List of New York City Subway lines
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.
This article is about the physical trackage used by services. For the service patterns, see List of New York City Subway services.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"; the services that run on certain lines change periodically. Today, the division or company names are not used publicly, while the line names may occasionally be used.
(Manhattan) (BMT/IND)
63rd Street Lines
(Manhattan) (BMT/IND) via the Manhattan Bridge (B and D trains) and via the Williamsburg Bridge (M train)
Chrystie Street Connection
: Single center track between 149th Street–Grand Concourse and Woodlawn. Some northbound 4 trains in the morning and afternoon rush hours operate express from 167th Street until Burnside Avenue, where they short-turn.
IRT Jerome Avenue Line
: Single center track between East 180th Street and Wakefield–241st Street.
IRT White Plains Road Line
: Just north of the Third Avenue–149th Street station, exiting the tunnel portal, one can see the initial framework of the IRT Third Avenue Line. There used to be a connection from the White Plains Road line to the Third Avenue El, which ran south across the Harlem River to Manhattan.
IRT White Plains Road Line
IRT White Plains Road Line: The other end of the Third Avenue El connected to the White Plains Road line at the lower level of the station (closed 1973). Also on the White Plains Road line is the remnant of the short section of track to the original Bronx Park terminal.
Gun Hill Road
: North of the 161st Street–Yankee Stadium station is the framework for the connection from the IRT Ninth Avenue Line.
IRT Jerome Avenue Line
: The Dyre Avenue Line was part of the New York, Westchester, and Boston Railway; it continued north beyond Eastchester–Dyre Avenue to White Plains and Port Chester; and south of the present connection to the White Plains Road line at East 180th Street, to 133rd Street where it ran alongside the New Haven Railroad. The platforms of the NYW&B station are still visible at East 180th Street station and are sometimes used to store trains. The structure south of East 180th Street ends abruptly at the Lebanon Street.
IRT Dyre Avenue Line
: Part of the trackway from the Queensboro Bridge and the IRT Second Avenue Line is still visible at the east end of Queensboro Plaza.
IRT Flushing Line
/BMT Broadway Line: The BMT Nassau Street Line used to connect to the south side of the Manhattan Bridge north of Chambers Street. The trackways were disconnected from the Manhattan Bridge after the Chrystie Street Connection opened. Also, heading northbound over the Manhattan Bridge north side, an abandoned tunnel is visible before entering Grand Street. Heading northbound on the south side, the remains of the tunnel to the BMT Nassau Street Line loop is briefly visible. This area was reconfigured as part of the Chrystie Street Connection.
BMT Nassau Street Line
: Trackways are still visible at BMT Canarsie Line stations at Broadway Junction and Atlantic Avenue. Framework for the el was up until early 1998, visible at the Franklin Avenue Shuttle station at Franklin Avenue–Fulton Street. The structure served as a pedestrian walkway and was demolished in 1998 when the station and the Franklin Avenue Line was rebuilt as a single-tracked line.
BMT Fulton Street Line
: On the IND Fulton Street Line heading westbound from 80th Street, one can see the stub end of the old BMT Fulton Street Line continuing straight ahead while the IND Fulton Street Line curves into Grant Avenue, an underground station.
BMT Fulton Street Line
(now IND Culver Line): At Ninth Avenue and at Ditmas Avenue, the original Culver line connected. The trackway is visible at Ditmas Avenue and the ramps are visible at Ninth Avenue.
BMT Culver Line
: West of Gates Avenue, one can see where the structure turned onto Lexington Avenue to head toward the Brooklyn Bridge. The structure is only visible from street level.
BMT Jamaica Line
BMT Jamaica Line: West of , the BMT Jamaica Line veers right onto the Williamsburg Bridge while the original structure continues straight ahead.
Marcy Avenue
BMT Jamaica Line: East of , the 144th Street BMT powerhouse and 168th Street station house still exist along Jamaica Avenue.
121st Street
The LIRR's runs from the White Pot Junction to just east of Rockaway Boulevard, where the IND Rockaway Line begins.
Rockaway Beach Branch
List of New York City Subway services
New York City Subway nomenclature
Staten Island Railway
The route of the original IRT line, the first underground New York City rapid transit line, began at City Hall in the south, followed the IRT Lexington Avenue Line to 33rd Street, turned west on 42nd Street to Grand Central, followed the IRT 42nd Street Shuttle to Times Square, turned north on Broadway to 50th Street, followed the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line and terminated at 145th Street.
a
The IRT Dyre Avenue Line was formed from the purchase of abandoned New York, Westchester and Boston Railway trackage in 1941.
b
The formation of the IND Culver Line occurred when the IND "recaptured" (e.g. New York City took over lines it had built for private companies) the trackage rights of the BMT Culver Line in 1954, connecting Ditmas Avenue to Church Avenue, the terminus of the IND Brooklyn Line.
c
For the extension of the IND Fulton Street Line in 1956, the IND "recaptured" the trackage rights of the BMT Fulton Street Line, connecting Hudson Street–80th Street to Grant Avenue.
d
The IND Rockaway Line was formed from the purchase of some trackage from the Long Island Rail Road's Rockaway Park Branch and Far Rockaway Branch in 1955.
e
At Wilson Avenue, the southbound track is above ground while the northbound one is at-grade. However, the land directly adjacent to the subway station makes the lower level northbound track look as though it is underground, and the upper level southbound track look at-grade.