Operation of the first subway began on October 27, 1904, with the opening of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway from City Hall to 145th Street on the West Side Branch including the 116th Street station. In 1948, platforms on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line from 103rd Street to 238th Street were lengthened to to allow full ten-car express trains to stop at this station. Previously, the station could only hold six-car local trains. The platform extensions were opened in stages. On April 6, 1948, the platform extension opened for stations from 103rd Street to Dyckman Street, with the exception of 125th Street. In 2002, it was announced that 116th Street would be one of ten subway stations citywide, as well as one of five on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, to receive renovations.
Station layout
The 116th Street–Columbia University station is laid out in a typical local stop setup. There are two side platforms and three tracks, the center one being an unused express track. The southbound local track is technically known as BB1 while the northbound one is BB4; the BB designation is used for chaining purposes along the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line from 96th Street to 242nd Street. Although it cannot be accessed at 116th Street–Columbia University, the center track is designated as M. These designations are rarely, if ever, used in ordinary conversation. There is a mezzanine above the platforms, which contains the fare control area, as well as stairs to the street and both platforms. Until the 1960s, the station was served by an entrance kiosk similar to the one still in use two miles south at 72nd Street. Today, the concourse is entirely underground, with stairways on either side of Broadway that serve both uptown and downtown trains. In 2004, the station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Exits
The station has four entrance/exit stairs that serve both platforms:
2 on the NW corner of Broadway and 116th Street
2 on the NE corner of Broadway and 116th Street
There is also an exit-only near the southern end of the northbound platform that leads to the east side of Broadway at 115th Street, outside the Alfred Lerner Hall.
