Unused New York City Subway service labels
Encyclopedia
The New York City Subway
currently uses various letters and numbers to designate the routes that trains use over the differing lines in the system. Along with the color corresponding to the route's trunk line, these form a unique identifier for the route, easing navigation through the complex system. Several service labels have either been phased out or never been used. This list covers the labels not used as of January 2011.
uses single-digit numbers for each route. 1 through 7 are in use.
Two-digit numbers have never been used by the A Division, but have been seen on the current rollsigns of some trains, paired with colors used with other services. It is likely that these were assigned arbitrarily, for use if the MTA
changed the additional rush hour express service designators from a "diamond" version of the regular number to a separate number.
use single letters of the English alphabet. These service letters are unused as of January 2011, but some have been used or proposed for services at various points in time:
Prior to 1985, the B Division used two-letter combinations to indicate differing variations of similar services, but these were phased out in favor of single-letter designators. These former service names are covered in their corresponding current letters.
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...
currently uses various letters and numbers to designate the routes that trains use over the differing lines in the system. Along with the color corresponding to the route's trunk line, these form a unique identifier for the route, easing navigation through the complex system. Several service labels have either been phased out or never been used. This list covers the labels not used as of January 2011.
A Division numbers
The A DivisionA 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...
uses single-digit numbers for each route. 1 through 7 are in use.
- 0 is used as the internal designation of the 42nd Street Shuttle.
- has been used in the past for various routes, most recently the Bronx portion of the Third Avenue ElIRT Third Avenue LineThe 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...
, ended in 1973. - was used for skip-stopSkip-stopSkip-stop is a public transit service pattern which reduces travel times and increases capacity by not having all vehicles make all designated stops along a route. Skip-stops are used in both rail transit and bus transit operations.-Rail operation:...
service on the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line from 1989 to 2005.
Two-digit numbers have never been used by the A Division, but have been seen on the current rollsigns of some trains, paired with colors used with other services. It is likely that these were assigned arbitrarily, for use if the MTA
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
changed the additional rush hour express service designators from a "diamond" version of the regular number to a separate number.
B Division letters
Trains of the B DivisionB 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...
use single letters of the English alphabet. These service letters are unused as of January 2011, but some have been used or proposed for services at various points in time:
- was last used for the Rockaway Park Shuttle and is still used as an internal-only designator by NYC Transit.
- I has never been used due to its visual similarity to the number 1.
- KK (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 :...
has been used for multiple routes in the past, most recently as an Eighth Avenue Line train. - O has never been used due to its visual similarity to the number 0.
- P (short for Penn StationPennsylvania Station (New York City)Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...
) was planned for a nonstop between Sutphin Boulevard – Archer Ave (at the LIRRLong Island Rail RoadThe 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...
's Jamaica stationJamaica (LIRR station)Jamaica is a major hub station of the Long Island Rail Road, and is located in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. It is the largest transit hub on Long Island and is one of the busiest railroad stations in the country with over 200,000 daily passengers...
) and 34th Street – Penn Station, continuing locally to 168th Street, via the BMT Archer Avenue LineArcher Avenue Line-BMT Archer Avenue Line :-IND Archer Avenue Line :-References:...
, BMT Jamaica LineBMT Jamaica LineThe 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...
, Chrystie Street ConnectionChrystie Street ConnectionThe 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...
, IND Sixth Avenue LineIND Sixth Avenue LineThe 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...
and IND Eighth Avenue LineIND Eighth Avenue LineThe 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...
(switching to the latter at West Fourth Street) in the 1990s. This would have been used during a threatened AmtrakAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
strike that would have prevented LIRRLong Island Rail RoadThe 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...
trains from entering Penn Station. - was used for BMT West End LineBMT West End LineThe 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...
services, but was quickly replaced by the expanded service after services were reorganized following the opening of the Chrystie Street ConnectionChrystie Street ConnectionThe 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...
. T is the planned label for the new Second Avenue LineSecond Avenue SubwayThe Second Avenue Subway is a planned rapid transit subway line, part of the New York City Subway system. Phase I, consisting of two miles of tunnel and three stations, is currently under construction underneath Second Avenue in the borough of Manhattan.A plan for more than 75 years, the Second...
. - U has never been used, as it sounds like the word "you".
- was introduced in 2001 for weekday local service on the IND Queens Boulevard LineIND Queens Boulevard LineThe 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...
and IND Sixth Avenue LineIND Sixth Avenue LineThe 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...
via 53rd Street, after the was shifted to the newly-opened IND 63rd Street LineIND 63rd Street LineThe IND 63rd Street Line is a rapid transit line of the IND division of the New York City Subway system. It runs from the IND Sixth Avenue Line at 57th Street east under 63rd Street and the East River through the 63rd Street Tunnel to the IND Queens Boulevard Line in Queens...
. V service was discontinued in 2010 due to budgetary concerns, replaced entirely by a rerouted train. - was introduced in 2001 for BMT West End LineBMT West End LineThe 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...
—BMT Broadway LineBMT Broadway LineThe 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...
service via the south side of the Manhattan BridgeManhattan BridgeThe 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...
; reconstruction of the bridge's north tracks prevented the usual IND Sixth Avenue LineIND Sixth Avenue LineThe 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...
service () from running to the West End Line. After work was completed, the W became a weekday local service on the BMT Broadway Line and BMT Astoria LineBMT Astoria LineThe 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...
, supplementing the in Queens and the in Manhattan. This service was discontinued in 2010 due to budgetary concerns, replaced by the N and in Queens and the N and R in Manhattan. - X is used as a placeholder for subway lines under "construction."
- Y has never been used, as it sounds like the word "why".
- The JFK ExpressJFK ExpressThe 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:...
bullet, featuring an airplane inside a blue circle, was used from 1978–1990.
Prior to 1985, the B Division used two-letter combinations to indicate differing variations of similar services, but these were phased out in favor of single-letter designators. These former service names are covered in their corresponding current letters.
See also
New York City Subway nomenclatureNew York City Subway nomenclature
New York City Subway nomenclature describes terminology used in the New York City Subway system as derived from railroading practice, historical origins of the system, and engineering, publicity, and legal usage...