Many stations have Mezzanines or also called mezzanines. This allows passengers to access multiple entrances and proceed to the correct platform without having to cross the street. It also allows interconnections of trains between uptown and downtown "Financial District (Manhattan)") on side platforms or pairs of central platforms, very useful when local railways are closed for construction.

Due to the large number of lines, a platform or groups of platforms often offer more than one service (unlike other metro systems, including the Paris Metro, with the exception of some London Underground lines). A passenger must look at the signs posted at the platform entrances in each direction of each track to ensure that they are taking the correct train on the correct line.

The New York Subway system has the following number of possible platform configurations:

In a few cases, a 4-track station has a central platform used for express train tracks, and two side platforms for local train tracks. Although in those cases, it only occurs in the first three stations closest to a major railway station, where the next station along the same line is also an express station, in which it uses the most common configuration of the system. The purpose of dividing the platforms is to prevent passengers from forming crowds when trying to transfer from local stations to express stations or vice versa. One of the most visible examples of this problem is at the Atlantic Avenue station "Atlantic Avenue (Eastern Parkway Line)") of the Eastern Parkway Line (trains of service 2 "2 (New York Subway)") 3 "3 (New York Subway)") 4 "4 (New York Subway)") 5 "5 (New York Subway)")) adjacent to the Nevins Street express station "Nevins Street (Eastern Parkway Line)"), whose connection is to the Atlantic Terminal of the Long Island Rail Road; and 34th Street-Penn Station on the Seventh Avenue–Broadway line "34th Street–Penn Station (Seventh Avenue–Broadway Line)") (trains on service 1 "1 (New York City Subway)") and the Eighth Avenue line "34th Street–Penn Station (Eighth Avenue Line)") (trains on service A "A (New York City Subway)") C "C (New York City Subway) York)") E "E (New York City Subway)"), adjacent to the express stations of Times Square–42nd Street "Times Square–42nd Street (station)") and 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal "42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal (Eighth Avenue Line)"), whose connection is to Pennsylvania Station "Pennsylvania Station (New York)"), one of the two closest stations important in New York. This problem does not occur with the other major stations in New York, such as Grand Central Terminal, on the Grand Central "Grand Central–42nd Street (station)") of the Lexington Avenue Line (trains of service 4 "4 (New York Subway)") 5 "5 (New York Subway)") 6 "6 (New York Subway)") <6> "6 (New York Subway)")), as it does not have an adjacent express station. The system also has a 6-track station, the DeKalb Avenue station "DeKalb Avenue (Fourth Avenue Line)"), whose trains to and from the Manhattan Bridge make stops on the outer tracks of one of the central platforms, avoiding the stations located in the center of the track ("express tracks"). Trains to and from the Montague Street Tunnel stop along the platform respectively from the outer tracks.

The complete list of stations is divided by borough "Borough (New York)"). The second column shows the number of stations counted by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The third column shows the number of stations with "complexes", considered as one station.

There are many stations that share the same name. These stations are disambiguated by the line on which the station is located. The following list shows these occurrences presented in alphabetical order by Borough, from east to west, then from north to south; Stations with the same name that form a complex are grouped in parentheses (); closed or demolished stations are crossed out:.

This table shows the 10 busiest New York Subway stations by number of passengers, according to 2008 data.[10]​.

Many stations have Mezzanines or also called mezzanines. This allows passengers to access multiple entrances and proceed to the correct platform without having to cross the street. It also allows interconnections of trains between uptown and downtown "Financial District (Manhattan)") on side platforms or pairs of central platforms, very useful when local railways are closed for construction.

Due to the large number of lines, a platform or groups of platforms often offer more than one service (unlike other metro systems, including the Paris Metro, with the exception of some London Underground lines). A passenger must look at the signs posted at the platform entrances in each direction of each track to ensure that they are taking the correct train on the correct line.

The New York Subway system has the following number of possible platform configurations:

In a few cases, a 4-track station has a central platform used for express train tracks, and two side platforms for local train tracks. Although in those cases, it only occurs in the first three stations closest to a major railway station, where the next station along the same line is also an express station, in which it uses the most common configuration of the system. The purpose of dividing the platforms is to prevent passengers from forming crowds when trying to transfer from local stations to express stations or vice versa. One of the most visible examples of this problem is at the Atlantic Avenue station "Atlantic Avenue (Eastern Parkway Line)") of the Eastern Parkway Line (trains of service 2 "2 (New York Subway)") 3 "3 (New York Subway)") 4 "4 (New York Subway)") 5 "5 (New York Subway)")) adjacent to the Nevins Street express station "Nevins Street (Eastern Parkway Line)"), whose connection is to the Atlantic Terminal of the Long Island Rail Road; and 34th Street-Penn Station on the Seventh Avenue–Broadway line "34th Street–Penn Station (Seventh Avenue–Broadway Line)") (trains on service 1 "1 (New York City Subway)") and the Eighth Avenue line "34th Street–Penn Station (Eighth Avenue Line)") (trains on service A "A (New York City Subway)") C "C (New York City Subway) York)") E "E (New York City Subway)"), adjacent to the express stations of Times Square–42nd Street "Times Square–42nd Street (station)") and 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal "42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal (Eighth Avenue Line)"), whose connection is to Pennsylvania Station "Pennsylvania Station (New York)"), one of the two closest stations important in New York. This problem does not occur with the other major stations in New York, such as Grand Central Terminal, on the Grand Central "Grand Central–42nd Street (station)") of the Lexington Avenue Line (trains of service 4 "4 (New York Subway)") 5 "5 (New York Subway)") 6 "6 (New York Subway)") <6> "6 (New York Subway)")), as it does not have an adjacent express station. The system also has a 6-track station, the DeKalb Avenue station "DeKalb Avenue (Fourth Avenue Line)"), whose trains to and from the Manhattan Bridge make stops on the outer tracks of one of the central platforms, avoiding the stations located in the center of the track ("express tracks"). Trains to and from the Montague Street Tunnel stop along the platform respectively from the outer tracks.

The complete list of stations is divided by borough "Borough (New York)"). The second column shows the number of stations counted by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The third column shows the number of stations with "complexes", considered as one station.

There are many stations that share the same name. These stations are disambiguated by the line on which the station is located. The following list shows these occurrences presented in alphabetical order by Borough, from east to west, then from north to south; Stations with the same name that form a complex are grouped in parentheses (); closed or demolished stations are crossed out:.

This table shows the 10 busiest New York Subway stations by number of passengers, according to 2008 data.[10]​.