7 (New York City Subway service)
Encyclopedia
The 7 Flushing Local and 7 Flushing Express are rapid transit
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...

 services of 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...

, providing local and express services along the full length of the 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...

. The services are colored purple on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, with local service denoted by a 7 in a circular logo, and express service by a 7 in a diamond-shaped logo.

Local service operates at all times. Express service runs weekdays from 6:30 to 10:00 a.m. going to Times Square and 3:00 to 10:00 p.m. (15:00 to 22:00) going to Flushing – Main Street. "Super Express" service to Manhattan is also provided after New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

 games weeknights and weekends at Citi Field and US Open (tennis) games: starting at Mets – Willets Point and operating express to Times Square, also bypassing Junction Boulevard
Junction Boulevard (IRT Flushing Line)
Junction Boulevard is an express station on the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Junction Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue in Corona, Queens...

, Hunters Point Avenue
Hunters Point Avenue (IRT Flushing Line)
Hunters Point Avenue is a station on the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway. Located at 49th Avenue and 21st Street in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, it is served at all times by the 7 train and the <7> train rush hours in the peak direction.This station has two...

 and Vernon Boulevard – Jackson Avenue. The 7 service operates with 11-car trains, more than any other New York City Subway route.

The 7 has been nicknamed the "International Express," because the route travels through several different ethnic neighborhoods populated by U.S. immigrants
Immigration to the United States
Immigration to the United States has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of the history of the United States. The economic, social, and political aspects of immigration have caused controversy regarding ethnicity, economic benefits, jobs for non-immigrants,...

, especially along Roosevelt Avenue
Roosevelt Avenue
Roosevelt Avenue is a main thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Queens. Roosevelt Avenue begins at 48th Street and Queens Boulevard in the neighborhood of Sunnyside...

. This name is not official, nor is the title used in day to day operations.

Fleet

The 7 was the last stronghold for the "Redbird
Redbird trains
Redbird is the name given to 1,410 New York City Subway cars of the following types: R26, R28, R29, R33 Main Line , R33 World's Fair , R36 ML, and R36 WF. These cars were painted a deep red to combat graffiti, which had become a major problem In the late 1970s and early 1980s. The deep red color...

" subway cars. Until 2002, the entire fleet was dominated by the R33
R33 World's Fair (New York City Subway car)
The R33 World's Fair is a class of 40 single cars for the New York City Subway car built in late 1963. They were made for the "A" Division, but only assigned to the service and were based out of Corona Yard. They were used to make 11-car trains with the R36 WF cars, which were built as two-car...

/R36
R36 World's Fair (New York City Subway car)
The R36 World's Fair New York City Subway cars were built in 1963-1964 by the St. Louis Car Company in St. Louis, Missouri for the IRT division . They were purchased for service on the IRT Flushing Line which was the closest line to the 1964 New York World's Fair...

 World's Fair cars. In 2001, with the arrival of the R142
R142 (New York City Subway car)
The R142 is the model class of the newest generation of IRT cars for the New York City Subway. Built by Bombardier in Plattsburgh, New York and Barre, Vermont from 1999–2002, the fleet, along with the R142A, are the new backbone of the IRT fleet....

/R142A
R142A (New York City Subway car)
The R142A, along with the R142 is the newest generation of cars for the A Division of the New York City Subway.-Background:The R142A is built by Kawasaki and has many of the same features as the R142, built by Bombardier. The main order of 400 R142A cars are numbered 7211-7610; the 120 option cars...

 cars, the Transit Authority announced the retirement of all Redbird cars. From 2002-03, the Bombardier
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....

-built R62A
R62A (New York City Subway car)
R62A is a series of New York City Subway cars, built by Bombardier in Montreal, Quebec, with final assembly done in Barre, Vermont.-Description:...

 cars formerly used on the and trains gradually replaced the R33/36 WF's cars on the 7. On November 3, 2003, the last Redbird train made its final trip on this line, making all stops between Times Square and (the then-named) Willets Point – Shea Stadium.

Several Redbird cars running on this line were decorated with Mets
METS
The Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard is a metadata standard for encoding descriptive, administrative, and structural metadata regarding objects within a digital library, expressed using the XML schema language of the World Wide Web Consortium...

 logos and colors during the 2000 Subway Series
Subway Series
The Subway Series is a series of Major League Baseball games played between teams based in New York City. The term's historic usage has been in reference to World Series games played between New York teams...

 against the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

, as the line runs adjacent to Citi Field and the former location of Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...

. Some R33/R36 WFs remain in Corona Yard, adjacent to Flushing Meadow Corona Park and Citi Field.

Currently, all of the R62A
R62A (New York City Subway car)
R62A is a series of New York City Subway cars, built by Bombardier in Montreal, Quebec, with final assembly done in Barre, Vermont.-Description:...

s on the 7 have been upgraded with LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....

 lighted signs to distinguish between express and local trains. These signs are located on the rollsigns that are found on the side of each car. The local is a green circle around the 7 service bullet while the express is a red diamond. Previously, the rollsigns showed either a 7 within a circle or a 7 within a diamond with the word "Express" underneath it.

Service history

On June 13, 1915, the first test train on the 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...

 ran between Grand Central and Vernon Boulevard – Jackson Avenue, followed by the start of revenue service on June 22. Over the next thirteen years, the line was extended piece by piece to its current form between Times Square and Flushing – Main Street.

The 7 designation has been assigned to its current route since the introduction of front rollsigns on 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...

 in 1948.

From May 13, 1985 to August 21, 1989, the IRT Flushing Line was overhauled for improvements, including the installation of new track, repair of station structures and to improve line infrastructure. The major element was the replacement of rails on the Queens Boulevard viaduct. Express service was suspended for the duration of the project; however, extra service was provided for Mets games and Flushing Meadows Park events. Upon the completion of the project, express service was restored, but express trains bypassed the 61st Street – Woodside station because the Transit Authority was concerned about passengers transferring between local and express trains at that station. The stop was added a few months later after pressure from community opposition.

In the mid-1990s, the MTA discovered that the Queens Boulevard viaduct structure was unstable, as rocks that were used to support the tracks as ballast
Track ballast
Track ballast forms the trackbed upon which railway sleepers or railroad ties are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties. It is used to facilitate drainage of water, to distribute the load from the railroad ties, and also to keep down vegetation that might interfere with the track...

 became loose due to poor drainage, which, in turn, affected the integrity of the concrete structure overall. Express service was suspended between 61st Street – Woodside and Queensboro Plaza; temporary platforms were installed to access the express track in the four intermediate stations. The work began in April 1993. When the viaduct reconstruction finished on March 31, 1997, full express service was reinstated.

In 1999, express service was expanded from rush hours only to weekdays from 6:30 to 22:00 (6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. eastern time
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...

). However, this expansion was cut back in 2009 due to frequent midday construction.

Work has been underway since 2008 to convert the 7 service to accommodate Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC). Expected to cost $585.9 million, CBTC will allow two additional trains per hour, providing a 7% increase in capacity. New cars on order for the A-Division (R188 contract
R188 (New York City Subway car)
The R188 is a future A division car for the New York City Subway. The MTA is planning to displace the R62As from the train with these cars.-Background:...

) are compatible with CBTC, which the MTA estimates will be completed in 2016.

An extension of the Flushing line
7 Subway Extension
The 7 Subway Extension — Hudson Yards Rezoning and Development Program is the plan to extend the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway, which carries the 7 train service, westward from its current terminus at Times Square, adding one new station at 34th Street – Eleventh Avenue...

 west then south to 34th Street
34th Street (IRT Flushing Line)
The 34th Street Station is a planned terminal station, under construction as part of the 7 Subway Extension for the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway. It will have two tracks and one island platform with a large mezzanine overhead...

 – 11th Avenue, near the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is a large convention center located on Eleventh Avenue, between 34th and 38th streets, on the West side of Manhattan in New York City. It was designed by architects I. M. Pei and partners. The revolutionary space frame structure was undertaken in 1979 and...

, is currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed in 2013. On November 16, 2010, New York City officials announced they are considering a further extension of the service across the Hudson River to the Secaucus Junction
Secaucus Junction
The Frank R. Lautenberg Secaucus Junction Station is a major commuter rail hub in Secaucus, New Jersey...

 train station in New Jersey. As of October 26th, 2011 tentative support for the extension has been given by New York City Mayor Bloomberg as well as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in comments to the press.

Service pattern

The following table shows the lines used by the 7 service, with shaded boxes indicating the route at the specified times:
Line From To Tracks Times
rush hour
peak dir.
all others
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...

 (full line)
Flushing – Main Street Queensboro Plaza express    
local    
Queensboro Plaza Times Square all    

Stations

For a more detailed station listing, see 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...

.
Stations Subway transfers Connections
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....

Flushing – Main Street 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...

 Port Washington Branch
Port Washington Branch
The Port Washington Branch is an electrified two-track rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York...

 at Flushing Main Street
Q48 to LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...

Mets – Willets Point formerly Willets Point – Shea Stadium
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...

 Port Washington Branch
Port Washington Branch
The Port Washington Branch is an electrified two-track rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York...

 at Mets – Willets Point (special events only)
Q48 to LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...

111th Street
111th Street (IRT Flushing Line)
111th Street is a local station on the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway. It is served by the 7 train at all times. It has four tracks and two side platforms on the main level....

Q48 to LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...

103rd Street – Corona Plaza
Junction Boulevard
Junction Boulevard (IRT Flushing Line)
Junction Boulevard is an express station on the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Junction Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue in Corona, Queens...

Q72 to LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...

90th Street – Elmhurst Avenue
82nd Street – Jackson Heights Q33 to LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...

74th Street – Broadway (IND 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...

)
Q33 to LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...


Q47 to LaGuardia Airport Marine Air Terminal
Marine Air Terminal
-External links:*...

69th Street
69th Street (IRT Flushing Line)
69th Street is a local station on the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway. Located at 69th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in the Woodside, Queens, it is served by the 7 train at all times....

Woodside – 61st Street 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...

 City Terminal Zone
City Terminal Zone
The City Terminal Zone is the name given to a collection of rail lines of the Long Island Rail Road in New York City. Specifically, it refers to all stations that lie in fare zone 1 , which is the set of stations west of Jamaica.-Stations:- Routes : There are three routes that are considered part...

 at Woodside
Woodside (LIRR station)
Woodside is a railroad station on the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens. It is the first station passed by eastward trains from Pennsylvania Station, and it is the only Queens station that serves both the Port Washington Branch and the other LIRR branches that...

52nd Street
52nd Street (IRT Flushing Line)
52nd Street is a local station on the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 52nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside, Queens, it is served by the 7 train at all times....

46th Street – Bliss Street
40th Street – Lowery Street
33rd Street – Rawson Street
Queensboro Plaza (BMT 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...

)
Court Square (IND Crosstown Line
IND Crosstown Line
-External links:*...

)
(IND 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...

 at Court Square – 23rd Street)
Hunters Point Avenue
Hunters Point Avenue (IRT Flushing Line)
Hunters Point Avenue is a station on the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway. Located at 49th Avenue and 21st Street in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, it is served at all times by the 7 train and the <7> train rush hours in the peak direction.This station has two...

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...

 City Terminal Zone
City Terminal Zone
The City Terminal Zone is the name given to a collection of rail lines of the Long Island Rail Road in New York City. Specifically, it refers to all stations that lie in fare zone 1 , which is the set of stations west of Jamaica.-Stations:- Routes : There are three routes that are considered part...

 at Hunterspoint Avenue
Hunterspoint Avenue (LIRR station)
Hunterspoint Avenue is a Long Island Rail Road train station within the City Terminal Zone on the Main Line. It is at Hunters Point Avenue and Skillman Avenue in Long Island City, Queens...

 (peak hours only)
Vernon Boulevard – Jackson Avenue 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...

 City Terminal Zone
City Terminal Zone
The City Terminal Zone is the name given to a collection of rail lines of the Long Island Rail Road in New York City. Specifically, it refers to all stations that lie in fare zone 1 , which is the set of stations west of Jamaica.-Stations:- Routes : There are three routes that are considered part...

 at Long Island City
Long Island City (LIRR station)
Long Island City is a rail terminal of the Long Island Rail Road in Long Island City, Queens. Within the City Terminal Zone and located at Borden Avenue and 2nd Street, it is the westernmost LIRR station in Queens and the end of both the Main Line and the Montauk Branch...

 (peak hours only)
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...

Grand Central (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...

)
(42nd Street Shuttle)
Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...

 at Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...

Fifth Avenue – Bryant Park (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...

 at 42nd Street – Bryant Park)
Times Square (IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line)
(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...

 at 42nd Street – Port Authority Bus Terminal)
(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...

)
(42nd Street Shuttle)
Port Authority Bus Terminal
Port Authority Bus Terminal
The Port Authority Bus Terminal is the main gateway for interstate buses into Manhattan in New York City...

7 Subway Extension
7 Subway Extension
The 7 Subway Extension — Hudson Yards Rezoning and Development Program is the plan to extend the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway, which carries the 7 train service, westward from its current terminus at Times Square, adding one new station at 34th Street – Eleventh Avenue...

34th Street
34th Street (IRT Flushing Line)
The 34th Street Station is a planned terminal station, under construction as part of the 7 Subway Extension for the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway. It will have two tracks and one island platform with a large mezzanine overhead...

Under construction, scheduled opening December 2013

  • Express service runs weekdays from 5:30 to 10:00 a.m. going to Times Square and 3:00 to 10:00 p.m. (15:00 to 22:00) going to Flushing – Main Street as well as after games at Citi Field.

External links

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