If you’ve ever wondered whether one of the MTA’s underground stations could potentially function as a fallout shelter in the event of a nuclear attack, it just so happens that one of the deepest stops in the city may have the conditions needed to fulfill this role.
The 190th street A train station in Washington Heights is indeed so far underground that it could possibly act as a protective bunker from the impact of a nuclear attack.
As reported by a New York Times weekly column titled “On The Way,” which covers matters on NYC transportation, the discovery was made by Dr. Morris Shamos, an NYU physics researcher, in 1951.
Dr. Shamos had come to the conclusion after conducting tests using cosmic rays that the “radiation from an atomic bomb would be extremely unlikely to reach the station,” according to the Times.
The 190th street station, which was constructed in 1932, is buried under 140 feet of bedrock in Ford Tyron Park, and requires a 30-second elevator ride to get from its upper entrance to the mezzanine.
The revival of Dr. Ramos’ findings emerged as the MTA has set long-awaited plans to renovate the Washington Heights station, which is in grave need of repairs.
During the time of his study, in 1951, city officials had been looking into using subway stations in Washington Heights such as 190th street and 191st street, which is even deeper than the former, as fallout shelters.
In the past, a year after the Soviet Union successfully tested its first atomic weapon, marking a pivotal moment in the Cold War, the board of transportation had also pitched building shelters inside the Second Ave subway– which at the time–was planned but not built.
Under this proposal, the city would have put shelter rooms in deep underground stations that would be equipped with plumbing, pantries, and first aid kits. However, this project was never carried out as it didn’t have enough federal funding, and in the end, no attacks occurred.
In 2022 NYC emitted an unexpected public service announcement to shelter indoors in the case of a nuclear attack that advised people to stay inside and away from windows “if the big one has hit.” The announcement left New Yorkers puzzled and disturbed but it did not mention subway tunnels.
Following the public alarm that the announcement incited, Mayor Eric Adams explained it “was right after the attacks in Ukraine and OEM (the Office of Emergency Management) took a very proactive step to say let’s be prepared.”
MTA officials have not publicly commented on whether the 190th street station or other underground stops could serve as fallout shelters, though the agency did say transit officials have participated in workshops that determined subway stations are not ideal for long term shelter due to their lack of access to food and water.
