168th Street

168th Street on the Broadway-Seventh Avenue line is the busy heart of medical Washington Heights. Step off the 1 train and you are directly beneath the sprawling campus of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Irving Medical Center, so the ridership here skews toward doctors, nurses, students and patients throughout the day and well into the evening. It is one of the deepest stations in the whole subway, carved far into the Manhattan schist.

The station shares a fare-controlled complex with the A and C trains one level apart, making 168th Street a genuine interchange between the numbered and lettered lines in far upper Manhattan. Above ground, Broadway is lined with pharmacies, coffee shops and the grand facades of the hospital buildings that give the neighbourhood its purpose.

Station Overview

168th Street opened in 1906 on the original IRT subway and is served by the 1, 2 and 3 trains, although in regular service the 1 is the train you will use here most, with the 2 and 3 running express further downtown. It is an accessible station with lift service, which matters given how deep the platforms sit. It connects underground to the A and C platforms of the neighbouring 168th Street station.

Lines and Connectivity

The 1 train is the local on the west side, running from Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx down through the Upper West Side, Times Square, Chelsea and the Financial District to South Ferry. From 168th Street you can transfer without leaving fare control to the A and C trains, giving you a second north-south route down the Eighth Avenue corridor. That combination makes this a useful pivot point for reaching almost any part of Manhattan.

Station Layout and Structure

This is a deep-bore station, and the platforms are reached by lift from a mezzanine high above. The famous lifts are part of the experience here, as the rock is far too deep for a normal staircase alone to be practical. Follow signs carefully to distinguish the 1 train platforms from the connecting passage to the A and C trains, since the two lines sit at different depths within the same complex.

Accessibility

168th Street is an accessible station with lifts providing step-free access between the street, the mezzanine and the platforms. Because the platforms are so deep, the lifts are essential rather than optional, and most riders use them regardless of mobility. Check the MYmta app for live lift status before travelling, as this is a single vertical route to the platforms.

Travel Tips

• Pay with OMNY by tapping a contactless card, phone or OMNY card, or swipe a MetroCard. Fares are one flat rate however far you travel, with automatic weekly fare capping on OMNY.
• Use the underground transfer to the A and C trains to switch between the west side 1 line and the Eighth Avenue line without going back to the street.
• Allow a little extra time here, as the lifts to the deep platforms can create a queue during hospital shift changes.

Nearby Attractions

Columbia University Irving Medical Center - directly above. One of the leading academic medical campuses in the country, anchoring the neighbourhood and its round-the-clock activity.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital - directly above. A major teaching hospital whose buildings dominate the streets around the station.

Highbridge Park - about 10 minutes east. A long clifftop park along the Harlem River with the restored High Bridge, the oldest bridge in New York City.

Fort Washington Avenue - at street level. A pleasant uptown avenue leading north toward the quieter residential heights and, further on, Fort Tryon Park.

Timings and Best Time to Travel

The 1 train runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with less frequent service overnight. Because the station serves a hospital and university, it stays busy across a longer span of the day than a purely residential stop, including evenings around shift changes. Late mornings are the calmest window for an unhurried trip.