168th Street

168th Street on the Eighth Avenue line is the A and C train counterpart to the 1 train stop of the same name, sitting a short underground walk apart in the middle of medical Washington Heights. This is the station that most riders heading straight downtown on the express A will use, dropping them at the doorstep of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Irving Medical Center. The platforms hum with hospital staff and students at all hours.

The A and C platforms connect within fare control to the 1 train, so 168th Street works as a real interchange in this far-uptown corner of Manhattan. Come up to Broadway or Fort Washington Avenue and you are surrounded by the pharmacies, delis and grand hospital buildings that define this stretch of the Heights.

Station Overview

The Eighth Avenue platforms at 168th Street opened in 1932 with the Independent Subway System and are served by the A and C trains. It is an accessible station with lift service, and it links underground to the 1 train, giving you two north-south routes from a single fare. The station lies deep beneath the neighbourhood alongside the older IRT platforms.

Lines and Connectivity

The A train is normally the express on the Eighth Avenue line and offers a quick ride from Washington Heights down through Columbus Circle, Midtown and Lower Manhattan before running out to Brooklyn and the Rockaways. The C is the local, stopping at more stations between here and Euclid Avenue in Brooklyn. The free transfer to the 1 train adds the west-side route through the Upper West Side and Times Square, so few uptown stations open up more of Manhattan at once.

Station Layout and Structure

The A and C platforms sit deep underground and are reached by lift or long staircases from the mezzanine. Follow signs clearly to keep the Eighth Avenue platforms separate from the connecting passage to the 1 train, since the two lines lie at different levels within the shared complex. Direction signs point you toward uptown trains for Inwood and downtown trains for Midtown and Brooklyn.

Accessibility

168th Street is an accessible station, with lifts giving step-free access between street, mezzanine and the deep A and C platforms. Given the depth of the station, the lifts are the practical way down for most riders. It is wise to confirm live lift status on the MYmta app before you travel, since a single lift route serves the platforms.

Travel Tips

• Tap in with OMNY using a contactless card, phone or OMNY card, or use a MetroCard. Every ride is the same flat fare regardless of distance, with weekly capping built into OMNY.
• Ride the A for a fast express run downtown, or the C when you need one of the local stops it skips.
• Use the in-station transfer to the 1 train to switch to the west-side route without paying again.

Nearby Attractions

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital - directly above. A major teaching hospital whose buildings frame the streets around the station and keep the neighbourhood active day and night.

Columbia University Irving Medical Center - directly above. The university's medical campus, one of the country's foremost centres for research and clinical care.

Fort Tryon Park and The Cloisters - a ride or long walk north. The medieval branch of the Metropolitan Museum sits in a hilltop park with sweeping Hudson River views.

Highbridge Park - about 10 minutes east. A clifftop park along the Harlem River with the restored High Bridge, the city's oldest standing bridge.

Timings and Best Time to Travel

The A train runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, while the C stops running overnight, so between roughly midnight and early morning the A is your train and it arrives less frequently. Hospital and university activity keeps the station busy across long stretches of the day and evening. Midmorning is usually the quietest time to pass through.