Three of my last five trips through 168th Street have involved at least one elevator being down. The setup confuses people anyway because you can’t just walk from the A platform to the 1 platform without going up and through the mezzanine or using the elevator bank, and when the biggest elevator is out the line backs up halfway along the passage. Today there was an MTA employee directing people, but all they could say was 'use 181 or 59' — which is not realistic if you're already inside the system and have somewhere to be.

The signs are often handwritten and dated that morning, but they don’t say which elevator, or whether it’s a power issue, planned work, or just a fault. I know the station’s elevators are old and the 1 line is deep, so maintenance is not optional, but it would help if they posted the status outside before you pay. I’ve seen people with strollers and wheelchairs get to the fare array and then have to turn around.

Does anyone know if the MTA elevator status page actually updates for 168th Street, and if there’s a reliable pattern for the outage? I’m close to just changing my transfer to 59th Street, but that adds a lot of time if the A is local.

I’m new to Washington Heights and went through 168th for the first time last week. I got off the A, followed the little elevator signs, and then stood in a crowd by a closed elevator for a while before someone told us to take the exit and walk to 181? I was so confused because I thought 181 was a different station, not a walk. Is it really walkable? It looked like a steep hill on my phone.

Do the elevators have one of those status boards at the entrance? I didn't see one outside.

Beth, 168th is a special case because there are three sets of vertical movement: the street-to-mezzanine elevator, the elevator down to the lower A/C level, and the deep elevator up/down to the 1 platform. When people say 'the elevator is out,' they're often talking about different ones, and the MTA’s public status page sometimes just says 'elevator service change' without specifying. That said, the street-to-mezzanine one has been the most frequent offender in my experience because it's heavily used and the door cycle is slow.

If you're transferring from the A/C to the 1 and the mezzanine-to-platform elevator is down, there is no bypass that doesn't involve leaving fare control or going outside. The 181st Street station is technically walkable, but it's not a flat walk — you're going up the hill, and the transfer is not free if you leave and re-enter. You can sometimes stay within the system by taking the A local back to 59th or 125th and transferring there, depending on direction.

For the OP: I’ve had decent luck checking the MTA elevator status page before I tap in, but it lags. The best signal is the handwritten sign on the outside of the station, which means that day’s outage was known in the morning. If it's down, the employee at the booth may not have more detail than the sign.

The station is old, the elevator bank is heavily used by hospital workers and people with mobility issues, and there's definitely no neat pattern. Sorry.

Thank you for explaining the different elevators. I moved from Ohio recently and thought every subway station with an elevator would just have a normal elevator to the platform, but this one feels like a maze. Is there a way to know which level is out before you get stuck in the station? Like does the MTA app show the same info as the website? I use the app a lot but didn't think to check for elevators.

Also if you leave to walk to 181, do you have to pay again? That seems unfair if the elevator that's supposed to be working isn't.

I've lived up here long enough to know that 168th elevator just has moods. If you see a crowd standing by the elevator with that yellow MTA sign on a tripod, turn around. Don't try to be clever and wait for the freight elevator because the attendant will tell you no. Same with the little elevator from the A platform—it can fit like two people with bags, and it's always the one they shut first.

If you don't have a stroller or wheelchair, honestly just use 181 if you're already outside, or stay on the A to 59th if you need the 1. Saves the aggravation. But if you've already swiped, you're stuck unless a station agent is feeling generous. I've seen them open the service gate once, but don't count on it.

Wait, have you all seen the interior of those elevators at 168th? The old buttons and the little swinging gate? I'm a little obsessed. The deep elevator to the 1 platform has that mechanical clicking when it passes the intermediate level, and it's one of the few places in the whole system where you really feel how far down you are. But I absolutely agree the signage is weird. The street elevator status is sometimes on a tiny screen near the booth, but only if the station agent turns it on. Has anyone tried calling the MTA's elevator hotline? It's not exactly fast, but I once got a decent answer about the 190th Street station elevator. Also, the 181st Street tunnel has that curved tile and the elevator there feels completely different.

Thanks everyone, this is useful. I checked the MTA status page before this morning's trip and it said no elevator outages at 168th, but when I got there the mezzanine-to-1 elevator was still signed as 'staff only.' So the page wasn't lying exactly, but it wasn't useful either. Maybe 'staff only' is not considered an outage because there was still some way to get to the A level.

I’m going to start treating 168th as a dry transfer only. If I’m already on the A and need the 1, I’ll ride to 59th and use the staircases there, even if it costs me time. If I’m entering at 168th and I have luggage or a stroller, I’ll check outside first for the sign. For anyone else: don't assume the elevator works just because Google Maps says the station is accessible that day; the station’s accessibility can change between the street, the A/C, and the 1.

Also, MovedFromOhio, yes — if you leave fare control to walk to 181, you normally pay again. It's not right, but it's how it works unless a station agent lets you out and maybe back in; I wouldn't count on it. The only across-the-board workaround is to transfer within the system at a station with a working connection.