238th Street station

This station opened on August 1, 1908 with the completion of the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line to Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street, the next stop.[3]

In 1909, to address overcrowding, the New York Public Service Commission proposed lengthening platforms at stations along the original IRT subway.[4]^:168 On January 18, 1910, a modification was made to Contracts 1 and 2 to lengthen station platforms to accommodate ten-car express and six-car local trains. In addition to $1.5 million (equivalent to $41.2 million in 2019) spent on platform lengthening, $500,000 (equivalent to $13,719,643 in 2019) was spent on building additional entrances and exits. It was anticipated that these improvements would increase capacity by 25 percent.[5]^:15 The northbound platform at the 238th Street station was extended 200 feet (61 m) to the south,[5]^:114 while the southbound platform was not lengthened.[5]^:106 On January 24, 1911, ten-car express trains began running on the West Side Line.[4]^:168[6]

Between 1946 and 1948, platforms on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line from 103rd Street to 238th Street were lengthened to 514 feet (157 m) to allow full ten-car express trains to stop. Previously, the station could accommodate six-car local trains, but ten-car trains could not open some of their doors.[7] A contract for the platform extensions at 238th Street and five other stations on the line was awarded to the Rao Electrical Equipment Company and the Kaplan Electric Company in June 1946.[8] The platform extensions at these stations were opened in stages. On July 9, 1948, the platform extensions at stations between 207th Street and 238th Street were opened for use at the cost of $423,000.[7][9] At the same time, the IRT routes were given numbered designations with the introduction of "R-type" rolling stock. The first such fleet, the R12, was put into service in 1948.[10] The Broadway/West Side route to 242nd Street became known as the 1.[11]

Between September 4, 2018, and January 2, 2019, Manhattan-bound trains did not stop at this station due to stairway replacement. In preparation for this, the northbound platform's fare control was converted so that it could accommodate both entries and exits.[12][13]

P Platform level	Side platform
	Northbound local	← toward 242nd Street (Terminus)
	Peak-direction express	→ No regular service
	Southbound local	→ toward South Ferry (231st Street) →
	Side platform
G	Street level	Entrances/exits

This elevated station has two side platforms and three tracks, with the center one not used in revenue service.[14] Each platform has beige windscreens and red canopies with green roofs in the center and black waist-high fences on either side.

North of this station is the 240th Street Yard, where cars assigned to the 1 train are inspected and maintained. The yard has a footbridge to the tracks of the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, crossovers and leads that allow this station to serve as a terminal. During the morning and afternoon rush-hours, some 1 trains begin their trips here as direct put-ins from the nearby 240th Street Yard, and some morning and afternoon rush-hour 1 trains end their trips either here or at 215th Street and drop-out and lay-up at the 240th Street Yard to prevent congestion at Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street, which is the next and last stop on the 1 train to the north.

Exits

Platforms

The northbound platform was originally exit only since 242nd Street is a short walking distance north, containing two platform-level turnstiles, each of which leads to a staircase that goes down to either eastern corner of 238th Street and Broadway. The Manhattan-bound platform has an adjacent elevated station house that contains a turnstile bank, token booth, and a single street stair going down to the southwest corner of 238th Street and Broadway.[15]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 238th Street (IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line).

• nycsubway.org – IRT West Side Line: 238th Street
• Station Reporter — 1 Train
• The Subway Nut — 238th Street Pictures
• 238th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View