Background

The station's location and tracks were originally part of the Lenox Avenue Yard opened in 1904, where 3 trains are currently stored.^[5][6] An extension of the Lenox Avenue line to 149th or 150th Street had been proposed since the Dual Contracts of the 1910s. In 1916, an extension to 149th Street was proposed as part of a connection between the Lenox Avenue Line and the IRT Jerome Avenue Line in the Bronx (served by the 4 train).^[7]

In 1940, the New York City Board of Transportation proposed extending the IRT Lenox Avenue Line to the Bronx along the northern portion of the IRT Ninth Avenue Line, in turn connecting to the Jerome Avenue Line at 167th Street.^[8] However, the tunnel from Sedgwick Avenue to Anderson–Jerome Avenues was built to elevated-railway standards, whose "open" third rails, which did not have any protective covers on top, were shorter than the subway's "covered" third rails. Another issue was that the Ninth Avenue Line could not carry subway cars, as it was only strong enough to carry the lighter wooden elevated cars.^[9] These incompatibilities prevented the connection from being built.^[10]

Opening

In 1957, a station at 150th Street within the Lenox Yard was proposed to better serve the local area (including the nearby Harlem River Houses).^[11] The station, and the Bronx extension, had been requested by local citizens since the 1940s due to unreliable bus and surface trolley service.^[12] The station was later moved to 149th Street due to Lenox Yard's downsizing in the 1960s, with the land sold to the developers that would build the Frederick Douglass Academy and the Esplanade Gardens apartment complex above the yard and station.^[13][14]

The new terminal, upon completion, was intended to replace the former terminal at 145th Street station due to the proximity of switches that prevented that station's lengthening to accommodate ten-car trains.^[15] However, plans to shut down 145th Street were cancelled due to protests from local residents.^[16] Trains began operating without passengers to the 148th Street station on May 5, 1968,^[17]: 11 and the station officially opened on May 13, 1968.^{[17]: 11 [18]} The project was completed at a relatively low cost because the extension made use of two existing yard tracks.^{[11][18][19][lower-alpha 1]} The station cost $1.29 million, track improvements cost $3.178 million, and signaling cost $3.553 million.^[21] The name of the station was originally planned to be 149th Street–Seventh Avenue station, but because of possible confusion with 149th Street–Grand Concourse, it was changed to 148th Street–Lenox Terminal.^[13]

Later changes

The station sign was reversed as Lenox Terminal–148th Street in the 1990s before reverting to its original name by 2003.^[22] From August 5, 1990, to September 4, 1994, and from September 10, 1995, to July 27, 2008, this station lacked full-time service, as 3 trains did not operate during late nights. Full-time service was restored on July 27, 2008.^[23]

In December 2019, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced that this station would become ADA-accessible as part of the agency's 2020–2024 Capital Program.^[24] A contract for one ramp at the station was awarded in December 2023.^[25]

Exit

The station's only mezzanine is at the west (railroad north) end of the station.^[4] From the single island platform, a double-wide stairway leads up to a set of doors that separate the street-level station-house at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.^[35] There are three turnstiles and a token booth.^[36]