Van Siclen Avenue station (IRT New Lots Line)

The New Lots Line was built as a part of Contract 3 of the Dual Contracts between New York City and the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, including this station.{{Cite news|url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252014%2FBrooklyn%2520NY%2520Standard%2520Union%2FBrooklyn%2520NY%2520Standard%2520Union%25201919%2FBrooklyn%2520NY%2520Standard%2520Union%25201919%2520-%25206045.pdf&highlightsFile=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fultonhistory.com%2Fhighlighter%2Fhits%2F8a59f3a6ccf7f28377ff195369dafabf#page=1|title=Nearly 70 Track Miles to Be Added To Rapid Transit Facilities in 1920|date=December 28, 1919|work=Brooklyn Standard Union|access-date=August 14, 2016|via=Fulton History}} It was built as an elevated line because the ground in this area is right above the water table, and as a result the construction of a subway would have been prohibitively expensive.{{Cite news|url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252014%2FBrooklyn%2520NY%2520Standard%2520Union%2FBrooklyn%2520NY%2520Standard%2520Union%25201910%2FBrooklyn%2520NY%2520Standard%2520Union%25201910%2520-%25203587.pdf&highlightsFile=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fultonhistory.com%2Fhighlighter%2Fhits%2F5317c0d167556c590ee9756b3462503c#page=1|title=Differ Over Assessment Plans in Transit Projects: Eastern Parkway Subway and Livonia Avenue Extension the Cause of Bitter Dissension Among Property Owners Uptown|date=March 13, 1910|newspaper=The Daily Standard Union|access-date=August 14, 2016|via=Fulton History}} The first portion of the line between Utica Avenue and Junius Street opened on November 22, 1920, with shuttle trains operating over this route.{{Cite web|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015016416888;view=1up;seq=24;size=200|title=Annual report. 1920-1921.|website=HathiTrust|publisher=Interborough Rapid Transit|access-date=September 5, 2016}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fg4KAQAAMAAJ&q=177|title=A History of the New York City Subway System|last1=Cunningham|first1=Joseph|last2=DeHart|first2=Leonard O.|date=1993|publisher=J. Schmidt, R. Giglio, and K. Lang|pages=53|language=en}} The line opened one more stop farther to the east to Pennsylvania Avenue on December 24, 1920. At that date, only the southbound platform was used.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T1tLAQAAMAAJ&dq=subway&pg=PA442|title=Annual Report|date=1922|publisher=J.B. Lyon Company|language=en}}{{Rp|129}}

While work at this station and at New Lots Avenue was practically completed in 1921, they could not open yet because trains could not run to the terminal until track work, the signal tower, and the compressor room were in service.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iyM0AQAAMAAJ&dq=canarsie+line+construction+elevated+evergreen+branch&pg=PA116|title=Annual Report ...|last=Commission|first=New York (State) Transit|date=1922|publisher=J.B. Lyon Company|language=en}}{{Rp|129–130}} Work began on June 19, 1922, and this station opened on October 16, 1922, when shuttles started operating between Pennsylvania Avenue and New Lots Avenue. A two-car train operated on a single track on the northbound track.{{Cite journal|date=September 2010|title=IRT Brooklyn Line Opened 90 Years Ago|url=https://issuu.com/erausa/docs/the_era_bulletin_2010-09|journal=New York Division Bulletin|publisher=New York Division, Electric Railroaders' Association|volume=53|issue=9|access-date=August 31, 2016|via=Issu}} On October 31, 1924, through service to New Lots Avenue was begun.

From April 20, 2015, to March 28, 2016, this station and Rockaway Avenue were closed for renovations.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mta.info/press-release/nyc-transit/rockaway-av-and-van-siclen-av-3-line-stations-close-five-months-renewal|title=Rockaway Av and Van Siclen Av 3 Line Stations To Close for Five Months for Renewal|date=April 17, 2015|website=mta.info|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=August 28, 2019}}

{{NYCS Platform Layout IRT New Lots Line}}

file:Van Siclen Av IRT sta jeh.jpg

This elevated station has two side platforms and two tracks with space for a center track that was never installed.{{NYCS const|trackref|trackbook3}} The platforms are longer than a standard IRT train of {{Convert|514|feet|meters|abbr=}} and have beige windscreen and brown canopies with green support columns along their entire length except at their extreme ends. Here, they have waist-high, steel fences with lampposts at regular intervals. The station's signs are the standard black name plates with white Helvetica lettering.

The station's only mezzanine is an elevated headhouse below the platforms and tracks at the extreme east (railroad south) end. A single staircase from each platform goes down to a waiting area/crossover, where a turnstile bank provides access to and from the station. Outside fare control, there is a token booth and two staircases going down the northwest and southeast corners of Livonia Avenue and Van Siclen Avenue.{{cite web|title=MTA Neighborhood Maps: East New York|url=http://web.mta.info/maps/neighborhoods/bkn/B8%20East_NY_2015.pdf|website=mta.info|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=19 July 2015|date=2015}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category-inline|Van Siclen Avenue (IRT New Lots Line)}}

• {{NYCS ref|http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/stations?215:2896|Brooklyn IRT|Van Siclen Avenue}}

{{NYCS stations navbox by service|l3=y}}

{{NYCS stations navbox by line|newlots=yes}}

Category:IRT New Lots Line stations

Category:East New York, Brooklyn

Category:New York City Subway stations in Brooklyn

Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1922