The Fulton Street Line, also called the Fulton Street Elevated or Kings County Line, was an elevated rail line mostly in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. It ran above Fulton Street from Fulton Ferry, Brooklyn, in Downtown Brooklyn east to East New York, and then south on Van Sinderen Avenue (southbound) and Snediker Avenue (northbound), east on Pitkin Avenue, north on Euclid Avenue, and east on Liberty Avenue to Ozone Park, Queens.
The portion in Brooklyn has been torn down, but most of the line in Queens has been connected to the New York City Subway and is now part of the IND Fulton Street Line (served by the A). The section of the IND Fulton Street Line in Brooklyn is an underground line, replacing the elevated line. The structure was the main line of the Kings County Elevated Railway, which first opened in 1888.
The Kings County Elevated Railway opened the line, from dual western terminals at Fulton Ferry and Brooklyn Bridge (Sands Street) [1] east to Nostrand Avenue, on April 24, 1888. [3] Construction on this line started in the fall of 1885, when ground was broken at the corner of Fulton Street and Red Hook Lane. [4] It was extended east to Albany Avenue on May 30, 1888; Albany Avenue was an eastbound-only station, and the westbound station just beyond at Sumner Avenue had yet to be completed, so it temporarily served both directions. [5] The line was further extended to Ralph Avenue on September 20, 1888. [6]
The Fulton Elevated Railroad was incorporated on July 6, 1888, to build a disconnected line from Greenpoint south through Williamsburg to Kent and Myrtle Avenues and to extend the Kings County Elevated east beyond Rockaway Avenue to the city line. [7] [8] The former was not built, but construction soon began on the latter. The first piece, over Fulton Street and Williams Place, opened on July 4, 1889, connecting with the Long Island Rail Road's Manhattan Crossing station at the new terminal at Atlantic Avenue. [9]
It was extended further, over Snediker Avenue and Pitkin Avenue, to Van Siclen Avenue on November 18, 1889. Due to a shortage of wood for a storage yard, a temporary shuttle was operated between Pennsylvania Avenue and Van Siclen Avenue until mid-December. [10] [11] [12] [13] Construction above Pitkin Avenue progressed to Linwood Street on February 22, 1892, [14] and Montauk Avenue on March 21, 1892. [15] The line was completed to Grant Avenue at City Line on July 16, 1894, with the opening of a structure above Pitkin Avenue, Euclid Avenue, and Liberty Avenue. [16]
The Kings County Elevated leased the Brooklyn and Brighton Beach Railroad on February 5, 1896. [17] A two-block elevated connection between Franklin Avenue station and the Brighton Beach Line's Bedford station, including a new station at Dean Street, opened on August 15, 1896, and the Kings County Elevated began operating trains between the Brooklyn Bridge (Sands Street) and Brighton Beach. [18] [19]
The final extension, from Grant Avenue east to Lefferts Avenue, was built under the Dual Contracts and opened on September 25, 1915. [20] In 1917, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce started fighting for the removal of the Fulton Street El. [21] The Dual Contracts also triple-tracked the line as part of the Dual Contracts, starting in 1913. [22] The new third track went into operation on December 27, 1915, stretching between Manhattan Junction and Nostrand Avenue. Some trains ran express in the peak direction. [23]
This also led to the reconstruction, replacement, and elimination of some stations. The Public Service Commission received a petition on December 9, 1916, from a large number of civic and business organizations to restrict the third tracking to a point in the vicinity of Cumberland Avenue. [24]
In 1929, the Independent Subway System (IND) began planning their own Fulton Street subway immediately below the Elevated. [25] The underground line was opened from Jay Street to Rockaway Avenue on April 9, 1936, including a stub terminal at Court Street. [26] [27] Stations west of Rockaway Avenue were being made obsolete as many were being replaced by the subway stations. Trains last ran on the line west of Rockaway Avenue on May 31, 1940, and these stations were closed the following day. [28] The total cost of demolition of the Fulton Street Elevated was $2 million. [29]
On June 1, 1940, a free transfer was provided to the Fulton Street subway at Rockaway Avenue, and a new "Fulton–Lexington Avenue" service via the Lexington Avenue Elevated west of East New York was introduced. [30] [31] The remainder of the line west of Hudson Street (now 80th Street) was closed on April 26, 1956, and Fulton Street subway trains began using the line east of Hudson Street on April 29. The remaining segment of the Fulton Street Elevated east of 80th Street is now used by the A train. [32] [33]
The primary service pattern was a simple one-end-to-the-other operation, until May 31, 1940, when the 13 was cut back to Rockaway Avenue, and the BMT 12 took over operations from downtown Brooklyn to Lefferts Boulevard.
Most Fulton Street trains left the line at Sands Street and ended at Park Row rather than Fulton Ferry.
Station service legend | |
---|---|
Stops all times | |
Stops all times except late nights | |
Stops rush hours in the peak direction only | |
Time period details | |
Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act | |
↑ | Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act in the indicated direction only |
↓ | |
Elevator access to mezzanine only |
Name | Opened | Closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Brooklyn | |||
Fulton Ferry | April 24, 1888 [1] | June 1, 1940 [28] | |
Sands Street | April 24, 1888 [1] | June 1, 1940 [28] | |
Clark Street (eastbound) Tillary Street (westbound) | April 24, 1888 [1] | ||
Court Street (eastbound) Myrtle Avenue (westbound) | April 24, 1888 [1] | June 1, 1940 [28] | |
Boerum Place | April 24, 1888 [1] | June 1, 1940 [28] | |
Elm Place–Duffield Street | April 24, 1888 [1] | June 1, 1940 [28] | |
Flatbush Avenue | April 24, 1888 [1] | June 1, 1940 [28] | |
Lafayette Avenue | April 24, 1888 [1] | June 1, 1940 [28] | |
Cumberland Avenue | April 24, 1888 [1] | June 1, 1940 [28] | connection to Greene and Gates Avenues Line streetcars |
Vanderbilt Avenue | April 24, 1888 [1] | June 1, 1940 [28] | connection to Vanderbilt Avenue Line streetcars |
Grand Avenue | April 24, 1888 [1] | June 1, 1940 [28] | connection to Putnam Avenue Line streetcars |
Franklin Avenue | April 24, 1888 [1] | June 1, 1940 [28] | connection to Brighton Beach Line trains and Franklin Avenue Line streetcars |
Nostrand Avenue | April 24, 1888 [1] | June 1, 1940 [28] | connection to Nostrand Avenue Line, Lorimer Street Line, Marcy Avenue Line, and Ocean Avenue Line streetcars |
Brooklyn Avenue (eastbound) Tompkins Avenue (westbound) | May 30, 1888 [5] | June 1, 1940 [28] | connection to Tompkins Avenue Line streetcars |
Albany Avenue (eastbound) Sumner Avenue (westbound) | May 30, 1888 [5] | between 1912 and 1924[ citation needed ] | connection to Sumner Avenue Line streetcars |
Troy Avenue | mid-1888[ citation needed ] | June 1, 1940 [28] | |
Reid Avenue | mid-1888[ citation needed ] | June 1, 1940 [28] | Connection to Reid Avenue Line streetcars. Originally named Utica Avenue, but renamed between 1912 and 1924. [34] [35] |
Ralph Avenue | October 1, 1888 [36] | June 1, 1940 [28] | Connection to Ralph Avenue Line streetcars. Service made redundant to Ralph Ave subway station at the same location. |
Saratoga Avenue | December 3, 1888 [37] | June 1, 1940 [28] | |
Rockaway Avenue | November 16, 1888 [38] | April 26, 1956 [32] | Connection to Wilson Avenue Line streetcars. Service made redundant to Rockaway Ave subway station at the same location. |
Manhattan Junction | July 4, 1889 [9] | remainder of complex still exists as Broadway Junction serving the A C J L Z trains | |
Atlantic Avenue | July 4, 1889 [9] | present | still serves the L train connection to Long Island Rail Road at East New York station |
Eastern Parkway | November 18, 1889 [12] | November 17, 1918 [39] | |
Hinsdale Street | November 17, 1918 [39] | April 26, 1956 [32] | connection to Bergen Street Line streetcars |
Pennsylvania Avenue | November 18, 1889 [12] | April 26, 1956 [32] | |
Van Siclen Avenue | November 18, 1889 [12] | April 26, 1956 [32] | Service made redundant to the IND's Liberty Avenue and Van Siclen Avenue subway stations. |
Linwood Street | February 22, 1892 [14] | April 26, 1956 [32] | Service made redundant to Shepherd Avenue subway station. |
Montauk Avenue | March 21, 1892 [15] | April 26, 1956 [32] | |
Chestnut Street | July 16, 1894 [16] | April 26, 1956 [32] | Service made redundant to Euclid Avenue subway station. |
Crescent Street | July 16, 1894 [16] | April 26, 1956 [32] | |
Grant Avenue | July 16, 1894 [16] | April 26, 1956 [32] | Replaced by the underground Grant Avenue station, which serves the A train. [32] |
Queens | |||
Hudson Street–80th Street | September 25, 1915 [20] | present | still serves the A train |
Boyd Avenue–88th Street | September 25, 1915 [20] | present | still serves the A train |
Rockaway Boulevard–96th Street | September 25, 1915 [20] | present | still serves the A train; IND service to the Rockaways splits from here [32] |
Oxford Avenue–104th Street | September 25, 1915 [20] | present | still serves the A train |
Greenwood Avenue–111th Street | September 25, 1915 [20] | present | still serves the A train |
Lefferts Avenue–119th Street | September 25, 1915 [20] | present | still serves the A train |
The Franklin Avenue station is a station complex shared by the BMT Franklin Avenue Line and the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway, located at Franklin Avenue and Fulton Street in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. It is served by the:
The BMT Jamaica Line, also known as the Broadway - Brooklyn Line is an elevated rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It runs from the Williamsburg Bridge southeast over Broadway to East New York, Brooklyn, and then east over Fulton Street and Jamaica Avenue to Jamaica, Queens. In western Jamaica, the line goes into a tunnel, becoming the lower level of the Archer Avenue lines in central Jamaica. The J and Z trains serve the entire length of the Jamaica Line, and the M serves the line west of Myrtle Avenue.
The BMT Lexington Avenue Line was the first standard elevated railway in Brooklyn, New York, operated in its later days by the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation, and then the City of New York.
The IND Fulton Street Line is a rapid transit line of the IND Division of the New York City Subway, running from the Cranberry Street Tunnel under the East River through all of central Brooklyn to a terminus in Ozone Park, Queens. The IND Rockaway Line branches from it just east of Rockaway Boulevard. The A train runs express during daytime hours and local at night on the underground portion of the line; it runs local on the elevated portion of the line at all times. The C train runs local on the underground portion of the line at all times except late nights.
The Euclid Avenue station is an express station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Euclid and Pitkin Avenues in East New York, Brooklyn. It is served by the A train at all times and is the southern terminal for the C train at all times except nights. During nights, this is the northern terminal for the Lefferts Boulevard shuttle train from Ozone Park, Queens.
The Shepherd Avenue station is a local station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Shepherd and Pitkin Avenues in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, it is served by the C train at all times except nights, when the A train takes over service.
The Grant Avenue station is a station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Grant Avenue just north of Pitkin Avenue in City Line, Brooklyn, near the border between the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, it is served by the A train at all times. The station is the line's easternmost stop in Brooklyn; the Fulton Street Line continues east into Queens via the Fulton Street Elevated.
The Gates Avenue station is a local station on the elevated BMT Jamaica Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Gates Avenue and Broadway at the border of Bedford–Stuyvesant and Bushwick, Brooklyn. It is served by the Z train during rush hours in the peak direction and by the J train at all other times.
The Broadway Junction station is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the elevated BMT Canarsie Line and BMT Jamaica Line, and the underground IND Fulton Street Line. It was also served by trains of the Fulton Street Elevated until that line closed in 1956. It is located roughly at the intersection of Broadway, Fulton Street and Van Sinderen Avenue at the border of Bedford–Stuyvesant and East New York, Brooklyn. The complex is served by the A, J, and L trains at all times; the C train at all times except late nights; and the Z train during rush hours in the peak direction only.
Court Street – Myrtle Avenue was a station on the demolished BMT Fulton Street Line. The Fulton Street Elevated was built by the Kings County Elevated Railway Company and this station started service on April 24, 1888. The station had 2 tracks and 2 side platforms. Eastbound trains would stop at Court Street, while westbound trains would stop at Myrtle Avenue. It was served by trains of the BMT Fulton Street Line, and until 1920, trains of the BMT Brighton Line. This station was served by steam locomotives between 1888 and 1899. In 1898, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) absorbed the Kings County Elevated Railway, and it took over the Fulton Street El, and it was electrified on July 3, 1899. It also had a connection to the streetcar line of the same name. It closed on June 1, 1940, when all service from Fulton Ferry and Park Row to Rockaway Avenue was abandoned, as it came under city ownership.
The Fulton Ferry station was a station on the demolished BMT Fulton Street Line in Brooklyn, New York City. As the name implies, it was built to serve the Fulton Ferry between the two ferry slips in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The Fulton Street Elevated was built by the Kings County Elevated Railway Company and this station started service on April 24, 1888. The station had 2 tracks and 2 side platforms. It was served by trains of the BMT Fulton Street Line, and until 1920, trains of the BMT Brighton Line. This station was served by steam locomotives between 1888 and 1899. In 1898, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) absorbed the Kings County Elevated Railway, and it took over the Fulton Street El, and it was electrified on July 3, 1899. It also had a connection to the Fulton Street trolley. Despite the fact that the ferry ceased operation on January 19, 1924, partially due to the increased use of the Brooklyn Bridge, it closed on June 1, 1940. On June 1 all service from Fulton Ferry and Park Row to Rockaway Avenue was abandoned, as it came under city ownership.
Boerum Place was a station on the demolished BMT Fulton Street Line. The Fulton Street Elevated was built by the Kings County Elevated Railway Company and this station started service on April 24, 1888. The station had 2 tracks and 1 island platform. It was served by trains of the BMT Fulton Street Line, and until 1920, trains of the BMT Brighton Line. This station was served by steam locomotives between 1888 and 1899. In 1898, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) absorbed the Kings County Elevated Railway, and it took over the Fulton Street El, and it was electrified on July 3, 1899. It closed on June 1, 1940, when all service from Fulton Ferry and Park Row to Rockaway Avenue was abandoned, as it came under city ownership.
The Elm Place–Duffield Street station was a station on the demolished BMT Fulton Street Line in Brooklyn, New York City. The Fulton Street Elevated was built by the Kings County Elevated Railway Company and this station started service on April 24, 1888. The station had 2 tracks and 2 offset side platforms. It was served by trains of the BMT Fulton Street Line, and until 1920, trains of the BMT Brighton Line. This station was served by steam locomotives between 1888 and 1899. In 1898, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) absorbed the Kings County Elevated Railway, and it took over the Fulton Street El, and it was electrified on July 3, 1899. It closed on June 1, 1940, when all service from Fulton Ferry and Park Row to Rockaway Avenue was abandoned, as it came under city ownership. Current rapid transit service at these intersections consists of entrances to the Hoyt Street subway station on the IRT Eastern Parkway Line built in 1908.
Flatbush Avenue was a station on the demolished BMT Fulton Street Line. The Fulton Street Elevated was built by the Kings County Elevated Railway Company and this station started service on April 24, 1888. The station had 2 tracks and 1 island platform. It was served by trains of the BMT Fulton Street Line, and until 1920, trains of the BMT Brighton Line. The station was located west of the BMT Fifth Avenue Line, but had no connection to that elevated line. It was also located north of the Flatbush Avenue station on the Long Island Rail Road, now known as the Atlantic Terminal, and had no connections there either. This station was served by steam locomotives between 1888 and 1899. In 1898, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) absorbed the Kings County Elevated Railway, and it took over the Fulton Street El, and it was electrified on July 3, 1899. It closed on June 1, 1940, when all service from Fulton Ferry and Park Row to Rockaway Avenue was abandoned, as it came under city ownership. Current mass transit stations available nearby are either at Nevins Street subway station on the IRT Eastern Parkway Line to the southeast, or at DeKalb Avenue subway station on the BMT Fourth Avenue and Brighton Lines to the northwest.
Cumberland Avenue was a station on the demolished BMT Fulton Street Line. The Fulton Street Elevated was built by the Kings County Elevated Railway Company and this station started service on April 24, 1888. The station had 2 tracks and 2 offset side platforms. It was served by trains of the BMT Fulton Street Line, and until 1920, trains of the BMT Brighton Line. This station was served by steam locomotives between 1888 and 1899. In 1898, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) absorbed the Kings County Elevated Railway, and it took over the Fulton Street El, and it was electrified on July 3, 1899. It also had a connection to the Greene and Gates Avenues Line trolleys. In 1936, the Independent Subway System built the Fulton Street subway and added a station nearby named Lafayette Avenue despite the fact that it was two blocks southeast of its namesake. The el station became obsolete, and it closed on June 1, 1940, when all service from Fulton Ferry and Park Row to Rockaway Avenue was abandoned, as it came under city ownership.
Vanderbilt Avenue was a station on the demolished BMT Fulton Street Line. The Fulton Street Elevated was built by the Kings County Elevated Railway Company and this station started service on April 24, 1888. The station had 2 tracks and 2 side platforms. It was served by trains of the BMT Fulton Street Line, and until 1920, trains of the BMT Brighton Line. This station was served by steam locomotives between 1888 and 1899. In 1898, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) absorbed the Kings County Elevated Railway, and it took over the Fulton Street El, and it was electrified on July 3, 1899. It also had a connection to the streetcar line of the same name. In 1936, the Independent Subway System built the Fulton Street subway and added a station one block to the southeast named Clinton–Washington Avenues. The el station became obsolete, and it closed on June 1, 1940, when all service from Fulton Ferry and Park Row to Rockaway Avenue was abandoned, as it came under city ownership.
Lafayette Avenue was a station on the demolished BMT Fulton Street Line. The Fulton Street Elevated was built by the Kings County Elevated Railway Company and this station started service on April 24, 1888. The station had 2 tracks and 1 island platform. It was served by trains of the BMT Fulton Street Line, and until 1920, trains of the BMT Brighton Line. The station was located east of the BMT Fifth Avenue Line, but had no connection to that elevated line. It was also located north of the Flatbush Avenue station of the Long Island Rail Road, now known as the Atlantic Terminal, and had no connections there either. This station was served by steam locomotives between 1888 and 1899. In 1898, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) absorbed the Kings County Elevated Railway, and it took over the Fulton Street El, and it was electrified on July 3, 1899. It closed on June 1, 1940, when all service from Fulton Ferry and Park Row to Rockaway Avenue was abandoned, as it came under city ownership. Thought the Fulton Street subway became the replacement for the Fulton Street Elevated, the closest station to the site of Lafayette Avenue station is actually Fulton Street station on the IND Crosstown Line.
The Hinsdale Street station was a station on the demolished BMT Fulton Street Line in Brooklyn, New York City, at Pitkin Avenue and Hinsdale Street. It had 3 tracks and 2 side platforms. It opened on November 17, 1918, as a replacement for Eastern Parkway station one block to the west on Snediker Avenue, as part of the Dual Contracts, and had a connecting spur to the BMT Lexington Avenue Line via Manhattan Beach Crossing. It was served by BMT 13 trains until 1940, when they were replaced with BMT 12 trains. It also had a connection to the Bergen Street Line trolleys. It closed on April 26, 1956, along with the rest of the remaining segment of the Fulton Elevated Line west of Hudson Street. The station was not replaced with an underground IND Fulton Street Line station, which runs north along Pennsylvania Avenue towards Broadway Junction; the nearest existing station is Sutter Avenue on the BMT Canarsie Line.
The Clark-Tillary Streets station was a station on the demolished BMT Fulton Street Line, located on Fulton Street at Clark Street and Tillary Street in Brooklyn, New York City. It was also served by trains traveling via what is now the BMT Brighton Line.