One of the lesser known IND Second System provisions also happens to be one of the smallest—what a surprise! Today, we are looking at another provision on the IND Fulton St line, now the A and C in Brooklyn. This one was to allow trains to continue to a proposed subway under Jamaica Av. The IND seemingly had the goal of undermining the BMT Jamaica El with this nearly parallel subway line. It’s unclear what the plan was once the Jamaica subway would reach Crescent St/Jamaica Av, where the Cypress Hills station for the BMT Jamaica Elevated stands. The intention of the IND was likely either to recapture the el and send IND trains up ranps onto the elevated line, or to undermine the el with a full length Jamaica Av subway, and tear down the elevated line upon completion. It figures that the plans for this line never really took off, as this route was and is covered by the Jamaica Elevated, now the J and Z lines. When the city was low on funds, these plans would be one of the first to be scrapped.
Provisional space on the left
The tunnel itself, like many tunnels on the Fulton St line has some pretty historical graffiti, with some of the greats near the provision. Besides that, it is a pretty standard late IND-era tunnel, with lots of thick concrete columns and the prolific cut and cover “box tunnel” look.
