New York City Subway nomenclature - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

New York City Subway nomenclature describes terminology used in the New York City Subway

New York City Subway

The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...

system as derived from railroading practice, historical origins of the system, and engineering, publicity, and legal usage. These include line names, which refer to individual sections of subway, like the BMT Brighton Line

BMT Brighton Line

The BMT Brighton Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Local service is provided at all times by the Q train. The Q is joined by the B express train on weekdays...

; service labels, like the B

B (New York City Subway service)

The B Sixth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs over the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan....

, which is a single train route along several lines; and station names, like Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue.

Current status

Primary Trunk line	Color	Pantone Pantone Pantone Inc. is a corporation headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey, USA. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System , a proprietary color space...
BMT Broadway Line BMT Broadway Line The BMT Broadway Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Manhattan, New York City, United States. , it is served by three services, all colored yellow: the on the express tracks and the on the local tracks...	Sunflower yellow Yellow Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...	PMS 116
IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line	Tomato red Red Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...	PMS 185
BMT Canarsie Line BMT Canarsie Line The Canarsie Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT Division of the New York City Subway system, named after its terminus in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn...	Light slate gray Slate gray Slate is a gray color with a slight azure tinge that is a representation of the average color of the material slate.The first recorded use of slate gray as a color name in English was in 1705...	50% black
IND Crosstown Line IND Crosstown Line -External links:*...	Lime green Lime (color) Lime, also traditionally known as lime green or lime-green, is a color three-quarters of the way between yellow and green , so named because it is a representation of the color of the citrus fruit called limes...	PMS 376
IND Eighth Avenue Line IND Eighth Avenue Line The Eighth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line in New York City, United States, and is part of the B Division of the New York City Subway...	Vivid blue Blue Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...	PMS 286
IRT Flushing Line IRT Flushing Line The Flushing Line is a rapid transit route of the New York City Subway system, operated as part of the IRT Division and designated the 7 route...	Raspberry Purple Purple is a range of hues of color occurring between red and blue, and is classified as a secondary color as the colors are required to create the shade....	PMS Purple
IRT Lexington Avenue Line IRT Lexington Avenue Line The Lexington Avenue Line is one of the lines of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, stretching from Downtown Brooklyn or Lower Manhattan north to 125th Street in East Harlem. The portion in Lower and Midtown Manhattan was part of the first subway line in New York...	Apple green Green Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...	PMS 355
BMT Nassau Street Line BMT Nassau Street Line The BMT Nassau Street Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway system in Manhattan. It is served by the and trains which are colored brown on maps and signage...	Terra cotta brown	PMS 154
Shuttles S (New York City Subway service) Three services in the New York City Subway are designated as S . These are short services that connect passengers to longer services:* Franklin Avenue Shuttle...	Dark slate gray Slate gray Slate is a gray color with a slight azure tinge that is a representation of the average color of the material slate.The first recorded use of slate gray as a color name in English was in 1705...	70% black
IND Sixth Avenue Line IND Sixth Avenue Line The Sixth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in the United States. It runs mainly under Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, and continues south through the Rutgers Street Tunnel to Brooklyn...	Bright orange	PMS 165

Each section of subway has three identifying characteristics, line, service and color. The most constant is the line, the physical structure and tracks that trains run over. Each section of the system is assigned a unique line name, usually paired with its original operating company or division (Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation

Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation

The Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation was an urban transit holding company, based in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, and incorporated in 1923. The system was sold to the city in 1940 and today, together with the IND subway system, form the B Division of the New York City Subway...

(BMT), Interborough Rapid Transit Company

Interborough Rapid Transit Company

The Interborough Rapid Transit Company was the private operator of the original underground New York City Subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT was purchased by the City in June 1940...

(IRT), Independent Subway System

Independent Subway System

The Independent Subway System , formerly known as the Independent City-Owned Subway System or the Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad, was a rapid transit rail system in New York City that is now part of the New York City Subway...

(IND)). For example, the line under 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...

is the IND Eighth Avenue Line

IND Eighth Avenue Line

The Eighth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line in New York City, United States, and is part of the B Division of the New York City Subway...

. Some lines have changed names (and even divisions), but this happens relatively infrequently.

Public usage of the line names varies widely. Internally, the MTA uses the names, both for legal reasons and to describe lines, services and locations without ambiguity. Although the three major subway systems are now unified, the terms BMT, IRT and IND are still used in line, structure and building descriptions and capital contract specifications.

Each operating service or route is assigned a letter or number. This is a path that the train service uses along the various lines. These are the most familiar names among the public, but may change frequently during construction or as services are rerouted to make best use of the network. Former IRT

Interborough Rapid Transit Company

services (now known as A Division
A Division (New York City Subway)
The A Division, also known as the IRT Division, is a division of the New York City Subway, consisting of the lines operated with services designated by numbers and the 42nd Street Shuttle. These lines and services were operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company before the 1940 city takeover...

) are assigned numbers, and former BMT

Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation

and IND

Independent Subway System

services (now known as B Division
B Division (New York City Subway)
The B Division is a division of the New York City Subway, consisting of the lines operated with services designated by letters , in addition to the Franklin Avenue Shuttle and Rockaway Park Shuttle...

) are assigned letters. IRT trains and tunnels are narrower, so the two do not mix in revenue service.

Each service is also assigned a color. Since 1979, each service's color corresponds to the line it primarily uses in Midtown 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...

—defined as the trunk line—with these exceptions: the IND Crosstown Line

IND Crosstown Line

-External links:*...

, which doesn't carry services to Manhattan, is colored light green; and all shuttles

S (New York City Subway service)

Three services in the New York City Subway are designated as S . These are short services that connect passengers to longer services:* Franklin Avenue Shuttle...

are colored dark gray. The list of trunk lines and colors is shown in the table above.

Stations usually bear street name

Street name

A street name or odonym is an identifying name given to a street. The street name usually forms part of the address...

s, but may also be named after neighborhoods or prominent locations (e.g., "Brighton Beach

Brighton Beach (BMT Brighton Line)

Brighton Beach is an express/terminal station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway. It is located over Brighton Beach Avenue at Brighton Sixth Street in the community of Brighton Beach on Coney Island in Brooklyn.- Description:...

", "Cypress Hills

Cypress Hills (BMT Jamaica Line)

Cypress Hills is a skip-stop station on the BMT Jamaica Line of the New York City Subway, located on Jamaica Avenue in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of northeastern Brooklyn. It is served by the J train at all times. The Z train bypasses when it operates.This is the northernmost station in...

") or combinations of these (e.g., "Times Square – 42nd Street", "Astoria – Ditmars Boulevard"), especially at line terminals. Others are named after major destinations, either along with the street names (e.g., "68th Street – Hunter College", "81st Street – Museum of Natural History") or in some cases without (e.g., "Pelham Bay Park

Pelham Bay Park (IRT Pelham Line)

Pelham Bay Park is the northern terminal station of the IRT Pelham Line of the New York City Subway. Located by Pelham Bay Park, at the intersection of the Bruckner Expressway and Westchester Avenue in the Bronx, it is served by the 6 train at all times except weekdays in the peak direction and...

", "Borough Hall"). Of the system's 468 stations, 32 are named by a combination street and landmark, 21 by street and neighborhood name, 15 solely for landmarks, and three solely for neighborhoods; the remainder are identified by street names alone. Many stations share names, so to uniquely identify a station, the line name or cross street must be specified. (For example, there are three stations at Kings Highway in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

.) Usually, identifying the service is also sufficient, but as services are transient, this is not a permanent label.

In addition to the typical street or location names assigned to most stations, terminals (the ends of lines and/or services) also usually bear the name of the local community (e.g., "Middle Village – Metropolitan Avenue"), especially on maps and signs.

Diamond services

Despite its efforts toward single identifiers for each service, the MTA has adopted a variation of a signage practice that began with street railways, in which a variant service is identified with a special color or symbol on the route number signs. This has been implemented on the subway by use of diamond services. Since a route letter or number is ordinarily presented inside a circle, variants of the same service are shown as the same letter or number inside a diamond shape.

In Use

6
6 (New York City Subway service)
The 6 Lexington Avenue and Pelham Local and Lexington Avenue Local and Pelham Express are two rapid transit services of the New York City Subway. The 6 local has a circle shape while the ' express has a diamond shape...

regular service operates local at all times; daytime directional diamond service runs express in the Bronx (with local service in the same direction cut back to Parkchester
Parkchester (IRT Pelham Line)
Parkchester is an express station on the IRT Pelham Line of the New York City Subway. It is located in the Bronx at the intersection of the Cross-Bronx Expressway service roads , Metropolitan Avenue, and Westchester Avenue, atop Hugh J. Grant Circle...

).
7
7 (New York City Subway service)
The 7 Flushing Local and 7 Flushing Express are rapid transit services of the New York City Subway, providing local and express services along the full length of the IRT Flushing Line...

regular service operates local at all times; daytime directional diamond service runs express in Queens.

Former Use

Until May 2005, rush hour 5

5 (New York City Subway service)

The 5 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored green on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan....

service to Nereid Avenue – 238th Street in the Bronx was marked with a diamond with regular service to Eastchester – Dyre Avenue. Both services ran express in the Bronx between East 180th Street

East 180th Street (IRT White Plains Road Line)

For the previous 180th Street station on the IRT White Plains Road Line, see 180th Street – Bronx Park .East 180th Street is an express station on the IRT White Plains Road Line of the New York City Subway...

and Third Avenue – 149th Street during rush hours in peak direction.

Diamond service operated on the BMT Brighton Line

BMT Brighton Line

while the north side of the Manhattan Bridge

Manhattan Bridge

The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn . It was the last of the three suspension bridges built across the lower East River, following the Brooklyn and the Williamsburg bridges...

was closed for repairs from 2001 to 2004. Full-time local service was designated with a circle Q

Q (New York City Subway service)

The Q Broadway Express is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored yellow on the route sign, on station signs and the official subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line through Manhattan....

while weekday-only express service was designated with a diamond Q. Other services have also used the diamond before and during the closure from 1986 to 2004; at least one (a brown R

R (New York City Subway service)

The R Broadway Local is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored yellow on the route sign and on station signs and the NYC Subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan.The R service operates at all times...

diamond) dated from a BMT

Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation

special service using the same number (BMT 2) as the main service that became the R from 1986 to 1988.

In addition to the 5, 6, and 7, official maps and schedules used to show several other rush-hour only services with a diamond, including the 4

4 (New York City Subway service)

The 4 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored green on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan....

bypassing 138th Street, A

A (New York City Subway service)

The A Eighth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. Its route bullet is colored blue on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map since it runs on the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan....

to Rockaway Park, B

B (New York City Subway service)

and C

C (New York City Subway service)

The C Eighth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored blue on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the IND Eighth Avenue Line through Manhattan....

to Bedford Park Boulevard

Bedford Park Boulevard (IND Concourse Line)

Bedford Park Boulevard is an express station on the IND Concourse Line of the New York City Subway.The station has three tracks with two island platforms. At the south end, exit is to the underpass or up-stairs to the Grand Concourse. Tile colors are lawn green with a darker green border, and there...

, D

D (New York City Subway service)

The D Sixth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it uses the IND Sixth Avenue Line through Manhattan....

express on the IND Concourse Line

IND Concourse Line

The Concourse Line is an IND subway branch line of the New York City Subway system. It runs from Norwood – 205th Street in Norwood, Bronx to 145th Street in Harlem, Manhattan. It is the only "B" Division and only fully underground line in the Bronx....

, and M

M (New York City Subway service)

The M Sixth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the B Division of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan....

to Bay Parkway

Bay Parkway (BMT West End Line)

Bay Parkway is an express station on the BMT West End Line of the New York City Subway, located in Brooklyn at the intersection of Bay Parkway and 86th Street, in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The station is served by the D train at all times.This station was the terminus for the M train from 1987 to...

. In May 2004, the map was changed to show only the diamond 6 and 7.

Public information

Directions along a line in Manhattan

Manhattan

or the Bronx are usually described as uptown and downtown, roughly corresponding to compass

Compass

A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...

north

North

North is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.North is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west.By convention, the top side of a map is north....

and south

South

South is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.South is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to east and west.By convention, the bottom side of a map is south....

. Uptown and downtown are not always meaningful on lines in the other boroughs or on the crosstown IRT Flushing

IRT Flushing Line

The Flushing Line is a rapid transit route of the New York City Subway system, operated as part of the IRT Division and designated the 7 route...

and BMT Canarsie Line

BMT Canarsie Line

The Canarsie Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT Division of the New York City Subway system, named after its terminus in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn...

s or the downtown-only BMT Nassau Street Line

BMT Nassau Street Line

The BMT Nassau Street Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway system in Manhattan. It is served by the and trains which are colored brown on maps and signage...

.

On the BMT

Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation

system, most in-station signage specified To City and From City. Currently signs typically read To Manhattan and To Coney Island, To Canarsie, or any other outer borough destination. If the train is headed to a different borough, it is described as Borough-bound, for example, Manhattan-bound or Brooklyn-bound. If its terminus is in the same borough, it will be described as Terminus-bound, for example, 8th Avenue-bound or Rockaway Parkway-bound. An exception is the BMT Fourth Avenue Line

BMT Fourth Avenue Line

The Fourth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT division of the New York City Subway, mainly running under Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. Fourth Avenue never had a streetcar line or elevated railway due to the provisions of the assessment charged to neighboring property owners when the street...

in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

, where uptown means toward 95th Street in Bay Ridge

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. It is bounded by Sunset Park on the north, Seventh Avenue and Dyker Heights on the east, The Narrows Strait, which partially houses the Belt Parkway, on the west and 86th Street and Fort Hamilton on...

, which is compass south, and downtown means to Downtown Brooklyn, which is compass north.

Internal usage

In the U.S., most railroads have only two railroad directions

Railroad directions

Railroad directions are used to describe train directions on railroad systems. The terms used may be derived from such sources as compass directions, altitude directions, or other directions...

. In this vein, all New York City subway lines are deemed to run north-south. In many cases, this is close to the related compass direction, but this is not always possible. Any line that enters Manhattan from the Bronx or Queens heads south into Manhattan; any line entering Manhattan from Brooklyn goes north into Manhattan, with the BMT Nassau Street Line

BMT Nassau Street Line

The BMT Nassau Street Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway system in Manhattan. It is served by the and trains which are colored brown on maps and signage...

being the only exception, as it heads further south into Manhattan's Financial District after entering Manhattan over the Williamsburg Bridge

Williamsburg Bridge

The Williamsburg Bridge is a suspension bridge in New York City across the East River connecting the Lower East Side of Manhattan at Delancey Street with the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn at Broadway near the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway...

. Directions of other lines are determined by following the services that run over them; except for the BMT

Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation

Eastern Division services (over the Williamsburg Bridge

Williamsburg Bridge

), which change direction at Chambers Street, every service has one north end and one south end. On the 42nd Street Shuttle, railroad north is compass west, due to the line's former status as part of the main line.

In fact, very few track connections exist to allow a train to reverse railroad direction without running around a loop or literally reversing direction by backing up. The IND

Independent Subway System

system (except on the ex-LIRR

Long Island Rail Road

The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...

Rockaway Line

IND Rockaway Line

The IND Rockaway Line is a rapid transit line of the IND Division of the New York City Subway. It branches from the IND Fulton Street Line at Rockaway Boulevard, extending over the Jamaica Bay, into the Rockaways.-History:...

) has none of these; this philosophy may explain the lack of track connections between parallel IND

Independent Subway System

lines at Seventh Avenue

Seventh Avenue (IND Queens Boulevard Line)

Seventh Avenue is a station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line and the IND Sixth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Seventh Avenue and 53rd Street in Manhattan, it is served by the D and E trains at all times, and the B train weekdays...

in Manhattan and Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets in Brooklyn.

Before unification, all BMT lines ran east-west, west being towards Manhattan. After Unification, west became north and east became south.

History

This nomenclature has been complicated by the differing systems and cultures of the former private companies that operated parts of the system, by the need for non-ambiguous names in a city where there are stations with the same name on different lines in different locations and even different Boroughs, and by changing perceptions of the best way to communicate information to a diverse public.

Up until 1940, there were three major operators of New York subway and elevated lines, the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation

Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation

(BMT), the Interborough Rapid Transit Company

Interborough Rapid Transit Company

(IRT) and the Independent Subway System

Independent Subway System

(ISS or ICOS before 1940, now IND).

Service labels have always been assigned based on their outer line (Brooklyn on the BMT, Bronx on the IRT and IND) and then by the Manhattan trunk if necessary to distinguish multiple services on the same line.

BMT

BMT numbers, 1924–1967
		Line Name	Division
1		Brighton Beach Line BMT Brighton Line The BMT Brighton Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Local service is provided at all times by the Q train. The Q is joined by the B express train on weekdays...	Southern Division (subway)
2		Fourth Avenue Line BMT Fourth Avenue Line The Fourth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT division of the New York City Subway, mainly running under Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. Fourth Avenue never had a streetcar line or elevated railway due to the provisions of the assessment charged to neighboring property owners when the street...
3	T T (New York City Subway service) T is a service designation of the New York City Subway. It is not currently in use, but was previously used for a service on the BMT West End Line, originally BMT 3. It was discontinued in 1967, but a shuttle, designated TT, continued into 1968. This shuttle was replaced by the B, which in 2001...	West End Line BMT West End Line The BMT West End Line is a line of the New York City Subway, serving the Brooklyn, communities of Borough Park, New Utrecht, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Coney Island. The D train operates on the line at all times, providing service to Manhattan and the Bronx via the IND Sixth Avenue Line...
4		Sea Beach Line BMT Sea Beach Line The BMT Sea Beach Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT division of the New York City Subway, connecting the BMT Fourth Avenue Line subway at 59th Street via a four-track wide open cut to Coney Island in Brooklyn...
5	SS	Culver Line IND Culver Line The IND Culver Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, extending from Downtown Brooklyn south to Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, United States...	Southern Division (elevated)
6 BMT 6 6 was the BMT's designation for trains that used the BMT Fifth Avenue Line .When numbers were assigned in 1924, 6 was assigned to trains between Sands Street and 65th Street, via the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line, BMT Third Avenue Line, and BMT Fifth Avenue Line.Between 1931 and 1937, all...		Fifth Avenue–Bay Ridge Line
7	SS	Brighton–Franklin Line BMT Franklin Avenue Line The BMT Franklin Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn, New York...
8		Astoria Line BMT Astoria Line The Astoria Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT division of the New York City Subway, serving the neighborhood of Astoria, Queens. It runs from Ditmars Boulevard to 39th Avenue along 31st Street. It then serves Queensboro Plaza along 27th Street. It was built as part of the Dual Contracts and...	Queens Division (elevated)
9		Flushing Line IRT Flushing Line The Flushing Line is a rapid transit route of the New York City Subway system, operated as part of the IRT Division and designated the 7 route...	Queens Division (elevated)
10		Myrtle Avenue–Chambers Street Line BMT Myrtle Avenue Line The Myrtle Avenue Line, also called the Myrtle Avenue Elevated, is a fully elevated line of the New York City Subway as part of the BMT division. The extant line is the final remnant of one of the original Brooklyn elevated railroads...	Eastern Division (elevated)
11	MJ	Myrtle Avenue Line BMT Myrtle Avenue Line The Myrtle Avenue Line, also called the Myrtle Avenue Elevated, is a fully elevated line of the New York City Subway as part of the BMT division. The extant line is the final remnant of one of the original Brooklyn elevated railroads...
12 BMT 12 12 was the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation's designation for trains that used the BMT Lexington Avenue Line. This number was used on service listings on company maps, but was never displayed on train equipment, nor were trains referred to as "12 trains" in the manner of the current system,...		Lexington Avenue Line BMT Lexington Avenue Line The Lexington Avenue Elevated was the first standard elevated railway in Brooklyn, New York, operated in its later days by the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation, and then the City of New York.The original line, as it existed at the end of 1885, traveled...
13 BMT 13 13 was the BMT's designation for service on the BMT Fulton Street Line ....		Fulton Street Line
14		Broadway–Brooklyn Line BMT Jamaica Line The Jamaica Line is an elevated rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It runs from the Williamsburg Bridge southeast over Broadway to East New York, Brooklyn, and then east over Fulton Street and Jamaica Avenue to...
15		Jamaica Line BMT Jamaica Line The Jamaica Line is an elevated rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It runs from the Williamsburg Bridge southeast over Broadway to East New York, Brooklyn, and then east over Fulton Street and Jamaica Avenue to...
16		14th Street–Canarsie Line BMT Canarsie Line The Canarsie Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT Division of the New York City Subway system, named after its terminus in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn...	Eastern Division (subway)

The BMT

Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation

was the inheritor of subway

Rapid transit

A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

, elevated and surface rapid transit

Rapid transit

lines that had been built in Brooklyn and Queens by a variety of previous operators, mainly surface steam railroads to Coney Island

Coney Island

Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....

and elevated railroads in more populated areas. The BMT identified most of its lines by the common names given to them, often going well back into the 19th century. Services on these lines usually had the same name as the branch line they ran on; for example, the line that the current F service runs on in Brooklyn was (and is) the Culver Line

IND Culver Line

The IND Culver Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, extending from Downtown Brooklyn south to Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, United States...

, and the BMT signed these trains Culver Local or Culver Express.

Partly as a result of its steam railroad history, BMT terminals were far more likely to be named after neighborhoods or towns, rather than streets, so trains were signed for Coney Island, Canarsie and Jamaica rather than Stillwell Avenue, Rockaway Parkway and 168th Street. Stations also tended to use local names, but this gradually changed, especially as lines were upgraded, so that stations like Bath Junction on the Sea Beach Line

BMT Sea Beach Line

The BMT Sea Beach Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT division of the New York City Subway, connecting the BMT Fourth Avenue Line subway at 59th Street via a four-track wide open cut to Coney Island in Brooklyn...

became New Utrecht Avenue and Manhattan Terrace on the Brighton Line

BMT Brighton Line

became Avenue J.

The BMT introduced numbers for all its services in 1924 but these were mostly for map purposes, since none of equipment displayed line numbers until the D-type Triplex

D-type Triplex (New York City Subway car)

The D-Type, commonly known as the Triplex, is a retired New York City Subway car with four units built as a prototype in 1925 and the production units built during 1927 and 1928.-History:...

cars were introduced as prototypes in 1925, and then in production in 1927, and these only on the front of the trains (but after 1953 on R16 equipment also on the sideshttp://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?3033). In 1931 these numbers were also used on 20 IND R1

R1 (New York City Subway car)

The R1 was the very first New York City Subway car type built for the IND. 300 cars were manufactured between 1930 and 1931 by American Car and Foundry Company, numbered 100 through 399. Future passenger stock orders – including contracts R4, R6, R7, R7A, and R9 – were virtually identical, with...

cars when they were tested by the City on BMT lines, and also on 140 of these cars from 1949 to 1955 while in BMT service as well.

IRT

Early IRT numbers
	Uptown branch	Manhattan trunk line
1 1 (New York City Subway service) The 1 Broadway – Seventh Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored red on station signs, route signs and the official subway map, since it uses the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line for its entire route....	Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line	Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line
2 2 (New York City Subway service) The 2 Seventh Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored red on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line through most of Manhattan....	White Plains Road Line IRT White Plains Road Line The White Plains Road Line is a rapid transit line of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, serving the central Bronx. It is mostly elevated, and served both subway and elevated trains until 1952...
3 3 (New York City Subway service) The 3 Seventh Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored red on station signs, route signs and the official subway map, since it uses the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line through most of Manhattan....	Lenox Avenue Line IRT Lenox Avenue Line The Lenox Avenue Line is one of the IRT lines in the New York City Subway, mostly built as part of the first subway system. It is a rather short line, only serving upper Manhattan.-Extent and service:...
4 4 (New York City Subway service) The 4 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored green on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan....	Jerome Avenue Line IRT Jerome Avenue Line The IRT Jerome Avenue Line, also unofficially known as IRT Woodlawn Line, is a New York City Subway Line along Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. It was opened on June 2, 1917 as a shuttle service between Kingsbridge Road and 149th Street. This was in advance of through service to the IRT Lexington Avenue...	Lexington Avenue Line IRT Lexington Avenue Line The Lexington Avenue Line is one of the lines of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, stretching from Downtown Brooklyn or Lower Manhattan north to 125th Street in East Harlem. The portion in Lower and Midtown Manhattan was part of the first subway line in New York...
5 5 (New York City Subway service) The 5 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored green on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan....	White Plains Road Line IRT White Plains Road Line The White Plains Road Line is a rapid transit line of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, serving the central Bronx. It is mostly elevated, and served both subway and elevated trains until 1952...
6 6 (New York City Subway service) The 6 Lexington Avenue and Pelham Local and Lexington Avenue Local and Pelham Express are two rapid transit services of the New York City Subway. The 6 local has a circle shape while the ' express has a diamond shape...	Pelham Line IRT Pelham Line The IRT Pelham Line is a rapid transit line on the New York City Subway, served by the 6 and <6> trains. It was built as part of the Dual Contracts expansion and opened in 1919. It is both elevated and underground, with Whitlock Avenue being the first elevated station...
7 7 (New York City Subway service) The 7 Flushing Local and 7 Flushing Express are rapid transit services of the New York City Subway, providing local and express services along the full length of the IRT Flushing Line...	Flushing Line IRT Flushing Line The Flushing Line is a rapid transit route of the New York City Subway system, operated as part of the IRT Division and designated the 7 route...	Queensborough Line
8 8 (New York City Subway service) 8 was a designation given to several IRT services of the New York City Subway.- Astoria Line :The 8 label was first used for the Astoria Line, which opened on February 1, 1917 as an extension of the Queensboro Line from Queensboro Plaza...	Astoria Line BMT Astoria Line The Astoria Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT division of the New York City Subway, serving the neighborhood of Astoria, Queens. It runs from Ditmars Boulevard to 39th Avenue along 31st Street. It then serves Queensboro Plaza along 27th Street. It was built as part of the Dual Contracts and...	Queensborough Line
9	Dyre Avenue Shuttle IRT Dyre Avenue Line The IRT Dyre Avenue Line is a New York City Subway rapid transit line as part of the A Division . It is a branch of the IRT White Plains Road Line serving passengers in the northeastern section of the Bronx... (non-Manhattan service)

The IRT

Interborough Rapid Transit Company

was the contractor with the City of New York to operate the first subway lines; by that time it was already leasing all the elevated railway

Elevated railway

An elevated railway is a form of rapid transit railway with the tracks built above street level on some form of viaduct or other steel or concrete structure. The railway concerned may be constructed according to the standard gauge, narrow gauge, light rail, monorail or suspension railway system...

s in Manhattan. Unlike the BMT, the IRT had multiple long mainlines (eventually six of them) from which several branch lines extended into the Bronx, Queens

Queens

Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....

and Brooklyn

Brooklyn

. The IRT therefore named their services for these mainlines rather than their branches. The branch lines were mentioned on the destination signs instead, to that typical signage read Lexington Avenue Express to Woodlawn - Jerome and Utica Avenue - Brooklyn, meaning Woodlawn on the Jerome Avenue Line and Utica Avenue on the Brooklyn Line. Where a service ended in downtown Manhattan

Manhattan

, it simply carried the destination name, for example South Ferry or Chatham Square.

The IRT subways used a logical numbering system, but the numbers were not used publicly until the R12

R12 (New York City Subway car)

The R12 was a New York City Subway car, the first city-owned rolling stock for the IRT division. Built by American Car and Foundry Company in 1948, these cars were very similar to the R10s, except the R12 was smaller...

cars were introduced in 1948, under City management. Due to the lack of new IRT construction, this system has largely stayed intact to this day, with the only major changes being at the Brooklyn

Brooklyn

end.

IND

Early IND letters
	Uptown branch	Manhattan trunk line
A A (New York City Subway service) The A Eighth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. Its route bullet is colored blue on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map since it runs on the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan....	Washington Heights Line IND Eighth Avenue Line The Eighth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line in New York City, United States, and is part of the B Division of the New York City Subway...	Eighth Avenue Line IND Eighth Avenue Line The Eighth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line in New York City, United States, and is part of the B Division of the New York City Subway...
B B (New York City Subway service) The B Sixth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs over the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan....		Sixth Avenue Line IND Sixth Avenue Line The Sixth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in the United States. It runs mainly under Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, and continues south through the Rutgers Street Tunnel to Brooklyn...
C C (New York City Subway service) The C Eighth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored blue on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the IND Eighth Avenue Line through Manhattan....	Concourse Line IND Concourse Line The Concourse Line is an IND subway branch line of the New York City Subway system. It runs from Norwood – 205th Street in Norwood, Bronx to 145th Street in Harlem, Manhattan. It is the only "B" Division and only fully underground line in the Bronx....	Eighth Avenue Line IND Eighth Avenue Line The Eighth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line in New York City, United States, and is part of the B Division of the New York City Subway...
D D (New York City Subway service) The D Sixth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it uses the IND Sixth Avenue Line through Manhattan....		Sixth Avenue Line IND Sixth Avenue Line The Sixth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in the United States. It runs mainly under Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, and continues south through the Rutgers Street Tunnel to Brooklyn...
E E (New York City Subway service) The E Eighth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored blue on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the IND Eighth Avenue Line through Manhattan....	Queens Boulevard Line IND Queens Boulevard Line The Queens Boulevard Line is a fully underground line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Manhattan and Queens, New York City, United States. The line provides crosstown service across Manhattan under 53rd Street and east through Queens to Jamaica...	Eighth Avenue Line IND Eighth Avenue Line The Eighth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line in New York City, United States, and is part of the B Division of the New York City Subway...
F F (New York City Subway service) The F Sixth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the IND Sixth Avenue Line through Manhattan....		Sixth Avenue Line IND Sixth Avenue Line The Sixth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in the United States. It runs mainly under Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, and continues south through the Rutgers Street Tunnel to Brooklyn...
G G (New York City Subway service) The G Brooklyn–Queens Crosstown Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is the only full-time non-shuttle service that does not enter Manhattan...	Brooklyn–Queens Crosstown Line IND Crosstown Line -External links:*... (non-Manhattan service)
H	Fulton Street Line IND Fulton Street Line The IND Fulton Street Line is a rapid transit line of the IND Division of the New York City Subway, extending from the Cranberry Street Tunnel under the East River through all of central Brooklyn to a terminus in Ozone Park, Queens. The IND Rockaway Line branches from it. It forms part of the A... (non-Manhattan service)
S S (New York City Subway service) Three services in the New York City Subway are designated as S . These are short services that connect passengers to longer services:* Franklin Avenue Shuttle...	Specials (no consistent usage)

The IND

Independent Subway System

adopted the IRT system whole but reversed the terminal and line name on the destination signs: Queens - 179th St. for 179th Street terminal on the Queens Boulevard Line

IND Queens Boulevard Line

The Queens Boulevard Line is a fully underground line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Manhattan and Queens, New York City, United States. The line provides crosstown service across Manhattan under 53rd Street and east through Queens to Jamaica...

. The IND also adopted a similar logical labeling system, but used them publicly on trains and maps. Single letters were used to indicate an express service and double letters indicates locals. For example, the CC ran local and the C ran express on the Concourse and Eighth Avenue Lines.

Unlike the IRT labels, the IND letters no longer follow the original pattern; the uptown branches of the B

B (New York City Subway service)

and C

C (New York City Subway service)

services have been switched via a complex process that involved the former AA eventually becoming the C

C (New York City Subway service)

and the B

B (New York City Subway service)

moving to the Concourse Line. Again, major changes have been made at the Brooklyn end (and in downtown Manhattan), but the system was designed for flexibility on that end.

Unification and BMT/IND service integration

When all three systems came under city ownership in 1940, essentially nothing was done to standardize signage for two decades. Stations on the IRT and BMT still said INTERBOROUGH or BMT LINES or sometimes older designations. Services continued to be signed by their traditional methods for each system. IND and post-Second World War ("R-type") equipment used BMT numbers when operating on BMT services. With the introduction of R12

R12 (New York City Subway car)

equipment on the IRT in 1948, IRT subway services (except for the 42nd Street Shuttle) began using the route numbers still used today, which had been used internally but not on trains or maps. Astoria Line

BMT Astoria Line

The Astoria Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT division of the New York City Subway, serving the neighborhood of Astoria, Queens. It runs from Ditmars Boulevard to 39th Avenue along 31st Street. It then serves Queensboro Plaza along 27th Street. It was built as part of the Dual Contracts and...

trains were only signed as 8

8 (New York City Subway service)

8 was a designation given to several IRT services of the New York City Subway.- Astoria Line :The 8 label was first used for the Astoria Line, which opened on February 1, 1917 as an extension of the Queensboro Line from Queensboro Plaza...

for a year, after which the line, which had been shared with the BMT, was converted for BMT operation only (and the Flushing Line

IRT Flushing Line

The Flushing Line is a rapid transit route of the New York City Subway system, operated as part of the IRT Division and designated the 7 route...

carried only IRT trains).

BMT letters and old numbers, 1960 mapping
Letter	Old number	Line
J	15	Jamaica Line BMT Jamaica Line The Jamaica Line is an elevated rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It runs from the Williamsburg Bridge southeast over Broadway to East New York, Brooklyn, and then east over Fulton Street and Jamaica Avenue to... (express)
K	14	Broadway–Brooklyn Line BMT Jamaica Line The Jamaica Line is an elevated rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It runs from the Williamsburg Bridge southeast over Broadway to East New York, Brooklyn, and then east over Fulton Street and Jamaica Avenue to... to Canarsie Line or Jamaica Line (local)
L L (New York City Subway service) The L 14th Street – Canarsie Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway, providing service along the entire length of the two-tracked BMT Canarsie Line...	16	Canarsie Line BMT Canarsie Line The Canarsie Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT Division of the New York City Subway system, named after its terminus in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn... via 14th Street
M M (New York City Subway service) The M Sixth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the B Division of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan....	10	Myrtle Avenue Line BMT Myrtle Avenue Line The Myrtle Avenue Line, also called the Myrtle Avenue Elevated, is a fully elevated line of the New York City Subway as part of the BMT division. The extant line is the final remnant of one of the original Brooklyn elevated railroads... from Lower Manhattan
MJ M (New York City Subway service) The M Sixth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the B Division of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan....	11	Myrtle Avenue Line from Downtown Brooklyn
N N (New York City Subway service) The N Broadway Local is a service of the New York City Subway. Its route bullet is colored yellow, which appears on station signs and the NYC Subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line through Manhattan....	4	Sea Beach Line BMT Sea Beach Line The BMT Sea Beach Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT division of the New York City Subway, connecting the BMT Fourth Avenue Line subway at 59th Street via a four-track wide open cut to Coney Island in Brooklyn...
Q Q (New York City Subway service) The Q Broadway Express is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored yellow on the route sign, on station signs and the official subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line through Manhattan....	1	Brighton Beach Line BMT Brighton Line The BMT Brighton Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Local service is provided at all times by the Q train. The Q is joined by the B express train on weekdays...
R R (New York City Subway service) The R Broadway Local is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored yellow on the route sign and on station signs and the NYC Subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan.The R service operates at all times...	2	Fourth Avenue Line BMT Fourth Avenue Line The Fourth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT division of the New York City Subway, mainly running under Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. Fourth Avenue never had a streetcar line or elevated railway due to the provisions of the assessment charged to neighboring property owners when the street...
T T (New York City Subway service) T is a service designation of the New York City Subway. It is not currently in use, but was previously used for a service on the BMT West End Line, originally BMT 3. It was discontinued in 1967, but a shuttle, designated TT, continued into 1968. This shuttle was replaced by the B, which in 2001...	3	West End Line BMT West End Line The BMT West End Line is a line of the New York City Subway, serving the Brooklyn, communities of Borough Park, New Utrecht, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Coney Island. The D train operates on the line at all times, providing service to Manhattan and the Bronx via the IND Sixth Avenue Line...
SS	5	Culver Line
S	7	Brighton–Franklin Line BMT Franklin Avenue Line The BMT Franklin Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn, New York...

In 1960, with the delivery of the first R27

R27 (New York City Subway car)

The R27 was a New York City Subway car built by the St. Louis Car Company for the New York City Transit Authority in 1960–61. The R27s were a continuation of the R16 style....

class cars for the BMT, 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...

(TA), which had become the operator of the combined system in 1953, began the introduction of letters for BMT services in anticipation of integrating the BMT and IND operationally. The last IND letter used was H, and the letter I was skipped as being too similar to the number 1. The BMT Eastern Division services got the letters J, K, L

L (New York City Subway service)

The L 14th Street – Canarsie Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway, providing service along the entire length of the two-tracked BMT Canarsie Line...

and M

M (New York City Subway service)

. The BMT Southern Division services were designated N

N (New York City Subway service)

The N Broadway Local is a service of the New York City Subway. Its route bullet is colored yellow, which appears on station signs and the NYC Subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line through Manhattan....

, Q

Q (New York City Subway service)

, R

R (New York City Subway service)

and T

T (New York City Subway service)

T is a service designation of the New York City Subway. It is not currently in use, but was previously used for a service on the BMT West End Line, originally BMT 3. It was discontinued in 1967, but a shuttle, designated TT, continued into 1968. This shuttle was replaced by the B, which in 2001...

. P was for some reason skipped over, and while one theory says this was because it might lend itself to bathroom humor, the letter's undesirability for this reason would seem to be dis-proven by the fact that the letter was later proposed for an emergency line that would replace Long Island Rail Road

Long Island Rail Road

service to Penn station in the event of a strike, and the fact that other cities like San Francisco use the letter. A more likely theory suggests that it was originally planned for the last segment of Culver service to Manhattan, which was cut back to a shuttle permanently, right before the letters were introduced. S was still reserved for "Special" and SS began to be used for shuttles.

Since the BMT was not amenable to the neat IND system, the TA had to make some compromises. They tried to follow the IND system of single-letter expresses and double-letter locals, but the system began to break down under the complex BMT routings. Where on the IND a local simply doubled the express letter (A

A (New York City Subway service)

Eighth Avenue Express, AA Eighth Avenue Local), some lines had multiple local services with different routings. For instance the two Brighton Local services, one via the Manhattan Bridge

Manhattan Bridge

and the other via the Montague Street Tunnel

Montague Street Tunnel

The Montague Street Tunnel carries the trains of the New York City Subway under the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. It opened to revenue service on Sunday, August 1, 1920 at 2 am with a holiday schedule, the same day as the 60th Street Tunnel. Regular service began...

, were designated QB and QT respectively. The TA had no specific lettering plan for the two Wall Street special rush-hour services, so it just designated these M

M (New York City Subway service)

(Nassau Street Express) temporarily, a letter reserved for use on the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line

BMT Myrtle Avenue Line

The Myrtle Avenue Line, also called the Myrtle Avenue Elevated, is a fully elevated line of the New York City Subway as part of the BMT division. The extant line is the final remnant of one of the original Brooklyn elevated railroads...

's Nassau Street service.

During this period, the TA did not change sign rolls on BMT equipment (the D-type

D-type Triplex (New York City Subway car)

The D-Type, commonly known as the Triplex, is a retired New York City Subway car with four units built as a prototype in 1925 and the production units built during 1927 and 1928.-History:...

s and R16

R16 (New York City Subway car)

The R16 was a New York City Subway car manufactured by American Car and Foundry Company. The R16s were assigned to the BMT Eastern Division, although they showed up on the IND Queens and BMT Southern divisions from time to time....

s) that carried numbers, so that on the Brighton Line, the R27

R27 (New York City Subway car)

The R27 was a New York City Subway car built by the St. Louis Car Company for the New York City Transit Authority in 1960–61. The R27s were a continuation of the R16 style....

-operated locals were signed QB or QT but the D-type-operated expresses continued to carry the number 1.

1 1 (New York City Subway service) The 1 Broadway – Seventh Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored red on station signs, route signs and the official subway map, since it uses the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line for its entire route....	2 2 (New York City Subway service) The 2 Seventh Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored red on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line through most of Manhattan....	3 3 (New York City Subway service) The 3 Seventh Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored red on station signs, route signs and the official subway map, since it uses the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line through most of Manhattan....	4 4 (New York City Subway service) The 4 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored green on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan....	5 5 (New York City Subway service) The 5 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored green on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan....	6 6 (New York City Subway service) The 6 Lexington Avenue and Pelham Local and Lexington Avenue Local and Pelham Express are two rapid transit services of the New York City Subway. The 6 local has a circle shape while the ' express has a diamond shape...	7 7 (New York City Subway service) The 7 Flushing Local and 7 Flushing Express are rapid transit services of the New York City Subway, providing local and express services along the full length of the IRT Flushing Line...	8 8 (New York City Subway service) 8 was a designation given to several IRT services of the New York City Subway.- Astoria Line :The 8 label was first used for the Astoria Line, which opened on February 1, 1917 as an extension of the Queensboro Line from Queensboro Plaza...
A A (New York City Subway service) The A Eighth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. Its route bullet is colored blue on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map since it runs on the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan....	AA	B B (New York City Subway service) The B Sixth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs over the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan....	CC	D D (New York City Subway service) The D Sixth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it uses the IND Sixth Avenue Line through Manhattan....	E E (New York City Subway service) The E Eighth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored blue on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the IND Eighth Avenue Line through Manhattan....	EE	F F (New York City Subway service) The F Sixth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the IND Sixth Avenue Line through Manhattan....
GG	HH	J	JJ	K	KK	LL	M M (New York City Subway service) The M Sixth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the B Division of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan....
MJ	N N (New York City Subway service) The N Broadway Local is a service of the New York City Subway. Its route bullet is colored yellow, which appears on station signs and the NYC Subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line through Manhattan....	NX	QB	QJ	RR	RJ	TT
SS	145 St 135 St			SS	Dyre Av E 180 St
SS	Bowling Green South Ferry			SS	Grand Central Times Square
SS	Prospect Park Franklin Av			SS	9 Av Ditmas Av

Former service colors, 1967-1979
(shuttles all became green in 1968)

In anticipation of the 1967 opening of the Chrystie Street Connection

Chrystie Street Connection

The Chrystie Street Connection is a major connecting line of the New York City Subway, and is one of the few connections between lines of the BMT and IND divisions...

, which combined two major BMT and IND services as single routes and resulted in numerous other changes (especially on the 14 and 15), the TA decided to adopt universal systems of signage and nomenclature. The rationale was that this would make the system more consistent and more understandable for newcomers to the city and tourists, who were presumed to be uninterested or even confused in historic or community names, or might not be native English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

speakers.

Branch line names would be eliminated from signage and maps; all services that had Manhattan mainlines would be identified by those names only.
Services would be identified only by letters or numbers wherever possible, even when announcing reroutings.
Terminals would be identified by street names rather than community names where that existed. This had actually begun with the introduction of R-type equipment, when destinations such as Woodlawn and Canarsie were changed to read Woodlawn Road (which is no longer the name of a road) and Rockaway Parkway.
All services would be color-coded for map
Map
A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....

and rollsign purposes. This proved a daunting task, since the TA wanted to ensure that no two services with the exact same color would operate over the same line. With a lot of imagination and a lot of color variations, this goal was achieved but proved unwieldy. The colors didn't have any particular logic and still produced ambiguity; notably the A
A (New York City Subway service)
The A Eighth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. Its route bullet is colored blue on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map since it runs on the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan....

service and the E
E (New York City Subway service)
The E Eighth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored blue on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the IND Eighth Avenue Line through Manhattan....

service shared miles of line between Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...

and the Rockaway Line
IND Rockaway Line
The IND Rockaway Line is a rapid transit line of the IND Division of the New York City Subway. It branches from the IND Fulton Street Line at Rockaway Boulevard, extending over the Jamaica Bay, into the Rockaways.-History:...

in Queens, one as an express, the other as a local. But the A
A (New York City Subway service)
The A Eighth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. Its route bullet is colored blue on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map since it runs on the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan....

was assigned dark blue and the E
E (New York City Subway service)
The E Eighth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored blue on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the IND Eighth Avenue Line through Manhattan....

light blue, not always easily distinguishable.

The 8

8 (New York City Subway service)

designation was brought back for the only remaining IRT

Interborough Rapid Transit Company

elevated

Elevated railway

service, the IRT Third Avenue Line

IRT Third Avenue Line

The IRT Third Avenue Line, commonly known as the Third Avenue El, was an elevated railway in Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City. Originally operated by an independent railway company, it was acquired by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and eventually became part of the New York subway...

in the Bronx

The Bronx

The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...

but trains never displayed the number. When the Lo-V cars (which did not have front signs) were replaced by R12

R12 (New York City Subway car)

cars the front roll signs in use did not contain the number 8 and instead displayed the word SHUTTLE. For map and sign purposes MJ was assigned to the last old-style elevated line, standing for "Myrtle Avenue Line to Jay Street", while the "Myrtle Avenue line to Chambers St." subway service would finally receive its M

M (New York City Subway service)

designation.
The short-lived new Sea Beach Line

BMT Sea Beach Line

super-express service was made NX. The Q

Q (New York City Subway service)

, QT and T

T (New York City Subway service)

disappeared when the Chrystie Street Connection opened; thus they never had colors (until after the elimination of double letters, when the Q

Q (New York City Subway service)

came back; by that time the current color system was in place). By 1968, all shuttles (SS) were green. For a short time, the off-hour shuttle between Metropolitan Avenue and Myrtle Avenue was added in 1969 when the MJ service to Jay St. was discontinued, and that part of the line abandoned. The shuttle was soon renamed "M", however, as it only ran when the M to Manhattan didn't run.

After Chrystie Street

The system immediately showed evidence of problems for various reasons:

Different services at common stations shared common destinations by different routes. N
N (New York City Subway service)
The N Broadway Local is a service of the New York City Subway. Its route bullet is colored yellow, which appears on station signs and the NYC Subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line through Manhattan....

, B
B (New York City Subway service)
The B Sixth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs over the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan....

and QJ services arriving at DeKalb Avenue
DeKalb Avenue (BMT Broadway Line)
DeKalb Avenue is a local station shared by the BMT Fourth Avenue Line and the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of DeKalb and Flatbush Avenues in Brooklyn...

, for example, all had Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....

as a destination, but had no mention of the widely separated routes (Sea Beach Line
BMT Sea Beach Line
The BMT Sea Beach Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT division of the New York City Subway, connecting the BMT Fourth Avenue Line subway at 59th Street via a four-track wide open cut to Coney Island in Brooklyn...

, West End Line
BMT West End Line
The BMT West End Line is a line of the New York City Subway, serving the Brooklyn, communities of Borough Park, New Utrecht, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Coney Island. The D train operates on the line at all times, providing service to Manhattan and the Bronx via the IND Sixth Avenue Line...

, Brighton Line
BMT Brighton Line
The BMT Brighton Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Local service is provided at all times by the Q train. The Q is joined by the B express train on weekdays...

) used to get there.
Service labels are ephemeral. The TA has frequently shifted lettered routes from one branch line to another, and introduced, changed or deleted letters, making a description like "the D train" meaningless. The D
D (New York City Subway service)
The D Sixth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it uses the IND Sixth Avenue Line through Manhattan....

service has been on three completely different Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

branch lines since 1954. K was introduced for a service on the Broadway-Brooklyn Line
BMT Jamaica Line
The Jamaica Line is an elevated rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It runs from the Williamsburg Bridge southeast over Broadway to East New York, Brooklyn, and then east over Fulton Street and Jamaica Avenue to...

but was later used for the IND Eighth Avenue Line
IND Eighth Avenue Line
The Eighth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line in New York City, United States, and is part of the B Division of the New York City Subway...

local which had formerly been AA.
The same lettered or numbered lines may have different destinations by time of day, despite a largely successful effort to minimize this problem.
Newcomers to New York City have recently shown more interest in their neighborhoods and city history, as have long-term residents. Some people feel that the emphasis on letters and numbers for routes and street names instead of communities is dehumanizing.

Elimination of double letters

In June 1979 the former color scheme was scrapped, and the TA settled on the more coherent policy of assigning the same color to every service on each Manhattan mainline, plus different colors for lines not entering Manhattan, the colors still used today. Nevertheless, no New York subway line is officially referred to by its color, e.g., BMT Broadway Line services as the "Yellow Line." While referring to lines by their color, as is common in some other cities, is a convenient shorthand for the regions of Manhattan where lines and colors are relatively unambiguous (from roughly Houston Street to 50th Street, and further uptown for the "red" and "green" lines), this practice would be confusing outside of that region (due to multiple lines being assigned the same color) and might be perceived as exhibiting a "Manhattan-centric" point of view.

The JFK Express

JFK Express

The JFK Express, advertised as The Train to The Plane, was a premium-fare service of the New York City Subway, connecting midtown Manhattan to John F. Kennedy International Airport.-Fares and Rolling Stock:...

, started in 1978 and discontinued in 1990, used a turquoise bullet; this stayed through the color change.

AA	→	K K (Eighth Avenue Local) The K Eighth Avenue Local, earlier the AA, was a New York City Subway service along the IND Eighth Avenue Line, that originally began in 1932, when the IND Subway opened.- History :...	8 Avenue Local
CC	→	C C (New York City Subway service) The C Eighth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored blue on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the IND Eighth Avenue Line through Manhattan....	8 Avenue Local (rush hour "diamond" service)
CC/A A (New York City Subway service) The A Eighth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. Its route bullet is colored blue on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map since it runs on the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan....	→	H	Rockaway Shuttle
GG	→	G G (New York City Subway service) The G Brooklyn–Queens Crosstown Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is the only full-time non-shuttle service that does not enter Manhattan...	Brooklyn-Queens Crosstown
LL	→	L L (New York City Subway service) The L 14th Street – Canarsie Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway, providing service along the entire length of the two-tracked BMT Canarsie Line...	14 Street-Canarsie Local
QB	→	Q Q (New York City Subway service) The Q Broadway Express is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored yellow on the route sign, on station signs and the official subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line through Manhattan....	Broadway Express (had been rush hour "diamond" service)
RR	→	R R (New York City Subway service) The R Broadway Local is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored yellow on the route sign and on station signs and the NYC Subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan.The R service operates at all times...	Broadway Local
RR	→	R R (New York City Subway service) The R Broadway Local is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored yellow on the route sign and on station signs and the NYC Subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan.The R service operates at all times...	Nassau Street Local (rush hour "diamond" service; shown as both yellow and brown)

1985 letter changes

On May 5, 1985, the last significant change in route identification policy was made after the TA had decided in 1981 that the single and double letter system of the original IND was no longer meaningful, given that there were many services that were express for part of their route and local for other parts. In most cases, this was accomplished by simply eliminating the second letter in route designations. There is no longer a letter designation for specials (formerly S).

In the last decade the TA has moved steadily toward using traditional line names on maps and especially on signage. All of the southern Brooklyn subway lines now show the traditional line names. On BMT/IND equipment branch line names frequently appear on operating trains, in addition the route letter. R32 equipment with rollsigns, for example, may read:



A | Washington Heights-8 Avenue-Fulton


N | Astoria-Broadway-Sea Beach


Q | Broadway-Brighton

One change which exceeds the pre-Unification practice has to do with the use of locality names. Where these were discouraged during the 1960s where they had been inherited from private operators, virtually all terminal stations are described by both a community and a street name; i.e., Inwood – 207th Street for the northern destination of the A

A (New York City Subway service)

service; Wakefield – 241st Street for the northern destination of the 2

2 (New York City Subway service)

The 2 Seventh Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored red on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line through most of Manhattan....

service.

Route consistency

Since the unsuccessful attempts at applying the briefly popular schematic

Schematic

A schematic diagram represents the elements of a system using abstract, graphic symbols rather than realistic pictures. A schematic usually omits all details that are not relevant to the information the schematic is intended to convey, and may add unrealistic elements that aid comprehension...

theory of diagrammatic maps, line-by-line color coding, and exclusive use of numbers and letters for service and line descriptions, the MTA has moved steadily toward a more traditional approach, with more geographically correct maps and use of traditional line and community names on maps and public signage.

Concurrently, it has been refining its use of the number and letter system to try to achieve consistency across the system. One major push has been an attempt to have as many services as possible serve the same stations, routes and terminals at all times with the major exception for most services being the early morning hours of approximately midnight to 5 am (00:00-05:00). To this end, the MTA took advantage of the unavoidable service changes forced by the partial Manhattan Bridge

Manhattan Bridge

closures to reroute some services when all bridge tracks reopened in 2004. Particularly, the Brooklyn branch lines of the B

B (New York City Subway service)

and D

D (New York City Subway service)

services were flip-flopped, with the B becoming the BMT Brighton Line

BMT Brighton Line

express service and the D becoming the BMT West End Line

BMT West End Line

The BMT West End Line is a line of the New York City Subway, serving the Brooklyn, communities of Borough Park, New Utrecht, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Coney Island. The D train operates on the line at all times, providing service to Manhattan and the Bronx via the IND Sixth Avenue Line...

local (previously the B had been the West End Local and the D the Brighton Local). This enabled the D, a full time service, to operate continuously on the same route and terminals from Norwood – 205th Street in The Bronx

The Bronx

The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...

to Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

, while the part-time B was meshed with the part-time Brighton Express service, formerly the <Q>

Q (New York City Subway service)

(diamond).

External links

New York°N date=June 2009°W

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Current status

Diamond services

In Use

Former Use

Public information

Internal usage

History

BMT

IRT

IND

Unification and BMT/IND service integration

After Chrystie Street

Elimination of double letters

Route consistency

See also

External links