The New York City Subway is a heavy-rail public transit system serving four of the five boroughs of New York City. The present New York City Subway system inherited the systems of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT), and the Independent Subway System (IND). New York City has owned the IND since its inception; the BMT and IRT were taken over by the city in 1940. The former IRT system is now known as the A Division, while the B Division is the combined former BMT and IND systems.
In the New York City Subway nomenclature, a "line" refers to the physical trackage used by trains that are used by numbered or lettered "services"; the services that run on certain lines change periodically. Today, the division or company names are not used publicly, while the line names may occasionally be used.
In the nomenclature of the subway, the terms "line" and "service" are not interchangeable with each other. While in popular usage the word "line" is often used synonymously with "service" (even sometimes on the website of the MTA [1] ), this list will use the formal usage of the term "line."
A line is the physical structure and tracks that trains run over. Each section of the system is assigned a unique line name that begins with a division (IRT, BMT or IND), which is its pre-unification division when applicable. For example, the line under Eighth Avenue is the IND Eighth Avenue Line. Some lines have changed names (and even divisions), but this happens relatively infrequently.
By contrast, a service refers to the route that a train takes across the various lines. A service can operate along several lines and even along different divisions. For example, the R service operates along the IND Queens Boulevard Line as well as the BMT Broadway Line and the BMT Fourth Avenue Line.
Each service is assigned a color. Since 1979, each service's color corresponds to the line it primarily uses in Midtown Manhattan [ original research? ]—defined as the trunk line. There are three exceptions: the IND Crosstown Line, which does not carry services to Manhattan, is colored light green; the BMT Nassau Street Line, which runs only through Lower Manhattan, is colored brown; and all shuttles are colored dark gray. [2] The list of trunk lines and colors is shown in the table below.
Primary Trunk line | Color [3] [4] | Pantone [5] | Hexadecimal | Service bullets |
---|---|---|---|---|
IND Eighth Avenue Line | Blue | PMS 286 | #0039a6 | |
IND Sixth Avenue Line | Orange | PMS 165 | #ff6319 | |
IND Crosstown Line | Lime | PMS 376 | #6cbe45 | |
BMT Canarsie Line | Light slate gray | 50% black | #a7a9ac | |
BMT Nassau Street Line | Brown | PMS 154 | #996633 | |
BMT Broadway Line | Yellow | PMS 116 | #fccc0a | |
IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line | Red | PMS 185 | #ee352e | |
IRT Lexington Avenue Line | Green | PMS 355 | #00933c | |
IRT Flushing Line | Purple | PMS Purple | #b933ad | |
IND Second Avenue Line | Turquoise | PMS 638 | #00add0 | |
Shuttles | Dark slate gray | 70% black | #808183 |
There are currently 36 rail lines. The Archer Avenue Lines and the 63rd Street Lines are each classified as two separate lines due to their structure: both lines have a distinct sections that are chained as BMT and the IND lines.
In the list below, lines with colors next to them indicate trunk lines, which determine the colors that are used for services' route bullets and diamonds, as well as shuttle service lines. The opening date refers to the opening of the first section of track for the line. In the "division" column, the current division is followed by the original division in parentheses.
Division | Line | Borough(s) | Service(s) | Opened | Structure |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
B (IND) | Second Avenue Line | Manhattan | N Q R | January 1, 2017 [6] | underground |
B (BMT) | Fourth Avenue Line | Brooklyn | D N Q R W | June 22, 1915 [7] | underground |
B (IND) | Sixth Avenue Line | Manhattan Brooklyn | B D F <F> M | January 1936 [8] | underground |
B (IND) | Eighth Avenue Line | Manhattan Brooklyn | A B C D E | September 10, 1932 [9] | underground |
A (IRT) | 42nd Street Shuttle | Manhattan | S | October 27, 1904 [10] | underground [a] |
B (BMT) | 63rd Street Line | Manhattan | N Q R | October 29, 1989 [9] | underground |
B (IND) | 63rd Street Line | Manhattan Queens | F | October 29, 1989 [9] | underground |
B (BMT) | Archer Avenue Line | Queens | J Z | December 11, 1988 [7] | underground |
B (IND) | Archer Avenue Line | Queens | E | December 11, 1988 [9] | underground |
B (BMT) | Astoria Line | Queens | N W | April 21, 1917 [11] | elevated |
B (BMT) | Brighton Line | Brooklyn | B Q | July 2, 1878 [12] | underground, open cut, at-grade, embankment, elevated |
B (BMT) | Broadway Line | Manhattan | N Q R W | September 4, 1917 [7] | underground |
A (IRT) | Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line | Bronx Manhattan Brooklyn | 1 2 3 | October 27, 1904 [10] | elevated [a] , embankment, underground |
B (BMT) | Canarsie Line | Manhattan Brooklyn | L | October 21, 1865 [13] | underground, elevated, at-grade |
B (IND) | Concourse Line | Bronx Manhattan | B D | July 1, 1933 [9] | underground |
B (IND) | Crosstown Line | Brooklyn Queens | G | August 19, 1933 [9] | underground |
B (IND) | Culver Line | Brooklyn | F <F> G | March 16, 1919 [7] | underground, elevated [c] |
A (IRT) | Dyre Avenue Line | Bronx | 5 | May 15, 1941 | elevated [b] , embankment, open-cut, underground |
A (IRT) | Eastern Parkway Line | Brooklyn | 2 3 4 5 | January 9, 1908 [10] | underground |
A (IRT) | Flushing Line | Manhattan Queens | 7 <7> | June 22, 1915 [10] | underground, elevated |
B (BMT) | Franklin Avenue Line | Brooklyn | S | July 2, 1878 [12] | elevated, embankment, open cut |
B (IND) | Fulton Street Line | Brooklyn Queens | A C | April 9, 1936 [9] | underground, elevated [d] |
B (BMT) | Jamaica Line | Brooklyn Queens | J M Z | February 2, 1885 [7] | elevated |
A (IRT) | Jerome Avenue Line | Bronx | 4 5 | June 12, 1917 [10] | elevated, underground |
A (IRT) | Lenox Avenue Line | Manhattan | 2 3 | November 23, 1904 [10] | at-grade, underground |
A (IRT) | Lexington Avenue Line | Manhattan | 4 5 6 <6> | October 27, 1904 [10] | underground [a] |
B (BMT) | Myrtle Avenue Line | Brooklyn Queens | M | December 19, 1889 [7] | elevated, embankment, at-grade |
B (BMT) | Nassau Street Line | Manhattan | J M Z | September 16, 1908 [7] | underground |
A (IRT) | New Lots Line | Brooklyn | 2 3 4 5 | November 23, 1920 [10] | elevated |
A (IRT) | Nostrand Avenue Line | Brooklyn | 2 5 | August 23, 1920 [10] | underground |
A (IRT) | Pelham Line | Bronx | 6 <6> | August 1, 1918 [10] | underground, elevated |
B (IND) | Queens Boulevard Line | Manhattan Queens | E F <F> R | August 19, 1933 [9] | underground |
B (IND) | Rockaway Line | Queens | A S | June 28, 1956 | at-grade, embankment, elevated [e] |
B (BMT) | Sea Beach Line | Brooklyn | N Q W | June 22, 1915 [7] | open cut, elevated |
B (BMT) | West End Line | Brooklyn | D | June 24, 1916 [7] | open-cut, elevated |
A (IRT) | White Plains Road Line | Bronx | 2 5 | July 10, 1905 [10] | elevated, underground |
The following list shows the connections between the different divisions of the New York City Subway. [14] [ dubious ]
These connections can be used by trains in revenue service:
This connection is not for revenue service due to the differing widths of the trains:
These connections are located within the subway's rail yards and are not intended for revenue service.
In some places, there are track connections within the same division that are unused in regular service. [15]
Many of the New York City Subway's lines have express tracks, unused in revenue service and generally only used for re-routes. [16]
A majority[ original research? ] of the New York City Subway is underground, but the following segments are located above ground level. [17] [ dubious ]
At minimum, in normal revenue service, all lines have two tracks, with one exception: the BMT Franklin Avenue Line has a single track between Franklin Avenue and Park Place.
The New York City Subway has fewer triple track sections than it has quadruple track sections[ original research? ]. These sections are listed below. The third track, when in use, is generally for peak-direction express service or reroutes, with exceptions noted below.
Additionally, there are several pocket tracks in the subway where the line temporarily widens from two to three tracks, such as east of Eighth Avenue on the BMT Canarsie Line, and south of Court Square on the IND Crosstown Line.
Quadruple-tracked portions of track are fairly common in the subway system. This makes it unique among most metro systems in the world, as most others only have two tracks per line. Generally, these portions are a pair of express and a pair of local tracks unless otherwise noted.
The Bronx has no four-tracked lines. Pocket tracks are not included.
The following New York City Subway lines are either entirely defunct or have major portions no longer in service. Defunct spur lines with one station, such as the South Ferry loops, are not included in this list, nor are surface transit lines.
Division | Line | Borough(s) | Opened | Closed | Structure | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A (IRT) | Second Avenue Line | Manhattan | March 1, 1880 | June 13, 1942 | elevated | Entirely demolished |
A (IRT) | Third Avenue Line | Manhattan | August 26, 1878 | May 12, 1955 | elevated | Entirely demolished |
Bronx | April 28, 1973 | Entirely demolished; had been replaced for a time by the Bx55 and then Bx15 Limited buses. | ||||
B (BMT) | Third Avenue Line | Brooklyn | October 1, 1893 | May 31, 1940 | elevated | Entirely demolished |
B (BMT) | Fifth Avenue Line | Brooklyn | 1888–1890 | May 31, 1940 | elevated | Entirely demolished |
A (IRT) | Sixth Avenue Line | Manhattan | 1878 | December 4, 1938 | elevated | Entirely demolished |
A (IRT) | Ninth Avenue Line | Manhattan | July 1, 1868 | June 11, 1940 | elevated | Entirely demolished |
Bronx | August 31, 1958 | Entirely demolished, except for the two underground stations at Sedgwick Avenue and Anderson–Jerome Avenues in the Bronx | ||||
B (BMT) | Canarsie Line | Brooklyn | 1865 | November 21, 1942 | at-grade | Line from Canarsie–Rockaway Parkway to Canarsie Pier replaced with a streetcar line, which itself was replaced by the B42 bus. |
B (BMT) | Culver Line | Brooklyn | 1875 | elevated | Line from Ditmas Avenue to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue taken over by the IND in 1954 [c] | |
May 11, 1975 | Remainder of line to Ninth Avenue abandoned, then demolished in 1985. | |||||
B (BMT) | Fulton Street Line | Brooklyn | 1888–1894 | a) May 31, 1940 b) April 26, 1956 | elevated | a) Line demolished west of Rockaway Avenue. b) Remainder of line in Brooklyn demolished. |
Queens | September 25, 1915 | Line taken over by the IND in 1956, with the western two-block section rebuilt to connect with Grant Avenue. | ||||
A (IRT) | IRT trunk line | Manhattan | 1904 | underground | Separated into the Broadway–Seventh Avenue, Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street Shuttle lines [a] | |
B (BMT) | Lexington Avenue Line | Brooklyn | May 13, 1885 | 1889–1950 | elevated | Line west of Gates Avenue demolished |
B (BMT) | Jamaica Line | Brooklyn | 1885–1888 | July 3, 1916 | elevated | Line west of Marcy Avenue demolished |
Queens | 1918 | a) September 10, 1977 b) April 15, 1985 | a) Line east of Queens Boulevard demolished. b) Line east of 121st Street demolished. Both segments were replaced with Q49 bus service, which itself was replaced in 1988 by the BMT Archer Avenue Line. | |||
B (BMT) | Myrtle Avenue Line | Brooklyn | 1888–1889 | 1944–1969 | elevated | Line west of Central Avenue through Broadway to Lewis Avenue abandoned. Remainder of line west of Lewis Avenue demolished. |
B (IND) | World's Fair Line | Queens | 1939 | 1940 | at-grade | Entirely demolished |
The Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) was an urban transit holding company, based in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, and incorporated in 1923. The system was sold to the city in 1940. Today, together with the IND subway system, it forms the B Division of the modern New York City Subway.
The Independent Subway System was a rapid transit rail system in New York City that is now part of the New York City Subway. It was first constructed as the Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan in 1932. It was originally also known as the Independent City-Owned Subway System (ICOSS) or the Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad (ICORTR).
Since the opening of the original New York City Subway line in 1904, and throughout the subway's history, various official and planning agencies have proposed numerous extensions to the subway system. The first major expansion of the subway system was the Dual Contracts, a set of agreements between the City of New York and the IRT and the BRT. The system was expanded into the outer reaches of the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, and it provided for the construction of important lines in Manhattan. This one expansion of the system provided for a majority of today's system.
The Dual Contracts, also known as the Dual Subway System, were contracts for the construction and/or rehabilitation and operation of rapid transit lines in the City of New York. The contracts were signed on March 19, 1913, by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company. As part of the Dual Contracts, the IRT and BRT would build or upgrade several subway lines in New York City, then operate them for 49 years.
The Chrystie Street Connection is a set of New York City Subway tunnels running the length of Chrystie Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It is one of the few track connections between lines of the former Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) and Independent Subway System (IND) divisions, which together constitute the system's B Division. A major branch of the IND Sixth Avenue Line, it connects the Sixth Avenue Line to the BMT Brighton Line and BMT Fourth Avenue Line via the north side of the Manhattan Bridge and to the BMT Jamaica Line over the Williamsburg Bridge. The project, opened in 1967 and 1968, also includes the Sixth Avenue Line's Grand Street and 57th Street stations, the latter of which is not part of the connection itself.
The BMT Canarsie Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway system, named after its terminus in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn. It is served by the L train at all times, which is shown in medium gray on the New York City Subway map and on station signs.
New York City Subway nomenclature is the terminology used in the New York City Subway system as derived from railroading practice, historical origins of the system, and engineering, publicity, and legal usage. Important terms include lines, or individual sections of subway, like the BMT Brighton Line; services, like the B, which is a single train route along several lines; and stations, such as Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue, which connects multiple lines and services.
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.
New York City Subway chaining is a method to precisely specify locations along the New York City Subway lines. It measures distances from a fixed point, called chaining zero, following the twists and turns of the railroad line, so that the distance described is understood to be the "railroad distance," not the distance by the most direct route.
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system that serves four of the five boroughs of New York City, New York: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. Its operator is the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA), which is controlled by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of New York. In 2016, an average of 5.66 million passengers used the system daily, making it the busiest rapid transit system in the United States and the seventh busiest in the world.
13 was the BMT's designation for service on the BMT Fulton Street Line, not to be confused with today's IND Fulton Street Line, which uses a portion of the old BMT line at its east end.
The New York City Subway currently uses various letters and numbers to designate the routes that trains use over the differing lines in the system. Along with the color corresponding to the route's trunk line, these form a unique identifier for the route, easing navigation through the complex system. Several service labels have either been phased out or never been used. This list covers the labels not used as of June 2021.
Starting in 1899, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company and Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation operated rapid transit lines in New York City — at first only elevated railways and later also subways.
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.
The New York City Subway's B Division consists of the lines that operate with lettered services, as well as the Franklin Avenue and Rockaway Park Shuttles. These lines and services were operated by the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) and city-owned Independent Subway System (IND) before the 1940 city takeover of the BMT. B Division rolling stock is wider, longer, and heavier than those of the A Division, measuring 10 or 9.75 ft by 60 or 75 ft.