72nd Street station (New York Central Railroad)


The 72nd Street station is an abandoned station located in the Park Avenue Tunnel used by Metro-North Railroad for all of its trains. The station has two side platforms and is located in between 72nd Street and 73rd Street underneath Park Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The station was built by the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad as part of an agreement with New York City.

History

The station was built during the late 19th century, and it is unclear if any regular trains actually stopped here. Currently, the station is used as an emergency exit for Metro-North Railroad in the Park Avenue Tunnel. The staircases are intact and can be accessed from Park Avenue. According to an 1895 timetable, two trains stopped at 72nd Street daily to serve students attending what is now Hunter College. On April 29, 1901, the New York Central was granted permission to abandon this station and the 86th Street station by the New York State Railroad Commissioners. The station had low ridership.