The Abandoned Projects: Episode 1 - IND Fordham Road Station, Abandoned Mezzanine & Entrance/Exist

Disclaimer:

The majority of my videos that feature so-called “abandoned” areas within the New York City subway system do not consist of footage personally recorded by me. This material was obtained from a number of urban explorers and retired transit employees whose identities are withheld for confidentiality and safety reasons.

Accessing these locations without proper authorization constitutes trespassing and is both unlawful and illegal. I strongly discourage anyone from attempting to enter or explore these areas without official permission.


Information:

Fordham Road is an express station served by all trains on the IND Concourse Line. The station features an exceptionally unique design, necessitated by the Grand Concourse’s express roadway lanes, which pass beneath the busy Fordham Road intersection in an underpass. To accommodate these lanes, the subway alignment shifts so that the downtown local track diverges away from the center express track toward the northern half of the station.

As a result, the uptown platform is conventional and relatively narrow, while the downtown platform is exceptionally wide. Moving north, this downtown platform gradually widens further as the local track angles away from the express track, before ultimately splitting into two separate platforms for its northern third. In this section, each track functions almost like an individual side platform, complete with white-on-blue name tablets. Blue trim lines run along the track walls, with black text beneath them.

The station was originally constructed with mezzanine areas above nearly the entire length of the platforms, with the exception of a portion above the northern end of the downtown express platform. Beginning at the southern end, the mezzanine has been closed off: a staircase from the uptown platform has been removed, while the downtown platform once had both a closed staircase and a removed staircase leading up to this area.

Further north, the mezzanine reenters passenger service, featuring standard staircases to the narrow uptown platform and extra-wide staircases descending to the center of the downtown platform, where the platform begins to form its distinctive wedge shape.

The main fare control area is located at the center of the mezzanine, with a full-time token booth positioned between two banks of turnstiles that divide the mezzanine into separate halves within fare control. From this area, staircases—each with intermediate landings before reaching street level—lead to all four corners of East 188th Street and the Grand Concourse.

North of the main fare control, the mezzanine becomes more complex. Along this entire section, gated areas—now closed to the public—once allowed passengers to enter from all four corners of the Grand Concourse and reach the primary fare control area at East 188th Street. A mosaic tile reading “Change Booth” remains visible, marking this former function. The gates and fencing along the mezzanine walls still exist, but their closure has narrowed the remaining public passageways.

Continuing north, the mezzanine features two groups of three staircases descending to the platforms. At each location, a single staircase leads to the uptown platform, while two staircases—one adjacent to the center express track and the other beside the local track—serve the Manhattan-bound platform. This area sits directly above the point where the downtown platform splits into two separate platforms.

Beyond this, the mezzanine narrows significantly, with the public portion continuing only above the uptown platform. Here, two additional staircases descend to the uptown platform, along with a final staircase at the extreme northern end of the downtown express platform.

The within-fare-control portion of the mezzanine concludes with four High Entrance/Exit Turnstiles. A token booth remained here until 2006, beyond which a narrower mezzanine passageway continues. This passageway provides access to a street staircase at the southeast corner of Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse (local roadways), as well as a corridor leading up a ramp and short intermediate staircase to a street exit at the northeast corner.

Above the downtown local platform once existed a separate, narrow mezzanine. Evidence of this survives in the form of a closed gate and two sealed staircases from the platform below. This mezzanine contained its own fare control area and closely mirrored the still-open eastern mezzanine, with street stairs once leading to the southwest and northwest corners of the Grand Concourse. Both of these street stairs have since been removed from the surface and slabbed over.

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