Three services in the New York City Subway are designated as a dark grayS (shuttle) service. These services operate as full-time or almost full-time shuttles. [1] In addition, three services run as shuttles during late night hours but retain their regular service designations. [2]
All of the following services are officially labeled S. The "NYCT designator" column stands for New York City Transit's internal designation for the service.
| Shuttle name | NYCT designator | Division | Northern terminal | Southern terminal | Service hours | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42nd Street Shuttle | 0 (zero) | A | Times Square | Grand Central | Operates at all times except late nights. | Two trains independently operate on each of the two tracks. Rebuilt and reconfigured for ADA-accessibility from 2019-2022. [3] |  |
| Rockaway Park Shuttle | H | B | Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue [a] | Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street [b] | Operates at all times. | Three trains operate on the double-tracked Far Rockaway and Rockaway Park branches of the IND Rockaway Line via the single-tracked Hammels Wye. |  |
| Franklin Avenue Shuttle | S | Franklin Avenue | Prospect Park | Operates at all times. | Two trains operate on the partially single-tracked BMT Franklin Avenue Line, passing each other near Botanic Garden. |  |
| Route | Name | Northern terminal | Southern terminal | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dyre Avenue Shuttle | Eastchester–Dyre Avenue | East 180th Street | Formerly designated 9, before the line became an IRT line, and SS. |  |
 | Lefferts Boulevard Shuttle | Ozone Park-Lefferts Boulevard | Euclid Avenue | Operates concurrently with regular A service to Far Rockaway. Designated  (gray A) on the late night map and  (blue S) in the schedule and on older trains. Newer trains use A train sign programs for Euclid Av or Lefferts Blvd. |  |
 | Myrtle Avenue Shuttle | Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue | Myrtle Avenue | Formerly designated SS. |  |
Other routes have in the past been designated S or SS; the label has also been used for temporary shuttles due to construction. Before June 1979, [4] all shuttles had the label SS; the designation S was reserved for "special" services, including IND trains to Aqueduct Racetrack. The SS label was first applied in 1967, when some services were relabeled due to the completion of the Chrystie Street Connection (see New York City Subway nomenclature § History ).
Former uses of the S or SS designation include:
Some shuttle routes also used the H or HH designation, which were the last to be assigned to the Independent Subway System. Former uses include the Court Street Shuttle from 1936 to 1946 and Rockaway Park Shuttle until 1993, when that route's label was changed to a blue S. A temporary shuttle that opened in November 2012 after Hurricane Sandy destroyed track connecting the Rockaways to the rest of the system used the H designation.
When the Transit Authority began assigning labels to all services, the Third Avenue Elevated was designated as 8 because it was deemed too long to be considered a "shuttle". However, trains on this line showed SHUTTLE on their rollsigns instead of "8". The service was discontinued in 1973.
This shuttle ran only from May to September 1999 during the rehabilitation of the Williamsburg Bridge. The shuttle ran from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm daily from Essex Street to Broad Street (Chambers Street on weekends, late nights, and evenings).
Two trains operated separately on each of two tracks on the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line between Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues and Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue. They ran at all times between September 2, 2017, and April 27, 2018, due to construction on the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line's connector with the BMT Jamaica Line. [5] It was designated as an orange "M" on maps, schedules, and station and service notice signs, and as a brown "M" on the R42 rolling stock, which still had the brown "M" emblems that the route used before 2010.
The Lenox Terminal Shuttle (also Lenox Shuttle and Lenox Avenue Shuttle) ran between 148th Street and 135th Street when the 3 did not run. Prior to the opening of the 148th Street station on May 13, 1968, it was called the 145th Street Shuttle, running only to 145th Street, and only from 9:00 pm to 1:00 am. It was in place by 1918, [6] but may have been started in 1905 when the IRT White Plains Road Line opened to the IRT Lenox Avenue Line.
Between 1969 and 1972, it was folded into the 3, but continued to run as a shuttle at those times. Late night 3 service ended on September 10, 1995, [7] due to low ridership, [8] and was not restored until July 27, 2008. During this time, the route was served by a free overnight shuttle bus. [9]
After the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line south of Broadway ceased operation on October 3, 1969, the MJ service was discontinued and the current nighttime M shuttle was formed, using the lower-level platforms in the same station complex. Prior to 2014, when the M was extended to Essex Street during weekend days, it operated on weekends as well. However, this service was labeled SS and considered a separate route from the M until the two routes merged in 1973.
On September 30, 1990, late night R trains began operating as a shuttle in Brooklyn, between 36th Street (cut back from 57th Street in Manhattan) and 95th Street. [10] In 1999, northbound trains began skipping 53rd Street and 45th Streets to avoid being on the track at 36th Street that is used by through trains when discharging shuttle passengers. From September 8, 2002, until February 22, 2004, this service was extended northward to Pacific Street, due to reconstruction of the Coney Island station, running express north of 36th Street. On November 5, 2016, late night R trains were extended to Whitehall Street in Lower Manhattan. [11]
The Rockaway Park Shuttle is a New York City Subway shuttle train that operates in Queens. It is the latest iteration of the Rockaway Shuttle services that have been running on the Rockaway peninsula since 1956. This shuttle train provides service to the central part of the peninsula, running between Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street to the west and Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue to the east. The fully above-ground route operates on trackage that was originally part of the Long Island Rail Road's Rockaway Beach Branch until the mid-1950s. During summer weekends, to eliminate an additional transfer and thus ease beach access, the Rockaway Park Shuttle is typically extended four stations north to Rockaway Boulevard, the easternmost station shared by Rockaway-bound and Lefferts Boulevard-bound A trains.
The Franklin Avenue Shuttle is a New York City Subway shuttle service operating in Brooklyn. The shuttle service uses the BMT Franklin Avenue Line exclusively and operates 24 hours a day. The north terminus is Franklin Avenue, with a transfer available to the IND Fulton Street Line. The south terminus is Prospect Park, with a transfer available to the BMT Brighton Line. NYCT Rapid Transit Operations staff refer to it internally as the S or FS. Like the other two shuttles, the 42nd Street Shuttle in Manhattan and the Rockaway Park Shuttle in Queens, its route bullet is colored dark gray on route signs, station signs, rolling stock, and the official subway map.
The J Nassau Street Local and Z Nassau Street Express are two rapid transit services in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Their route emblems, or "bullets", are colored brown since they use the BMT Nassau Street Line in Lower Manhattan.
The L 14th Street–Canarsie Local is a rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored medium gray since it serves the BMT Canarsie Line.
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 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 Myrtle Avenue Line, also called the Myrtle Avenue Elevated, is a fully elevated line of the New York City Subway as part of the BMT division. The line is the last surviving remnant of one of the original Brooklyn elevated railroads. The remnant line operates as a spur branch from the Jamaica Line to Bushwick, Ridgewood, and Middle Village, terminating at its original eastern terminal across the street from Lutheran Cemetery. Until 1969, the line continued west into Downtown Brooklyn and, until 1944, over the Brooklyn Bridge to the Park Row Terminal in Manhattan.
The M Queens Boulevard/Sixth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored orange since it is a part of the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan.
The T Second Avenue Local is a prospective rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway. It is proposed to run on the Second Avenue Subway in Manhattan and its route symbol will be turquoise.
The Myrtle Avenue station is a New York City Subway express station on the BMT Jamaica Line. Located at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Broadway at the border of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Bushwick, Brooklyn, it is served by the J and M trains at all times, and by the Z during rush hours in peak direction.
The Rockaway Boulevard station is a station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Rockaway Boulevard, Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards, and Liberty Avenue in Ozone Park, Queens, it is served by the A train at all times and the Rockaway Park Shuttle during summer weekends.
The 104th Street station is a station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway, located on Liberty Avenue at 104th Street in South Ozone Park, and partially in South Richmond Hill, Queens. The station is served by the Lefferts Boulevard A train at all times.
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 Canarsie–Rockaway Parkway station is the southern terminal station of the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway, and is one of the few grade-level stations in the system. Located at the intersection of Rockaway Parkway and Glenwood Road in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn, it is served by the L train at all times.
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.
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