The Eighth Avenue Line is a public transit line in Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

, New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, running mostly along Eighth Avenue

Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)

Eighth Avenue is a north-south avenue on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic. Eighth Avenue begins in the West Village neighborhood at Abingdon Square and runs north for 44 blocks through Chelsea, the Garment District, Hell's Kitchen's east end, Midtown and the...

 from Lower Manhattan

Lower Manhattan

Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...

 to Harlem. Originally a streetcar line, it is now the M10 bus route and the M20 bus route, operated by the New York City Transit Authority

New York City Transit Authority

The New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...

. The M10 bus now only runs north of 57th Street (near Columbus Circle

Columbus Circle

Columbus Circle, named for Christopher Columbus, is a major landmark and point of attraction in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South , and Central Park West, at the southwest corner of Central Park. It is the point from...

), and the M20 runs south of 65 street.

History

The Eighth Avenue Railroad opened the line from the north end of the trackage shared with the Sixth Avenue Railroad's Sixth Avenue Line

Sixth Avenue Line (Manhattan surface)

The Sixth Avenue Line was a public transit line in Manhattan, New York City, United States, running mostly along Sixth Avenue from Lower Manhattan to Central Park...

 at Canal Street

Canal Street (Manhattan)

Canal Street is a major street in New York City, crossing lower Manhattan to join New Jersey in the west to Brooklyn in the east . It forms the main spine of Chinatown, and separates it from Little Italy...

 and Varick Street along Canal Street, Hudson Street

Hudson Street (Manhattan)

Hudson Street is a north/south oriented street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Running from TriBeCa to Greenwich Village and through Hudson Square, Hudson Street has two distinct one-way traffic patterns that meet at Abingdon Square, at the street's intersection with Eighth Avenue and...

, and Eighth Avenue to 51st Street

51st Street (Manhattan)

51st Street is a long one-way street traveling east to west across Midtown Manhattan.-East 51st Street:*The route officially begins at Beekman Place which is on a hill overlooking FDR Drive...

 on August 30, 1852. It was eventually extended north to 159th Street, with a branch along Macomb's Lane to 154th Street, and another branch to the south along Canal Street east to Broadway. Buses were substituted for streetcars by the Eighth Avenue Coach Corporation in March 1936. The New York City Omnibus Corporation took over operations in 1951, and in 1956 it was renamed Fifth Avenue Coach Lines; the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority

Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority

The Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority is a subsidiary of the New York City Transit Authority that was created in 1962 to take over bus services from the bankrupt Fifth Avenue Coach Company and Surface Transit, Inc...

replaced it in 1962.

Bus Service

In 1962, when the Surface Company bought 8 Avenue they put one bus service for the entire length. This was given the route number 10, which then became into bus M10.In 1999, the M10 was truncuated to Penn Station, and a new bus route, the M20 formed, Running only to Columbus Circle and down to Battery City.The M10 still ran to Harlem. Due to a budget crisis,M10 buses ran only between 59 street- Columbus Circle and Harlem starting June 27,2010. In April of 2011,however, M10 service was restored until 57 street only. The last stop on these buses now are 58 street and Broadway instead of 59 street and 8 Avenue.