IRT Flushing Line

IRT Flushing Line
"7" train "7" express train
The 7 and 7 Express, which use the Flushing Line through Midtown Manhattan, are colored purple.
Overview
Type Rapid transit
System New York City Subway
Termini Flushing–Main Street
34th Street–Hudson Yards
Stations 22
Daily ridership 817,793[1]
Operation
Opened 1915–1928 (between Times Square and Flushing–Main Street)
September 13, 2015 (between 34th Street and Times Square)
Owner City of New York
Operator(s) New York City Transit Authority
Character Underground (Manhattan, Western Queens and Main Street)
Elevated (east of Hunters Point Avenue and west of Main Street, exclusive)
Technical
Number of tracks 2–5
Track gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification 625 V DC third rail

The IRT Flushing Line is a rapid transit route of the New York City Subway system, named for its eastern terminal in Flushing, Queens. It is operated as part of the A Division. The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), a private operator, had constructed the section of the line from Flushing, Queens, to Times Square, Manhattan between 1915 and 1928. A western extension was opened to Hudson Yards in western Manhattan in 2015, and the line now stretches from Flushing to Chelsea, Manhattan. It carries trains of the 7 local service, as well as the express <7> during rush hours in the peak direction.[2] It is the only A Division line to serve Queens.

It is shown in the color purple on station signs, the official subway map, internal route maps in R188 cars, and route signs on the front and sides of R62A subway cars. Before the line was opened all the way to Flushing in 1928, it was known as the Corona Line or Woodside and Corona Line. Prior to the discontinuation of BMT services in 1949, the portion of the IRT Flushing Line between Times Square and Queensboro Plaza was known as the Queensboro Line.

The Flushing Line has various styles of architecture, which range from steel girder elevated structures to European-style concrete viaducts. The underground stations have some unique designs as well. The designs include Hunters Point Avenue, which is in an Italianate style; Grand Central–42nd Street, which is a single round tube similar to a London Underground station; and 34th Street–Hudson Yards, which, with its deep vault and spacious interior, resembles a Washington Metro station.

Extent and service

Route

Queens Boulevard viaduct
Grand Central deep vault

Services that use the Flushing Line are colored purple. The following services use part or all of the IRT Flushing Line:[3]

Service Time period
Rush hours,
peak direction		 Other times
"7" train Local Full line
"7" express train Express Full line No service

The line has two distinct sections, split by the Queensboro Plaza station. It begins as a three-track subway, with the center track used for express service, at Flushing–Main Street.[4] It quickly leaves the ground onto a steel elevated structure above Roosevelt Avenue, passing Citi Field and the United States Tennis Association's National Tennis Center. A flying junction between Mets–Willets Point and 111th Street provides access to the Corona Yard from the local tracks.[5] At 48th Street in Sunnyside, the line switches to Queens Boulevard and an ornate concrete viaduct begins. The express track ends between 33rd Street–Rawson Street and Queensboro Plaza.[4][6]

At Queensboro Plaza, the eastbound track (railroad north) is above the westbound track, with both tracks on the south side of the island platforms. On the north side of these platforms is the BMT Astoria Line. East of this point, both the Flushing Line and the Astoria Line were formerly operated by the IRT and the BMT, respectively. Connections still exist between the eastbound tracks just east of the platforms, but cannot be used for revenue service as BMT trains are wider than IRT trains. This is the only track connection between the Flushing Line and the rest of the subway system.[4][6]

West of Queensboro Plaza, the line sharply turns south onto an elevated structure over 23rd Street. It heads into the west end of Amtrak's Sunnyside Yard, and passes through two underground stations before entering Manhattan via the Steinway Tunnel under the East River. In Manhattan, the line runs under 42nd Street, with part directly underneath the 42nd Street Shuttle (S train), before angling towards 41st Street. The Times Square–42nd Street station, with no track connections to other lines, is directly under 41st Street.[4]

West of Times Square, the tracks curve sharply downward before turning under 11th Avenue. The tracks end at 24th Street, even though the last station is at 34th Street.[4][7] This segment was built as part of the extension of the Flushing Line west to Manhattan's Far West Side (see § Extension westward).[8] A decommissioned lower level at the IND Eighth Avenue Line's 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal station formerly blocked the way.[9] Although London ultimately received the bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, New York City pursued the extension anyway, albeit as a means to enable the redevelopment of the far West Side under the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project.[10]

Distinctions

The Flushing Line is one of only two New York City non-shuttle subway lines that hosts only a single service and does not share operating trackage with any other line or service; the other is the BMT Canarsie Line, carrying the L train. Because of this, the MTA is automating the line with new trains using communication-based train control (CBTC), similar to the Canarsie Line (see § Automation of the line).[11]

The IRT Flushing Line's 7 service has the distinction of running trains with the largest number of cars in the New York City Subway. 7 trains are eleven cars long; most other New York City Subway services run ten or eight-car trains. The trains are not the longest by total length, however. An IND/BMT train of ten 60-foot (18 m)-long cars or eight 75-foot (23 m)-long cars, which is 600 feet (180 m) long, is still 35 feet (11 m) longer than an IRT train of eleven 51.4-foot (15.7 m)-long cars, which is 565 feet (172 m) long.[4]

History

Origins

IRT Flushing Line
LIRR Port Washington Branch
 Flushing–Main Street
(LIRR)
former LIRR Whitestone Branch
 Mets–Willets Point
(LIRR)
Corona Yard
 111th Street
 103rd Street–Corona Plaza
 Junction Boulevard
 90th Street–Elmhurst Avenue
 82nd Street–Jackson Heights
LIRR Main Line
74th Street–Broadway
(Queens Boulevard Line)
69th Street–Fisk Avenue
Woodside (LIRR)
61st Street–Woodside
52nd Street–Lincoln Avenue
 46th Street–Bliss Street
 40th Street–Lowery Street
33rd Street–Rawson Street
LIRR Main Line
Queens Boulevard Line
Queens Plaza
Astoria Line
Queensboro Plaza
60th Street Tunnel Connection to Broadway Line
former connection to IRT Second Avenue Line
53rd Street Line
Court Square
former inspection track (1917–1928)
 Hunters Point Avenue
21st Street
Crosstown Line
 Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue
East River via Steinway Tunnel
 Grand Central
(Lexington Avenue Line)
 Fifth Avenue
(Sixth Avenue Line)
Broadway Line
Times Square–42nd Street
(Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)
Eighth Avenue Line
7 Subway Extension ↓
 10th Avenue
(proposed & unfunded)
 34th Street–Hudson Yards

The earliest origins of the Flushing Line emerged on February 22, 1885, with the founding of the East River Tunnel Railroad. The railroad would construct the Steinway Tunnel under the East River, connecting the Long Island Rail Road in Queens with the New York Central Railroad in Manhattan.[12] However, the East River Tunnel Railroad Company went defunct. On July 22, 1887, Walter S. Gurnee and Malcolm W. Niven founded the New York and Long Island Railroad Company (NY&LIRR). They soon began planning for the tunnel.[13]

To run from West 42nd Street and Tenth Avenue to Van Alst Avenue after crossing under the East River, the builders planned for the remainder of the line to be constructed on private lands, and numerous alterations were made to the proposal.[13] In 1890, William Steinway advised the company to utilize electricity to power the tunnels, believing that the construction of the tunnel would increase the value of his properties in the vicinity.[13][14]

On June 3, 1892, construction of the tunnel commenced near the intersection of 50th Avenue and Vernon and Jackson Avenues.[15]:164 However, several failures and hindrances, which included an underground spring preventing the extraction of rubble, resulted in the termination of the project on February 2, 1893.[15]:165 Several calls for the resumption of the project between 1893 and 1896, in addition to a proposed extension to New Jersey, were futile.[16] The tunnel opened for subway use on June 22, 1915, with service running between Grand Central and Vernon–Jackson Avenues.[17]

The Flushing Line was extended one stop from Vernon–Jackson Avenues to Hunters Point Avenue on February 15, 1916.[18][19] On November 5, 1916, the Flushing Line was extended two more stops to the east to the Queensboro Plaza station.[20][21][19] At this point, the Flushing Line between Grand Central and Queensboro Plaza was called the Queensboro Line.[22][20]

Construction under the Dual Contracts

7 train of R36 "Redbird" cars at 33rd Street–Rawson Street northbound; prior to their retirement

At Queensboro Plaza, the line met the BMT's 60th Street Tunnel, as well as a spur from the elevated IRT Second Avenue Line on the Queensboro Bridge. From this point east, the Flushing and Astoria Lines were built by the City of New York as part of the Dual Contracts. They were officially IRT lines on which the BMT held irrevocable and equal trackage rights. Because BMT trains were wider, and the platforms had been built for the IRT, normal BMT trains ran only to Queensboro Plaza, with a transfer to shuttles, using elevated cars, that alternated between the Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard and Flushing–Main Street terminals. IRT trains simply continued from the Queensboro Line and Queensboro Bridge onto the lines to Astoria and Flushing.[13] The line to Flushing was originally called the Corona Line or Woodside and Corona Line before it was completed to Flushing.[23][24]:9, 128

The line was opened from Queensboro Plaza to Alburtis Avenue on April 21, 1917.[20][25][26][27] By June 1917 ridership on the line was exceeding expectations, with 363,726 passengers using the Corona Line that month, 126,100 using the Queensboro Plaza station, and 363,508 using the Queensboro Subway.[28]

BMT shuttles began to use the Flushing and Astoria Lines on April 8, 1923.[29] Service to 111th Street was inaugurated on October 13, 1925, with shuttle service running between 111th Street and the previous terminal at Alburtis Avenue (now 103rd Street–Corona Plaza) on the Manhattan-bound track.[30][31] The line to Main Street had been practically completed at this point, but had to be rebuilt in part due to the sinking of the foundations of the structure in the viscinity of Flushing Creek.[31][32] Once the structure was deemed to be safe for operation, the line was extended to Willets Point Boulevard on May 7, 1927.[33][34]:13 This extension was served by shuttle trains until through service was inaugurated on May 14. On that date, the opening of the station was formally celebrated; it coincided with the opening of the Roosevelt Avenue Bridge for cars and buses.[35][36]

Queensboro Subway Service Extended To Times Square station 1927

On March 22, 1926 the line was extended one stop westward from Grand Central to Fifth Avenue.[37][38]:4 The line was finally extended to Times Square on March 14, 1927.[34]:13[39] The eastern extension to Flushing–Main Street opened on January 21, 1928.[40] At this time, Corona Yard opened, with the inspection shed and some yard tracks available for use.[41]:9 The remaining tracks opened on April 16, 1928.[24]:104

For the 1939 New York World's Fair, the Willets Point Boulevard station was rebuilt and centered on 123rd Street, just west of where the station originally lay. Some remnants of the old station are still visible; ironwork tends to indicate where the older outside-platform stations were, and the remains of the fare entry area can be seen east of the current station. The original Willets Point Boulevard station was a "minor" stop on the Flushing Line; it had only two stairways and short station canopies at platform level. It was rebuilt into the much larger station in use today, and the ramp used during two World's Fairs still exists, but is only used during special events, such as the US Open for tennis. Express service to the World's Fair began on the Flushing Line on April 24, 1939.[42]

Currently and historically, the IRT assigned the number 7 to its Flushing Line subway service, though this did not appear on any equipment until the introduction of the R12 rolling stock in 1948. The BMT assigned the number 9 to its service, used on maps but not signed on trains.[43]

Unrealized eastern expansion

The Main Street station was not intended to be the Flushing Line's terminus.[44]:49[45] While the controversy over an elevated line in Flushing was ongoing in January 1913, the Whitestone Improvement Association pushed for an elevated to Whitestone, College Point, and Bayside. However, some members of that group wanted to oppose the Flushing line's construction if there was not going to be an extension to Whitestone. In January 1913, groups representing communities in south Flushing collaborated to push for an elevated along what was then the LIRR's Central Branch,[44]:53–55 in the current right-of-way of Kissena Corridor Park.[44]:277 Shortly after, the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) announced its intent to extend the line as an el from Corona to Flushing, with a possible further extension to Little Neck Bay in Bayside.[44]:56 There was consensus that the line should not abruptly end in Corona, but even with the 5.5-mile-long (8.9 km) extension to Bayside, the borough would still have fewer Dual Contracts route mileage than either Brooklyn or the Bronx. The New York Times wrote that compared to the Bronx, Queens would have far less subway mileage per capita even with the Flushing extension.[46]

The Bayside extension was tentatively approved in June 1913, but only after the construction of the initial extension to Flushing.[44]:61 Under the revised subway expansion plan put forth in December 1913, the Flushing Line would be extended past Main Street, along and/or parallel to the right-of-way of the nearby Port Washington Branch of the LIRR towards Bell Boulevard in Bayside. A spur line would branch off north along 149th Street towards College Point.[47]

In 1914, the PSC chairman and the commissioner committed to building the line toward Bayside. However, at the time, the LIRR and IRT were administered separately, and the IRT plan would require rebuilding a section of the Port Washington branch between the Broadway and Auburndale stations. The LIRR moved to block the IRT extension past Flushing since it would compete with the Port Washington Branch service in Bayside.[44]:62 One member of the United Civic Association submitted a proposal to the LIRR to let the IRT use the Port Washington Branch to serve Flushing and Bayside, using a connection between the two lines in Corona.[44]:63 The PSC supported the connection as an interim measure, and on March 11, 1915, it voted to let the Bayside connection be built. Subsequently, engineers surveying the planned intersection of the LIRR and IRT lines found that the IRT land would not actually overlap with any LIRR land.[44]:63[48] The LIRR president at the time, Ralph Peters, offered to lease the Port Washington and Whitestone Branches to the IRT for rapid transit use for $250,000 annually (equivalent to $6,050,000 in 2017), excluding other maintenance costs. The lease would last for ten years, with an option to extend the lease by ten more years. The PSC favored the idea of the IRT being a lessee along these lines, but did not know where to put the Corona connection.[44]:64 Even the majority of groups in eastern Queens supported the lease plan.[49] The only group who opposed the lease agreement was the Flushing Association, who preferred a previous plan to build the Corona Line extension as a subway under Amity Street (currently Roosevelt Avenue), ending at Main Street.[44]:64–65

Afterward, the PSC largely ignored the lease plan since it was still focused on building the first phase of the Dual Contracts. The Flushing Business Men's Association kept advocating for the Amity Street subway, causing a schism between them and the rest of the groups that supported the LIRR lease. Through the summer of 1915, the PSC and the LIRR negotiated the planned lease to $125,000 a first year, equivalent to $3,020,000 in 2017, with an eight percent increase each year; the negotiations then stalled in 1916.[44]:65–66 The Whitestone Improvement Association, impatient with the pace of negotiations, approved of the subway under Amity Street even though it would not serve them directly.[44]:66[50] The PSC's chief engineer wrote in a report that a combined 20,600 riders would use the Whitestone and Bayside lines each day in either direction, and that by 1927, there would be 34,000 riders per day per direction.[50][44]:67 The Third Ward Rapid Transit Association wrote a report showing how much they had petitioned for Flushing subway extensions to that point, compared to how little progress they had made in doing so.[51] Negotiations continued to be stalled in 1917.[44]:67 Despite the line not having been extended past Corona yet, the idea of a subway extension to Little Neck encouraged development there.[44]:68

The Whitestone Branch would have had to be rebuilt if it were leased to the subway, with railroad crossings removed and the single track doubled. The PSC located 14 places where crossings needed to be eliminated. However, by early 1917, there was barely enough money to build the subway to Flushing, let alone a link to Whitestone and Bayside.[44]:68 A lease agreement was announced on October 16, 1917,[52] but the IRT withdrew from the agreement a month later, citing that it was inappropriate to enter such an agreement at that time.[44]:68 Thereafter, the PSC instead turned its attention back to the Main Street subway extension.[44]:71

Even after the Main Street station opened in 1928, efforts to extend the line past Flushing persisted. In 1928, the New York City Board of Transportation (BOT) proposed allowing IRT trains to build a connection to use the Port Washington Branch, but the IRT did not accept the offer since this would entail upgrading railroad crossings and the single-tracked line. Subsequently, the LIRR abandoned the branch in 1932.[44]:72 As part of the 1929 IND Second System plan, the Flushing Line would have had branches to College Point and Bayside east of Main Street.[44][53][54] That plan was revived in 1939.[55] The BOT kept proposing an extension of the Flushing Line past Main Street until 1945, when World War II ended and new budgets did not allow for a Flushing extension. Since then, several New York City Transit Authority proposals for an eastward extension have all failed.[44]:72

Service curtailments and slight improvements

Second Avenue Line service, including the connection across the Queensboro Bridge, ended June 13, 1942,[56] and free transfers to the IRT Third Avenue Line were offered at Grand Central.[57] These transfers were valid until May 12, 1955, when Third Avenue Line service ended.[58]:113

A poster describing the changes at Queensborough Plaza in 1949

In the fall of 1949, the joint BMT/IRT service arrangement ended. The Flushing Line became the responsibility of IRT. The Astoria Line had its platforms shaved back, and became BMT-only.[59] Because of this, routes through the then eight-track Queensboro Plaza station were consolidated and the northern half of the structure was later torn down. Evidence of where the torn-down platforms were, as well as the trackways that approached this area, can still be seen in the ironwork at the station.

During the joint service period, the elevated stations on the Astoria and Flushing Lines were only able to fit nine 51-foot-long IRT cars, or seven 60-foot-long BMT cars. After the BMT/IRT dual services ended in 1949, the New York City Board of Transportation announced that the Flushing Line platforms would be lengthened to 11 IRT car lengths, and the Astoria Line platforms extended to 10 BMT car lengths. The project, to start in 1950, would cost $3.85 million.[60]

Identification of Trains and Routing Automatically (IDENTRA) was implemented on the line in the 1957 and used until 1997, when a route selector punch box with B1 Astoria, local/express buttons was installed at the 10/11 car marker on the upper level of Queensboro Plaza.[61][62] IDENTRA used a removable round circular disc type radio antenna assembly, slide-mounted on the small mounting brackets that were attached on the front of R12, R14, R15, and R17 cars that were assigned to the 7 route, which had been used on the line since 1948. Similar to the use of radio transponders in the CBTC installation, the system used the antennas to determine whether a train was running local or express, and then accordingly switched the track at interlockings near the Queensboro Plaza and Flushing–Main Street stations. This move reduced the number of signal towers on the line from 9 to 2[61][63] and theoretically allowed to operate 37 eleven-car trains instead of only 30 nine-car trains per hour.[64][65] The consolidated signal system was in use by 1956 while the selector system was in service by 1958.[66] However, in practice, train frequencies were not necessarily increased. According to an experiment performed by the Long Island Star Journal in 1957, rush-hour headways ranged from 6 to 15 minutes between. local train, and 2 to 6 minutes between express trains.[65]

In 1953, with increased ridership on the line, a "super-express" service was instituted on the line.[67] The next year, the trains were lengthened to nine cars each. Subsequently, the trains were extended to ten cars on November 1, 1962. With the 1964–1965 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in April 1964, trains were lengthened to eleven cars.[66][68] The Flushing Line received 430 new R33 and R36 "World's Fair" cars for this enhanced service.[58]:137

Rolling stock along the Flushing Line received "strip maps" in 1965, the first such installation in the system. The strip maps showed only the stations on the Flushing Line, as opposed to for the entire system, but the transfers available at each station were listed.[69]

Decline and rehabilitation

As with much of the rest of the subway system, the IRT Flushing Line was allowed to deteriorate throughout the 1970s to the late 1980s. Structural defects that required immediate attention at the time were labeled as "Code Red" defects or "Red Tag" areas, and were numerous on the Flushing Line. Some columns that supported elevated structures on the Flushing Line were so shaky that trains did not run when the wind speed exceeded 65 miles per hour (105 km/h). This was particularly widespread on the Flushing and the BMT Jamaica Lines.

On May 13, 1985, a 4​1⁄2-year long project to overhaul the IRT Flushing Line commenced. It forced single-tracking on much of the line during weekends, and the elimination of express service for the duration of the project. The MTA advertised this change by putting leaflets in the New York Times, the Staten Island Advance, the Daily News, and Newsday. The project laid new track, replaced or repaired concrete and steel structures, replaced wooden station canopies with aluminum, improved lighting, improved signage, and installed new ventilation and pumping equipment. Expanded service was provided when the Mets played home games or when there were sporting events in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. Paradoxically, Flushing local trains had better on-time performance during the construction than before it started.

The $60 million rehabilitation project on the Queens Boulevard concrete viaduct ended on August 21, 1989. When Flushing express service was restored, trains no longer stopped at 61st Street–Woodside. This led to protests by community members to get express service back at 61st Street station. The reason for the discontinuance on the Flushing express was because the MTA felt it took too long to transfer between locals and expresses. The service was also due to fears of delays on the line when locals and expresses merged after 33rd Street–Rawson Street. The change was supposed to enable local trains to stop at 61st Street every four minutes (15 trains per hour) during rush hours, but according to riders, the trains arrived every 8–10 minutes. The community opposition led to service changes, and expresses began stopping at Woodside again a few months later.[70]

In spring 2018, express service west of 74th Street was set to be suspended temporarily so the MTA could fix the supports under the center track at 61st Street.[71]

Early 21st century upgrades

Automation of the line

In January 2012, the MTA selected Thales for a $343 million contract to set up a communications-based train control (CBTC) system as part of the plan to automate the line. This was the second installation of CBTC, following a successful implementation on the BMT Canarsie Line. The total cost was $550 million for the signals and other trackside infrastructure, and $613.7 million for CBTC-compliant rolling stock.[63] The safety assessment at system level was performed using the formal method Event-B.[72]

The MTA chose the Flushing Line for the next implementation of CBTC because it is also a self-contained line with no direct connections to other subway lines currently in use. Funding was allocated in the 2010–2014 capital budget for CBTC installation on the Flushing Line, with scheduled installation completion in 2016.[11] The R188 cars were ordered to equip the line with compatible rolling stock. CBTC on the line will allow the 7 and <7>​ services to run 7% more service, or 2 more trains per hour (tph) during peak hours (before retrofit, it ran 27 tph).[73] However, the system had been retrofitted to operate at 33 tph even without CBTC.[63][74]

The first train of R188 cars began operating in passenger service on November 9, 2013.[75][76] Test runs of R188s in automated mode started in late 2014.[63] However, the CBTC retrofit date was later pushed back to 2017[77] or 2018[78] after a series of problems that workers encountered during installation, including problems with the R188s.[77][78] The project also went over budget, costing $405 million for a plan originally marked at $265.6 million.[77]

Completely independent of the CBTC installation is the 7 Subway Extension (see below), which features both CBTC signals and fixed-block signaling. The extension will also increase line capacity.[63]

Extension westward

Construction of the 7 Subway Extension

In the 1990s, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) began exploring the possibility of a Flushing Line extension to New Jersey.[10] In 2001, a business and civic group convened by Senator Charles Schumer argued that a proposed westward extension of the Midtown office district could not be accomplished without a subway extension, saying:[79]

The long blocks along the avenues make the walk as long as 20 minutes to the westernmost parts of the area. In addition, there is no convenient link from Grand Central Station or elsewhere on the east side of Manhattan, making the Far West Side a difficult commute for workers from parts of Manhattan, Queens, Westchester and Connecticut.[79]

An extension of the Flushing Line was then proposed as part of the New York City bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics.[80][81] The City wanted to get funding before July 2005, at which time the International Olympic Committee would vote on funding, but due to budget shortfalls, the MTA could not pay to fund the extension.[10] After New York City lost their Olympic bid, the government of New York City devised a rezoning plan for the Hudson Yards area and proposed two new subway stations to serve that area.[82][83] The subway extension was approved[10] following the successful rezoning of about 60 blocks from 28th to 43rd Streets, which became the Hudson Yards neighborhood.[84] In October 2007, the MTA awarded a $1.145 billion contract to build an extension from Times Square to Hudson Yards.[85][86][87]

There is one new station at 34th Street and Eleventh Avenue to serve Hudson Yards, but in the MTA's original plans, there was another station proposed at 10th Avenue and 41st Street. The 10th Avenue station was eliminated due to lack of funding.[85] The extension's opening was delayed several times due to issues in installing the custom-made incline elevators for the 34th Street station.[88][89][90] The extension eventually opened on September 13, 2015.[8] The 34th Street–Hudson Yards station's design has been compared to that of Washington Metro stations,[91] or to those of stations along London's Jubilee Line Extension.[92][93]

Station listing

Station service legend
Stops all times
Stops all times except late nights
Stops late nights and weekends only
Stops weekdays only
Stops rush hours in the peak direction only
Time period details
Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
 ↑ Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
in the indicated direction only
 ↓
Elevator access to mezzanine only
Neighborhood
(approximate)		 Station Tracks Services Opened Transfers and notes
Queens
Begins as a three track line
Flushing Flushing–Main Street[94] all 7  <7> ​ January 21, 1928[95] originally Main Street
Q44 Select Bus Service
Connection to LIRR at Flushing–Main Street
Willets Point ↑[lower-alpha 1] Mets–Willets Point[94] all 7  <7> ​ January 21, 1928[95] Connection to LIRR at Mets–Willets Point (special events only)
formerly Willets Point–Shea Stadium
originally Willets Point Boulevard
Corona connecting tracks to Corona Yard
111th Street[94] local 7  October 13, 1925[30]
103rd Street–Corona Plaza[94] local 7  April 21, 1917[26] originally Alburtis Avenue
Junction Boulevard[94] all 7  <7> ​ April 21, 1917[26] originally Junction Avenue
Elmhurst 90th Street–Elmhurst Avenue[94] local 7  April 21, 1917[26] originally Elmhurst Avenue
Jackson Heights 82nd Street–Jackson Heights[94] local 7  April 21, 1917[26] originally 25th Street–Jackson Heights
74th Street–Broadway[94] local 7  April 21, 1917[26] E  ​F  ​M  ​R  (IND Queens Boulevard Line at Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue)
originally Broadway
Q47 bus to LaGuardia Airport (Marine Air Terminal only)
Q53 Select Bus Service
Q70 Select Bus Service to LaGuardia Airport
Woodside 69th Street[94] local 7  April 21, 1917[26] originally Fisk Avenue
Q47 bus to LaGuardia Airport (Marine Air Terminal only).
61st Street–Woodside[94] all 7  <7> ​ April 21, 1917[26] originally Woodside
Connection to LIRR at Woodside
Q53 Select Bus Service
Q70 Select Bus Service to LaGuardia Airport
52nd Street[94] local 7  April 21, 1917[26] originally Lincoln Avenue
Sunnyside 46th Street–Bliss Street[94] local 7  April 21, 1917[26] originally Bliss Street
40th Street–Lowery Street[94] local 7  April 21, 1917[26] originally Lowery Street
33rd Street–Rawson Street[94] local 7  April 21, 1917[26] originally Rawson Street
Center Express track ends
connecting tracks to BMT Astoria Line (no passenger service)
Long Island City Queensboro Plaza[94] all 7  <7> ​ November 5, 1916[21] N  ​W  (BMT Astoria Line)
Court Square[94] all 7  <7> ​ November 5, 1916[21] originally 45th Road–Court House Square
G  (IND Crosstown Line)
E  ​M  (IND Queens Boulevard Line)
Hunters Point Avenue[94] all 7  <7> ​ February 15, 1916[18] Connection to LIRR at Hunterspoint Avenue
Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue all 7  <7> ​ June 22, 1915[17] originally Vernon-Jackson Avenues
Connection to LIRR at Long Island City
Manhattan
Steinway Tunnel under the East River
Midtown Manhattan Grand Central[94] all 7  <7> ​ June 22, 1915[17] 4  ​5  ​6  <6> (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)
S  (IRT 42nd Street Shuttle)
Connection to Metro-North Railroad at Grand Central Terminal
Elevator access to mezzanine only Fifth Avenue[94] all 7  <7> ​ March 22, 1926[37] B  ​D  ​F  ​M  (IND Sixth Avenue Line at 42nd Street–Bryant Park)
Midtown Manhattan (Times Square) Times Square[94] all 7  <7> ​ March 14, 1927[39] N  ​Q  ​R  ​W  (BMT Broadway Line)
1  ​2  ​3  (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)
A  ​C  ​E  (IND Eighth Avenue Line at 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal)
S  (IRT 42nd Street Shuttle)
Port Authority Bus Terminal
Hell's Kitchen / Hudson Yards / Chelsea 34th Street–Hudson Yards[97] all 7  <7> ​ September 13, 2015[98] built as part of the 7 Subway Extension
planning names 34th Street, 34th Street–Javits Center
M34 Select Bus Service

Notes

  1. ↑ Only the Flushing-bound local side platform is wheelchair-accessible. Trains operate on this platform only during New York Mets games and other special events.[96]

References

  1. ↑ "Average Weekday Subway Ridership". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  2. ↑ "7 Subway Timetable, Effective June 24, 2018" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Subway Service Guide" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 25, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ Dougherty, Peter (2018). Tracks of the New York City Subway 2018 (16th ed.). Dougherty.
  6. 1 2 "Flushing Line 2016 Town Hall April 5, 2016 Sunnyside, Queens" (PDF). Access Queens. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 5, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  7. ↑ Marrero, Robert (January 1, 2017). "472 Stations, 850 Miles" (PDF). B24 Blog, via Dropbox. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  8. 1 2 Tangel, Andrew (September 13, 2015). "New Subway Station Opens on NYC's Far West Side". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  9. ↑ Mindlin, Alex (April 20, 2008). "No Whoosh, No 'All Aboard'". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Mitchell L. Moss (November 2011). "HOW NEW YORK CITY WON THE OLYMPICS" (PDF). Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. New York University. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  11. 1 2 Pages 11–12 Archived March 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  12. ↑ "Tunnel Under the East River" (PDF). The New York Times. 1885-02-22. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Rogoff, David (1960). "The Steinway Tunnels". Electric Railroads (29).
  14. ↑ "Rapid-Transit Systems; One Plan or Parts of Several May Be Adopted. the Availability and Utility of a Roomy Tunnel -- Speed, Light, and Cleanliness Obtainable by the Use of Electricity" (PDF). The New York Times. 1890-12-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  15. 1 2 Hood, Clifton (2004). 722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York (Centennial ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 163–168. ISBN 978-0-8018-8054-4. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
  16. ↑ Feinman, Mark S.; Darlington, Peggy; Pirmann, David. "IRT Flushing Line". www.nycsubway.org. www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  17. 1 2 3 "Queensboro Tunnel Officially Opened — Subway, Started Twenty-Three Years Ago, Links Grand Central and Long Island City — Speeches Made in Station — Belmont, Shonts, and Connolly Among Those Making Addresses — $10,000,000 Outlay" (PDF). New York Times. June 23, 1915. p. 22. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  18. 1 2 "Subway Extension Open - Many Use New Hunters Point Avenue Station" (PDF). New York Times. February 16, 1916. p. 22. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  19. 1 2 Senate, New York (State) Legislature (January 1, 1917). Documents of the Senate of the State of New York.
  20. 1 2 3 "Annual report — 1916-1917". HathiTrust. Interborough Rapid Transit Company. December 12, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  21. 1 2 3 "New Subway Link" (PDF). New York Times. November 5, 1916. p. XX4. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  22. ↑ Minutes and Proceedings. New York City Transit Authority. January 1, 1955.
  23. ↑ "STATION SITES FOR NEW SUBWAYS; Pamphlet Issued by Utilities Board Contains List of Stops on Dual System" (PDF). The New York Times. July 6, 1913. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  24. 1 2 Annual Report. J.B. Lyon Company. 1928.
  25. ↑ Cunningham, Joseph; DeHart, Leonard O. (1993). A History of the New York City Subway System. J. Schmidt, R. Giglio, and K. Lang. p. 48.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Transit Service on Corona Extension of Dual Subway System Opened to the Public" (PDF). New York Times. April 22, 1917. p. RE1. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  27. ↑ "To Celebrate Corona Line Opening" (PDF). The New York Times. April 20, 1917. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  28. ↑ "BIG TRAFFIC INCREASE.; Reports Show a Total of 100,000 Over May on Queensboro Subway" (PDF). The New York Times. August 12, 1917. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Additional Subway Service to Borough of Queens". New York Times. April 8, 1923. p. RE1.
  30. 1 2 "First Trains to be Run on Flushing Tube Line Oct. 13: Shuttle Operation Ordered to 111th Street Station on New Extension". Newspapers.com. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 5, 1925. p. 8. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
  31. 1 2 Poor's...1925. 1925. p. 523.
  32. ↑ "Flushing Rejoices as Subway Opens" (PDF). New York Times. January 22, 1928. p. 28. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  33. ↑ "Corona Subway Extended" (PDF). New York Times. May 8, 1927. p. 26. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  34. 1 2 Annual Report. J.B. Lyon Company. 1927.
  35. ↑ "Flushing to Celebrate" (PDF). New York Times. May 13, 1927. p. 8. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  36. ↑ "Dual Queens Celebration" (PDF). New York Times. May 15, 1927. p. 3. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  37. 1 2 "Fifth Av. Station of Subway Opened" (PDF). New York Times. March 23, 1926. p. 29. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  38. ↑ Annual Report For the Year Ended June 20, 1925. Interborough Rapid Transit Company. 1925.
  39. 1 2 "New Queens Subway Opened to Times Sq" (PDF). New York Times. March 15, 1927. p. 1. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  40. ↑ "Flushing Rejoices as Subway Opens – Service by B.M.T. and I.R.T. Begins as Soon as Official Train Makes First Run – Hope of 25 Years Realized – Pageant of Transportation Led by Indian and His Pony Marks the Celebration – Hedley Talks of Fare Rise – Transit Modes Depicted" (PDF). The New York Times. January 22, 1928. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  41. ↑ Annual Report for the Year Ending June 30, 1927. Interborough Rapid Transit Company. 1927.
  42. ↑ "Fast Subway Service to Fair Is Opened" (PDF). New York Times. April 25, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  43. ↑ Korman, Joseph (December 29, 2016). "Line Names". www.thejoekorner.com. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  44. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Raskin, Joseph B. (November 1, 2013), The Routes Not Taken: A Trip Through New York City's Unbuilt Subway System, Fordham University Press, ISBN 978-0-8232-5369-2
  45. ↑ Wells, Pete (December 16, 2014). "In Queens, Kimchi Is Just the Start: Pete Wells Explores Korean Restaurants in Queens". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2015. We can blame the IRT. The No. 7 train was never meant to end at Main Street in Flushing.
  46. ↑ "Extension of Corona Line to Bayside Will Benefit Flushing Section of Queens" (PDF). The New York Times. 1913-02-09. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  47. ↑ "Flushing Line Risk Put on the City – Interborough Agrees to Equip and Operate Main St. Branch, but Won't Face a Loss – It May Be a Precedent – Company's Letter Thought to Outline Its Policy Toward Future Extensions of Existing Lines" (PDF). The New York Times. December 4, 1913. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  48. ↑ "McCall and Maltbie Favor Transit Plan". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 6, 1915. p. 4. Retrieved 2017-09-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  49. ↑ "9-FOOT PETITION FOR CARS.; Service Board Gets Plea of Several Long Island Towns" (PDF). The New York Times. 1915-04-02. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  50. 1 2 "Now Urge Action on Old Transit Plan". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 29, 1916. p. 14. Retrieved 2017-09-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  51. ↑ "Work for Transit is Called Wasted". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 18, 1916. p. 4. Retrieved 2017-09-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  52. ↑ "Agree on tentative Plan for Lease of Tracks in 3rd Ward". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 16, 1917. p. 14. Retrieved 2017-09-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  53. ↑ Board of Transportation of the City of New York Engineering Department, Proposed Additional Rapid Transit Lines And Proposed Vehicular Tunnel, dated August 23, 1929
  54. ↑ Duffus, R.L. (September 22, 1929). "Our Great Subway Network Spreads Wider – New Plans of Board of Transportation Involve the Building of More Than One Hundred Miles of Additional Rapid Transit Routes for New York" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  55. ↑ Project for Expanded Rapid Transit Facilities, New York City Transit System, dated July 5, 1939
  56. ↑ "200 TAKE LAST RIDE ON 2D AVE. ELEVATED; Official Says the Structure Will Yield 29,400 Tons of Steel". The New York Times. 1942-06-14. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  57. ↑ "EL' WILL CEASE SATURDAY; Service on Second Avenue Line From Queens to End". The New York Times. 1942-06-07. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  58. 1 2 Sparberg, Andrew J. (2014). From a Nickel to a Token: The Journey from Board of Transportation to MTA. Empire State Editions. ISBN 9780823261932.
  59. ↑ "DIRECT SUBWAY RUNS TO FLUSHING, ASTORIA" (PDF). The New York Times. 1949-10-15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-07.
  60. ↑ Bennett, Charles G. (1949-11-20). "TRANSIT PLATFORMS ON LINES IN QUEENS TO BE LENGTHENED; $3,850,000 Program Outlined for Next Year to Care for Borough's Rapid Growth NEW LINKS ARE TO BE BUILT 400 More Buses to Roll Also -- Bulk of Work to Be on Corona-Flushing Route TRANSIT PROGRAM IN QUEENS OUTLINED". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  61. 1 2 "Subway Signals", thejoekorner.com
  62. ↑ Conningham, Joseph J. (April 1, 2009). "Roots of an Evolution: Fifty Years of Automated Train Control in New York". Railway Age. Retrieved September 15, 2015. The latter included an installation on the IRT Flushing (7) line of the US&S IDENTRA (Identification of Trains and Routing Automatically) system in which a passive coil on the lead car actuated wayside readers to set routes and station signs.  – via HighBeam (subscription required)
  63. 1 2 3 4 5 "Moving Forward: Accelerating the Transition to Communications-Based Train Control for New York City's Subways" (PDF). rpa.org. Regional Plan Association. May 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  64. ↑ "Automatic Control of Switches In New York Subway". Railway Signaling and Communications. Chicago, Ill.: Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation (4): 33. 1954.
  65. 1 2 Perlow, Austin H. (April 2, 1957). "Millions Spent... Flushing IRT Still Crawls" (PDF). Long Island Star – Journal. p. 1. Retrieved October 7, 2018 – via Fulton History.
  66. 1 2 Annual Report — 1962–1963. New York City Transit Authority. 1963.
  67. ↑ Ingalls, Leonard (1953-08-28). "2 Subway Lines to Add Cars, Another to Speed Up Service; 3 SUBWAYS TO GET IMPROVED SERVICE". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  68. ↑ "TA to Show Fair Train". Long Island Star – Journal. August 31, 1963. Retrieved August 30, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  69. ↑ Perlmutter, Emanuel (April 14, 1965). "Subway Cars Here To Get Strip Maps Showing One Route; New Series of Maps, Signs and Schedules Are Designed to Take the Guesswork Out of Subway Travel" (PDF). New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
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  76. ↑ "MTA - New Subway Cars Being Put to the Test". mta.info.
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  84. ↑ Purnick, Joyce (January 2, 2005). "What Rises in the West? Uncertainty". The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
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  92. ↑ "A Tour of NYC's Newest Subway Station With Its Architect". Curbed NY. September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  93. ↑ Coen, Amanda (January 19, 2012). "New York City's 7 Line Extension is Ahead of Schedule & Under Budget". Inhabitat. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
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  95. 1 2 "Flushing Line Opens Jan. 21" (PDF). New York Times. January 12, 1928. p. 12. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
    • See also: "Flushing Extension of Corona Subway Ready to Open" (PDF). New York Times. January 8, 1928. p. 189. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  96. ↑ "Mets — Willets Point Station: Accessibility on Game Days and Special Events Only". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  97. ↑ "7 Line Extension". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
  98. ↑ Fitzsimmons, Emma G. (September 10, 2015). "Subway Station for 7 Line Opens on Far West Side". New York Times. Retrieved September 13, 2015.

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