List of New York City Subway lines

Queens Boulevard viaduct of the IRT Flushing Line

The New York City Subway is a heavy-rail public transit system serving four of the five boroughs of New York City. The present New York City Subway system inherited the systems of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT), and the Independent Subway System (IND). New York City has owned the IND since its inception; the BMT and IRT were taken over by the city in 1940. The former IRT system is now known as the A Division, while the B Division is the combined former BMT and IND systems.

In the New York City Subway nomenclature, a "line" refers to the physical trackage used by trains that are used by numbered or lettered "services". Today, the division or company names are not used publicly, while the line names may occasionally be used. The services that run on certain lines change periodically, but the lines refer to static trackage.

Nomenclature

In the nomenclature of the Subway, the terms "line" and "service" are not interchangeable with each other. While in popular usage the word "line" is often used synonymously with "service" (even sometimes on the website of the MTA[1]), this list will use the formal usage of the term "line."

A line is the physical structure and tracks that trains run over. Each section of the system is assigned a unique line name that begins with its original division (IRT, BMT or IND). For example, the line under Eighth Avenue is the IND Eighth Avenue Line. Some lines have changed names (and even divisions), but this happens relatively infrequently.

By contrast, a service refers to the route that a train takes across the various lines. A service can operate along several lines and even along different divisions. For example, the R service operates along the IND Queens Boulevard Line as well as the BMT Broadway Line and the BMT Fourth Avenue Line.

Each service is also assigned a color. Since 1979, each service's color corresponds to the line it primarily uses in Midtown Manhattan—defined as the trunk line—with these exceptions: the IND Crosstown Line, which doesn't carry services to Manhattan, is colored light green; and all shuttles are colored dark gray.[2] The list of trunk lines and colors is shown in the table below.

Primary Trunk lineColor[3][4]Pantone[5]HexadecimalService bullets
IND Eighth Avenue LineVivid bluePMS 286#2850ad"A" train "C" train "E" train
IND Sixth Avenue LineBright orangePMS 165#ff6319"B" train "D" train "F" train "M" train
IND Crosstown LineLime greenPMS 376#6cbe45"G" train
BMT Canarsie LineLight slate gray50% black#a7a9ac"L" train
BMT Nassau Street LineTerra cotta brownPMS 154#996633"J" train "Z" train
BMT Broadway LineSunflower yellowPMS 116#fccc0a"N" train "Q" train "R" train "W" train
IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue LineTomato redPMS 185#ee352e"1" train "2" train "3" train
IRT Lexington Avenue LineApple greenPMS 355#00933c"4" train "5" train "6" train "6" express train
IRT Flushing LineRaspberryPMS Purple#b933ad"7" train "7" express train
ShuttlesDark slate gray70% black#808183shuttle train

Line listing

There are currently 36 rail lines. The Archer Avenue Lines and the 63rd Street Lines are each classified as two separate lines due to their structure: both lines are able to serve two divisions (the BMT and the IND) on distinct sections of track.

In the list below, lines with colors next to them indicate trunk lines, which determine the colors that are used for services' route bullets and diamonds, as well as shuttle service lines. The opening date refers to the opening of the first section of track for the line. In the "division" column, the current division is followed by the original division in parentheses.

Division Line Borough(s) Service(s) Opened Structure
B (IND)     Second Avenue LineManhattan      N 
      Q 
      R 
January 1, 2017[6]underground
B (BMT)Fourth Avenue LineBrooklyn      D 
      N 
      R 
      W 
June 22, 1915[7]underground
B (IND)     Sixth Avenue LineManhattan
Brooklyn
      B 
      D 
      F 
      M 
January 1936[8]underground
B (IND)     Eighth Avenue LineManhattan
Brooklyn
      A 
      B 
      C 
      D 
      E 
September 10, 1932[9]underground
A (IRT)     42nd Street ShuttleManhattan      S October 27, 1904[10]underground[a]
B (BMT)63rd Street LineManhattan      N 
      Q 
      R 
October 29, 1989[9]underground
B (IND)63rd Street LineManhattan
Queens
      F October 29, 1989[9]underground
B (BMT)Archer Avenue LineQueens      J 
      Z 
December 11, 1988[7]underground
B (IND)Archer Avenue LineQueens      E December 11, 1988[9]underground
B (BMT)Astoria LineQueens      N 
      W 
April 21, 1917[11]elevated
B (BMT)Brighton LineBrooklyn      B 
      Q 
July 2, 1878[12]underground, open cut, embankment, elevated
B (BMT)     Broadway LineManhattan      N 
      Q 
      R 
      W 
September 4, 1917[7]underground
A (IRT)     Broadway–Seventh Avenue LineBronx
Manhattan
Brooklyn
      1 
      2 
      3 
October 27, 1904[10]elevated[a], embankment, underground
B (BMT)     Canarsie LineManhattan
Brooklyn
      L October 21, 1865[13]underground, elevated, at-grade
B (IND)Concourse LineBronx
Manhattan
      B 
      D 
July 1, 1933[9]underground
B (IND)     Crosstown LineBrooklyn
Queens
      G August 19, 1933[9]underground
B (IND)Culver LineBrooklyn      F 
      G 
March 16, 1919[7]underground, elevated[c]
A (IRT)Dyre Avenue LineBronx      5 May 15, 1941elevated[b], embankment, open-cut, underground
A (IRT)Eastern Parkway LineBrooklyn      2 
      3 
      4 
      5 
January 9, 1908[10]underground
A (IRT)     Flushing LineManhattan
Queens
      7  <7> June 22, 1915[10]underground, elevated
B (BMT)     Franklin Avenue LineBrooklyn      S July 2, 1878[12]elevated, embankment, open cut
B (IND)Fulton Street LineBrooklyn
Queens
      A 
      C 
April 9, 1936[9]underground, elevated[d]
B (BMT)Jamaica LineBrooklyn
Queens
      J 
      M 
      Z 
February 2, 1885[7]elevated
A (IRT)Jerome Avenue LineBronx      4 
      5 
June 12, 1917[10]elevated, underground
A (IRT)Lenox Avenue LineManhattan      2 
      3 
November 23, 1904[10]at-grade, underground
A (IRT)     Lexington Avenue LineManhattan      4 
      5 
      6  <6>
October 27, 1904[10]underground[a]
B (BMT)Myrtle Avenue LineBrooklyn
Queens
      M December 19, 1889[7]elevated, embankment, at-grade
B (BMT)     Nassau Street LineManhattan      J 
      M 
      Z 
September 16, 1908[7]underground
A (IRT)New Lots LineBrooklyn      2 
      3 
      4 
      5 
November 23, 1920[10]elevated
A (IRT)Nostrand Avenue LineBrooklyn      2 
      5 
August 23, 1920[10]underground
A (IRT)Pelham LineBronx      6  <6> August 1, 1918[10]underground, elevated
B (IND)Queens Boulevard LineManhattan
Queens
      E 
      F 
      M 
      R 
August 19, 1933[9]underground
B (IND)Rockaway LineQueens      A 
      S 
June 28, 1956at-grade, embankment, elevated[e]
B (BMT)Sea Beach LineBrooklyn      N 
      W 
June 22, 1915[7]open cut, elevated
B (BMT)West End LineBrooklyn      D June 24, 1916[7]open-cut, elevated
A (IRT)White Plains Road LineBronx      2 
      5 
July 10, 1905[10]elevated, underground

Inter-division connections

The following list shows the connections between the different divisions of the New York City Subway.[14]

Purpose-built

These connections can be used by trains in revenue service:

This connection is not for revenue service due to the differing widths of the trains:

Yards

These connections are located within the subway's rail yards and are not intended for revenue service.

Other

Unused connections in the same division

In some places, there are track connections within the same division that are unused in regular service.[15]

Brooklyn

Manhattan

Queens

Unused express tracks

Many of the New York City Subway's lines have express tracks, unused in revenue service and generally only used for re-routes.[16]

The Bronx

Brooklyn

Manhattan

Queens

Above ground sections

Map of New York City Subway by line placement. Underground in orange; elevated, at-grade, embankment, open-cut in blue.

Most of the New York City Subway is underground, except for the following segments.[17]

The Bronx

Brooklyn

Manhattan

Queens

Trackage

Map of New York City Subway by number of tracks on line segments.

At minimum, in normal revenue service, all lines have two tracks, with one exception: the BMT Franklin Avenue Line has a single track between Franklin Avenue and Park Place.

Three-tracked portions

The New York City Subway has fewer triple track sections than it has quadruple track sections. These sections are listed below. The third track, when in use, is generally for peak-direction express service or reroutes, with exceptions noted below.

  1. IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line (1 train) from south of Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street to north of Dyckman Street and from north of 145th Street to north of 96th Street
  2. IRT White Plains Road Line (2 and 5 trains) from south of Wakefield–241st Street to east of Third Avenue–149th Street
  3. IRT Lenox Avenue Line (2 and 3 trains) at 135th Street – center track is not usable in revenue service
  4. IRT Jerome Avenue Line (4 train) – entire line, except for Woodlawn
  5. IRT Dyre Avenue Line (5 train) – entire line
  6. IRT Pelham Line (6 and <6> trains) – entire line
  7. IRT Flushing Line (7 and <7> trains) – from 33rd Street–Rawson Street to Flushing–Main Street
  8. IRT New Lots Line (2, 3, 4, and 5 trains) at Junius Street – center track is not usable in revenue service
  9. IND Fulton Street Line (A train) – from west of 80th Street to west of Ozone Park–Lefferts Boulevard
  10. BMT West End Line (D train) – from Ninth Avenue to Bay 50th Street
  11. IND Concourse Line (B and D trains) – from 145th Street to Bedford Park Boulevard
  12. IND Culver Line (F train) – from south of Church Avenue to Avenue X
  13. BMT Jamaica Line (J, M, and Z trains) – from Marcy Avenue to Broadway Junction. Also, at 111th Street, the center track is not usable in revenue service.
  14. BMT Canarsie Line (L train) at East 105th Street – easternmost track is not usable in revenue service
  15. BMT Astoria Line (N and W trains) – from east of Queensboro Plaza to south of Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard
  16. IND Crosstown Line (G train) at Bedford–Nostrand Avenues – middle track can be used to turn trains coming from either direction
  17. IRT 42nd Street Shuttle (S train) is operationally three tracks with one train on each; there is a fourth disused trackway that was disconnected in the 1960s.

Additionally, there are several pocket tracks in the subway where the line temporarily widens from two to three tracks, such as east of Eighth Avenue on the BMT Canarsie Line, and south of Court Square on the IND Crosstown Line.

Four-tracked portions

Quadruple-tracked portions of track are fairly common in the subway system. This makes it unique among most metro systems in the world, as most others only have two tracks per line. Generally, these portions are a pair of express and a pair of local tracks unless otherwise noted.

  1. Trunk lines:
    1. IND Sixth Avenue Line between Broadway– Lafayette Street and 47th–50th Streets
    2. IND Eighth Avenue Line between Chambers Street–World Trade Center and 168th Street, and again at Dyckman Street (two local tracks and two tracks leading to the 207th Street Yard)
    3. IRT Lexington Avenue Line between Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall and 125th Street
    4. IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line between Chambers and 96th Streets
    5. BMT Broadway Line between Canal Street and 57th Street–Seventh Avenue
    6. BMT Nassau Street Line at Chambers Street (originally a four platform station)
  2. Branch lines:
    Manhattan branches:
    1. 63rd Street Lines at Lexington Avenue (two levels of same-direction tracks, with each level containing one track of IND and BMT, with connections between lines on both levels)
    2. Chrystie Street Connection (one pair IND and one pair BMT)
    3. Manhattan Bridge (one pair of tracks on each of the north and south sides of the bridge)
    Queens branches:
    1. IND Queens Boulevard Line east of Queens Plaza
    2. IND Rockaway Line north of Jamaica Bay
    3. Archer Avenue Lines from Sutphin Boulevard and east (two levels of paired tracks: all IND on one, all BMT on the other, without connections between lines)
    4. IRT Flushing Line and BMT Astoria Line at Queensboro Plaza (two levels of same-direction tracks, with each level containing one track of IRT and BMT, with a non-revenue connection between lines on upper level)
    Brooklyn branches:
    1. IRT Eastern Parkway Line (entire line)
    2. IND Culver Line north of Church Avenue
    3. IND Fulton Street Line between Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets and Euclid Avenue
    4. BMT Brighton Line between Ocean Parkway and Prospect Park
    5. BMT Fourth Avenue Line north of 59th Street
    6. Manhattan Bridge (one pair of tracks on each of the north and south sides of the bridge)
    7. BMT Sea Beach Line (entire line)

The Bronx has no four-tracked lines. Pocket tracks are not included.

Defunct lines

The following New York City Subway lines are either entirely defunct or have major portions no longer in service. Defunct spur lines with one station, such as the South Ferry loops, are not included in this list, nor are surface transit lines.

Division Line Borough(s) Opened Closed Structure Status
A (IRT)Second Avenue LineManhattanMarch 1, 1880June 13, 1942elevatedEntirely demolished
A (IRT)

Third Avenue Line Manhattan August 26, 1878May 12, 1955 elevated Entirely demolished
Bronx April 28, 1973 Entirely demolished; had been replaced for a time by the Bx55 and then Bx15 Limited buses.
B (BMT)Third Avenue LineBrooklynOctober 1, 1893May 31, 1940elevatedEntirely demolished
B (BMT)Fifth Avenue LineBrooklyn1888–1890May 31, 1940elevatedEntirely demolished
A (IRT)Sixth Avenue LineManhattan1878December 4, 1938elevatedEntirely demolished
A (IRT)

Ninth Avenue Line Manhattan July 1, 1868 June 11, 1940 elevated Entirely demolished
Bronx August 31, 1958 Entirely demolished, except for the two underground stations at Sedgwick Avenue and Anderson–Jerome Avenues in the Bronx
B (BMT)Canarsie LineBrooklyn1865November 21, 1942at-gradeLine from Canarsie–Rockaway Parkway to Canarsie Pier replaced with a streetcar line, which itself was replaced by the B42 bus.
B (BMT) Culver Line Brooklyn 1875 elevatedLine from Ditmas Avenue to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue taken over by the IND in 1954[c]
May 11, 1975 Remainder of line to Ninth Avenue abandoned, then demolished in 1985.
B (BMT) Fulton Street Line Brooklyn 1888–1894 a) May 31, 1940
b) April 26, 1956
elevated a) Line demolished west of Rockaway Avenue.
b) Remainder of line in Brooklyn demolished.
Queens September 25, 1915 Line taken over by the IND in 1956, with the western two-block section rebuilt to connect with Grant Avenue.
A (IRT)IRT trunk lineManhattan1904undergroundSeparated into the Broadway–Seventh Avenue, Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street Shuttle lines[a]
B (BMT)Lexington Avenue LineBrooklynMay 13, 18851889–1950elevatedLine west of Gates Avenue demolished
B (BMT) Jamaica Line Brooklyn 1885–1888 July 3, 1916 elevated Line west of Marcy Avenue demolished
Queens 1918 a) September 10, 1977
b) April 15, 1985
a) Line east of Queens Boulevard demolished.
b) Line east of 121st Street demolished.
Both segments were replaced with Q49 bus service, which itself was replaced in 1988 by the BMT Archer Avenue Line.
B (BMT)Myrtle Avenue LineBrooklyn1888–18891944–1969elevatedLine west of Central Avenue through Broadway to Lewis Avenue abandoned. Remainder of line west of Lewis Avenue demolished.
B (IND)World's Fair LineQueens19391940at-gradeEntirely demolished

Vestiges of former lines

See also

Notes

References

  1. Subway Line Information Archived May 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. Hogarty, Dave (August 3, 2007). "Michael Hertz, Designer of the NYC Subway Map". Gothamist. Archived from the original on August 18, 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
  3. Official paint monikers since the colors were fixed in 1979: Grynbaum, Michael (May 10, 2010). "Take the Tomato 2 Stops to the Sunflower". New York Times, City Room Blog. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
  4. Official MTA video mentions "lime green" for the G line. "Subway Colors and Names". MTA Info. July 15, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  5. MTA Developer Resources Download, CSV file
  6. Rivoli, Dan; Sandoval, Edgar; Greene, Leonard (December 18, 2016). "Cuomo promises Second Ave. subway will open Jan. 1". NY Daily News. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "New York City Subway BMT Division Timeline". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  8. "New York City Subway IND 6th Ave Line". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "New York City Subway IND Division Timeline". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "New York City Subway IRT Division Timeline". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  11. "First Train Runs On Elevated Line to Astoria Section". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 1, 1917. Retrieved June 29, 2015 via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 "New York City Subway Brighton Beach Line". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  13. Feinman, Mark S. (February 17, 2001). "Early Rapid Transit in Brooklyn, 1878-1913". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  14. "Subway FAQ: Interconnections Between IRT and IND-BMT Divisions". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  15. "Subway FAQ: Unused Track Connections". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  16. "Subway FAQ: Unused Express Tracks". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  17. "Subway FAQ: Elevated Sections of the Subway". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
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