|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
To many, the electric underground of New York is a confusing, aging and terrifying maze of tunnels. Yes, it is big. And yes, it is old. The subway turned 95 on October 27th, 1999 and will turn 100 on October 27th, 2004.
But it really isn't as confusing, or dangerous, as people think.
However, it's much bigger than your subway system(unless you're from London and even then we can fight numbers).
The subway is a conglomeration of tunnels, elevated structures, embankments, trestles, bridges and open-cut trenches that were built and maintained by three different subway companies.
The Interborough Rapid Transit company(IRT), which ran the city's first subway train under Lexington Avenue, 42nd Street and Broadway on October 27th, 1904.
The Brooklyn Rapid Transit company(BRT), which ran all the elevated trains in Brooklyn and across the Brooklyn Bridge until it was later re-organized as the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit company(BMT) which ran today's Sea Beach, Brighton, West End, Culver and Canarsie lines as well as other transit routes in Manhattan and Queens.
And finally, the city's municipally-owned subway, the Independent subway(IND), which ran the 8th and 6th Avenue lines, the Queens Blvd and Grand Concourse subways and the Fulton Street line in Brooklyn. Here I will mention each individual line with it's former operating company and current line designations.
IRT West Side-Broadway/7th Avenue(1,2,3,9) The northern section of this line(between today's Times Square station and 145th Street)was part of the original IRT route. This is a heavily traveled line, with routes going into Brooklyn, the Bronx and Manhattan. This line was extended south to South Ferry in 1918.
IRT East Side-Park/Lexington Avenue(4,5,6) The southern section of this line(between Grand Central and Brooklyn Bridge stations) was part of the original IRT route. This is one of the busiest routes in the city, serving travelers between Grand Central and the Wall St. financial district. This is the only subway that serves the east side of Manhattan. This line was extended north along Lexington Avenue(in a dual-level subway originally intended for BMT/IND type trains) in 1918.
IRT Flushing(7) This is the only IRT line that goes to Queens. This busy line serves commuters between Times Square and Grand Central Station and Shea Stadium, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst and Flushing, Queens.
IRT Grand Central/Times Square shuttle(S) This was the crosstown portion of the original IRT subway until it's connections between the east side and west side lines were severed(track connections still exist, but no through route from the east side IRT to the west side IRT). This shuttle makes no stops between Grand Central Station(4,5,6,7) and Times Square(1,2,3,9,N,R,7,A,C,E) , the busiest stations on the subway.
IRT Lenox-White Plains-Dyre(2,3,5) This was the IRT's original extension to the Bronx. The two track tunnel under Lenox Avenue(2,3) was recently refurbished after a long period of reconstruction.
The White Plains line(2,5) runs from the bottom of the Bronx to nearly the city line. This is an almost totally elevated line and part of the second longest line in the city.
The Dyre branch(5) was originally the city route of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railroad. After the railroad went defunct, the city assumed control for subway operations(Though at the time, this IRT route was operated by the IND!).
IRT Woodlawn(4)This was an original IRT elevated route that was connected to the subway. This route used to be connected to the IRT's 9th Avenue El.
IRT Pelham(6) This line runs to Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx. It's the northern route of the Lexington Avenue local.This line was the route used for the film The Taking of the Pelham 1-2-3.
IRT Broadway/William St-Eastern Pkwy(2,3,4,5) These lines were built under Contract Two of the IRT for lines to Brooklyn. Along this route is the abandoned City Hall station, the South Ferry shuttle tracks and the tunnel run with the Brighton line(D,Q).
IRT Nostrand(2,5) This two track line branches from Franklin Avenue station to Flatbush Avenue. Extension plans have been made for this line, but never came to light.
IRT New Lots(3,4) The tunnel portion of this line is dual-level because of the width of Eastern Parkway, which the subway runs under. After Utica Avenue, the line emerges as the sole IRT elevated route in Brooklyn.
BMT Broadway(N,R) This is the sole transversal trunk line in Manhattan. This line connects to the 63rd Street and Montague Street tunnels and the Manhattan Bridge. The express tracks are among the only ones in Manhattan not in use. This line meets nearly every other subway line in Manhattan.
BMT Canarsie(L) This line runs through northern Brooklyn to connect to 14th Street in Manhattan and all subway stations at 14th. This line has several highlights including Broadway Junction's complex track connections, the station at Union Square and the station at Atlantic Avenue.
BMT Nassau/Broadway(J,M,Z) This is one of the BMT's finest routes with it's highlights being the S curve at Cypress Hills, the remants of the Myrtle Avenue El and the run across the Williamsburg Bridge. The Broadway (Brooklyn) El is the oldest structure still in use on the subway.
BMT Astoria(N) This is the northern run for the Broadway line. This route's highlight is Queensboro Plaza, with an across the platform transfer to the IRT Flushing(7). There are plans to extend this line to LaGuardia Airport.
BMT Franklin Shuttle(S) This is a short line between the Brighton Line and the IND Fulton Street/Rockaway subway. This was the line where the infamous Malbone St. wreck occured on November 1, 1918. This line was recently rebuilt and modernized. It has a new pedestrian connection to the IRT subway at Botanic Gardens.
BMT 4th Avenue(B,M,N,R) This line begins from the DeKalb Avenue station and runs to Bay Ridge with connections to the West End and Sea Beach lines. This line was planned to be extended to Staten Island.
BMT Brighton(D,Q) This is one of the system's treasures. This line is one of New York's open-cut lines, that is, it runs in a 15 foot deep trench, between Prospect Park and Newkirk Avenue. The Brighton Line is a railfan's delight.
BMT Culver(F) This line was acquired by the IND as a way to bring it's trains from the Bronx all the way to Coney Island, but under today's service patterns, IND (F) trains from Queens use this BMT line. This line formerly had connections to the Culver Shuttle to 36th Street/9th Avenue station. This line was named for Andrew Culver, the man who built the original route.
BMT West End(B,M) This line branches from the 4th Avenue subway. This is one of the most famous lines in the city. Along this route was filmed the chase scene from the movie The French Connection. This is one of the city's finest els.
BMT Sea Beach(N) This is another one of the system's open cut lines. This line, too, branches off from the 4th Avenue subway. This line has two unused express tracks that make no stops between Coney Island/Stilwell Avenue and the 4th Avenue trunk line. Part of this line runs alongside the former LIRR Bay Ridge line.
IND 8th Avenue/Fulton Street(A,B,C,D,E) This is the IND's premier line, linking Washington Heights, the Bronx, Jamaica and Queens to Brooklyn and the Rockaways. This is the city's longest trunk line, reaching around 30 miles and twice that with all it's connections and spurs.
IND 6th Avenue/Queensbridge(B,D,F,Q) This was the last trunk line to be built in Manhattan. This line had many obstacles in construction and still is not complete. This line shares tunnel length with PATH between 14th and 34th Streets. The 63rd St/Queensbridge line will soon be connected to the Queens Blvd. subway.
IND 53rd St/Queens Blvd(B,F,E,G,R,J,Z) This line with many track and transfer connections, runs through the heart of Queens and connects to the Hillside Avenue and Jamaica/Archer lines as well as the 8th and 6th Avenue subways, Manhattan and Brooklyn's Broadway lines and the IND Crosstown line(though this connection will be abandoned most likely when the 63rd Street connection opens).
IND Brooklyn/Queens Crosstown/South Brooklyn(G,F) This line, which is the only long line that never goes to Manhattan, connects the Queens Blvd line with the Culver Line in a straight route through Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Fort Greene.
Included on this line is the highest station on the system, Smith/9th Sts(88 feet above the street)
IND Grand Concourse(B,D) This is the only non-IRT line to serve the Bronx. Starting from the 8th Avenue line, this subway travels all the way to Norwood along the Grand Concourse. This line had extensions planned under the second IND system.
IND Rockaway(A,H) This line was acquired from the Long Island Rail Road in 1956 and was the largest section of subway to open at one time. This line is useful for access to Aqueduct Racetrack and JFK International Airport. Included here is the longest stretch between stations along the trestle to the Rockaways across Jamaica Bay.
This line, which used to have two spurs, is the only railway to serve Staten Island and is not connected to the rest of New York's subway system. It is mostly rural and, except at the St. George Ferry Terminal, is a free ride.
This line shares some similarities with regional rapid transit systems like PATH and PATCO. Plans have been made in the past to connect this line to the BMT 4th Avenue subway and even to Manhattan via a long tunnel under New York Harbor. These plans have never happened and probably never will.
Within the next few years, look for express service on Broadway, the 63rd Street line to be connected with the Queens Blvd. subway and the south side tracks of the Manhattan Bridge to re-open.
The great and much maligned New York subway is one of the most integral parts of the city's identity. As long as there are New Yorkers, there will be a great subway system to move them.