96th Street Side platforms

96th Street has 2 unused side platforms. It was used as a exit/entrance, now it's for storage and offices.

Construction and operation
The first subway in New York had five express stations on its four track main line: Brooklyn Bridge, 14 St, Grand Central, 72 St, and 96 St. 96 St is one of the three with side platforms in addition to the island platforms between the express and local tracks.

The plan of 96 St is somewhat different from Brooklyn Bridge and 14 St, the other two, because they have a mezzanine level between the street and platforms, but 96 St does not. Neither does 72 St. One of the advertised features of the subway was fewer steps than the els, accomplished by keeping the subway near street level. Under Broadway, providing a mezzanine would have meant a dip in the subway's profile, especially at 96 St where Broadway goes in and out of valley. The problem was solved neatly at 72 St. Because the oblique intersection with Amsterdam Ave allowed for a wider section of center mall, there was room to place a now-landmarked stone entrance house at surface level. The same could not be done at 96 St.

At 96 St, access is similar to any uptown local stop, with similar side platforms, allowing minimal stair climbing for riders to and from local trains. But for express trains, riders had to use an underpass, meaning two more flights of stairs, one up, one down.

Trains opened doors at the side platforms at 96 St well into the lifetimes of older riders today, because they were more convenient to the station entrances than the island platforms. The side platforms were finally made obsolete by the introduction of newer subway cars that made it harder for conductors to open doors on both sides. The closing date is not known but the new cars began to go on the local (now the 1 ) near the end of 1957. Before the new head house at 95th street was built, part of the side platforms was used as a entrance/exit. When the head house was opened, the original entrance/exit was closed and covered up. Now the side platforms are used for offices and storage.