The Bowery station is a station on the BMT Nassau Street Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Bowery and Delancey Street in the Lower East Side and Little Italy neighborhoods, it is served by the J train at all times and the Z train during rush hours in the peak direction.

Quick Facts ​, Station statistics ...

Bowery  ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Station statistics
Address	Bowery & Delancey Street New York, NY 10002
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Lower East Side, Little Italy
Coordinates	40.720299°N 73.994079°W / 40.720299; -73.994079
Division	B (BMT)[1]
Line	BMT Nassau Street Line
Services	J  (all times) ​   Z  (rush hours, peak direction)
Transit	NYCT Bus: M103
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 island platforms (1 in regular service)
Tracks	3 (2 in regular service; 1 not in regular service; 1 removed)
Other information
Opened	August 4, 1913; 110 years ago (1913-08-04)[2]
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2022	748,064[3]  30.7%
Rank	336 out of 423[3]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Canal Street J  ​Z  toward Broad Street Essex Street J  ​Z  toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to Essex Street to Canal Street
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Stops weekday evenings only

Close

Construction contracts for the Nassau Street main line in Manhattan were awarded in early 1907, despite no determination of the operator once completed. The line was assigned to a proposed Tri-borough system in early 1908 and to the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) in the Dual Contracts, adopted on March 4, 1913.^[4][5] Construction of this underground station began in August 1907 and was almost completed by the end of 1910. However, the BMT Nassau Street Line to the south did not open until August 4, 1913, when Chambers Street was ready for service, and the Centre Street Loop was opened.^[2]

The station's platforms originally could only fit six 67-foot-long (20 m) cars. In April 1926, the New York City Board of Transportation (BOT) received bids for the lengthening of platforms at three stations on the Centre Street Loop, including the Bowery station, to accommodate eight-car trains.^[6] The New York City Board of Estimate approved funds for the project in July 1926,^[7] and the extensions were completed in 1927, bringing the length of the platforms to 535 feet (163 m).^[8][9]

This station was originally configured like a typical express station with two island platforms and four tracks; express service ran on the inner tracks and local service on the outer tracks. When it was built, the station was an important connection point for elevated and streetcar lines. With those lines long gone, a four-track station was no longer considered necessary.

As part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 2000–2004 Capital Program, the reconfiguration of the Nassau Street Line between Canal Street and Essex Street took place. As part of the plan, northbound trains were rerouted via the second track from the west, and the former northbound platforms at Canal Street and Bowery were closed. The second track from the east was removed. Work on the project started in 2001. This change took effect on September 20, 2004. The reconfiguration provided additional operational flexibility by providing a third through track (previously the center two tracks stub-ended at Canal Street), which was equipped with reverse signaling. The consolidation of the Bowery and Canal Street stations was intended to enhance customer security while consolidating passengers onto what used to be the southbound platforms.^{[10][11][12]: 29} The project was completed in May 2005, seven months behind its scheduled completion.^[13] The project cost $36 million.^[14]

The closed platform has been used for fashion shows, a police terrorism drill, and for dozens of movie and television shoots yearly.^[15]

Ground	Street level	Exit/entrance
Mezzanine		Fare control, station agent
Platform level	Westbound	← toward Broad Street (Canal Street) ← AM rush toward Broad Street (Canal Street)
	Island platform
	Eastbound (former westbound)	→ toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Essex Street) → → PM rush toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Essex Street) →
	Former eastbound	→ Trackbed
	Island platform, not in service
	Former eastbound	→ No regular service

The station has three tracks and two island platforms, but only the northern island platform is accessible to passengers. The fourth track, the former northbound express on the abandoned side, was removed in the 2004 renovations.

The J and Z trains serve the Bowery station; the former operates all times, and the latter operates during rush hours in the peak direction.^[16] The next stop to the west is Canal Street, while the next stop to the east is Essex Street.^[17]

Mosaics include the name tablet, "B," "newsstand," "Women," and "Men" in raised letters. A unique feature of the station is the arched wall niches at the north end, rather than the standard rectangular niches. The station featured a news-stand and restrooms, all of which have long been closed.

The station has two mezzanine areas on each side of Bowery. Only the eastern mezzanine is open today; the western mezzanine has long been closed, and stairways to it are blocked. The eastern mezzanine is reached via three flights of stairs or a single escalator from the open platform.