A schematic map of New York City's subway lines (i.e., Sea Beach, West End, ...) as opposed to services (i.e., N, D, ...).The Queens Boulevard viaduct of the IRT Flushing Line
In the New York City Subway nomenclature, a "line" refers to the physical trackage used by trains that are used by numbered or lettered "services"; the services that run on certain lines change periodically. Today, the division or company names are not used publicly, while the line names may occasionally be used.
In the nomenclature of the subway, the terms "line" and "service" are not interchangeable with each other. While in popular usage the word "line" is often used synonymously with "service" (even sometimes on the website of the MTA[1]), this list will use the formal usage of the term "line."
A line is the physical structure and tracks that trains run over. Each section of the system is assigned a unique line name that begins with a division (IRT, BMT or IND), which is its pre-unification division when applicable. For example, the line under Eighth Avenue is the IND Eighth Avenue Line. Some lines have changed names (and even divisions), but this happens relatively infrequently.
By contrast, a service refers to the route that a train takes across the various lines. A service can operate along several lines and even along different divisions. For example, the R service operates along the IND Queens Boulevard Line as well as the BMT Broadway Line and the BMT Fourth Avenue Line.
Each service is assigned a color. Since 1979, each service's color corresponds to the line it primarily uses in Midtown Manhattan[original research?]—defined as the trunk line. There are three exceptions: the IND Crosstown Line, which does not carry services to Manhattan, is colored light green; the BMT Nassau Street Line, which runs only through Lower Manhattan, is colored brown; and all shuttles are colored dark gray.[2] The list of trunk lines and colors is shown in the table below.
There are currently 36 rail lines. The Archer Avenue Lines and the 63rd Street Lines are each classified as two separate lines due to their structure: both lines have a distinct sections that are chained as BMT and the IND lines.
In the list below, lines with colors next to them indicate trunk lines, which determine the colors that are used for services' route bullets and diamonds, as well as shuttle service lines. The opening date refers to the opening of the first section of track for the line. In the "division" column, the current division is followed by the original division in parentheses.
On the 42nd Street Shuttle, there are track connections to the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line at the west end and the IRT Lexington Avenue Line at the east end. It is not possible to operate through service on this line (i.e. one cannot go from the Broadway –Seventh Avenue Line to the Lexington Avenue Line using the shuttle tracks and vice versa), though the tracks are used to transport trains to and from Livonia Yard in Brooklyn.
BMT Sea Beach Line: One center track between 86th Street and Eighth Avenue. These were originally a pair of tracks which were briefly used by the NX service in 1967–1968; in 1999, one of the tracks was rehabilitated and the other was disconnected from the line leaving it unusable. The track is used occasionally for reroutes in either direction and possibly equipment testing. In the past, these tracks have been used to store rolling stock that are about to be scrapped.
BMT Brighton Line: Two center tracks between Brighton Beach and Ocean Parkway. These are used for layups and for terminating/turning B trains but are listed here since they are a continuation of the express tracks from the Brighton line, and exist through Ocean Parkway station.
BMT Astoria Line: Single center track between 39th Avenue and Astoria –Ditmars Boulevard. This track was last used for W trains in the peak direction, and being unpopular with residents, was discontinued on January 15, 2002.
A map of the New York City Subway by line placement. Underground is in orange. Elevated, at-grade, embankment, open-cut is in blue.
A majority[original research?] of the New York City Subway is underground, but the following segments are located above ground level.[17][dubious – discuss]
The New York City Subway has fewer triple track sections than it has quadruple track sections[original research?]. These sections are listed below. The third track, when in use, is generally for peak-direction express service or reroutes, with exceptions noted below.
Quadruple-tracked portions of track are fairly common in the subway system. This makes it unique among most metro systems in the world, as most others only have two tracks per line. Generally, these portions are a pair of express and a pair of local tracks unless otherwise noted.
IND Eighth Avenue Line between Chambers Street–World Trade Center and 168th Street, and again at Dyckman Street (two local tracks and two tracks leading to the 207th Street Yard)
63rd Street Lines at Lexington Avenue (two levels of one-direction tracks, with both levels containing one track each of IND and BMT, with connections between lines on both levels)
Archer Avenue Lines from Sutphin Boulevard and east (two levels of paired tracks: all IND on one, all BMT on the other, without connections between lines)
IRT Flushing Line and BMT Astoria Line at Queensboro Plaza (two levels of one-direction tracks, with both levels containing one track each of IRT and BMT, with a non-revenue connection between lines on upper level)
Manhattan Bridge (one pair of tracks on each of the north and south sides of the bridge)
The Bronx has no four-tracked lines. Pocket tracks are not included.
Defunct lines
The following New York City Subway lines are either entirely defunct or have major portions no longer in service. Defunct spur lines with one station, such as the South Ferry loops, are not included in this list, nor are surface transit lines.
a) Line east of Queens Boulevard demolished. b) Line east of 121st Street demolished. Both segments were replaced with Q49 bus service, which itself was replaced in 1988 by the BMT Archer Avenue Line.
IRT White Plains Road Line: Just north of the Third Avenue–149th Street station, exiting the tunnel portal, one can see the initial framework of the IRT Third Avenue Line. There used to be a connection from the White Plains Road line to the Third Avenue El, which ran south across the Harlem River to Manhattan.
IRT White Plains Road Line: The other end of the Third Avenue El connected to the White Plains Road line at the lower level of the Gun Hill Road station (closed 1973). Also on the White Plains Road line is the remnant of the short section of track to the original Bronx Park terminal.
IRT Dyre Avenue Line: The Dyre Avenue Line was part of the New York, Westchester, and Boston Railway; it continued north beyond Eastchester–Dyre Avenue to White Plains and Port Chester; and south of the present connection to the White Plains Road line at East 180th Street, to 133rd Street where it ran alongside the New Haven Railroad. The platforms of the NYW&B station are still visible at East 180th Street station and are sometimes used to store trains. The structure south of East 180th Street ends abruptly at the Lebanon Street.
BMT Nassau Street Line/BMT Broadway Line: The BMT Nassau Street Line used to connect to the south side of the Manhattan Bridge north of Chambers Street. The trackways were disconnected from the Manhattan Bridge after the Chrystie Street Connection opened. Also, heading northbound over the Manhattan Bridge north side, an abandoned tunnel is visible before entering Grand Street. Heading northbound on the south side, the remains of the tunnel to the BMT Nassau Street Line loop is briefly visible. This area was reconfigured as part of the Chrystie Street Connection.
BMT Jamaica Line: West of Gates Avenue, one can see where the structure turned onto Lexington Avenue to head toward the Brooklyn Bridge. The structure is only visible from street level.
BMT Jamaica Line: West of Marcy Avenue, the BMT Jamaica Line veers right onto the Williamsburg Bridge while the original structure continues straight ahead.
BMT Jamaica Line: East of 121st Street, the 144th Street BMT powerhouse and 168th Street station house still exist along Jamaica Avenue.
c The formation of the IND Culver Line occurred when the IND "recaptured" (e.g. New York City took over lines it had built for private companies) the trackage rights of the BMT Culver Line in 1954, connecting Ditmas Avenue to Church Avenue, the terminus of the IND Brooklyn Line.
f At Wilson Avenue, the southbound track is above ground while the northbound one is at-grade. However, the land directly adjacent to the subway station makes the lower level northbound track look as though it is underground, and the upper level southbound track look at-grade.
Note that this is a list of New York City Subway lines, which are the physical infrastructure over which services operate. Lines with colors next to them are trunk lines; trunk lines determine the color of New York City Subway service bullets, except for shuttles, which are dark gray.
