights <small>({{stl|NYCS|34th Street–Penn Station|Eighth}})</small> →
|-
| rowspan="2" style="border-top:solid 1px gray;border-bottom:solid 1px gray;vertical-align:top;" |'''Basement&nbsp;4'''<br />Flushing<br />Line
| style="border-top:solid 1px gray;border-bottom:solid 1px gray;" |<span style="color:#{{rcr|NYCS|purple}}">'''Southbound'''</span>
| style="border-top:solid 1px gray;border-bottom:solid 1px gray;" |← {{rint|newyork|7}}{{rint|newyork|7d}} do not stop here
|-
| style="border-bottom:solid 1px gray;" |<span style="color:#{{rcr|NYCS|purple}}">'''Northbound'''</span>
| style="border-bottom:solid 1px gray;" |{{0|→}} {{rint|newyork|7}}{{rint|newyork|7d}} do not stop here →
|}

The 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal station is an express stop that abuts the [[Port Authority Bus Terminal]]. The [[A (New York City Subway service)|A]] and [[E (New York City Subway service)|E]] trains stop here at all times,<ref>{{NYCS const|timetable|a}}</ref><ref>{{NYCS const|timetable|e}}</ref> while the [[C (New York City Subway service)|C]] train stops here at all times except late nights.<ref>{{NYCS const|timetable|c}}</ref> It has one operational platform level, two offset [[island platforms]], and a long mezzanine. Formerly, it also had a lower level with a single [[side platform]], which could be served by southbound trains from the [[IND Queens Boulevard Line]].<ref name="nyt-1930-08-01">{{Cite news |date=1930-08-01 |title=Times Sq. Station of New Tube Ready; Builders Putting Last Touches on New Stop Under 8th Av. From 40th to 44th St. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/08/01/archives/times-sq-station-of-new-tube-ready-builders-putting-last-touches-on.html |access-date=2023-02-12 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal station is  fully wheelchair-accessible. A ramp connects to the Times Square–42nd Street station but is not accessible.<ref name="MTA Accessible Stations">{{cite web |date=2022-05-20 |title=MTA Accessible Stations |url=https://new.mta.info/accessibility/stations |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=MTA}}</ref>

[[File:NYCS_IND_WallTileScheme.jpg|left|thumb|Wall mosaics]]

The station ranges up to {{convert|50|ft|m}} below the street, running under Eighth Avenue in approximately a north–south direction, one block west of the Times Square–42nd Street station.<ref name="nyt-1928-07-16" /> Both island platforms were originally {{convert|600|ft}} long,<ref name="nyt-1930-08-01" /> although the station served {{convert|660|ft|m|-long|adj=mid}}, 11-car trains on the E route from 1953<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ingalls |first=Leonard |date=August 28, 1953 |title=2 Subway Lines to Add Cars, Another to Speed Up Service |work=The New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1953/08/28/83735052.pdf |access-date=January 25, 2016 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> to 1958.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 10, 1962 |title=16-Point Plan Can Give Boro Relief Now |work=Long Island Star–Journal |url=http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2014/Long%20Island%20City%20NY%20Star%20Journal/Long%20Island%20City%20NY%20Star%20Journal%201962/Long%20Island%20City%20NY%20Star%20Journal%201962%20-%207607.pdf |access-date=April 24, 2018}}</ref> The northbound platform extends from 42nd to 44th Streets<ref name="Galloway. 1931" /> and is {{convert|30|ft}} wide.<ref name="nyt-1930-08-01" /> The southbound island platform extends from 40th to 42nd Streets<ref name="Galloway. 1931" /> and is {{convert|36|ft}} wide. Formerly, escalators led from the mezzanine to the southbound side platform on the lower level, dividing the southbound island platforms.<ref name="nyt-1930-08-01" /> At 41st Street, the station crosses over the IRT Flushing Line tunnels; this overpass required {{convert|217000|lb}} of steel.<ref name="nyt-1928-07-16" /> 

The walls beside each local track contain blue-tile bands with black borders; since 42nd Street is an express station, it has a wider tile band than local stations. The tile colors are intended to help riders identify their station more easily, part of a color-coded [[New York City Subway tiles|tile system]] for the entire Independent Subway System.<ref name="nyt-1932-08-22">{{Cite news |date=August 22, 1932 |title=Tile Colors a Guide in the New Subway; Decoration Scheme Changes at Each Express Stop to Tell Riders Where They Are |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/08/22/archives/tile-colors-a-guide-in-the-new-subway-decoration-scheme-changes-at.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701184626/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/08/22/archives/tile-colors-a-guide-in-the-new-subway-decoration-scheme-changes-at.html |archive-date=July 1, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The tile colors were designed to facilitate navigation for travelers going away from [[Lower Manhattan]]; on the Eighth Avenue Line, the tiles change color at the next express station to the north. As such, the 42nd Street station originally had purple tiles, which were also used at [[50th Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|50th Street]], the local station to the north; the next express station, 59th Street, used a different tile color.<ref name="Carlson 2016">{{cite web | last=Carlson | first=Jen | title=Map: These Color Tiles In The Subway System Used To Mean Something | website=Gothamist | date=February 18, 2016 | url=https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/map-these-color-tiles-in-the-subway-system-used-to-mean-something | access-date=May 10, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Gleason 2016">{{cite web | last=Gleason | first=Will | title=The hidden meaning behind the New York subway's colored tiles | website=Time Out New York | date=February 18, 2016 | url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/blog/the-hidden-meaning-behind-the-new-york-subways-colored-tiles-021816 | access-date=May 10, 2023}}</ref>

=== Former lower level ===
The 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal station formerly had a lower platform level, with one track underneath the southbound local track and one side platform underneath the southbound island platform. The lower level featured two high-speed escalators to the mezzanine, and three staircases to the southbound island platform.<ref name="NYTimes-42PABTLwr-Expedite-1952" /> The walls featured 1950s-era cream tiles, a purple and black tile band, and white mosaic name plates with black "42ND ST" text.<ref name="NYTimes-42PABTLwrLvl-1952" /><ref name="NYT2008" />

Theories differ on why the lower-level platform was built. The platform could only be reached by trains originating from [[Queens]] via the [[IND Queens Boulevard Line]], and 53rd Street (the current E service), and a 1930 ''New York Times'' article said the platform had always been intended for Queens Boulevard Line service.<ref name="nyt-1930-08-01" /> Reportedly, this would have allowed E trains to load and unload passengers without having to wait for one of the two upper level tracks to clear.<ref name="NYTimes-42PABTLwrLvl-1952" /><ref name="NYTimes-42PABTLwr-Expedite-1952" /> When the station was being built, the 42nd Street Property Owners' and Merchants' Association expressed concerns that the double-level station would prevent the Flushing Line from being extended westward.<ref name="nyt-1927-02-12">{{Cite news |date=1927-02-12 |title=Sees Subway Line to Jersey Blocked; Forty-Second Street Group Holds Eighth Av. Platforms Will Prevent Extension. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/02/12/archives/sees-subway-line-to-jersey-blocked-fortysecond-street-group-holds.html |access-date=2023-02-12 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The ''[[New York Herald Tribune]]'' wrote in 1928: "The construction is such as will enable the engineers to extend the Queensboro subway under and beyond Eighth Avenue in the direction of the 42nd Street ferry if desired".<ref name="p1113431484">{{cite news |last=Daly |first=William Jerome |date=February 5, 1928 |title=New Subway Work Far Advanced, From the Circle to 207th Street: Small Section Near St. Nicholas Avenue and 148th Street Being Constructed |page=B1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1113431484}}}}</ref>

Film producers have used the lower-level platform for several films, most notably ''[[Ghost (1990 film)|Ghost]]'' (1990), starring [[Patrick Swayze]] and [[Demi Moore]]. By the 2010s, the lower-level platform had been bisected by the [[7 Subway Extension|extension of the Flushing Line]].<ref name="NYT2008" />

=== Mezzanines ===
[[File:Times_Sq-42nd_St_td_36_-_Passageway.jpg|right|thumb|A sign at the western end of the passageway ramp, informing customers that the passageway to rest of the complex is not ADA-accessible]]
The IND mezzanine stretches above the platforms, under Eighth Avenue, from 40th to 44th Street. It covers {{Convert|130000|ft2}}.<ref name="nyt-1928-07-16" /> It was one of four large mezzanines at express stations on the Eighth Avenue Line where passengers could walk the entire length of the mezzanines without having to pay a fare. It was proposed to develop the mezzanines of these four stations with shops, so that they would become retail corridors.<ref name="Galloway. 1931" /> The station's mezzanine extends four blocks from 40th to 44th Streets.<ref name="MTA-TimesSquare-2015">{{cite web |year=2015 |title=MTA Neighborhood Maps: Pennsylvania Station/Times Square |url=http://web.mta.info/maps/neighborhoods/mn/M08_PennStation_2015.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200914173833/http://web.mta.info/maps/neighborhoods/mn/M08_PennStation_2015.pdf |archive-date=September 14, 2020 |access-date=December 11, 2015 |website=mta.info |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]}}</ref> There were originally six stairs from the mezzanine to either of the IND's island platforms. The center of the mezzanine originally featured an {{convert|18|ft|m|-wide|adj=mid}} public passageway outside fare control. Between 44th and 42nd Streets, the passageway was flanked by stores on the west and stairs to the northbound platform on the east. Between 42nd and 40th Streets, the stairs to the southbound island platform were on the west, while there were stores to the east.<ref name="nyt-1930-08-01" />

A {{convert|600|ft|m|-long|adj=mid}} passageway runs under 41st Street<ref name="The New York Times 1932" /> and connects the IND station with the Times Square complex.<ref name="MTA-TimesSquare-2015" /> The passageway is located above the mezzanines at either end.<ref name="nyt-2017-12-12">{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Michael |date=2017-12-12 |title='The Tunnel.' Depressing, Claustrophobic and Now a Terror Target. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/12/nyregion/subway-tunnel-passageway-bombing.html |access-date=2023-02-12 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> It is stair-free but contains steep ramps at both ends, which are not ADA-compliant.<ref name="MTA Accessible Stations" /><ref name="nyt-2017-12-12" /> At the eastern end of the passageway, the passageway connects to a mezzanine at the Times Square station, just above the [[IRT Flushing Line]]'s platform.<ref name="focus">{{Cite archive|collection=Records of the National Park Service, 1785 - 2006|institution=National Archives|item-url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75313937|series=National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 - 2017|item=New York MPS Times Square–42nd Street Subway Station|item-id=75313937|box=National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: New York}}</ref>{{Rp|7, 18}}

=== Artwork ===
[[File:42ART marbles.jpg|thumb|''Losing My Marbles'' mosaic]]
[[File:42ART revelers.jpg|thumb|''The Revelers'' and ''The Commuter's Lament'']]
The Port Authority and Times Square stations contain several artworks commissioned as part of the [[MTA Arts & Design]] program. In 1991, [[Norman B. Colp]] created ''The Commuter's Lament'' or ''A Close Shave'', a series of signs attached to the roof of the 41st Street passageway between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, inspired by classic [[Burma-Shave]] ads.<ref name="nyt-1997-10-12" /> In order, the signs read ''Overslept/So tired/If late/Get fired/Why bother?/Why the pain?/Just go home/Do it again.''<ref name="nyt-1997-10-12">{{Cite news |last=Stewart |first=Barbara |date=1997-10-12 |title=Neighborhood Report: Midtown; Lament Of Commuter In 8 Parts |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/12/nyregion/neighborhood-report-midtown-lament-of-commuter-in-8-parts.html |access-date=2023-02-12 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Gothamist 2018">{{cite web |last=Carlson |first=Jen |date=August 10, 2018 |title=Thanks MTA For The Depressing AF Poem That's Been In This Subway Tunnel Since The '90s |url=https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/thanks-mta-for-the-depressing-af-poem-thats-been-in-this-subway-tunnel-since-the-90s |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=Gothamist}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Artwork: "The Commuter's Lament/A Close Shave", Norman B. Colp (1991) |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/artwork_show?185 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124012033/https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/artwork_show?185 |archive-date=January 24, 2021 |access-date=October 22, 2008}}</ref> The last panel is a picture of a bed.<ref name="Gothamist 2018" /> The panels were part of an art project that was supposed to last only one year, but were never removed.<ref name="nyt-1997-10-12" /> The mezzanine also contains a mosaic artwork by [[Jane Dickson]], ''Revelers''. The mosaics depict about 70 life-size people who are moving around in groups.<ref name="MTA Revelers">{{cite web |title=Revelers |url=https://new.mta.info/agency/arts-design/collection/revelers |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=MTA}}</ref>

The 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal station contains the mosaic artwork ''Losing My Marbles'', which was created by Lisa Dinhofer and installed in 2003.<ref name="New York Daily News 2016">{{cite web |last=Blakinger |first=Keri |date=April 25, 2016 |title=A look at the colorful marbles bouncing around Times Square subway stop |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/colorful-marbles-times-square-subway-stop-article-1.2613592 |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=New York Daily News}}</ref><ref name="MTA Losing My Marbles" /> The primary section of the artwork is on a {{convert|32|ft|m|-wide|adj=mid}} portion of wall, which depicts marbles overlaid on a black-and-white "floor" with a gold-colored frame; the marbles seem to be rolling in the viewer's direction. The artwork extends onto two additional walls.<ref name="MTA Losing My Marbles">{{cite web |title=Losing My Marbles |url=https://new.mta.info/agency/arts-design/collection/losing-my-marbles |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=MTA}}</ref>

=== Exits ===
There is one street stair to each of the northwest, northeast, and southeast corners of Eighth Avenue and 40th Street. There are two underground passageways to Port Authority Bus Terminal: one between 40th and 41st Streets, and a wheelchair accessible passageway between 41st and 42nd Streets. At the intersection of Eighth Avenue and 42nd Street, there is one street stair to the northwest corner, one stair inside a building on the northeast corner, and one escalator bank inside a building on the southeast corner. One street stair leads to the southwest corner of Eighth Avenue and 43rd Street. Finally, there is one street stair to each of the northwest, southwest, and southeast corners of Eighth Avenue and 44th Street. The southwest-corner entrance also has a wheelchair lift that leads to an elevator. All of these exits are signed as serving the A, C, E, and 7 trains<!--hard coded to reflect signage-->.<ref name="MTAMaps-2015">{{cite web |year=2018 |title=MTA Neighborhood Maps: Times Sq-42 St (1)(2)(3) |url=https://new.mta.info/document/2696 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829193900/https://new.mta.info/document/2696 |archive-date=August 29, 2021 |access-date=December 25, 2020 |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]}}</ref>

== References ==

=== Notes ===
{{Notelist}}

=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== Further reading ===

* {{cite book |last=Stookey |first=Lee |title=Subway ceramics : a history and iconography of mosaic and bas relief signs and plaques in the New York City subway system |publisher=L. Stookey |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-9635486-1-0 |location=Brattleboro, Vt |oclc=31901471}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}

* nycsubway.org – [http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Station:_42nd_Street-Port_Authority_Bus_Terminal_(8th_Avenue) IND Eighth Avenue Line: 42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal]
* MTA's Arts For Transit – [http://web.mta.info/mta/aft/permanentart/permart.html?agency=nyct&line=A&station=3&xdev=123 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal (IND Eighth Avenue Line)]

{{Clear}}

{{Times Square}}
{{Midtown North, Manhattan}}
{{Midtown South, Manhattan}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:42nd Street-Port Authority Bus Terminal station}}

[[Category:42nd Street (Manhattan)]]
[[Category:Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)]]
[[Category:IND Eighth Avenue Line stations]]
[[Category:New York City Subway stations in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1932]]
[[Category:1932 establishments in New York City]]