IRT New Lots Line
The IRT New Lots Line or Livonia Avenue Line[2]: 129 is a rapid transit line in the A Division of the New York City Subway. Located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, the line runs from the Crown Heights–Utica Avenue station in Crown Heights and continues to the New Lots Avenue station in East New York.
IRT New Lots Line
Operating
7
18,455[1]
1920-1922
4.91 miles (7.90 km)
2-3
Elevated
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
The New Lots Line is entirely elevated and consists of seven stations; most of the line has two tracks, except for Junius Street station, which has three tracks. It runs mostly above Livonia Avenue in Brownsville and East New York, except for a short section above East 98th Street in Brownsville. The line is served by the 3 train at all times except late nights, when the 4 train takes over service. During rush hours, occasional 2, 4, and 5 trains also serve the line.
The New Lots Line was built as a part of Contract 3 of the Dual Contracts between New York City and the Interborough Rapid Transit Company. The first portion of the line between Utica Avenue and Junius Street opened on November 22, 1920, with shuttle trains operating over this route. The line opened one more stop farther to the east to Pennsylvania Avenue on December 24, 1920. Service was extended to New Lots Avenue on October 16, 1922. In 1968, as part of the proposed Program for Action, the IRT New Lots Line would have been extended past New Lots Avenue toward Spring Creek, but the plan was never completed. Stations on the line were rebuilt several times throughout the years.
History[edit]
Planning[edit]
In 1913, New York City, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, and the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) reached an agreement, known as the Dual Contracts, to drastically expand subway service across New York City. As part of Contract 3 of the agreement, between New York City and the IRT, the original subway opened by the IRT in 1904 to City Hall,[3] and extended to Atlantic Avenue in 1908,[4] was to be extended eastward into Brooklyn.[5] The line was to be extended along Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway to Buffalo Street as a four-track subway line, and then along East 98th Street and Livonia Avenue to New Lots Avenue as an elevated two-track line, with provisions for the addition of a third track. In addition, a two-track branch line along Nostrand Avenue branching off east of the Franklin Avenue station was to be constructed.[6]
The underground portion of the line became known as the Eastern Parkway Line, or Route 12, while the elevated portion became known as the New Lots Line. This section was constructed as an elevated line because the ground in this area is right above the water table, and as a result the construction of a subway would have been prohibitively expensive.[7] This line was constructed as Route 31, the Livonia Avenue Route.[8] In 1914, several studies of the line had been completed.[9] At the end of 1916, contract drawings for the line were completed, and the working drawings were being prepared. While preliminary studies for the construction of a yard along the line were completed, its locations were not yet decided upon.[10]: 192–193 On April 16, 1916, the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) denied a request by the Chief Engineer of the IRT for the installation of a third track on the line to provide necessary space for train storage. The request was turned down because it would have required the acquisition of additional steel and because the legal routing of Route 31 did not specify the construction of a third track along the line.[11] On May 9, 1916, title was acquired to sixteen parcels of land between the intersection of Eastern Parkway and Buffalo Street and East New York Avenue opposite of East 98th Street in condemnation proceedings to complete the line.[10]: 136
Construction[edit]
Bids were opened for the construction of the line on May 23, 1916.[10]: 193 Six bids on the project were received, and, on June 1, 1916, the contract was awarded to Dennis E. Conners, who submitted the low bid of $1,376,122. The high bid to build the line was for $1,467,000.[12] Work on the project had to be completed by June 1, 1917.[13] On June 5, the PSC accepted bids for 52,756 tons of structural steel to be used on multiple subway extensions to be completed as part of the Dual Contracts,[10]: 109–110 of which 15,100 tons of the steel were for the Livonia Avenue extension.[14] The PSC put this contract out to determine whether it was possible to let separate contracts for the steel by line, given that the price of steel was rapidly increasing. Three bids were submitted, but the Chief Engineer recommended that they all be rejected, because he anticipated that the price of steel would stop rising rapidly and instead start decreasing,[10]: 109–110 and because the city had found a cheaper way to procure steel.[15] On June 8, the award of the construction of the line to Conners was rescinded.[10]: 109–110 [15] Conners sent a letter to the PSC on June 20, agreeing to reduce his bid for steel by $20,000. The PSC subsequently rejected the three bids; it readvertised bids for the steel work and its erection, or just for the erection of the steel at the end of 1916.[10]: 110
A new contract for the construction of the line was awarded by the PSC on January 17, 1917, in two parts. The contract for the steel was awarded to American Bridge Company for $1,431,755, and the contract for the erection of the structure was awarded to W.G. Cooper for $257,164.[16] The cost of these two contracts was $1,688,919, and work on the line had to be completed in fifteen months.[17] Construction on the line began in spring 1917, and a quarter of the work that needed to be done before the erection of the steel was completed by September 1917.[18] Work on the column footings for the elevated structure were completed by the end of the year.[19]
Construction on the line was 17% complete at the end of Fiscal Year 1917,[20] and was 25% complete at the end of Fiscal Year 1918. Drainage work on the line was 35% complete, and station work was underway at the end of Fiscal Year 1918.[21] In August 1919, work on the line was suspended because W.G. Cooper broke his contract due to the high cost of material and labor. In February 1920, a contract for the unfinished portion of the line was awarded to George W. McNulty and the Holbrook, Cabot and Rollins Company. The contract for the completion of stations was awarded in July 1920, and was expected to take six months to complete. That month, it was announced that the line would not be ready to open for an additional eight months.[22]
During 1919, the city purchased an area of land bounded by Hegeman and Lawrence Avenues, and Elton and Linwood Streets for the construction of a storage yard. Contracts for the yard were awarded in 1920.[23] The yard was to be built with inspection facilities and the ability to store 250 cars.[24]
Opening[edit]
The first portion of the line between Utica Avenue and Junius Street opened on November 22, 1920, with shuttle trains operating over this route.[25][26] This extended service on the Eastern Parkway Line, which had opened from Atlantic Avenue to Utica Avenue on August 23, 1920.[27] The New Lots Line opened one more stop farther to the east to Pennsylvania Avenue on December 24, 1920.[26] At that date, only the southbound platform was used.[2]: 129
In 1921, the stations at Van Siclen Avenue and New Lots Avenue were practically completed, but they were not opened yet because trains could not run to the terminal until track work, the signal tower, and the compressor room were in service.[28]: 129–130 On March 15, 1921, a contract for the completion of a signal tower to control train movements at the terminal crossovers at New Lots Avenue, and at the entrances to Livonia Yard, was submitted to the New York City Board of Estimate.[29][30] On May 26, 1921, the contract for the installation of tracks in Livonia Yard was awarded to B.T. & J.J. Mack, and was sent to the Board of Estimate for approval. However, the contract was returned to the New York State Transit Commission (NYSTC) on August 2, 1921, because the contract did not receive the number of votes needed for approval. The contract was returned to the Board of Estimate on April 5, 1922, and was approved on April 28, 1922.[24] The contract for the completion of the signal tower was rebid and was resubmitted to the Board of Estimate on May 15, 1922.[29][30] On May 18, 1922, work began on the installation of tracks in Livonia Yard,[24] and on June 9, 1922, the signal tower contract was approved.[29][30] On June 19, 1922, work began on the tracks, signal tower and compressor room.[31] The approach tracks needed for the operation of through service to New Lots Avenue were completed on July 18, 1922.[24]
