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NYC Subway History Post-Unification ![]() |
User:Epicgenius/sandbox/Metropolitan Transportation Authority
User:Epicgenius/sandbox/article-draft1 — Manhattan Bridge subway closure
User:Kew Gardens 613/Subways70s80s
User:Kew Gardens 613/NYSTC Annual Reports
User:Tdorante10/sandbox3 – Includes draft bus articles
Queens Bus Routes and lines – A list of bus article projects
User:Epicgenius/sandbox/1 – Interesting track map drafts
User:Epicgenius/sandbox/3 – Includes draft bus articles
User:Epicgenius/sandbox/5 – Includes a draft split of Technology of the New York City Subway that I have been wanting to work on
This page is here to try to work on a split of the History of the New York City Subway article. The article already is pretty long, and with added information it will get longer. Other editors, feel free to add, fix, and add references to what is here. The goal is to transfer this material to the mainspace.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/ERA_Headlights/oJUjAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=lexington
https://archive.org/stream/alternativefinan00rice_0/alternativefinan00rice_0_djvu.txt
https://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/19/nyregion/builder-offers-subway-tunnel-in-city-zoning-deal.html
https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/about/cpc/840045.pdf
https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/about/cpc/840379.pdf
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CglSTm970xjPYacukVVGRQbZwgH1ybYPjv6brhLXwWM/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/193NIzwFT2NMHrSbWbBk4KoJqymxwoJzZBqjiHjijMbw/edit?usp=sharing
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/48311116011/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/48311226727/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/48311117612/
W https://web.archive.org/web/20010726112603/http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us:80/nyct/service/wline.htm
10/28 https://web.archive.org/web/20011110053649/http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us:80/nyct/maps/mapsys1028.pdf
December 2001 NYCT Committee Agenda (page 78), with a recommended implementation date of January 2002
Just read in a Queens community newspaper (W. Queens Gazette) that MTA will run all Ws local only in Astoria as of 1/7/02. This after surveys showed the Ns were vastly overcrowded and the Ws undercrowded. Turns out the few weeks the W ran local after the N was restored post 9/11 was an experiment - during that period, the usage of the N and W was almost 50-50 (as you would expect, since they alternate in service).
The scheduled W express savings was 4 minutes.
Alludes to December 26, 2001 article
http://www.qgazette.com/news/2002-01-16/Editorial_Pages/005.html
From NYCT's Staff Summary on the service change:
"The resulting service plan provided a net increase in Astoria Line service, albeit with a decrease in frequency at local stations during the peak hour. Since approximately 43% of Astoria Line riders board at express stations, it was believed that the express/local operation would provide sufficient capacity on the N and W trains.
"In practice, since the service commenced in July 2001, the expected operational benefits of the express/local operation have not been realized, and the Astoria Line component of the service plan has proved problematic from a customer perspective. According to traffic checks conducted in August 2001, the ridership split between the N and W routes was not as even as expected, with N trains carrying 1.9 times as many passengers as W trains in the mornings, and 2.6 times as many in the evenings. As a result, a number of complaints were received from local riders, who experienced long waits and crowded conditions on the N, with lightly loaded W trains passing by on the express track.
"Immediately following the September 11 World Trade Center attack, N service was suspended, and the W operated via the local tracks at all times. When N service was restored in October, the W continued to operate local for several weeks on a trial basis. Checks conducted during this trial period found that the ridership split between the two services was more even, and that the termina was able to accommodate the all-local operation." http://talk.nycsubway.org/perl/read?subtalk=303599 11/9 W express resumed
http://talk.nycsubway.org/perl/read?subtalk=283492
http://talk.nycsubway.org/perl/read?subtalk=229699
http://talk.nycsubway.org/perl/read?subtalk=284451
http://talk.nycsubway.org/perl/read?subtalk=303785
"The W provides express service from Astoria into Manhattan from 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. weekdays from Ditmars Boulevard, Astoria Boulevard and Queensborough Plaza en route to Manhattan. It runs express in the other direction from 1 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. but terminates at 57th Street/7th Avenue in Manhattan after 9:30 p.m. The W provides local service in Queens at all other timess."
https://www.timesledger.com/stories/2001/30/20010726-archive470.html
Actually, the last southbound express left at 12:38, and then northbound began around 1. Like the J, 6 and 7.
I used to get that job on vacation relief, and both southbound trips were express (the second one being that last one at that time), and then the second northbound trip was express. So 3 out of 4 intervals were express, including the entire second round trip.
https://www.nyctransitforums.com/topic/6283-astoria-express/
"Study an express train for the Astoria Line from Astoria Boulevard to Queensboro Plaza. Like the 7 train, the express N or Q train would run only during peak hours in the peak direction. This service would help residents of northern Astoria reach the central business district in less time, as well as more evenly distribute ridership to prevent overcrowding. In the summer of 2001, the MTA experimented with peak hour express service on the Astoria Line, but found that demand did not support the additional trains; express trains were mostly empty
(with 65% choosing the local train). However, with increasing development, and population growth in northern Astoria, ridership is expected to increase, and an express service may make sense in the long term.
September 2002 W timetable https://www.nyctransitforums.com/topic/17653-w-train-timetable-from-september-2002/
Anyways according to a Superintendent at Queensboro plaza, the first returning express is the 1206 from stillwell
In May 1994, a $15,222,222 contract was awarded for the rehabilitation of the Archer Avenue Fan Plants, which are located between the Parsons Boulevard and Sutphin Boulevard stations. They were upgraded to comply with the latest federal standards to ensure proper ventilation in case of tunnel fires. As part of the project, the remote operating controls were relocated from the Parsons Boulevard signal tower to the power control center at West 53rd Street.[1]: C-91
After December 15, 1940:
Weekend E and F (6 cars) – 1960s
Longer trains post-Chrystie
http://www.subchat.com/readflat.asp?Id=1427715&p=1#1427959
Max car lengths:
10 cars – A, C, D, E,
8 cars – AA/B, EE, GG, N, QJ, RR
http://www.thejoekorner.com/carassignments/bmt-ind-1969-10.html
http://www.thejoekorner.com/carassignments/irt-1969-10.html
http://www.subchat.com/readflat.asp?Id=898838&p=1#899476
J and M middays until 1997?
Midday B (6 cars) until 1995
Midday C (4 cars)
Weekend C (4 cars) until May 1999
Evenings and Nights K (4 cars) – 1987
Overnight and Weekends D (4 cars) – c. 1993
Weekend 6 (6 cars) early 1990s
Weekend 5 (6 cars) – 1997
Weekend 4 (8 cars) – early 1990s
Late Nights A (4 car R44s) – LATE 1990s
Sunday 3 (6 cars) – 1990s
Weekend 7 (6 cars) – into 1970s
Pre-1976 IRT mostly 5 cars Overnights
Weekends day/evenings N (6 60 foot or 4 75 foot)
Late Nights N (4 cars) – c. 1984
http://www.subchat.com/readflat.asp?Id=769966&p=1
http://www.subchat.com/readflat.asp?Id=769966&p=2
http://www.subchat.com/readflat.asp?Id=50392&p=1#50999
http://www.subchat.com/readflat.asp?Id=834410&p=1#835104
G (6 R32s pre-1992, 6 R46s post-1992)
http://www.subchat.com/readflat.asp?Id=274083&p=1#274355
AA/B always 8 cars or less
Only rush hours
Transit Authority Halves Number Of Subway Cars in Off‐Peak Hours
Longer Subway Trains Are Restored At Koch's Request on the Busy Lines
21 Shut Subway Facilities May Open
COLORS MAY GUIDE RIDERS ON SUBWAY
Transit Official Says Cost Cuts Will Pay for Pact
The A Train, a Loser, May Cut Express Runs
A 4% Cut in IRT Service Is Planned for September
REPORT SUGGESTS CHANGES TO GAIN SUBWAY RIDERS
SCHEDULE CHANGES PLANNED TO SPEED SUBWAY TRIPS
M.T.A. Seeking Conductor Cuts For Some Lines
Trains Run Only by Motormen To Expand to 3 More Lines
Transit Talks Deadlocked On Work-Rule Changes
https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/06/nyregion/mta-seeking-conductor-cuts-for-some-lines.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/11/nyregion/train-conductors-must-stay-arbitrator-says.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20110806194746/http://www.stationreporter.net/ghost.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20110806194408/http://www.stationreporter.net/escalate.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20110806194612/http://www.stationreporter.net/elevator.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20110806194612/http://www.stationreporter.net/elevator.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20120318032556/http://www.stationreporter.net/curves.htm
https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9505EFDE1F38F937A15753C1A9669D8B63.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20160909175214/https://www.hts4u.com/documents/rulesbook%5B1%5D.pdf
http://tsd.org/papers/APTA94.DOC
Development of Off-Hour Waiting Areas
http://firetesttaking.com/books/auc.php
http://www.firetechstudies.com/files/Week%20_11.pdf
http://www.firetesttaking.com/pdfs/firefightingprocedures/under_river_rail.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a2.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a3.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a4.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a5.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a6.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a7.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a8.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a9.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a9a.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a9b.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a10.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a11.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a12.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a13.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a14.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a15.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a16.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/207_a19.pdf
http://firetesttaking.com/pdfs/auc/8.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/1972/01/11/archives/ind-train-derailed-on-bridge-here.html
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26325190/daily_news/ Upgrade 21 stations for accessibility
https://www.nytimes.com/1970/02/21/archives/subways-colored-tile-gets-cover-up-job.html 1970s
Elimination of Newsstands, food vendors from platforms
DeKalb Avenue; Union Square elevators
1990 emergency Nevins Street repairs
April 13, 1989 survey of Nevins found corroded and crumbled concrete, but failed to find immediately hazardous structural problems; discovered in summer 1990, forced to award an emergency contract to reconstruct mezzanine
Had been scheduled for renovation in 1992
Designed to achieve aesthetic and circulation improvements
Quality of work questioned, missing tiles Borough Hall, GC, 23rd, Newkirk
water infiltration Newkirk Avenue, 23rd St/Lex, 53rd Street, Astor Place,
[5]1983 modifications
1985-Spending money on program prohibited until deal on accessible stations reached[6]
Started in 1987
Goal was to return stations to a SOGR more quickly and cheaper than under SMP, all work TA workers, stations initially expected to be completed within a year and cost $1 million
Began without adequate planning like SMP, cost escalation and delays
1/2 done by contractors In 9/90 expected to do 118 rehabs between 1991 and 1996
IRT request to lengthen platforms for 8 or 10- car trains, instead of 5 and 6-car locals; all platforms south of Brooklyn Bridge and north of 96th Street could fit 8- or 10-car trains
Most local platforms were 200 feet, while expresses were 350 feet[7]
FY1906–Brighton and West End Lines for six-car elevated trains; underway on Myrtle Avenue Line[8]
1909[9]
Extension of IRT platforms for 10-car expresses and 6-car locals from 8-car expresses and 5-car locals
Journal article about the 1910 platform extensions
104-119
1910-platform extensions; more
1910 Annual Report
Work on extending the platform began in January 1910 to fit 10-car express trains and 6-car local trains; operation of six-car locals ready by November 1, and 10-car expresses by February 1, 1911
Increase capacity by 23% for $1,500,000
Lenox Yard shop extended to accommodate 10-car trains
1911 Annual Report
Atlantic Avenue station extended to accommodate 10-car trains
6-car local opened October 24 and 10-car opened January 23
1920- Nevins Street lengthened from 350 to 480 feet to accommodate 10-car trains; east end of Mott Avenue extended 230 feet to connect with the NYC Railroad
1924 Annual Report
Lengthened center platform at Pennsylvania Station by 15 feet to the north; extend Jackson Avenue on the Flushing Line
IRT/BMT 1925 platform extensions
1925- Fulton Street El[10]
1926-Fourth Avenue Line to accommodate 8-car trains[11] - $345,021.50[12]
1927 – Lengthening of 40 BMT stations 90% complete able to use 8 cars instead of 6 announced August 1, 1927, 76 platforms began in March 1926
$1,106,3339 five contractors; 530 feet long platforms, many required 95 feet extensions, average 35 feet[13]
1929 – DeKalb[14]
Sheepshead Bay[15]
Cortelyou Road, Beverly Road[16][17]
1950 Capital budget – Platform extensions on Astoria, Queens Boulevard, Flushing, Lexington Avenue–Pelham local[18]
Expansion plan – https://www.nytimes.com/1949/09/15/archives/platforms-added-at-32-irt-stations-city-pays-out-13327000-in.html
July 9, 1949 – 125th Street, 207th Street, 215th Street, 231st Street, 238th Street
Group 2 – Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line (103rd Street, 110th Street, 116th Street, 137th Street, 145th Street, 157th Street, 168th Street, 181st Street, 191st Street and Dyckman Street)
Group 3 – Hoyt Street[19]: 1080 – 1948
Group 4 – Lexington Avenue Line (23rd Street, 28th Street and 33rd Street)[20]: 1280 $4,003,000[21][22]
Group 5 – Lexington Avenue Line (Spring Street, Bleecker Street and Astor Place) [23]: 1266 [24]: 5
Group 7 – Lexington Avenue Line (Canal Street and Worth Street)[19]: 1080
Group 8 – Astoria Line (Queensboro Plaza, 39th Avenue, 36th Avenue, Broadway, 30th Avenue, Astoria Boulevard and Ditmars Boulevard)[25]: 95 – Cost $748,000[26] Take no more than 12 months[27]
Group 9 – Flushing Line (45th Road, 33rd Street, 40th Street, 46th Street, 52nd Street, 61st Street, 69th Street, 74th Street, 82nd Street, 90th Street, Junction Boulevard, 103rd Street–Corona Plaza, 111th Street and Willets Point Boulevard)[28]
Group 10 – Flushing Line (Times Square, Fifth Avenue, Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue and Hunters Point Avenue)[29]: 254
Group 11 – Spring Street, Canal Street, Ralph Avenue, Broadway–East New York, 75th Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard
Borough Hall (Lexington Avenue), Nevins Street, Atlantic Avenue, Franklin Avenue, Utica Avenue, Sutter Avenue, Rockaway Avenue – $800,000 – Platforms lengthened a few feet to accommodate the cars that already use them; Passengers in the tenth car had to walk to the ninth to use them.
Culver Line[26]
1964 – Quickest way of increasing capacity of existing lines[30]
Sutter Avenue, New Lots Avenue and Rockaway Avenue – advertised for bids on April 22, expected to take nine months and cost $130,000[31]
C119 Group – Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line (79th Street and 86th Street)[32]: 123 [33]
C120 — Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line (Times Square, 72nd Street, 96th Street)[34]
C135 Group 12 – Lexington Avenue Line (Bowling Green, Wall Street, Fulton Street, Canal Street, Spring Street, Bleecker Street and Astor Place)
February 19, 1962 – northbound platforms at Canal, Spring, Bleecker and Astor open; southbound done in 1949 – $3,509,000 improvement program started in April 1960
https://www.nytimes.com/1962/02/18/archives/4-irt-stops-to-open-longer-platforms.html
C136 Group 13 – Lexington Avenue Line (Grand Central, 86th Street, 125th Street, 138th Street–Grand Concourse and 149th Street–Grand Concourse) and White Plains Road Line (149th Street–Grand Concourse)[32]: 460
C137 Group 14 – Jerome Avenue Line (167th Street, 170th Street, Mt. Eden Avenue, 176th Street, Burnside Avenue, 183rd Street, Fordham Road, Kingsbridge Road, Bedford Park Boulevard, Mosholu Parkway and Woodlawn) and White Plains Road Line (East 238th Street and East 241st Street)[35]: 266 and 634 [36]: 620, 649 [37]
C138 Group 15 – Eastern Parkway Line (Borough Hall, Atlantic Avenue, Franklin Avenue and Utica Avenue)
C140 Group 17 – Lexington Avenue Line (51st Street, 68th Street, 77th Street, 96th Street, 103rd Street, 110th Street, 116th Street) [35]: 635 [38]
C141 Group 18 – Pelham Line (Third Avenue to Hunts Point Avenue) and White Plains Road Line (Third Avenue–149th Street)[39]
C142 Group 19 – Pelham Line (Whitlock Avenue to Pelham Bay Park) and White Plains Road Line (East 180th Street to East 233rd Street)[36]: 387
C146 Nevins Street and Atlantic Avenue[40]: 1207
C150 Group 20 – Dyre Avenue Line (Morris Park, Pelham Parkway, Gun Hill Road and Baychester Avenue)[40]: 426
C153 Group 21 Portions A and B, Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line: Wall Street, Fulton Street and Park Place and Lenox Avenue Line (110th Street, 116th Street, 125th Street, 135th Street) [35]: 56, 635
https://www.nytimes.com/1963/04/24/archives/city-approves-contract-for-subway-projects.html
C154 Group 22 – Brooklyn Line (Clark Street, Borough Hall, Bergen Street, Grand Army Plaza, Eastern Parkway, Nostrand Avenue and Kingston Avenue) and Nostrand Avenue Line (President Street, Sterling Street, Winthrop Street, Church Avenue, Beverley Road, Newkirk Avenue and Flatbush Avenue) [35]: 635
C158 Group 23 – Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line (Rector Street, Cortlandt Street, Chambers Street, Franklin Street, Canal Street, Houston Street, Christopher Street, 14th Street, 18th Street, 23rd Street, 28th Street and 34th Street)[40]: 183
C157 Group 24 – Brighton Line (Atlantic Avenue, Seventh Avenue, Parkside Avenue, Church Avenue, Beverly Road, Cortelyou Road and Newkirk Avenue): 619 [41]
C164 Group 25 – Brighton Line (Avenue H, Avenue J, Avenue M, Kings Highway, Avenue U, Neck Road, Brighton Beach, Ocean Parkway, West Eighth (U.L) and Coney Island)
( on August 7, 1967, granting an Extension of Time to the Contractor to January 24, 1967. to complete work under the contract dated May 21, 1964): 124, 409
C178 – Fourth Avenue Line (Court Street and Lawrence Street)[35]: 152
C181 Group 27 – Broadway Line (Whitehall Street, Rector Street, Cortlandt Street, City Hall, Canal Street, Broadway and Prince Street)
C193 Group 30 – Pacific Street, Union Street, 9th Street, Prospect Avenue, 25th Street, 36th Street
C194 23rd Street, 28th Street, 34th Street, 42nd Street, 49th Street, 57th Street, Fifth Avenue, Lexington Avenue[42]
50 additional stations within two years of 1967 on West End, Sea Beach and Fourth Avenue[43]
C210 Group 31 – West End Line – Ninth Avenue, Fort Hamilton Parkway, 50th Street, 55th Street, 62nd Street, 71st Street, 79th Street, 18th Avenue, 20th Avenue, Bay Parkway and 25th Avenue[44]
C221 Group 33 – Sea Beach Line[45]
C225 Group 32 – West End Line (Stillwell Avenue and Bay 50th Street)
Fort Hamilton Parkway (West End) Contract C210
West End Line, Sea Beach Line, Lexington Avenue
20th Avenue – Sea Beach[46]
Done in conjunction with Atlantic Avenue platform extension
M.T.A. Weighs Cut In Night Subways
SPUR READY TO LINK BOULEVARD SUBWAY WITH ROCKAWAY LINEhttps://browse.nypl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb14455159__S%22Board%20Of%20transportation%22__P0%2C3__Orightresult__U__X6;jsessionid=5718E38BB08CFB9930B9CC60202E2C32?lang=eng&suite=def
Sees Boom Coming With New Subway
MASS MEETING CALLED IN FIGHT FOR NEW SUBWAY
New Queens SUBWAY SERVICE WILL BE LAUNCHED TONIGHT
LI Daily Press August 19, 1933
CIVIC GROUPS TO CELEBRATE TUBE OPENING
LAGUARDIA TO SPEAK AT LUNCHEON
Taking a Preview of Queens Subway on Eve of Opening
Queens Boulevard Subway Line Causes Drop in Fares At Main Street, Flushing
Jamaica Rounds Out Plans For Subway Celebration
Caught Unprepared Jamaica Bus Franchise
Residential Development in Queens Follows Rapid Transit Line
IRT Flushing Line | |
---|---|
![]() The 7 and 7 Express (<7>) trains serve the entire IRT Flushing Line. | |
Overview | |
Owner | City of New York |
Termini | |
Stations | 22 |
Service | |
Type | Rapid transit |
System | New York City Subway |
Operator(s) | New York City Transit Authority |
Daily ridership | 817,793[50] |
History | |
Opened | 1915–1928 (between Times Square and Flushing–Main Street) September 13, 2015 (between 34th Street and Times Square) |
Technical | |
Number of tracks | 2–5 |
Character | Underground (Manhattan, Western Queens and Main Street) Elevated (east of Hunters Point Avenue and west of Main Street, exclusive) |
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, operated as part of the A Division. Originally an Interborough Rapid Transit Company-operated route, the Flushing Line, as originally built, ran from Flushing, Queens, to Times Square, Manhattan; a western extension was built to Hudson Yards in western Manhattan, 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.[51]
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, it was known as the Corona Line or Woodside and Corona Line.[52] Prior to the discontinuance of BMT services in 1949, the portion of the IRT Flushing Line between Times Square and Queensboro Plaza was known as the Queensboro Line.[53][54]
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.
Services that use the Flushing Line are colored purple. The following services use part or all of the IRT Flushing Line:[55]
Service | Time period | |
---|---|---|
Rush hours, peak direction |
Other times | |
![]() |
Full line | |
![]() |
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.[56] 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.[57] 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.[56]
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.[56]
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.[56]
West of Times Square, the tracks curve sharply downward before turning under 11th Avenue. The tracks end at 24th Street, although the last station is at 34th Street.[56][58] This segment was built as part of the extension of the Flushing Line west to Manhattan's Far West Side (see below). A decommissioned lower level at the IND Eighth Avenue Line's 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal station formerly blocked the way; it had been rumored that the IND built it to keep the IRT from extending the Flushing Line, although no blueprints indicate that the IRT planned such an expansion. While some originally questioned the necessity of the plan, with London receiving the 2012 Summer Olympics, the city pursued it as a means to enable the redevelopment of the far West Side under the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project.
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 service. Because of this, the MTA is automating the line with new trains using communication-based train control (CBTC), similar to the Canarsie Line.
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.[56]
For the history of the subway service, see 7 (New York City Subway service) § History. |
IRT Flushing Line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Flushing Line today consists of two main portions: the elevated portion east of Hunters Point Avenue, and the subway portion to the west. While planning for the elevated portion began with the signing of the Dual Contracts in 1913, the planning for the subway portion dates back to 1885, not for a subway line, but for an underground trolley line. On February 25, 1885, the East River Tunnel Railroad Company was incorporated in order to construct a rail tunnel from Ravensood to a point in Manhattan which would allow for a direct connection between the Long Island Rail Road and the New York Central Railroad. At that time period, movement through the New York metropolitan area was hampered by many large, nearly impassable bodies of water, figuratively cutting the different regions apart from each other (except for ferry service, which wasn't always possible or practical). In addition, plans to build the Queensboro Bridge were stagnant at the time. Surveying work was done to evaulate possible tunnel sites, but no more work was done on the project. The company was reorganized as the New York and Long Island Railroad Company on July 22, 1887.
The initial plan for the route in Manhattan was filed on January 7, 1888. The line would have started at Ninth Avenue and 30th Street, before going diagonally under private property to 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue. From there, it would have continued diagonally to 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, continuing on 34th Street to Second Avenue, before tunneling under the East River at a point between 34th Street and 35th Street. The route was modified with a route filed on May 11, 1888: the route would start at 38th Street and Eleventh Avenue on the surface, before entering a tunnel on 38th Street before reaching Tenth Avenue. The line would then continue east in a tunnel to the east River. Track connections would be provided to the New York Central Railroad's West Side Line, to the Hudson Tunnel Railway at Washington Square, and to Grand Central Depot via a tunnel spur up Park Avenue. The final modification was filed on January 13, 1890: the route was moved further north, mostly running via 42nd Street. The route was going to run under 42nd Street from the East River to Tenth Avenue, where two spurs, using an open cut and private rights-of-way, would branch off: one would connect to the New York Central at Eleventh Avenue and 43rd Street, while the other would terminate at Eleventh Avenue and 41st Street. The change in route was due to the vocal opposition of the residents along the 34th Street and 38th Street routes.
In Queens, the route was to be constructed in a tunnel from the East River to 5th Street and then under a private right-of-way to Fourth Avenue, before running via that street to Jackson Avenue, and then finally to Thompson Avenue by running alongside Jackson Avenue. The planned route was revised with a new map on January 30, 1892.
On Jan. 30, 1892, the N.Y. & L.I. filed a revised map of the Long Island City section in the Queens County Register's Office. The route was shown primarily as a connecting railroad between the various L.I.RR. lines in Brooklyn and Queens. In Long Island City the tunnels ran under 4th St. as before, but now the tunnels continued as far as Van Alst Ave. (21st St.). The remainder of the route was as follows: curving north under the L.I.RR. tracks by either of two alternative routes under private right-of-way to Hunter's Point Ave. & Meadow St. (Skillman Ave.), thence under Skillman Ave. to a portal between Davis St. (Court) & Pearson St., thence one branch over a trestle on private right-of-way near Nelson St. (47th Ave.), then around the north end of Dutch Kills (a waterway), then south around the Kills at the east of Orton (30th) St. via a private right-of-way to the intersection of Review Ave. & Young St. (now closed but then an extension of the present 34th St.), thence by a curve to a connection into the Montauk Division of the L.I.RR.; also at the beginning of the curve, a sub-branch crossing over the Montauk via a trestle and over Newtown Creek on a bridge. This sub-branch was for a proposed link to the Evergreen Branch of the L.I.RR. in Brooklyn. There was another branch route planned to begin at the portal along Skillman Ave. and private right-of-way to connect L.I.RR. Main Line at about the point where Skillman Ave. crosses Queens Blvd.
An additional branch would have started at the intersection of the branch to the Montauk Division and 48th Avenue, before running via a private right-of-way to a point where Thomson Avenue met the Main Line. Finally, a separate branch would originate at Fifth Street, and then run under a private right-of-way north of Vernon Avenue and Third Street to Newtown Creek and Eleventh Street, before running under the Creek in a tunnel to Oakland Street to Greenpoint in Brooklyn.
New York City granted a franchise to the Company for construction on Dec. 31, 1890, for the part in Manhattan, while the City of Long Island City approved the application October 20, 1891 for the section in that area. Various extensions of time were granted by the political bodies for the construction which lagged ending on January 1, 1907.
New money was needed to invest in the project and one of the men of the time who became interested in it and believed that it had possibilities was Mr. William Steinway, founder of the Steinway & Sons Piano Co. He owned a sizable part of Long Island City real estate & owned the Steinway and Hunter's Point Railroad which was a local horse car line. By obtaining control of the tunnel company, it would increase the value of his properties. It was his plan to operate the tunnels by electricity which had recently been harnessed for electric traction motors. Stations were to be scattered along the route for both passenger and freight service.
The route was finalized in the City of New York in 1890 and in Long Island City by 1891. The contract for the construction was awarded to Myles Tierney a contractor who had built the Washington Bridge over the Harlem River at 180th Street. He in turn gave the contract to the Inter-Island Construction Co. which he founded on Jan. 6, 1891 in association with Niven. Construction was started on June 7, 1892, as a NY&LIRR project,[59]: 163–168 and the bottom of the tunnel shaft was reached in December of the same year.
The tunnel was to begin on the New York side near the Hudson River docks in Manhattan, from there it would go east along 42nd Street to Grand Central and carry straight on under the East River. In Long Island City, the tunnel portals were to be between 5th Street (now 49th Avenue) and 4th Street (now 50th Avenue). It would go under Jackson Avenue and finally Thomson Avenue, intersecting LIRR tracks at Hunterspoint Avenue. The total cost of the 5.6-mile (9.0 km) tunnel was to be US$11.7 million. The estimated total cost exceeded the financial capabilities of the company by far. So in July 1891, piano maker William Steinway started to fund the tunnel. In Astoria, Steinway had acquired, in addition to its factory, considerable real estate assets. As Steinway was the NY&LIRR's biggest stockholder, the tunnel was named after him. 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 within the vicinity.
However, soon after the start of construction, there were many complications. The project was difficult due to complex geological formations beneath the river, and there were frequent blowouts and floods. It was curtailed for a little while when five people were killed on December 28, 1892. At the corner of Vernon Boulevard, Jackson Avenue and 50th Avenue, a 85-foot (26 m)-deep shaft was dug, and on December 28, during an attempt to heat frozen dynamite in the shaft, an uncontrolled explosion claimed five dead and twelve injured. Numerous surrounding houses were heavily damaged. Due to high compensation claims, the Company was financially ruined. Attempts to raise additional funds failed because of the stock market crash of 1893. Work was stopped as a result, and it was boarded up. Investors refused to fund the tunnel because they feared that it was unsafe. Until Steinway died in 1896, some attempts were occasionally made to resume construction.
On June 3, 1892, building of the tunnel commenced near the intersection of 50th Avenue and Vernon and Jackson Avenues. 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. Several calls for the resumption of the project between 1893 and 1896, in addition to a proposed extension to New Jersey, were futile.[60]
In 1899, the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), headed by August Belmont Jr., was awarded the contract for construction and operation of the first New York subway line and a takeover of Manhattan's elevated railways, to provide a monopoly on the city's subway services. In February 1902, the IRT bought the New York & Long Island Railroad and tram operators New York and Queens County Railway for a similar monopoly in Queens.
The tunnel was holed through on May 16, 1907, and it was completed on September 24, 1907. While demonstration trolley car runs were conducted through the tunnels, Belmont did not have a franchise to operate a transit line. The concession to operate the tunnels had expired on January 1, 1907, and the city of New York was unwilling to renew the contract. The city did not tolerate privately operated subways and legally prevented the IRT from operating the tunnel with the trams. So for the next five years, the tunnels, with trolley loops on both the Manhattan and Queens sides, remained inoperative. Belmont sold the tunnels to the city in 1913 in the wake of the Dual Contracts, which included the Steinway Tunnel as part of the new Flushing subway line.[61]Surveys and tunnel plans were prepared from scratch by the IRT. For the proposed tram service under the East River, the plans for the tunnel were modified for dedicated tram operation. The tunnel's trackbed was raised, the gradient increased, and the route shortened. The tunnel was to turn at a loop at the corner of 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan and go as far as Vernon Boulevard in Queens. There, the tram of New York and Queens County Railway was to be connected via a ramp. These three underground stations were Lexington Avenue in Manhattan and Jackson Avenue and Van Alst Avenue in Queens. The total cost amounted to $8 million. The city objected to the tunnel project multiple times and after several disasters nearly stopped it.
The westernmost of the four shafts for the tunnel was in Manhattan and was numbered #1, while the easternmost shaft, in Queens, was numbered #4. Construction began on July 14, 1905, when shaft #4 was sunk; shaft #2 on the opposite shore was sunk by September 1. Shaft #3 was sunk in the Man-O-War Reef, a granite outcrop in the East River that was expanded and renamed Belmont Island.
Fifty tramcars were made available for operation through the tunnel. They possessed a 42-foot-5-inch (12.93 m)-long and 8-foot-11-inch (2.72 m)-wide all-steel superstructure with double-sided semi-open entrances at the ends. Power was drawn from an iron rail on the ceiling, to which the car roof's 11+3⁄8-inch (290 mm)-high pantograph would attach. The cars were also fitted with rod pantographs for street operation.
The tunnel opened for subway use on June 22, 1915, with service running between Grand Central and Vernon–Jackson Avenues.[62]
The Flushing Line was extended one stop from Vernon–Jackson Avenues to Hunters Point Avenue on February 15, 1916.[63][64] On November 5, 1916, the Flushing Line was extended two more stops to the east to the Queensboro Plaza station.[54][65][64]
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, which was originally called the Corona Line or Woodside and Corona Line before it was completed to Flushing.[citation needed]
On December 17, 1912, the Public Service Commission (PSC) approved the route as far as Wateredge Avenue.[66]: 50 By December 1913, the IRT and the City of New York agreed to extend the Corona Line to Flushing, the first extension under the Dual Contracts.[67]: 398
The line was opened from Queensboro Plaza to Alburtis Avenue on April 21, 1917.[54][68][69][70] 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.[71]
On July 23, 1917, Second Avenue Elevated trains began operating over new tracks over the Queensboro Bridge to Queensboro Plaza and the Astoria Line. Initially, service from the elevated only went to the Astoria Line, with Queeensboro Subway service going to the Flushing Line, with transfers available at Queensboro Plaza.[72] Prior to the change, trains from the Queensboro Subway alternated between Astoria and Corona. The change resulted in congestion at the Queensboro Plaza station due to the large volume of passengers transferring to trains via the Queensboro Subway. As a result of outrage by the riding public, Queens Borough President Connolly and Queens Borough Alderman Samuel Burden took up complaints with the PSC.[73]
ROOSEVELT AVENUE BRIDGE[74]
BMT shuttles began to use the Flushing and Astoria Lines on April 8, 1923.[75] East of there, sources conflict on when each section opened. A New York Times article from May 8 reports that service began on May 7 to what is now the Mets–Willets Point station, and mentions delays due to the structure sinking.[76] Articles from May 13 and 15 cover a celebration to coincide with the opening to the Willets Point stop on May 14.[77][78] In fall 1927, it was discovered that the line's structure was sinking in the old marshland on the western bank of the Flushing River, delaying the extension to Flushing.[74] In the meantime, service continued to terminate at 103rd Street–Corona Plaza.[79][80] The eastern extension to Flushing–Main Street opened on January 21, 1928.[81] At the onset of service to Flushing, Second Avenue Elevated trains terminated at Willets Point due to the lack of necessary equipment at Flushing to accommodate them.[80] On May 21, 1928, Long Island Rail Road management announced that the diversion of passengers from its Port Washington Branch to the new subway to Flushing might result in cuts in service. The extension of the subway in January resulted in a loss of 15,000 to 20,000 daily passengers between Penn Station and points between Flushing and Little Neck, including Whitestone service.[82]
In July 1920, Transit Commissioner Delaney proposed constructing a station between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. The 42nd Street Property Owners and Merchants' Association supported the construction of the station.[83] In November 1921, the contract for the extension of the Queensboro Subway from Grand Central to Eighth Avenue was awarded.[84] On March 22, 1926, the line was extended one stop westward from Grand Central to Fifth Avenue.[85] In the fall of 1926, it was announced that the line to Times Square would be completed by January 1, 1927, but was later pushed to February 19. Due to difficulties in construction, the timeline was pushed back to March 15 on March 1, 1927.[86] The line was finally extended to Times Square on March 14, 1927, one day before the latest deadline.[87]
The Main Street station was not intended to be the Flushing Line's terminus.[88]: 49 [89] 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,[88]: 53–55 in the current right-of-way of Kissena Corridor Park.[88]: 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.[88]: 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.[90]
The Bayside extension was tentatively approved in June 1913, but only after the construction of the initial extension to Flushing.[88]: 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.[91]
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.[88]: 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.[88]: 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.[88]: 63 [92] 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 $7,230,000 in 2022), 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.[88]: 64 Even the majority of groups in eastern Queens supported the lease plan.[93] 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.[88]: 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 $3,620,000 in 2022, with an eight percent increase each year; the negotiations then stalled in 1916.[88]: 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.[88]: 66 [94] 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.[94][88]: 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.[95] Negotiations continued to be stalled in 1917.[88]: 67 Despite the line not having been extended past Corona yet, the idea of a subway extension to Little Neck encouraged development there.[88]: 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.[88]: 68 A lease agreement was announced on October 16, 1917,[96] but the IRT withdrew from the agreement a month later, citing that it was inappropriate to enter such an agreement at that time.[88]: 68 Thereafter, the PSC instead turned its attention back to the Main Street subway extension.[88]: 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.[88]: 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.[88]: Chapter 3 [97][98] That plan was revived in 1939.[99] 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.[88]: 72
With the extension of the line to Corona, the adjacent communities (Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Corona and East Elmhurst) experienced massive growth. The line was described by Mayor William Gaynor as a line going through "cornfields", and through its construction converted these empty plots of land into that densely-populated communities that they are today.[100] The line's construction was planned in conjunction with the street below it: Roosevelt Avenue. The street was referred to as "the proposed Roosevelt Avenue" by the PSC.[88]: 47 For instance, Jackson Heights had a population of 32,932 in 1910, but in 1940, after the line's construction its population swelled to 199,987.[67]: 383
On May 7, 1937, the Board of Estimate voted to increase the amount allocated to rebuilding the Willets Point Boulevard station from $650,000 to $800,000 in order to allow the station to accommodate the large number of passengers going to the World's Fair, and to allow for express service.[101]
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.[102] This was the first time the middle express track had been used for revenue service; prior to the fair, the express track had only been used for non-revenue moves and re-routes during construction.[citation needed]
In 1942, when IRT Second Avenue Line service ended, major overhauls for the Corona fleet were transferred to the Coney Island shop. In addition, free transfers to the IRT Third Avenue Line were offered at Grand Central from June 13, 1942 (when Second Avenue Line service ended, including the Queensboro Bridge connection) until May 12, 1955 (when Third Avenue Line service ended).[citation needed]
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 class cars in 1948. The BMT assigned the number 9 to its service, used on maps but not signed on trains.[citation needed]
On October 17, 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. Passengers no longer had to climb stairs between the upper and lower level with this change as they could transfer across the platforms. The project cost $1,375,000. 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.[103]
The station's extra-long platforms, which allow for 11-car operation, are also a remnant of the joint service period. However, the rest of the stations on the line were only able to fit 9-car train sets. These platforms were extended to 11 cars in the late 1950s as the signal system was being improved on the Flushing Line.[104][105]
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.[104][106] 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[104][107] and allowed to operate 37 eleven-car trains instead of only 30 nine-car trains per hour.[108] The consolidated signal system was in use by 1956 while the selector system was in service by 1958.[105] This system, still in use by many transit agencies such as SEPTA's Broad Street Line, is also nicknamed the "toilet seat" because the removable disc antenna is shaped like a toilet seat.[citation needed]
In 1954, with increased ridership on the line, the trains were lengthened to nine cars each, and were extended to ten cars on November 1, 1962. With the 1964–1964 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in April 1964, trains were lengthened to eleven cars from ten cars.[105][109]
Rolling stock along the Flushing Line received "strip maps" in 1965, the first such installation in the system. The strip maps showed Flushing Line stations only, but the transfers available at each station were listed.[110]
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.[citation needed]
On May 13, 1985, a 41⁄2-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.[citation needed]
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.[111]
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.[107] The safety assessment at system level was performed using the formal method Event-B.[112]
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.[113] 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 (it currently runs 27 tph).[114] However, the system is currently retrofitted to operate at 33 tph even without CBTC.[107][115]
The first train of R188 cars began operating in passenger service on November 9, 2013.[116][117] Test runs of R188s in automated mode started in late 2014.[107] However, the CBTC retrofit date was later pushed back to 2017[118] or 2018[119] after a series of problems that workers encountered during installation, including problems with the R188s.[118][119] The project also went over budget, costing $405 million for a plan originally marked at $265.6 million.[118]
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.[107]
Main articles: 7 Subway Extension and 34th Street–Hudson Yards (IRT Flushing Line) |
In the 1990s, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) began exploring the possibility of a Flushing Line extension to New Jersey.[120] 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:[121]
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.[121]
An extension of the Flushing Line was then proposed as part of the New York City bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics.[122][123] 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.[120] Although New York City lost their Olympic bid.[124] After the bid's failure, 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.[125] The subway extension was approved[120] following the successful rezoning of about 60 blocks from 28th to 43rd Streets, which became the Hudson Yards neighborhood.[126] In October 2007, the MTA awarded a $1.145 billion contract to build an extension from Times Square to Hudson Yards.[127][128][129]
There is only 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.[127] The extension's opening was delayed several times due to issues in installing the custom-made incline elevators for the 34th Street station.[130][131][132] The extension eventually opened on September 13, 2015.[133]
Station service legend | |
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Stops all times |
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Stops all times except late nights |
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Stops late nights and weekends only |
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Stops weekdays during the day |
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Stops rush hours in the peak direction only |
Time period details | |
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Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act |
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Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act in the indicated direction only |
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Elevator access to mezzanine only |
Neighborhood (approximate) |
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Station | Tracks | Services | Opened | Transfers and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Queens | ||||||
Begins as a three track line | ||||||
Flushing | ![]() |
Flushing–Main Street[134] | all | 7 ![]() ![]() |
January 21, 1928[135] | originally Main Street Q44 Select Bus Service Connection to LIRR at Flushing–Main Street |
Willets Point | ↑[a] | Mets–Willets Point[134] | all | 7 ![]() ![]() |
January 21, 1928[135] | 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[134] | local | 7 ![]() |
January 21, 1928[135] | |||
103rd Street–Corona Plaza[134] | local | 7 ![]() |
April 21, 1917[69] | originally Alburtis Avenue | ||
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Junction Boulevard[134] | all | 7 ![]() ![]() |
April 21, 1917[69] | originally Junction Avenue | |
Elmhurst | 90th Street–Elmhurst Avenue[134] | local | 7 ![]() |
April 21, 1917[69] | originally Elmhurst Avenue | |
Jackson Heights | 82nd Street–Jackson Heights[134] | local | 7 ![]() |
April 21, 1917[69] | originally 25th Street–Jackson Heights | |
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74th Street–Broadway[134] | local | 7 ![]() |
April 21, 1917[69] | E ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() originally Broadway Q70 Select Bus Service – LaGuardia Link to LaGuardia Airport | |
Woodside | 69th Street[134] | local | 7 ![]() |
April 21, 1917[69] | originally Fisk Avenue | |
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61st Street–Woodside[134] | all | 7 ![]() ![]() |
April 21, 1917[69] | originally Woodside Connection to LIRR at Woodside Q70 Select Bus Service – LaGuardia Link to LaGuardia Airport | |
52nd Street[134] | local | 7 ![]() |
April 21, 1917[69] | originally Lincoln Avenue | ||
Sunnyside | 46th Street–Bliss Street[134] | local | 7 ![]() |
April 21, 1917[69] | originally Bliss Street | |
40th Street–Lowery Street[134] | local | 7 ![]() |
April 21, 1917[69] | originally Lowery Street | ||
33rd Street–Rawson Street[134] | local | 7 ![]() |
April 21, 1917[69] | originally Rawson Street | ||
Center Express track ends | ||||||
connecting tracks to BMT Astoria Line (no passenger service) | ||||||
Long Island City | Queensboro Plaza[134] | all | 7 ![]() ![]() |
November 5, 1916[65] | N ![]() ![]() | |
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Court Square[134] | all | 7 ![]() ![]() |
November 5, 1916[65] | originally 45th Road–Court House Square G ![]() E ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Hunters Point Avenue[134] | all | 7 ![]() ![]() |
February 15, 1916[63] | Connection to LIRR at Hunterspoint Avenue | ||
Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue | all | 7 ![]() ![]() |
June 22, 1915[62] | originally Vernon-Jackson Avenues Connection to LIRR at Long Island City | ||
Manhattan | ||||||
Steinway Tunnel under the East River | ||||||
Midtown Manhattan | ![]() |
Grand Central[134] | all | 7 ![]() ![]() |
June 22, 1915[62] | 4 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() S ![]() Connection to Metro-North Railroad at Grand Central Terminal |
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Fifth Avenue[134] | all | 7 ![]() ![]() |
March 22, 1926[85] | B ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Midtown Manhattan (Times Square) | ![]() |
Times Square[134] | all | 7 ![]() ![]() |
March 14, 1927[87] | N ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1 ![]() ![]() ![]() A ![]() ![]() ![]() S ![]() Port Authority Bus Terminal |
Hell's Kitchen / Hudson Yards / Chelsea | ![]() |
34th Street–Hudson Yards[137] | all | 7 ![]() ![]() |
September 13, 2015[138] | built as part of the 7 Subway Extension planning names 34th Street, 34th Street–Javits Center M34 Select Bus Service |