Proposed expansion of the New York City Subway

Last updated

A 1929 plan 1929 IND Second System.jpg
A 1929 plan
A 1939 plan 1939 IND Second System.jpg
A 1939 plan
A 1969 plan 06 NYCTA69 newroutes map.jpg
A 1969 plan
Current services NYC subway-4D.svg
Current services

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.

Contents

Even with this expansion, there was a pressing need for growth. In 1922, Mayor John Hylan put out his plan for over 100 miles of new subway lines going to all five boroughs. His plan was intended to directly compete with the two private subway operators, the IRT and the BMT. This plan was never furthered. The next big plan, and arguably the most ambitious in the subway system's history, was the "Second System". The 1929 plan by the Independent Subway to construct new subway lines, the Second System would take over existing subway lines and railroad rights-of-way. This plan would have expanded service throughout the city with 100 miles of subway lines. A major component of the plan was the construction of the Second Avenue Subway. The Stock Market Crash of 1929 put a halt to the plan, however, and subway expansion was limited to lines already under construction by the IND.

During the 1930s and 1940s, the plans were revised, with new plans such as a line to Staten Island and a revised line to the Rockaways. In the late 1940s and 1950s, a Queens Bypass line via the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line was first proposed as a branch of the still-planned Second Avenue Subway. In addition, capacity on existing lines became improved through the construction of strategic connections such as the Culver Ramp, the 60th Street Tunnel Connection, and the Chrystie Street Connection, and through the rebuilding of DeKalb Avenue Junction. These improvements were the only things to come out of these plans. Eventually, these plans were modified to what became the Program for Action, which was put forth by the New York City Transit Authority in 1968. This was the last plan for a major expansion of the subway system. The plan included the construction of the Second Avenue Subway, a Queens Bypass line, a line replacing the Third Avenue El in the Bronx, and other extensions in the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn. While ambitious, very little of the plan was completed, mostly because of the financial crisis in the 1970s.

Until the 1990s, there was little focus on expansion of the system because the system was in a state of disrepair, and funds were allocated to maintaining the existing system. In the 1990s, however, with the system in better shape, the construction of the Second Avenue Subway was looked into again. Construction of the Second Avenue Subway started in 2007, and the first phase was completed in 2017. Since the 1990s, public officials and organizations such as the Regional Plan Association have pushed for the further expansion of the system. Projects such as the TriboroRx, a circumferential line connecting the outer boroughs, the reuse of the Rockaway Beach Branch, and the further expansion of the Second Avenue Subway have all been proposed, albeit mostly unfunded.

Triborough System

A 1910 plan for an IRT expansion 1910 IRT plan.png
A 1910 plan for an IRT expansion

The Triborough System was a proclamation for new subway lines to the Bronx and Brooklyn. The new lines include the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, IRT Pelham Line, and IRT Jerome Avenue Line. The Manhattan Bridge line described below later became the BMT West End Line, BMT Fourth Avenue Line, the BMT Sea Beach Line, and the Nassau Street loops. [1] [2]

The route of the new subway ... comprises a main trunk north and south through Manhattan Borough on Lexington Avenue and Irving Place from the Harlem River to Tenth St. and on Broadway, Vesey and Church Sts. from Tenth St. to the Battery; two branches in Bronx Borough, one northeast via 138th St. Southern Boulevard and Westchester Ave. to Pelham Bay Park. the other northerly via River Ave. and Jerome Ave. to Woodlawn Road, connecting with the Manhattan trunk by a tunnel under the Harlem River; a Manhattan-Brooklyn line extending from the North River via Canal Street across the East River on the Manhattan Bridge to connect with the Fourth Avenue subway in Brooklyn now being built, which thus becomes an integral part of the larger system; two branches southerly from the Fourth Ave. line extending south to Fort Hamilton and southeast to Coney Island; and a loop feeder line in Brooklyn through Lafayette Ave. and Broadway, connecting with the Fourth Ave. line at one end. and at the other crossing the Williamsburg Bridge and entering the Centre Street Loop subway in Manhattan which is thus also incorporated in the system.

In 1911, William Gibbs McAdoo, who operated a competing subway company called the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad, proposed building a line under Broadway between Hudson Terminal and Herald Square. [3] He later proposed that the Broadway line be tied into the IRT's original subway line in Lower Manhattan. The Broadway line, going southbound, would merge with the local tracks of the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in the southbound direction at 10th Street. A spur off the Lexington Avenue Line in Lower Manhattan, in the back of Trinity Church, would split eastward under Wall Street, cross the East River to Brooklyn, then head down the Fourth Avenue Line in Brooklyn, with another spur underneath Lafayette Avenue. [4]

The Triborough System later became part of the Dual Contracts, signed on March 19, 1913 and also known as the Dual Subway System. These were contracts for the construction and/or rehabilitation and operation of rapid transit lines in New York City. The contracts were "dual", in that they were signed between the City and the IRT and Municipal Railway Company, a subsidiary of the BRT (later BMT). [5]

Some lines proposed under the Contracts were not built, most notably an IRT line to Marine Park, Brooklyn (at what is now Kings Plaza) under either Utica Avenue, using a brand-new line, or Nostrand Avenue and Flatbush Avenue, using the then-new IRT Nostrand Avenue Line. There were also alternate plans for the Nostrand Avenue Line to continue down Nostrand Avenue to Sheepshead Bay. [6]

Mayor Hylan's plan

A 1920 plan for expansion Nyc subway expansion 1920 map.jpg
A 1920 plan for expansion

On August 28, 1922, Mayor John Francis Hylan unveiled his own plans for the subway system, which was relatively small at the time. His plan included building over 100 miles (160 km) of new lines and taking over nearly 100 miles (160 km) of existing lines. By the end of 1925, all of these routes were to have been completed. The lines were designed to compete with the IRT and BMT. [7] [8]

Hylan's plan contained the following lines: [9]

Only some of Hylan's planned lines were built to completion. Completed lines included: [9] [11] [12]

Major Phillip Mathews disagreed with the Board of Transportation's plan, and in response, he published a report, on December 24, 1926, titled "Proposed Subway Plan for Subway Relief and Expansion". He said that that congestion would not be addressed for Brooklyn and the Bronx; only the planned Grand Concourse line would alleviate congestion, in this case congestion on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line. There would be little relief on the two lines jointly-operated between the IRT and the BMT. He came up with his own plan. He proposed that the Eighth Avenue Line, through a connection from Fulton or Wall Streets to Chambers Street, be connected to the BMT's lines to Coney Island, with a possible connection at the Manhattan Bridge's south side. [9]

In Manhattan, he proposed a new four-track line running down Third Avenue from City Hall, with connections to the White Plains Road and Pelham Lines in the Bronx. The line would therefore have to be built to IRT clearances. At the line's southern end, a connection would be built to the Eastern Parkway Line near Franklin Avenue via a new set of tubes under the East River. To alleviate congestion on the Queens lines, a new trunk line would run from Eighth Avenue in Manhattan to Jamaica, with transfers to the north–south lines in Manhattan and to Brooklyn Crosstown service. This would later be built as the IND Queens Boulevard Line. [9]

To round out expansion in Manhattan, he proposed that an extension of the BMT Canarsie Line to Eighth Avenue. This was built at a later date. To connect the outer boroughs, a four-track Brooklyn-Queens crosstown line would be designed, with the possibility for future extensions into the Bronx and Staten Island. [9]

Subways to New Jersey

In 1926, a loop subway service was planned to be built to New Jersey. The rationale given was: [13]

Principal features of a comprehensive plan for passenger transportation between communities in the nine northern counties of New Jersey and the city of New York are outlined in a report submitted on Jan. 15 to the Legislature of the state by the North Jersey Transit Commission. A preliminary report presented about a year ago was abstracted in Electric Railway Journal for Feb. 7, 1925... The ultimate object of the program recommended is the creation of a new electric railway system comprising 82.6 miles [132.9 km] of route, and the electrification of 399 route-miles [642 km] of railroad now operated by steam. As the first step it is proposed to construct an interstate loop line 17.3 miles [27.8 km] in length connecting with all of the north Jersey commuters' railroads and passing under the Hudson River into New York City by two tunnels, one uptown and one downtown. A new low-level subway through Manhattan would complete the loop. Construction costs of this preliminary project are estimated at $154,000,000, with $40,000,000 additional for equipment. The cost of power facilities is not included in this estimate. [13]

Because it would be utilized in both directions, the capacity of the proposed interstate loop line would be equivalent, it is said, to two 2-track lines or one 4-track line from New Jersey to New York City due to its having two crossings between New Jersey and New York. The loop was said to be able to carry 192,500 passengers per hour, or 4.62 million daily passengers, had it been built. The estimate was based on the operation of 35 trains per hour in each direction, and each train would be eleven cars long and would carry 100 passengers per car. It was to be built as a multi-phase project, wherein the IRT and BMT would work together to build that system to New Jersey. Extensions of the IRT Flushing Line and BMT Canarsie Line were both considered; the Canarsie Line was to be extended to Hoboken near the Palisades, while the Flushing Line was to be extended to Franklin Street between Boulevard and Bergenline Avenues in Union City. Ultimately, the cost was too great, and with the Great Depression, these ideas were quickly shot down. [13]

In 1954, Regional Plan Association advocated for an extension of the BMT Canarsie Line from Eighth Avenue to Jersey City under the Hudson River. The tunnel under the Hudson would have cost $40 million. The extension would have provided access to commuter railroads in New Jersey as most lines converged there, and the lines that didn't would be rerouted to stop there. The RPA also suggested having a parking lot there for access from the Pulaski Skyway and the New Jersey Turnpike. It was suggested that either the New York City Transit Authority, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey or the Bi-State Metropolitan Rapid Transit Commission would do the construction. [14]

In 1963, three major commuter groups in New Jersey made expansion proposals. One of them would have involved an extension of the IRT Flushing Line under the Hudson River with a three-track tunnel and then connect with the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad. [15]

In 1986, the Regional Plan Association suggested extending the IRT Flushing Line to New Jersey's Meadowlands Sports Complex. [16]

On November 16, 2010, the plan was revisited yet again, as The New York Times reported that Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration had been working on a plan to extend the 7 service across the Hudson River to Hoboken and continue to Secaucus Junction in New Jersey, where it would connect with most New Jersey Transit commuter lines. It would offer New Jersey commuters a direct route to Grand Central Terminal on the East Side of Manhattan and connections to most other New York City subway routes. This was being planned as an extension of the already-under construction 7 Subway Extension (see below). [17]

In April 2012, citing budget considerations, the director of the MTA, Joe Lhota, said that it was doubtful the extension would be built in the foreseeable future, suggesting that the Gateway Project was a much more likely solution to congestion at Hudson River crossings. [18] A feasibility study commissioned by the city and released in April 2013 revived hope for the project, however, with Mayor Bloomberg saying "Extending the 7 train to Secaucus is a promising potential solution ... and is deserving of serious consideration." [19] [20]

In 2017, a further extension of the 7 train to New Jersey was suggested once again, this time as an alternative to constructing a replacement for the Port Authority Bus Terminal. [21] An alternative would include a new terminal at Secaucus Junction in conjunction with the 7 extension. [22] In February 2018, it was revealed that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had advertised for consultants to write a feasibility study for such an extension, and that it had received bids from several companies. This extension was being planned along with the Gateway Project and, if built, would be able to accommodate a projected 38% increase in the number of people commuting between the two states. The 18-month study would include input from the Port Authority, the MTA, and NJ Transit. [23] If the New Jersey subway extension were to be constructed, it could complement the Gateway Project, which might become overcrowded by 2040. [24] [25]

1929–1939 plans

IND Second System plan: route miles by borough
BoroughNumber of route miles
Queens
52.37
The Bronx
19.04
Brooklyn
16.84
Manhattan
11.87

Before unification in 1940, the government of New York City made plans for expanding the subway system, under a plan referred to in contemporary newspaper articles as the IND Second System (due to the fact that most of the expansion was to include new IND lines, as opposed to BMT/IRT lines). The first one, conceived in 1929, was to be part of the city-operated Independent Subway System (IND). By 1939, with unification planned, all three systems were included. Very few of these far-reaching lines were built, though provisions were made for future expansion on lines that intersect the proposals. [26]

The core Manhattan lines of the expansion were the Second Avenue Line (with an extension into the Bronx) and the Worth Street Line, connecting to the Rockaways. The Rockaways were eventually served by the subway via a city takeover of the Long Island Rail Road's Rockaway Beach Branch. A segment of the proposed Second Avenue Subway opened for passenger service in January 2017. The majority of the proposed lines were to be built as elevated subways, likely a cost-cutting measure. The majority of the expansion was to occur in Queens, with the original proposal suggesting 52 miles (84 km) of track be built in Queens alone. [26]

Details

The first plan was made on September 15, 1929 (before the IND even opened), and is detailed in the table below. [26] Cost is only for construction, and does not include land acquisition or other items. [27]

LineStreetsFromToTracksRoute milesTrack milesCostNotes
Manhattan
East Manhattan trunk line (Second Avenue Line)Water Street – New Bowery – Chrystie StreetPine StreetHouston Street2 from Pine Street to Chambers Street
4 to Houston Street
1.344.68$11,300,000subway
Second AvenueHouston StreetHarlem River4 to 61st Street
6 to 125th Street
4 to Harlem River
6.5532.84$87,600,000subway
61st Street LineSixth Avenue – 61st Street52nd StreetSecond Avenue21.12.2$6,700,000subway
(Rockaway Line) Worth Street – East Broadway – Grand Street Church StreetEast River21.953.9$13,300,000subway
(Utica Avenue Line)Houston StreetEssex StreetEast River2.931.86$7,900,000subway
Manhattan subtotal11.8745.48$126,800,000
Bronx
Bronx trunk lineAlexander Avenue – Melrose Avenue – Boston RoadHarlem RiverWest Farms43.9715.88$40,400,000subway, with a portal between Vyse Avenue and 177th Street, then elevated into the existing IRT White Plains Road Line near 180th Street
White Plains Road LineMorris Park Avenue – Wilson AvenueGarfield StreetBoston Road23.57.9$13,700,000branching off the existing elevated IRT White Plains Road Line, and then going into subway
IRT Lafayette Avenue Line163rd Street – Hunts Point – Lafayette Avenue – 177th StreetWashington Avenue at Brook AvenueEast Tremont Avenue25.0210.04$12,900,000subway to near Edgewater Road and Seneca Avenue, then elevated
Concourse Line ExtensionBurke Avenue – Boston RoadWebster AvenueBaychester Avenue22.154.3$8,900,000extension of the Concourse Line
White Plains Road Line  180th Street241st Street 4.4013.2$2,100,000owned by IRT, to be taken over ("recaptured") by IND
Bronx subtotal19.0451.32$77,000,000
Brooklyn
Broadway Branch Line (Rockaway Line)BroadwayEast RiverHavemeyer Street at South Fourth Street23.1613.5$34,800,000subway
Utica Avenue Line (and Rockaway Line from Havemeyer Street to Stuyvesant Avenue)Grand Street – South Fourth Street – Beaver StreetEast RiverStuyvesant Avenue2 to Driggs Avenue
4 to Union Avenue
8 to Bushwick Avenue
4 to Stuyvesant Avenue
subway
Stuyvesant Avenue – Utica AvenueBroadwayFlatbush Avenue45.8523.4$39,300,000subway to Avenue J, then elevated
Avenue SUtica AvenueNostrand Avenue21.12.2$2,000,000elevated
Nostrand AvenueAvenue SVoorhies Avenue41.35.2$3,200,000elevated
Rockaway LineMyrtle AvenueBushwick AvenuePalmetto Avenue41.345.36$14,300,000subway
Fulton Street LineLiberty AvenueFulton Street and Eastern ParkwayGrant Avenue41.847.36$13,500,000subway extending the Fulton Street Line to a portal at Liberty Avenue and Crescent Street, then elevated to connect to the BMT Liberty Avenue Line (now part of the Fulton Street Line) at Grant Avenue
Nostrand Avenue Extension Flatbush AvenueAvenue S22.254.5$7,400,000Extension of Nostrand Avenue Line as subway to Kings Highway, then elevated
Brooklyn subtotal16.8461.52$114,500,000
Queens
Rockaway LineMyrtle Avenue – Central AvenuePalmetto Avenue78th Street42.18.4$17,300,000subway to Central Avenue near 73rd Place, then along the surface or elevated
98th Street – 99th Street – Hawtree Street78th Street Hammels Station 4 to Howard Beach
2 to Hammels
9.226.2$20,200,000along the surface or elevated
Rockaway Beach BoulevardBeach 116th StreetMott Avenue25.010.0$7,400,000along the surface or elevated
Newport Avenue Line
(Rockaway Line Extension)
Newport AvenueBeach 116th StreetBeach 149th Street21.63.2$2,400,000along the surface or elevated
Winfield SpurGarfield Avenue – 65th Place – Fresh Pond RoadBroadway and 78th StreetCentral Avenue23.346.68$10,100,000subway to 45th Avenue, then elevated to Fresh Pond Road, then subway;
terminal station partially-built as part of Roosevelt Avenue-Jackson Heights station, with short trackways leading to the spur.
Brinckerhoff - Hollis Avenue Line
(Fulton Street Line Extension)
Liberty Avenue – 105th Avenue – Brinckerhoff Avenue – Hollis AvenueLefferts BoulevardSpringfield Boulevard26.213.3$10,700,000elevated extension of the BMT Liberty Avenue Line (now part of the Fulton Street Line)
includes branch connection to BMT Jamaica Line (BMT) at 168th Street, via 180th Street and Jamaica Avenue
Van Wyck Boulevard Line137th Street – Van Wyck Boulevard87th AvenueRockaway Boulevard22.34.6$6,600,000subway to about 116th Avenue, then elevated
120th Avenue Line120th Avenue – Springfield BoulevardHawtree Street near North Conduit BoulevardFoch Boulevard
(now Linden Boulevard)
4 to Van Wyck Boulevard
2 to Foch Boulevard
5.2313.92$9,500,000elevated
Bayside LineRoosevelt Avenue – First Street – Station Road – 38th AvenueMain Street221st Street3 to 147th Street
2 to 221st Street
3.67.78$9,600,000extends the BMT/IRT Flushing Line as a subway to 155th Street, then elevated
College Point and Whitestone Line149th Street – 11th AvenueRoosevelt Avenue and 147th Street11th Avenue and 122nd Street23.46.8$6,000,000subway to 35th Avenue, then elevated
Long Island City-Horace Harding Boulevard LineDitmars Avenue – Astoria Boulevard – 112th Street – Nassau Boulevard (Long Island Expressway)Second AvenueCross Island Boulevard2 to Astoria Boulevard
4 to Parsons Boulevard
2 to Cross Island Boulevard
8.126.71$17,700,000extends the BMT/IRT Astoria Line as an elevated, except that part of it may be depressed near Nassau Boulevard (Long Island Expressway)
Liberty Avenue Line  Grant AvenueLefferts Boulevard32.36.9$1,600,000owned by BMT, to be taken over ("recaptured") by IND
now part of the Fulton Street Line
Queens subtotal52.37136.49$119,100,000
Total100.12294.81$438,400,000

Other plans during the same time

Revised 1932 plan

1932 plan: Route miles by borough
BoroughNumber of route miles
Queens
23.21
Brooklyn
13.14
Manhattan
12.49
The Bronx
12.09

The IND expansion plan was revised in 1932. It differs from the 1929 plan, but there are 60.93 route‑miles (98.06 km), of which 12.49 miles (20.10 km) are in Manhattan, 12.09 miles (19.46 km) in the Bronx, 13.14 miles (21.15 km) in Brooklyn, and 23.21 miles (37.35 km) in Queens. It would include a new 34th Street crosstown line, a Second Avenue Subway line, a connection to the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway, and extensions of the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line, IRT Flushing Line, and BMT Astoria Line. It would have created a subway loop bounded by 2nd and 10th Avenues, and 34th and 125th Streets. This plan included no extensions to Whitestone, Queens, however, with the plan to instead serve more densely populated areas such as Astoria and the Roosevelt Avenue corridor. [28]

The plan would also take over the local tracks of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway, and the Rockaway Beach Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. [28]

The table of route miles is as follows: [28]

LineStreetsFromToRoute milesNotes
Manhattan
Second Avenue Line Water Street, Bowery, Chrystie Street, 2nd Avenue Water StreetAlexander Avenue (Bronx)8.64
34th Street Line 34th Street 2nd Avenue 10th Avenue 1.39
Worth Street, East Broadway and Grand Street Line Worth Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street Church Street Lewis Street1.53
Houston Street Line Houston Street Essex Street East River 0.89
Manhattan subtotal12.49
The Bronx
Alexander Avenue, Third Avenue, Boston Road, Melrose Road and East 172nd Street LineAlexander Avenue, Third Avenue, Boston Road, Melrose Road and East 172nd Street Harlem River East 180th Street and Morris Park Avenue4.41
Morris Park Avenue LineMorris Park Avenue and Wilson AvenueMorris Park Avenue, East 180th StreetBoston Road3.35
143d Street–Garrison Avenue and Lafayette Avenue Line143rd Street, Garrison Avenue, and Lafayette AvenueBrook AvenueSound View Avenue2.48
Burke Avenue–Boston Road LineWestchester Avenue, Brook AvenueBurke AvenueBaychester Avenue2.48
Bronx subtotal12.09
Brooklyn
Stuyvesant Avenue–Utica Avenue LineStuyvesant Avenue, Utica Avenue East River Sheepshead Bay 10.71
Fulton Street and Rockaway Boulevard Line Fulton Street Rockaway AvenueBorough line with Queens 2.43
Brooklyn subtotal13.14
Queens
Rockaway Peninsula Line Rockaway Beach Branch Queens Boulevard The Rockaways (Rockaway Park and Far Rockaway)14.92Was actually built south of Liberty Avenue
Van Wyck Boulevard Line Van Wyck Boulevard Hillside Avenue Rockaway Boulevard2.30Eventually partially-built (~0.4 mi) and connects to the IND Archer Avenue Line
Hillside Avenue Line Hillside Avenue178th Street Springfield Boulevard 2.48
Fulton Street and Rockaway Boulevard Line Rockaway Boulevard, 120th AvenueBorough line with Brooklyn Springfield Boulevard3.51
Queens subtotal23.21
Total60.93

Smaller plans

Other plans, proposed during the same time as the IND Second System plans, included the following:

  • (1931 plan) A line splitting from the Second Avenue Line north of Houston Street, running southeast under East 16th St, turning southwest under Avenue C, merging with the Houston Street Line, and crossing the East River from Stanton Street towards the huge line under South Fourth Street.
  • (1931 plan) A line splitting from the Crosstown Line where it turns from Lafayette Avenue to Marcy Avenue, continuing under Lafayette Avenue and Stanhope Street to a junction with the line under Myrtle Avenue.
  • (1932 plan) A rapid transit shuttle operating from a terminal adjacent to the IRT Flushing Line and Whitestone Landing operating over the Long Island Rail Road's Whitestone Branch. The line would have been under private operation and would have had a 5 cent fare. [29]
  • (1939 plan) A line splitting from the South Brooklyn (Culver) Line at Fort Hamilton Parkway or Church Avenue, and running under Fort Hamilton Parkway to 86th Street. A branch would split to run under Ovington Avenue and Senator Street, with a tunnel under the Narrows to Staten Island at the St. George Terminal. The line would split, with the north branch ending at Westervelt Avenue around Hamilton Avenue, and the south branch ending at Grant Street around St. Pauls Street. It was presumably designed this way to provide future service to both the Main Line and North Shore Staten Island Railway lines. [30] [31] The Staten Island Tunnel commenced construction in 1923 to serve the BMT Fourth Avenue Line, but was not completed. [32] [33]
  • (1940 plan, revised 1945) The IND Fulton Street Line would connect to what is now the IND Rockaway Line. A branch of the IND Fulton Street Line would run to a stub-end terminal at 105th Street. The line, east of Euclid Avenue, would be 4 tracks until Cross Bay Boulevard, where the two branches would split. [34]
  • (unknown date) A third 2-track tunnel under the East River, from the north side of the South Fourth Street/Union Avenue station (as built for six tracks) west to Delancey Street.
  • (unknown date) A line splitting from the Stuyvesant Avenue line, going southeast under Broadway.
  • (unknown date) A line under Flushing Avenue from the huge line under Beaver Street to Horace Harding Boulevard (Long Island Expressway).
  • (unknown date) A 4 track subway under Bedford Ave in Brooklyn connecting to the Worth St Subway and 2nd Ave Subway.

An earlier plan in 1920 had an even more expansive plan, with several dozen subway lines going across all five boroughs. [35]

Provisions for new lines

At East Broadway on the IND Sixth Avenue Line (shown), part of a two-track station was built for the IND Worth Street Line under East Broadway, above the existing line. The indent for the never-built line is seen at the top of the picture, crossing the ceiling. East Broadway Station.jpg
At East Broadway on the IND Sixth Avenue Line (shown), part of a two-track station was built for the IND Worth Street Line under East Broadway, above the existing line. The indent for the never-built line is seen at the top of the picture, crossing the ceiling.
The Lexington Avenue-63rd Street subway station has two island platforms split across two levels. Their northern sides were walled off until the first phase of the Second Avenue Subway was opened. This is the station's lower level. Lex Ave - 63rd St platform.JPG
The Lexington Avenue–63rd Street subway station has two island platforms split across two levels. Their northern sides were walled off until the first phase of the Second Avenue Subway was opened. This is the station's lower level.

The following provisions were made for connections and transfers to the new lines. It is of note that only four of these provisions were completed.

Shells built

The South Fourth Street shell, if complete, was supposed to handle service as follows:

South Fourth Street shell (plan 1) [44]
Level 1Northbound← Broadway line westbound
Island platform
Southbound Broadway line eastbound →
Level 2Northbound← Utica Avenue express to Sixth Avenue
Island platform
Northbound← Flushing/Utica Avenues local (termination platform)
Island platform
Northbound← Flushing Avenue express to Eighth Avenue
Southbound Flushing Avenue express from Eighth Avenue →
Island platform
Southbound Flushing/Utica Avenues local →
Island platform
Southbound Utica Avenue express from Sixth Avenue →
Level 3Southbound Utica Avenue local →
Island platform
Island platform
Southbound Utica Avenue local →

Note: The locals would have short-turned here. There would have been two tunnels under the East River: East Houston Street and Grand Street.

Another plan for the South Fourth Street shell was simpler (and was the plan that was partially completed):

South Fourth Street shell (plan 2) [45]
Level 1Northbound← Flushing Avenue express to Eighth Avenue
Island platform
Northbound← Utica Avenue express to Sixth Avenue via East Houston Street
Island platform
Northbound← Utica Avenue local to Sixth Avenue via Stanton Street
Southbound Utica Avenue local from Sixth Avenue via Stanton Street →
Island platform
Southbound Utica Avenue express from Sixth Avenue via East Houston Street →
Island platform
Southbound Flushing Avenue express from Eighth Avenue →

Note: The Flushing Avenue local would have diverged off to the IND Crosstown Line. There would have been three tunnels under the East River: East Houston Street, Stanton Street, and Grand Street.

The Utica Avenue station shell, if complete, would be in the standard local-express-express-local platform configuration.

The Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue shell, a two-trackbed island-platformed station, would have been for local trains terminating at the station. Express trains would have stopped at the lower level (IND Queens Boulevard Line) platforms.

1940–1999 plans

After World War II and up until the late 1990s, the New York City Subway did not expand much. Only 28 stations opened in that time, compared to the remaining 393 stations, which opened from the 1880s to before World War II. As such, there have been many plans to expand the system during this time period.

1938–1940

The Staten Island Tunnel, started in 1912, was to be complete as per the 1940 plan. StatenIslandTunnel.jpg
The Staten Island Tunnel, started in 1912, was to be complete as per the 1940 plan.
The Culver Ramp was the only completed Brooklyn proposal put forth in 1940. It opened in 1955. Down Culver Ramp jeh.JPG
The Culver Ramp was the only completed Brooklyn proposal put forth in 1940. It opened in 1955.

The New York City Board of Transportation revised its plans for subway expansion, and released them in 1938 and 1940.

The IND Concourse Line got funding to be extended eastward past 205th Street, but Bronx residents wanted to rehabilitate the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway right-of way. This funding was reallocated, and the old NYW&B line became the IRT Dyre Avenue Line in December 1941, and the IND Concourse Line extension was not brought up again until 1968. [9]

1940s: Smaller plans

In 1942, Mayor Benjamin F. Barnes of Yonkers proposed that the Getty Square Branch of the New York Central's Putnam Division be acquired for an extension of the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line from Van Cortlandt Park. This service would replace the service operated by the New York Central, which was slated to be discontinued by the New York Central. [54]

A rail link to LaGuardia Airport was proposed in 1943, when the city Board of Transportation proposed an extension of the BMT Astoria Line (currently served by the N and W trains) from its terminus at Ditmars Boulevard. [55] [56] The line would have run along Ditmars Boulevard, and would have cost $10.5 million. [49] :371

In 1946, the Board of Transportation issued a $1 billion plan that would extend the subway to the farthest reaches of the outer boroughs. [57] [58]

Even though the Board of Transportation did not approve these ideas, they were still proposed.

In 1949, the Board of Transportation issued a $504 million plan to increase capacity on several subway lines through the construction of a new trunk line under Second Avenue. [59]

1950–1951

On June 21, 1950, a plan was created by the Board of Transportation and sent to Mayor O'Dwyer concerning rapid transit expansions in Queens. The total cost of the plan would have been $134.5 million. Many things were planned: [61]

On September 13, 1951, the Board of Estimate approved a plan put forth by the New York Board of Transportation that would cost $500 million. [62] [63] Many things were planned:

The Board of Estimate requested that the Board of Transportation evaluate a spur of the IRT Pelham Line to Throggs Neck in the Bronx.

1954

The Board of Estimate accepted the following items into its 1954 budget from the New York City Transit Authority:

In March 1954, the Transit Authority issued a $658 million construction program including the following projects: [65]

In 1954, Regional Plan Association advocated for an extension of the BMT Canarsie Line from Eighth Avenue to Jersey City under the Hudson River. The tunnel under the Hudson would have cost $40 million. The extension would have provided access to commuter railroads in New Jersey as most lines converged there, and the lines that didn't would be rerouted to stop there. The RPA also suggested having a parking lot there for access from the Pulaski Skyway and the New Jersey Turnpike. It was suggested that either the New York City Transit Authority, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey or the Bi-State Metropolitan Rapid Transit Commission would do the construction. [14]

1961

John T. Clancy, a Democratic incumbent running for Queens Borough President in 1961 proposed third tracking the BMT Jamaica Elevated Line to provide express service, and reactivating the Rockaway Beach Branch from Rego Park to Liberty Avenue. [66]

1962–1963

In July 1962, the NYCTA announced that it had asked the city for money to build a $190 million high-speed, non-stop subway line from Midtown to the Bronx. The line would have only operated during rush hours. It was estimated that if the funds were given to the project, it would be completed in 1970. The line would be a two-track line running from 59th Street between Fifth and Seventh Avenues to the Bronx, running under Central Park. Running non-stop for 6.5 miles, it would have been the longest continuous run in the subway system. The line, on its southern end, would connect to the BMT Broadway Line at Seventh Avenue near 59th Street and to the IND Sixth Avenue Line near 58th Street and Sixth Avenue. [67]

The line would then run through a deep tunnel under Central Park until 110th Street. There would be provisions for a future crosstown line under 76th Street to Queens. The line would then turn east and run along Madison Avenue to 138th Street. One branch would connect to the express track of the IRT Pelham Line, which would be converted to accommodate larger B Division trains. In the morning rush hour, trains from Pelham Park would only make express stops. A new stop would be built at 138th Street and Grand Concourse where transfers would have been available to the IRT White Plains Road and IRT Jerome Avenue Line trains. [68]

The second branch would continue under the Grand Concourse until 161st Street where it would connect to the IND Concourse Line at 161st Street. This connection would allow for the diversion of Concourse Line express trains onto the new line, allowing for the addition of an equal number of trains to the IND Central Park West express service and provide relief to that line. The construction of this line was viewed as necessary to relieve the IRT Lexington Avenue Line. [69]

In February 1963, the New York City Transit Authority issued a preliminary proposal for rapid transit expansion in the borough of Queens. The plan was designed to relieve congestion on the IRT Flushing Line and IND Queens Boulevard, to deal with expected population growth, and to provide service to areas of the borough without transit service. To expand service to other areas of the borough a new trunk line would be built to provide the necessary capacity. The planned extensions were expected to relieve crowding on the IRT Flushing Line by 22 percent and on the IND Queens Boulevard Line by 19 percent. [70]

The first phase of the transit expansion would build a trunk line connecting the IND Queens Boulevard Line's local tracks at Steinway Street and Broadway using existing provisions with the IND Sixth Avenue Line and BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan. The new line would have run under 34th Avenue, a new tunnel under the East River, and 76th Street before turning south under Central Park. Connections would be made to the IND Sixth Avenue Line at 58th Street and to the BMT Broadway Line's stub tracks at 59th Street and Seventh Avenue. In Manhattan, there would have been a transfer connection to the 77th Street station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line and a station in Central Park at 70th Street. [70]

Provisions would be built for a planned extension to the Bronx. At Steinway Street, switches would be constructed to all GG trains from Brooklyn to terminate there. The new 4.5 miles (7.2 km) line would have provided an additional 30 trains per hour between Queens and Manhattan with a future northern extension. Initially, the line would be used for 15 trains per hour running to the IND Sixth Avenue Line from the IND Queens Boulevard Line. The construction of the trunk line was expected to cost $138.6 million, of which $37.4 million would be spent for the section south of 76th Street. The earliest possible date for the completion of the line would have been 1970. [70]

To provide service to unserved areas of Queens, three additional routes were considered. The first route would have served northern and northeastern Queens, running along 34th Avenue, Northern Bouelvard, Main Street, Kissena Boulevard, Parsons Boulevard, and one of the Horace Harding Expressway service roads to Springfield Boulevard. The 10.3 miles (16.6 km)-line would have consisted of two tracks and would have cost $219.4 million. The second route would be a branch of the IND Fulton Street Line heading under Linden Boulevard and Merrick Boulevard to Springield Boulevard. [70]

Two options were considered for this line. The first option would have branched off of the Fulton Street Line near Pitkin Avenue and Euclid Avenue using existing provisions in the tunnel. The second option would have extended the Liberty Avenue Elevated from Lefferts Boulevard. This option would have required the acquisition of private property to widen Liberty Avenue so that the line could transition from an elevated line to a subway line and to make the turn from Liberty Avenue and Linden Boulevard. The subway option would have been 6.6 miles (10.6 km) long and would have cost $116 million while the elevated/subway option would have been 4.5 miles (7.2 km) and would have cost $80.8 million. [70]

The third route would have connected the IND Rockaway Line to the IND Queens Boulevard Line using the Rockaway Beach Branch and an existing provision in the tunnel east of 63rd Drive. The Rockaway Beach Line had been abandoned by the Long Island Rail Road on June 8, 1962. A new stop would be built at Linden Boulevard to connect with a new subway line. This line was expected to cost $39.9 million. [70]

In addition to expanding service to Queens, service to the Bronx would have been expanded as well. The new trunk line connecting the BMT Broadway Line and IND Sixth Avenue Line to Queens south of 76th Street would have been used for the new line to the Bronx. This line would have run under the center of Central Park and then running via Fifth Avenue once out of the park at 110th Street, and would continue under the East River with a branch connecting to the IRT Pelham Line, which would have been modified in order to fit B Division subway cars, and a branch continuing up the Grand Concourse and then connecting to the IND Concourse Line. [71] [72]

In May 1963, the New York City Planning Commission proposed the following in response to the NYCTA's proposal: [71]

Rail Transit Services Present Population Served 1985 Projected Population Served
Number Percent Number Percent
Existing Line 900,000 50 985,000 49
Long Island Lines 305,000 17 360,000 18
Transit Authority Proposal 140,000 8 185,000 9
Total Queens Population 1,810,000* 100 2,000,000 100
* Based on 1960 Census
CPC Proposal TA Proposal
Route Miles Cost
$ Million
Route Miles Cost
$ Million
Queens Tunnel and Connections 2.3 $75 4.5 $139
Madison Avenue Line 1.9 86
Downtown Improvements 2.7 23
Queens Extension 25.0 114 20.7 375
Bronx Tunnel 6.6 179 6.0 163
Total 38.5 $477 31.2 $677

1968

Proposed lines

The IND Concourse Line would have been extended to White Plains Road. NYCS IRT ThirdAve GunHillRd.jpg
The IND Concourse Line would have been extended to White Plains Road.

Similar plans were made by the New York City Transit Authority in 1968. [73] [74] They included:

Completed lines

The Archer Avenue Lines are two lines, split between the BMT and IND, mostly running under Archer Avenue in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens. Conceived as part of these 1968 expansion plans, they opened on December 11, 1988. [77] There are stub-end tunnels east of the line's northern terminus, Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer, on both levels, which extend past the station for possible future extensions. [78]

The 63rd Street Lines are two lines also split between the BMT and IND. The short BMT line connects the express tracks of the BMT Broadway Line from 57th Street–Seventh Avenue to Lexington Avenue–63rd Street, where it now runs through to the Second Avenue subway. The IND line runs from the IND Sixth Avenue Line at 57th Street in Manhattan east under 63rd Street and the East River through the 63rd Street Tunnel to the IND Queens Boulevard Line in Queens. [79] There is a stub-end tunnel at the northern terminus of the IND line that is intended for the Queens super-express bypass. [80]

1970s

In Lower Manhattan, plans were made for the following: [81] :7

1986

In 1986, the Regional Plan Association suggested extending the IRT Flushing Line across the Hudson River to the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. [16]

In 1986, the MTA issued a study on expanding transit options on the west side of Manhattan. It was proposed to use the West Side Line viaduct (today's High Line), and various means of transportation were proposed, including monorail, passenger rail trains, or subway trains. It also proposed to extend the IRT Flushing or BMT Canarsie Lines ( 7 and <7> and L , respectively). [82]

1990

In 1990, the MTA proposed a rail line connecting LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport. The line would have operated over the Grand Central Parkway and the Van Wyck Expressway. There would be stations at Shea Stadium and Jamaica. The system was proposed to cost $2 billion. The MTA estimated that the rail link would take 30 minutes from Kennedy to LaGuardia, and the frequency of service would initially be every 15 minutes. There would be a two-track alignment with one track for each direction, as well as at least two trains heading in each direction at all times. If the link were built, the average travel time from Manhattan to Kennedy would have been about 45 minutes using the Long Island Rail Road, including transfers. To LaGuardia, the average travel time from the Grand Central station using the IRT Flushing Line would be 47 minutes. [83]

1998–99

The AirTrain viaduct over Van Wyck Expressway would have been used by the subway under the "MetroLink" plan. Air Train JFK Van Wyck jeh.jpg
The AirTrain viaduct over Van Wyck Expressway would have been used by the subway under the "MetroLink" plan.

In 1998, an extension of the BMT Astoria Line to LaGuardia Airport was planned, but the plan was canceled in 2003 following community opposition. [84] [85]

In 1999, the Regional Plan Association considered a full-length Second Avenue Subway from Broad Street to 125th Street, along with the LIRR East Side Access. It also planned the following extensions: [86]

The new set of extensions proposed by the RPA, dubbed "MetroLink", would make use of existing commuter rail infrastructure, so as to make it interoperable with the New York City Subway. Nine hundred fifty "Rx" hybrid railcars would be ordered, with yard expansions and new yards being built. MetroLink, consisting of 31 new metro stations (not counting three recycled commuter rail stations) and 19 new route‑miles of track (31 km) (not including existing commuter rail and then-under construction AirTrain JFK route miles) would have reduced the load on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, and the IND Queens Boulevard Line. Two of these stations would be in Brooklyn, three in Queens, nine in the Bronx, and twenty in Manhattan. Five services would be run: [86]

  1. The Co-op City–Second Avenue–Broadway–Whitehall Street service
  2. The 125th Street–Second Avenue–Atlantic Terminal Bypass–Jamaica Center service
  3. The Grand Central–Second Avenue–Atlantic Terminal Bypass–JFK Airport service
  4. The Grand Central–Second Avenue–Fourth Avenue–West End Line to Coney Island service
  5. The Laurelton–Jamaica Center–Queens Bypass–Second Avenue–Lower East Side–Culver Express to Avenue X service

Stations would have been located at:

The AirTrain JFK, Atlantic Branch, Main Line ROW, and Northeast Corridor would all be "recycled" to accommodate subway service under this plan. The Nostrand Avenue and East New York LIRR stations would also have been closed under MetroLink. [86]

21st-century expansion

The New York City Subway has opened five subway stations since 2009, and up to 15 more subway stations are planned. However, the 21st-century expansion plans pale in comparison to some of the subway system's other previous plans.

Current or completed plans

7 Subway Extension

The 34th Street station on the IRT Flushing Line, which opened in September 2015, was toured by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2013. 7 Line Extension Ceremonia Ride vc.jpg
The 34th Street station on the IRT Flushing Line, which opened in September 2015, was toured by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2013.

The 7 Subway Extension was devised in the late 1990s to extend the IRT Flushing Line, which carries the 7 local and <7> express services, further westward into Manhattan. [87] The extension stretches a total of 1 mile (1.6 km) from its former terminus at Times Square to a new western terminus at 34th Street and 11th Avenue. [87] The tunnels are actually 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long. [88] A second station at 10th Avenue–41st Street was dropped from the plans in October 2007, but could be restored if funding can be found. [89] The extension's opening had been delayed to June 2014, with the rest of the 34th Street station to open at the end of 2015. [90]

Michael Horodniceanu, chief of MTA Construction Company, told The New York Times that complications in the installation of the inclined elevator would likely cause a further delay of about three months, bringing the opening date to very late summer or early fall of 2014. [91] Further complications in February 2014 brought the projected date of the opening to November 2014, [92] then to February 2015, [93] then spring 2015, [94] and to summer 2015. [95] The station opened in September 2015. [96]

As proposed under the RPA's Fourth Regional Plan, [97] a second 7 Subway Extension would be built, serving 23rd Street before connecting with the existing 14th Street/Eighth Avenue station. [98]

Second Avenue Subway

72nd Street station cavern on the IND Second Avenue Line in January 2012. SAS72ndStreet201201.jpg
72nd Street station cavern on the IND Second Avenue Line in January 2012.

The Second Avenue Subway was repeatedly delayed and shaved back from a six-track combined local/express line to a two-track superexpress line since 1919 (with occasional construction between 1972 and 1976). Construction of the Second Avenue Subway began in 2007. A tunnelling contract was awarded to the consortium of Schiavone/Shea/Skanska (S3) by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on March 20, 2007. [99] This followed preliminary engineering and a final tunnel design completed by a joint venture between AECOM and Arup. [100] [101] Parsons Brinckerhoff is the Construction Manager of the project. This contract, and the full funding grant agreement with the Federal Transit Administration, which was received in November 2007, is for Phase I of the project, a new line between the existing 63rd Street Line and 96th Street and Second Avenue. [102] The total cost of the 8.5-mile (13.7 km) line is expected to top $17 billion. [103]

A ceremonial ground-breaking for the Second Avenue Subway was held in April 2007. [104] The tunnel boring machine (TBM) began digging the tunnels for Phase I in May 2010 [105] [106] [107] and completed its excavations in September 2011. [108] Phase I, consisting of two miles (3.2 km) of tunnel and three stations, was opened in January 2017. [109] [110] [111] It cost $4.45 billion. [112] A 1.5-mile (2.4 km), $6 billion second phase is in planning; [113] land acquisition for Phase 2 started in April 2022. [114] As of October 2023, Phase 2 was set to open in early 2032. [115] [116]

The RPA's Fourth Regional Plan proposed two northward extensions. Phase 2B would be an extension of Phase 2 under 125th Street from Lexington Avenue to Broadway. Phase 2C would be a spur to Third Avenue–149th Street, connecting with the IND Concourse Line. [98]

Proposals

Triboro RX

The Triboro RX, if built, would need to share a right-of-way with the Bay Ridge Branch. SotyBrooklynRailway0918.jpg
The Triboro RX, if built, would need to share a right-of-way with the Bay Ridge Branch.

A proposal for the LIRR Bay Ridge Branch would have the New York City Subway use the tracks to link Brooklyn, Queens (both already linked by the G train) and the Bronx via the Hell Gate Bridge. Based on Paris's RER commuter rail system, the Triboro RX proposal would create a partial loop around the city. [117] In 1996, the Regional Plan Association conducted a study to determine the feasibility of the rail link. [118] The original proposal would have terminated at Yankee Stadium. [119] The proposed line, discussion of which was revived in 2012, would connect to all non-shuttle subway services at 12 stations. [119] [120]

The line in this proposal would have terminated at Hunts Point. [117] The line was brought back in the 2015 report "The Overlooked Boroughs" by the Regional Plan Association. The line would be 24 miles (39 km) long and would consist of 22 stations, would cost $1 billion and is projected to have more than 100,000 daily riders. [121] [122] Plans for the line date back to 1995. [123]

Obstacles for the proposal include the proposed Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel, the lack of electrification on the line, as well as the single-tracking in some parts of the line. The current iteration of the plan would have its northern terminus be Co-Op City South using the Hell Gate Branch. [124] The LIRR Bay Ridge Branch and the New York Connecting Railroad have freight operating along them, and are regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). FRA rules require a certain distance between freight and passenger trains that share rights-of-way, and as a result it is uncertain whether the right-of-way is wide enough or if more durable train cars are needed to be able to share the same tracks. [119] The RPA's 2015 plan considered having FRA compliant light rail vehicles run over the line. In addition to providing transfer opportunities, the line would provide transit access to areas without it in Glendale and Middle Village in Queens, as well as in Flatlands and Canarsie in Brooklyn. [125]

Interborough Express

In mid-October 2019, the MTA announced that it would study the feasibility of restoring passenger service on the Bay Ridge Branch portion of the route. [126] In early January 2022, as part of her State of the State address New York governor Kathy Hochul announced that the state would move forward with the Bay Ridge Branch Line by conducting an environmental study on the Interborough Express (IBX), a 14-mile (23 km) corridor using the existing Bay Ridge Branch and Fremont Secondary from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to Jackson Heights, Queens. [127] End-to-end travel times are expected to be less than 40 minutes, and weekday ridership is projected to be 115,000. [128] The route would connect up to 17 subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road. [129] [130] [131] The MTA indicated in September 2022 that it wanted to construct the IBX as a light rail line, [132] and Hochul announced in January 2023 that the project would proceed as a light rail corridor. [133] [134]

Rockaway Line

The LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch would need to be renovated in order to be reused. RBB above Metro Av jeh.JPG
The LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch would need to be renovated in order to be reused.

The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) abandoned the Rockaway Beach Branch in 1962; ever since it has been sought after for reactivation for train service. The line has not been reactivated due to local opposition, specifically the homeowners who live along the right-of-way. One group, QueensLink, wants the line to be reactivated between the 63rd Drive–Rego Park station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line to the north and the IND Rockaway Line to the south, providing a north-south connection in Queens. [135] A second group would use the right-of-way as a linear park, known as the Queensway, a proposal inspired by the success of the High Line in Manhattan. A third group consists of homeowners who would have nothing done, keeping the line as is. [136]

Talks of reactivating the line were publicly endorsed in February 2012 by Assemblymen Phillip Goldfeder and Michael G. Miller. Goldfeder commented "The commute for people here is only going to go from bad to worse. You can't talk about a convention center without talking about transportation." Goldfeder and Miller said they are not opposed to turning sections of the line into a park, but said people who live in the Rockaways, Ozone Park and other areas have no quick or easy way to get into Manhattan. The Genting Group, which operates Resorts World casino and have been asked to construct the convention center, are evaluating several plans to increase transportation access. Genting is committed to paying for part of the transportation improvements. Advocates of the Queensway, a proposed public park along the branch's route, are against resumption of rail service, stating that current bus service fills current transportation needs in the area. [137] U.S. Representatives Hakeem Jeffries and Gregory Meeks added their support for the project in March 2013. Both representatives will push to allocate federal transportation subsidies to study a plan for restored passenger service. [138]

The line would cost $1 billion, if built in its full length with a connection to the IND Queens Boulevard Line, and would stretch across 3.5 miles (5.6 km), providing connections to several subway services as well as the LIRR. [139] [140] Another possible option would have Long Island Rail Road service restored with service to seven stations along the right-of-way, with service ending in Howard Beach. [141] The line would serve upwards of 250,000 passengers per day and would provide access to JFK Airport from Midtown Manhattan. [142] In February 2015, the Regional Plan Association suggested having some F trains, after running through the 63rd Street Tunnel, be rerouted to operate over the Lower Montauk Branch of the LIRR running through underserved Maspeth and Glendale and then meeting up with the Rockaway Beach Branch in Rego Park. [125]

LaGuardia Airport extension

The BMT Astoria Line extension to LaGuardia Airport was suggested as part of LaGuardia's long-range expansion/renovation plan. Currently, no New York City Subway routes service the airport directly, but provisions for a subway connection are part of a 2014 long range rebuilding plan by the MTA. [143] The New York Daily News' editorial board came out in support of this extension on February 21, 2017, detailing why this route is superior to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan for an AirTrain from LaGuardia to Willets Point. [144]

Utica Avenue and Nostrand Avenue Lines

In April 2015, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new plan for building a subway line under Utica Avenue in Brooklyn. Previous plans, most recently the Program for Action, had provisions for such a line. It would branch off from the IRT Eastern Parkway Line ( 2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 trains) at Crown Heights–Utica Avenue. The new line being proposed is part of de Blasio's "One New York" plan, which aims to improve transit, reduce emissions, and fight poverty. If built, the line would go to Flatbush Avenue, near Kings Plaza. Since the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had budget shortages as of April 2015, however, it is unclear how the line would be funded or built. [145] [146]

The MTA Board allocated $5 million for a feasibility study, the Utica Avenue Subway Extension Study, for this proposal in the MTA's 2015–2019 Capital Program. [147] In August 2016, it was reported that the MTA was looking into an extension of the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line along Flatbush Avenue to Marine Park, which would allow trains to serve Kings Plaza. [148] Both the Utica Avenue and Nostrand Avenue proposals for extensions to Kings Plaza have been proposed since the 1910s. [6] Planning on the Utica Avenue Line stalled [149] [150] because it was no longer viewed as a priority by the MTA. [151] Planning resumed in April 2019 when New York City Transit joined city agencies in launching the Utica Avenue Transit Improvement Study. The study will look into a subway extension, improved bus rapid transit, and a new light rail line. [152] Since the study occurred concurrently with the 2020 redesign of Brooklyn bus routes, the MTA decided to prioritize the Utica Avenue transit study. [153]

In November 2017, the RPA suggested building both lines as part of its fourth plan. The Nostrand Line was envisioned as a three-stop extension to Avenue Z, while the Utica Line was planned as a five-stop spur to Kings Plaza. [98]

RPA plans

The Regional Plan Association (RPA) released its fourth Regional Plan in November 2017, twenty-one years after its previous Regional Plan had been published. The fourth plan included several lists of suggestions on how to improve the city's transit system, of which subway expansion was a major component. [154] Under the RPA's plan, the Second Avenue Subway would be completed to its full length within Manhattan and then extended to the Bronx. The 7 Subway Extension would expand in scope, with the IRT Flushing Line being extended to 14th Street and Eighth Avenue. [98]

Both the Utica Avenue and Nostrand Avenue Lines in Brooklyn would be realized. Queens would see three subway expansions, including two new Queens lines: one along Northern Boulevard to Flushing or College Point and one along Jewel Avenue to Alley Pond Park. A one-stop extension of the Astoria Line would be built to serve western Astoria. [98] Ultimately, the plan included eight extensions with at least 40 stations in total. [98]

Subway station in Red Hook

In January 2018, Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered the MTA to conduct a study on the feasibility of building a subway station in Red Hook, Brooklyn, in order to redevelop the area. If approved, the station would likely be built as part of an extension of the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line past South Ferry in Lower Manhattan with a station at Governors Island possible, but unlikely due to cost and benefit. [155] [156]

As of 2022, a potential extension of the BMT Broadway Line to Red Hook (to be served by the W train) is being evaluated as part of the MTA's 2025–2044 20-Year Needs Assessment. [157]

Other proposals

As of 2022, a potential extension of the IRT New Lots Line (to be served by the 3 train) to Spring Creek, Brooklyn, is being evaluated as part of the 2025–2044 20-Year Needs Assessment. [157]

As part of the 2025–2044 20-Year Needs Assessment, the MTA is also evaluating the possibility of extending the Second Avenue Subway westward under 125th Street following the completion of Phase 2. The line might be extended westward to Broadway and 125th Street, connecting with the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line's 125th Street station; to Broadway and 137th Street, connecting with the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line's 137th Street–City College station; to Riverside Drive and 137th Street; or to St. Nicholas Avenue and 135th Street, merging with the IND Eighth Avenue Line. [157]

Discontinued plans

PATH-Lexington Avenue connection

After the PATH's World Trade Center station was destroyed during the September 11 attacks, there was a proposal to connect the PATH and the New York City Subway. Whereas the original World Trade Center station consisted of five north-south balloon loops that sent eastward trains back west to New Jersey, the rebuilt PATH station would have been built in an east–west alignment. The tracks would have extended eastward by 3,000 feet (910 m) to the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station on the New York City Subway's IRT Lexington Avenue Line. [81] :6 The benefits of this connection, called PATH-Lex by its supporters, would have consisted of a one-seat ride from Newark and Jersey City through Lower Manhattan, the East Side of Manhattan, and the Bronx. [81] :5 While the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was interested in the plan, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey dismissed the idea altogether, due to the complexity of connecting the two separate systems. [158] [159]

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The BMT Astoria Line is a rapid transit line in the B Division of the New York City Subway, serving the Queens neighborhood of Astoria. It runs south from Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria to 39th Avenue in Long Island City above 31st Street. It then turns west and serves Queensboro Plaza over Queens Plaza.

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 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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Program for Action</span> New York City Subway expansion program (1968–1989)

Metropolitan Transportation: A Program for Action, also known as simply the Program for Action, the Grand Design, or the New Routes Program, was a proposal in the mid-1960s for a large expansion of mass transit in New York City, created under then-Mayor John Lindsay. Originally published on February 29, 1968, the Program for Action was one of the most ambitious expansion plans in the history of the New York City Subway. The plan called for 50 miles (80 km) of tracks to be constructed, and more than 80% of the new trackage was to be built in the borough of Queens. The $2.9 billion plan also called for improvements to other modes of mass transit, such as the present-day Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad commuter rail systems, and further integration between mass transit and the New York City-area airport system.

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