NYC Subway: Chambers Street - The Most Rundown Station in the System

Today’s film portrays the Chambers Street station on the BMT Nassau Street Line in the Civic Center district of Lower Manhattan. The station has once been a major hub of the BMT (Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Co.) but has since deteriorated into dire shape.
It has four tracks, three island platforms and two side platforms, from which many are closed today. It is served by (J), (Z) and (M) trains. It is only fitting that the (J) service is operated with very old R32 and R42 stock trains.
The film shows the station in its current shape with some R32 and R42 trains, but also some newer R160 (M) trains.
Enjoy!
Filmed on 13 June 2015.
ERRATA:
The R42 stock has been manufactured in the late ’60s; not in the 90’s, as claimed at minute 5:44 by the subtitles in the film.

[@aalleexx.]

The level of craftsmanship that went into these old stations is unbelievable. Extensive subway tile, polished granite trim, sandstone columns, decorative iron railings and grille work, vaulted ceilings in the entrance, arched windows and doorways, mosaic signage and so on. I hope society regains an appreciation for beautiful (rather than just utilitarian) architecture again.

[@roadmaster935]

I absolutely agree with you

[@sopaman1234]

Blame Robert Moses and the rest of the crooked politicians (aka) Republicans who had thier filthy corrputed hands in the till, which caused the deterioration of the subway system begining in the 1950's..and still going on to this day...

[@KookoCraft]

@@sopaman1234 Dont bring politics into this asshole

[@PeruvianPotato]

And retards want them to rebuild the stations

[@thesalandarian3314]

Alex I agree

[@paktype]

Believe it or not, the station looks much better now than it did in the mid 1990s. Back then, the paint on the station ceilings was peeling off and wires from long-removed light fixtures dangled everywhere. The station's nickname is "the magnificent dungeon".

[@KazeriantheVIIII]

Not sure Id go all the way as to call it "Magnificent", but your certainly on the money with 'Dungeon"

[@Karma_Police24]

KazeriantheVIIII you’re

[@eileenkelly8749]

HELL!

[@noelsmythe7391]

Great name! 4 a Movie about the Subway System of the 70s & 80s especially in the South Bronx. Lol!

[@TheluckyGuy0]

If anyone is wondering its mid-2017 and it still looks like that....

[@nathanbush6781]

Was going to post a comment asking if they've taken any initiative and start to repair it...but, NOPE!

[@bryansu5824]

2018, still

[@crowmigration8245]

1 like = 1 subway tile re-glued to the wall

[@brownguy51]

Early 2019 and still the same shit

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

@@brownguy51 Late 2019 it's still awful but hey it will be ADA accessible soon lol!

[@themoviedealers]

In the 1970's, every station on the system looked like this.

[@basictransportenthusiast4386]

The Movie Dealers true lol

[@1Rdby]

The Movie Dealers I was going to say the EXACT same thing !

[@joemartin1253]

The Movie Dealers Like Shit!

[@rafaelmillan278]

But didn’t look like that before,it has be a way to repair this station

[@NightStars1122]

Some stations were even worse than that

[@mitch4527]

If anyone is wondering, it’s October of 2020 and the station is in the beginning stages of a complete rehabilitation. The R32 trains have been retired. Personally, I loved this station as it was at its most dilapidated, in the mid 1990s. Believe it or not, the station as show in this video was cleaned up somewhat. In the mid 1990s, the paint was peeling from the ceilings and there were long dead wires hanging from the ceiling where light fixtures used to be. It was a Magnificent Dungeon.

[@edisone1]

Almost had my "road test" in an R32 train. I was the only one in my class who liked operating those, so I was happy. But before it came to my turn, we were switched to the R46 - which I hated. I passed, anyway. Person observing us thought I was "too cautious" coming into stations, and wanted me to "scare" her. So I did - full speed, power on, right past the center of the station & then slammed the brakes in rapid bursts, like anti-lock car brakes, bring it to the exact stopping point. They wanted us to be aggressive, back then - to keep up the schedules, of course. Never mind running down people in the stations.

[@salamdoodey8675]

damn, respect to you og train operators

[@noobo569]

lmao bro you daredevil

[@TheStig_TG]

When was this?

[@lopwr1212]

@@TheStig_TG in the 90s

[@TheStig_TG]

@@lopwr1212 it should be like that again lol. Because union square in 95 never happened lmao

[@TheLpbrennan]

I like the "SVBWAY ENTRANCE" signs, too. Gives it that touch of Ancient Rome!

[@jaydottt_transitfanner]

Ah yes, the *SVBWAY*

[@danjofromnyc4256]

*svbway*

[@therealchrisazitube]

Ah, yes. The New York City Svbway!

[@EXTREME5970]

-Subway- *svbway*

[@josephwalc1496]

The Chambers St Station has been an example of neglect since the Transit Workers strike on Jan. 1, 1966 and the subsequent Fiscal Crisis during the mid 1970’s when New York City Transit Authority deferred maintenance during this period. NYC had a Civil Service freeze for most departments. The fire dept. layed off most of the probationary firefighters and a few fire houses were forced to close. The police, sanitation and most departments faced similar cut backs.Most Capital Budget items fell victim of the crisis. Rebuilding stations replacing out dated an worn sections of tracks etc were Capital Budget items. This left the Transit Authority with no option than to “let things just rot away”. The really insane thing was that the Chambers St Station was directly under NYC Municipal Building where the budget and fiscal offices were located.

[@cupcakes4444]

i remember taking the J train to get off at this stop and i was disgusted. No reason it should look like this.

[@0ffaI]

Chantel To be fair the J line is a terrible line all around, fitting station for a line slower than bus service

[@faizbashaAirplanes]

Jeez, you'd never see such run down dorty stations and rolling stock like this in Asia. Its like a developing country, New York has no excuse for having such a bad metro system. Londons metro is the oldest yet its far far more modern.

[@InchonDM]

The explanation is incredibly stupid. New York City does not control funding or operations of its own metro transit system. The New York City Subway falls under the jurisidiction of New York State's governor. NY's governor is often a man who does not want to give his upstate constituents the impression that he only cares about the City, and does this by not caring about the City. This has been especially true of NY's current governor, the loathesome political animal known as Andrew Cuomo. The result is that NYC's subway is starved for funding. And I mean STARVED. Some of the signals are still mechanical. Some of the rolling stock first hit the tracks in the 50's. It's an utter disgrace and continuing to not fund it plays dice with the largest city economy in the United States. But Andrew Cuomo is fucking worthless. And so it goes.

[@faizbashaAirplanes]

@Spectrical that's how you get crime

[@ninofromkitchennightmares1497]

Faiz Basha It’s an unwritten rule in NYC Don’t ride the subway at night alone

[@faizbashaAirplanes]

@Spectrical Well perhaps there's no difference in crime which occurs but operating through the night opens up opportunities for general social welfare loss by irresponsible citizens. To me if there aren't that many people commuting or using the subway past midnight its seems very unworthy to not use that valuable time to carry out very needed maintenance. I'm from Singapore and over here the "MRT" closes at around 12am and 00:30am on the mainlines, they reopen at 4-5am where commuters are encouraged to commute earlier by discounted fares. If I'm out late beyond 12am, its unlikely shops are open but even still if I am its not such a big deal the trains are closed because I can just take the taxi or ride share which is very reasonably priced. New York has taxis and Car Sharing too right?

[@Mimi-tu4fd]

We know in NYC. Let’s not forget the service we get. It’s HORRIBLE. Always problems with the tracks too. Or train traffic. Thank god I moved 😄

[@Streetw1s3r]

I sort of like it, it has character. And sort of a look into the past of old dirty seedy New York. Also doesn't have billboards, advertisements, and screens all over the place, it isn't modernized and I hope it never becomes modernized. It's beautiful in it's own way.

[@BL4CKKN1GHT]

With fares being $2.75 you would think the stations would look better

[@ERICK-di1yz]

That's actually cheap tho

[@ERICK-di1yz]

3 dollars to get from where you are to anywhere else in the city is actually a steal.

[@rockvilleraven]

@@ERICK-di1yz On the Washington, DC Metro it can get up to $6 one way during rush hour and there's trackwork every weekend.

[@ninofromkitchennightmares1497]

BL4CKKN1GHT Actually the Money they get is taken out of the MTA’s Funding The Subway is run by the State And the Governor takes funding out of them

[@imvirgin2744]

Nova Typhoon why won’t they let the mta keep the money if they did they would probably fix the system

[@John80220]

Chambers not only was a hub for the BMT when it opened, but it also handled Long Island Railroad trains. That service lasted only for a few years after its opening (the LIRR and the current J/Z line had a connecting ramp in East New York). Being built concurrently with and under the Municipal Building is one of the things that makes Chambers look the way it does -- when the pipes leak in the Municipal Building, what comes out heads for the platform level.

[@Nicholas_-vh6xg]

Personally I love the look of these old run down stations, it's like walking into a time warp where time has stood still. I'm a sucker for nostalgia especially anything NY Subway related. I like the look of it as it is now filthy and decrepit as opposed to the sparkling new and clean stations that have been renovated. Leave it as it is I say!

[@dr.heinzdoofenshmirtz3507]

I agree 100%. If there is one thing I can say, it's that I can't remember many stations by looks, but I always will remember this station because of how old and run down it looks. I like it very much.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

It's still sad though, this could be one of the best stations on the line and instead it's one of the worst. They don't need to renovate it, they just need to clean it up and restore it (ie fixing broke tiles, repair the ceiling ect).

[@R32-DreamyNYC]

Agree especially when an R32 or R42 J train comes in

[@joemartin1253]

Nicholas Milano your kidding right???

[@jerrypeukert5732]

@@AdamSmith-gs2dv Exactly true it doesn't need an expensive renovation just clean it and repair.

[@parismatch6942]

Chambers is not even the worst looking one of the bunch. The Bowery stop on the J/Z line is absolutely decrepit.

[@1575murray]

@Owly123 Only half of it was abandoned. However it is one of the least used stations in Manhattan.

[@DannyJustiniano]

I must be crazy, but I find this disgusting, filthy place beautiful.

[@adventureguy5088]

Mario Justiniano well I mean your really won’t find a place like this anywhere else in the entire world...

[@boejiden5851]

I like its character. The aesthetic of the old corridors, signs, trains, and even the old fashioned tiles at the edges of the platform add such an indescribable (in a positive way) atmosphere to the location.

[@Kanal7Indonesia]

No.

[@joemartin1253]

Yah must be stupid or blind this is an embarrassing piece of shit subway system!

[@michaelmirraandmarc]

You could not have put that in better words. It looked exactly the same in 1979 when I was 9 years old. I was fascinated by it's 'run down ugliness' back then. Amazing how I appreciate this 'ugliness' even more in 2018--after not having seen it in so many years.

[@ACLTony]

Ancient R32's? Solid, well built trains that when properly maintained could literally last another decade. To me, the most annoying feature of the new "techno-box" trains are those skin crawling violin-like sounds they make when stopping and starting due to electrical transitional changing. The new IRT trains seem accelerate more slowly that their predecessors. I'll take a Redbird or R-32 any day!

[@sebastianbermeo8895]

I think people in NYC prefer the R-160s because it's obviously newer, and more clean. Looks more fancier than the old R-32s and the R-46s, people would rather have a ride in a simple train than in a throwback train going to work, or coming home.

[@GIJew]

Your sexual fetish for these old trains is ridiculous. Even if they might last another 40 years, do those old shitty trains accurately represent New York? Not at all. We're not the same slummy place from 50 years ago. Having to ride these trains every day to work makes me thing I'm living in a third world country. Hell, I'm sure the fucking villages of india have better looking trains than the R32s. These old shits need to go, and I can't wait until they're all removed and replaced. Good riddance. I'd personally love to use some of them as target practice.

[@WitchidWitchid]

We're going to bring back some grafitti covered R-16's just for you to ride on.

[@ACLTony]

Wow, you have some sick twisted issues, dude. Where do you get "sexual feish" from. I don't have a sexual fetish. I was simply being nostalgic as these were the trains of my childhood, the trains I rode with my family. BTW: it's obvious you never visited a 3rd world country. I did. Even an IRT Low-V would be welcomed in some of the places I visited. Anyway, you'll get your wish as by 2021-22 the last of the R32's should be retired with the majority scrapped and a few saved for museums. The new trains are nice and efficient, but having worked on transit equipment before, I doubt that they will last 50 years. Long term durability has been deliberately eliminated from LRV and heavy transit vehicle manufacturing equation. The R32's symbolize an era when American manufacturers built transportation equipment to exceed its rated life expectancy which is what makes "these old shits" so special.

[@kevinduval369]

I'm sorry but these old disguising, nasty, trains need to go. I do not care about nostalgia or anything of the sort if it relates to public opinion and use, meaning that if I have to take a run down 1900s era train because some 45 year old thinks they're cools cause it was from his childhood. MY.ASS. Most people don't like these nasty trains because people in NYC work and go to school. Not to mention the number of tourist who take those trains and scoff at the idea of people actually taking these beasts compared to their home country's systems. I'd rather ride the new R201 series that are clean, nice, safer, and more appealing to the average new yorker.

[@sidrad]

It's more than just run-down, it's unfinished. If the station and tunnels had been completed, it would've been the access for trains to get onto the Brooklyn Bridge. There's finished access tunnel adjacent that got repurposed for storing wine directly under the bridge's anchorage. Trains exiting Chambers Street could've taken a loop of track that would put them onto the Manhattan Bridge, but the connecting track under Christie Street serving the sixth avenue and broadway lines, which opened in the 60s, severed the connection.

[@grazz7865]

I love the high ceilings and tile work on this station. It would have been super cool with the old incandescent light bulbs instead of the fluorescent. This station was a terminal for the “RR” rush hours only in the 80s. The M train now uses the F line through Manhattan so the J train is really the only train that serves this big station at this time.

[@olivergray1367]

These conditions would not be tolerated on the London Underground

[@OakLaneTV]

Neither in philly

[@vader97100]

There is no money in the budget for repairs... The L train is overcrowded... Gonna be shutdown for 18 months, the 2nd Ave line will never gets its full funding for everything, Bill DeBlasio wants to put all the money into subway grates that high heels can't trip on, and the government just cares about parks only without the sense of travel... We the people in NYC are all doomed *big sound of thunder*

[@blue387]

The state runs the MTA, not the city. Andrew Cuomo is the problem.

[@vader97100]

Blue387 love to see someone take photos of this, Canal, all other J/Z stops and place it on his doorstep then maybe he'll get an idea on where our money needs to go. At least he got some sense recently.

[@Vizorgz]

Not now they wouldn't, though back in the 90's a lot of London Underground stations didn't look that different to this. Check out Bank in the 80's and 90's. It was practically rotting away.

[@1575murray]

Since 2010 the M does not serve this station in regular service. It now uses the Chrystie St. connector and continues on the route formerly used by the V train to Forest Hills. This video must have been taken when there was a G.O. where M trains operated to Chambers St. (where they once terminated many years ago).

[@ZacheryAllanStarkey]

I use this station all the time, it's def one of the most run down in the system, I don't know about the most run down though. Thank you for filming and uploading this!

[@aqua2poweros699]

that would be Bowery. 2 stations above chambers. And for the IRT, its 191 st on the 1 line

[@ronsanto2504]

thanks for posting this..its been 25 yrs since I regularly took this train from Pace university to Glendale queens the M. It was wonderfully run down paint peeling etc but it was a visual that stuck with me. I am actually happy that its still a less dilapidated station and now want to visit it again!

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

Hope you got that chance.

[@tinagreen7336]

Who ever is watching this in 2021 you guys are a MTA lover

[@jackmorrison7379]

The story here is changing work patterns, and economic class. This station is served by lines that do not reach Midtown Manhattan. This station only serves the courts and the municipal offices. Further up the line (Bowery) is the area that until the 1980's when it changed, was NYC's Skid Row. Unsavory and dangerous. The lines then go across the Williamsburg Bridge to Brooklyn and out to neighborhoods that were, and in some places still are, black and Hispanic dominated. Then look at the grand entrance at the start of the video and note the signage showing the green marked 4 5 6 lines reachable from the station mezzanine but in their own clean modernized station. Money follows money, and it follows numbers of riders too. This station was built for huge numbers of riders which no longer exist because the routes don't serve places where the jobs, the shops, the hotels and the money are located now.

[@jordanbatista1358]

The mta needs to spend time to fix this station. They seriously need to put in work into this station.

[@acegarr22]

+Jordan Batista they might fix it when they get newer trains like the R201 if I'm correct

[@matthewleon7300]

Jordan Batista They are going to for the ESI Phase 2 or up!

[@ninofromkitchennightmares1497]

M3lgar 5 No they can’t fix it if their money keeps getting pulled by the governor

[@Din9r_]

I wonder why every J and Z train station has to be so run down and nasty

[@GIJew]

Because it runs through the most ghetto parts of New York. You could spend $20 trillion to fix all the stations, and within one week the idiots living near them will make them look just like this again.

[@galaxtm6794]

Tyler Goldenhart You can't really blame them for running it 24/7 when people have to use the subways late or early...

[@0fficialdregs]

you can blame them because the uk system is similar but they give employees 3-6 hrs to conduct maintenance on certain stations or sections of tracks.

[@MIkeDye200202holla]

Dregs you do realize while that system works for maintenance. Now they are pushing for more 24/7 service such as night tube, night overground, thameslink

[@0fficialdregs]

they're pushing but no in active yet

[@argopunk]

Cool looking station. Love the high ceilings and old-school white tiles. Not to mention the mosaics. Needs some TLC, for sure, but it screams character.

[@ultimatefcmoblie]

At 7:04 you can see the black paint which covers up the brown M as u can see a little of the Brown

[@paktype]

The station is being rehabbed now in 2020. The remaining side platform, visible since 1931, has been walled off.

[@MrJflamewalker]

I cant believe it by the the way beautiful film and documentary , I cant believe that I been away from New York city for nearly or more than 30 years and that station still looks the same like nothing has change still looks horrible after so many stations have been upgraded its a damn shame , and if they decide to anything about it ,it will be an excuse to raise the fare .

[@syrax101]

Creepiest train station in the subway system… I was nervous taking this at night… and it would be eerily quiet… lol

[@BXBorn92HarlemRaised35th]

Been to this station 100s of times , it has a real old New York vibe to it

[@AxisX7]

As fitting as it may seem that a series of stations as old-looking as this (and Bowery) to be served by train types as old as the SMEEs, I'm very curious as to why they finally decided to make the exchange of R32s & R160s between the C & J/Z lines permanent.

[@raveli1125]

apparently the air- con units on the R32 are not the best underground, the they swapped them with the new R160

[@davegreenlaw5654]

@5:04, just what the heck is that at the northern end of the station? Some sort of disused convenience store?

[@BKPlayzYT]

Dave Greenlaw no I think it’s the control center for the station

[@RDnAC]

House for the rats

[@adamtowler6273]

In the 90's this station was in an even worse condition, with light fittings missing and hanging from the roof, and damaged signage and tiling. The only reason it got some minor improvements made was that the whole station was filled with dust, rubble and debris on 9/11and therefore had to be fixed up somewhat in prder to be safe for the public to use. Still a fascinating station though, unlike anything here in Britain

[@trainmaniacstudios8216]

Wow, looks like a very interesting place to visit. Sort of reminds of the mess the Moorgate to Finsbury Park line in London was like a few years back. Good video :)

[@ne_skier3832]

R42s were built in the early 70s, not the 90s. R32s were built in the early-mid 60s and are the oldest trains in the system. They are slated for removal in the coming few years. The R42s have already been officially retired but are currently seeing some use due to a door issue with some newer trains.

[@joestrike8537]

My favorite part was the people boarding a train under a sign reading "All service on the opposite track." (!) Not sure if someone else mentioned this, but the reason the station is so spacious is at one time people used get off THE TRAINS TERMINATING AT THE MANHATTAN END OF THE BROOKLYN BRIDGIE (yes, trains used to run across the bridge, but they didn't pollute the air enough so they got rid of them) and onto the subway via this station.

[@OakLaneTV]

It's pathetic how the fancy R160 comes to this dump

[@morganlimes]

OakLaneTV thats why they got replaced eith r32s and r42s and most r160s went to the C lmao. But they got r179 now so the r32s and r42s are going to the B and the r68 to the Q

[@redbird1train855]

Morgan Limes when is the b receiving the r32s/r42s?

[@josh_jay_way]

But Canal St, Bowery St & Chambers St need a facelift & Dr Phil counseling 😭

[@8avexp]

This station needs renovations of Ellis Island proportions.

[@oscar.gonzalez]

A good scrubbing and steam clean will brighten it up. Along with repair and restoration.

[@TheLpbrennan]

I like the commentary. These videos document a moment in the life of the subway and the information helps the viewer understand the context. Frankly, I find this method less of a distraction than the Closed Captioning, which pastes a large black box across the bottom of the screen. It can be turned off, of course, but the text is useful. Besides, even when I was there in September, I found the PA announcements so distorted by the echo or drowned out by the noise that it was sometimes difficult to understand what was being said!

[@kenyattasimpson8468]

I always wondered where does it go in that curved tunnel after the last stop

[@LEWISPEAR]

R42s were originally built in the late 60s, but were overhauled in the early 90s

[@DenverRailFan]

It's amazing how the city/transit authorities are able to keep others stations looking great, but then let stations like this one go.

[@ninofromkitchennightmares1497]

Denver Rail Fan Because It’s the Nassau Street Line Anything to make new their the locals just fuck it up

[@ss04to06]

It might be the cost. This station is massive with many platforms and tracks that are not in service and it does not seem to have heavy usage. The MTA seems to give priority to more heavily used stations.

[@alexharris2495]

Lol. Clearly you haven't been on the G

[@Organgrinder1010]

Excellent editing and commentary. Dilapidated but fascinating living bit of transit history.

[@FinlayLavery303]

God I love it, as a photographer I could just spend all day down in that station getting shots dripping with atmosphere. Keep it in a rundown state, give's it way more character. Better than being all gleaming, modern and shiny and covered with posters for Broadway musicals and the Samaritans.

[@vanpilatus7847]

Very Creepy Looking Station

[@ss04to06]

The M no longer serves this station. As of 2010, the M operates on 6th Ave from Metropolitan Av, Queens through Brooklyn, into Manhattan and then back to Forest Hills-71 Av in Queens. The condition this station is in is truly shocking. Hopefully the MTA will overhaul it; it's been overhauling other stations in the system (albeit stations with perhaps more passenger usages).

[@basictransportenthusiast4386]

Francisco Miranda yes but the m on weekends uses the Nassau street and myrtle ave lines and runs a 4 car service but I think it uses Essex street as a terminus now

[@Dresfvae]

They need to renovate this station. I don't even live on the Nassau Street Line but sometimes I like to come here because I like the architecture. I hope the MTA fixes up Chambers Street

[@newyorkgaming5283]

The 1970's and 1980's decade were the worst decades of the MTA. Really, every station looked exactly like this, if not WORSE. The MTA is working on Chambers Street Station, however. There are renovations being done to the station. For instance, the yellow caution lines have been repainted.

[@vader97100]

The whole J/Z line can use an overhaul, by completley refurbishing Chambers, Canal, Bowery, Fulton, Broad and Essex. Then, highly consider a long term project to replace the Jamaica line (with the Myrtle Av line probably going with it), you CAN make it totally underground, and with proper planning, and reliable support to keep a steady budget, this COULD be possible. But I don't know if NY officials will ever see eye to eye on this. maybe some day.

[@ninofromkitchennightmares1497]

Chad M Nah not gonna happen 1: It’s the Nassau Street line You try to make it new the Locals Will fuck it up anyways 2: Where are they suppose to get the money to make a Line that is 95% Elevated Underground You increase the fares for this All hell breaks loose 3: The governor controls the MTA and pulls their funding he doesn’t give 2 shits about the Subway

[@jettblonde778]

It looks to me like they are purposely letting the station deteriorate to be able to one day have reason to invest into the station and refurbish it to its former glory, it is additionally possible the city has development plans in the future and are not spending the money as to not have the need to redo the station when infrastructure in the surrounding area grows or becomes an other turned around part of NYC.

[@metalbowling]

I take the AC everyday and I don't mind the dilapidated Cs anymore than the new ones. Air conditioning still works. And consider that those ancient R32 trains are still running...50+ years later. This may be the one instance where the MTA has displayed fiscal responsibility in as many years.

[@kbron3250]

At 5:43 caption says R42 built in the late 90s- well you are off by about 30 years. R42s were built between 1969-1970 in St. Louis, MO- the famed St. Louis Car Company.

[@rachelbruce839]

At 7:29 the original MTA logo is made visible by a half-ripped sticker of the current MTA insignia.

[@R42ToMoffat]

Why is Bowery the only station on the (J/Z) without "Street" after its station name? Essex Street Canal Street Chambers Street Fulton Street Broad Street

[@R42ToMoffat]

Well in Manhattan obviously

[@Luftschlange]

Because the street, which it is named after, is simply called “Bowery.”

[@R42ToMoffat]

+Luftschlange yeah I know it's just they should have something else like Chrystie Street

[@Stryker_Beats]

+The Sonc Show look Bowery just fits

[@focusdakid]

I remember seeing this station for the first time coming from the 5 line on the way to Brooklyn. This was 2001. Creeped me the hell out because I winded up on the back end of the station where there was the least amount of light and that dark tunnel. I actually grew fond of this station later in life only cause it's my preferred choice to BK (L too local). Hope it gets the fix it deserves. 102 years old. wow

[@visionist7]

What does that sign next to the broken clock say? "This clock needs to reset itself over and over..."?

[@michaelwalterselevatorsrob5009]

so the MTA has their own WORKING version of "Lower Bay" which is an abandon station on the TTC Subway in Toronto.. Neat

[@theroyalcrownedtiger2946]

In Canada, Toronto, I have seen similar looking trains to the R32 and the R42 which is the SRT trains.

[@JoshDoesTravel]

For as old as these are, the R32s shown in the video still look pretty good

[@migshumble1351]

The "bowery st. stop on the J train" is on that top 3. K2 smokers, piss, feces and its falling apart like this one. I was going to call it #1 until the video kept playing but the competition is fierce

[@TrainsFerriesFeet]

Basically, American infrastructure in a nutshell. We put way too much money into the military and way too little on mass transit and nothing on universal healthcare.

[@Elena-er7zp]

why can't all those rich people who donate to the museums and the arts and Central Park pick a station and become it's Patron? Fix it up, maintain it and slap their name on it. These stations are part of NYC history.

[@Jasper-oi9dh]

LU is quite a lot cleaner, with the exception of Lambeth North and northern located Bakerloo stations of course.

[@dzy01]

The interior color scheme of the R32's and R42's is similar to the TTC's M-1 series built by the MLW (Montreal Locomotive Works) in the early 1960's.

[@scubadiva666]

I lurve this station because it's retained so much of its original fixtures and tiles.

[@LouieV6]

Another station that has seen better days is the 3av 138th street on the 6 line in The Bronx. It's in terrible condition and needs some work.

[@selkmanu1679]

It will be renovated soon.

[@vader97100]

Is it just me or does the BMT Nassau line have some of the worst stations in the system?

[@yardlet6]

It ain't you.

[@skrakaayyyyy_itzyostep]

Yes they do. Chambers Bowery and Canal have abadonded tracks.

[@ninofromkitchennightmares1497]

Chad M Worst stations yep And if you fix them the People who live their will just fuck it up again

[@PinkLaffs]

Not to mention some of the facts are wrong. R42s were built in the late 1960s, rebuilt in the 1990s.

[@Luftschlange]

I know, that was my mistake. I had corrected it in the errata of the video description after posting the video.

[@mintuchowdhury1973]

+Luftschlange Did you notice that I live in Jamaica-179th Street?

[@tyshahalsey9057]

+Luftschlange you're right that place is in dire condition and needs to be cleaned

[@mzcat76]

Why the Last Stop Announcement loud?😐😐

[@alexthemtaandr211weatherfa2]

It,s. Not. A. City. HAll

[@jessiebanks7274]

This Station is gonna collapse. If MTA don't Fix it or they can just close the station build a new one.

[@emteaay2477]

They can’t build a new one they can just renovate the entire station

[@williamgottlieb8723]

This station looks absolutely beautiful. As long as free samples of Chanel no 1 are kept from being sprayed on the platform, there is no need to change a thing about it.

[@thevultrantransituniverse1487]

If the TTC would have a subway station like this, they would extensively renovated!

[@davegreenlaw5654]

This station is over a century old, while the oldest stations on the Yonge Line aren't even 65 years old, so we got some time to catch up...and if it weren't for the PRESTO upgrades quite a few of them would be looking close to this bad. (Mind you, some of the stations on the University Line are *really* showing their age - even though that line is a good decade younger.)

[@nancyhernandez7833]

Today it celebrates its 115th anniversary, opened in 1904!

[@SparenofIria]

I wonder how much it would cost to do a full historical renovation of the station. That being said, when was its last overhaul?

[@Luftschlange]

That's a good question. I don't know. From the looks of it, probably never.

[@LouieV6]

The 3 Av-138 st Station on the 6 line in the Bronx is also badly rundown and needs a makeover

[@claudiahansen4938]

Yep! This was my station, as I worked in the Municipal Building during the Koch administration. Memories of dilapidation even back then! Loose joints!

[@ExotiKZBoy17]

MTA. This station should've been the first station to be renovated not the bunch of other ones that could definitely waited a while. B.T.W Bowery also

[@arifakyuz7673]

Clean the station up, reopen the middle platform for rush hours, and you have a pretty decent station.

[@DogeCharger]

Sir Topham Hat would be very cross

[@sopaman1234]

5:44 The R42 was not built in the late 90's it was built in 1970...None of them as of 2018 are in service...

[@vonmazur1]

When I worked for Metro Region of Penn Central, most of the stations were like this...Nostalgia!!

[@latios5376]

9:58 Typing error: Sarturda, 13 June, 2016 it is suppose to be Saturday not saturda

[@gabyrojas9413]

I never knew John Doe is into MTA Subway.

[@lscarver5]

There's no argument that this station is rundown and raggedy looking. The 138th street and 3rd Avenue station on the No. 6 line is no bargain either.

[@marquiesewatson2811]

These Guys Spent Almost 800 Million On The Next Station South, (Fulton Street) But Won’t Take 2 Million To Fix This Station But, I get why they didn’t fix it. It’s Under The Municipal Building, Which Requires A lot Of Columns. Fixing The Platform Can Cause Damage To The Building.

[@ejm1225]

If you ask me, Chambers Street seems more like an active urban ruin.

[@TheSwamynathan]

Doing some patchwork replacing with New Tiles on the Pillars particularly should make it look better;

[@davidhutchinson5233]

I used to go thru that station regularly at one point.

[@JohnSmith-sj9dk]

they should try to make this like the new hudson yards station

[@alexthemtaandr211weatherfa2]

Nope

[@CharlieND]

Easier said than done.

[@clixi652]

it’s the Nassau street line it basically runs through the hood parts of the city it would literally look the same in a week

[@Nelegyenmabenneanevem]

Your 60 years old metro trains looks better than how our 60 years old soviet made metro trains looked like. They have been replaced last year, thank God.

[@1940limited]

The old station sure has character despite it's somewhat run down condition. I remember NY subway trains much older than these. There was a window in the front where you could stand and gt the same view of the tracks as the engineer. It was fascinating. The Hudson tubes had the same feature on the older trains.

[@johnbarone8948]

Looks like the subway scene from the movie Jacob's Ladder.

[@alexharris2495]

This doesn't light a candle to any station on the G line. That entire corridor is atrocious That being said, it's great that the 32s were the stars of this video though.

[@pSL-oy5gl]

This station needs a massive renovation.

[@BillRicker]

ooh, that is sad. Needs a whole lot of wall restoration. New signage and the lovely arcade at the surface just makes the shabby tiles look shabbier. OTOH at least the original 1911 mosaic details in side platform walls weren't covered over in an updating (as Boston has recently reversed at several stations)

[@kiqw]

So IRT trains once operated from here to Brooklyn via the Brooklyn Bridge? If so, are any films of that operation available?

[@chewbacca90210]

I think the City Hall station is worse actually for the JMZ lines

[@1940limited]

Why is this so run down and the new Fulton St. Station is now open?