The
Flushing Line is a
rapid transitA rapid transit, metro, subway, underground, or elevated railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with high capacity and frequency, and which is grade separated from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically either in underground tunnels or elevated above street level...
route of the
New York City SubwayThe 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, operated as part of the
IRTThe 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...
Division and designated the 7 route. It runs from Flushing in
QueensQueens is the largest in area, the second-largest in population, and the easternmost of the Five Boroughs which form New York City. The Borough of Queens' boundaries are identical to those of the County of Queens , a subdivision of the State of New York in the Northeastern United States.Located on...
to
Times SquareTimes Square is a major intersection in Manhattan, a borough of New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
in
ManhattanManhattan is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.New York County, which has the same boundaries as the Borough of Manhattan , is the most densely populated county in the United States, with a 2008 population of 1,634,795...
, carrying trains of the 7 local service (as well as the express <7> rush hours in the peak direction), and is shown in the color purple on station signs, the NYC Subway Map and route signs on the front and sides of the subway cars. Before the line was opened all the way to Flushing, it was known as the
Corona Line or
Woodside and Corona Line. Prior to the discontinuance of
BMTThe Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation was an urban transit holding company, based in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, and incorporated in 1923. It is now the BMT Division of the New York City Subway. Together with the IND, it is operationally described as B Division...
services in 1949, the portion of the IRT Flushing Line between Times Square and Queensboro Plaza was known as the
Queensboro Line. Express trains run to Manhattan from 05:30 to 12:30 (5:30 am to 12:30 pm
ETThe Eastern Time Zone of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America. Its time offset is −5 hrs GMT or UTC−5 during standard time and UTC−4 during daylight saving time...
) and from Manhattan from 12:30 to 22:00 (12:30 pm to 10:00 pm
ETThe Eastern Time Zone of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America. Its time offset is −5 hrs GMT or UTC−5 during standard time and UTC−4 during daylight saving time...
). Express service is also provided during
New York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. The Mets are a member of the East Division of Major League Baseball's National League....
and
U.S. OpenThe US Open, formally the United States Open tennis championships, is a tennis tournament which is the modern incarnation of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, with the U.S. National Championship, which for mens' singles was first contested in 1881...
games.
Diverse ridership and national recognition
The 8 mile (12.9 km) line runs through some of the most ethnically diverse areas in the world. The line's Flushing terminus in large
ChinatownA Chinatown is a section of an urban area with a large number of Chinese residents, usually outside of Greater China. Chinatowns are present throughout the world, including those in East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe....
and
KoreatownKoreatown is a term to describe a Korean ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area. Other terms may be such as Little Seoul or Little Korea.-Buenos Aires:...
areas has, at one time, earned it the nickname of the
Orient Express, after the
famed Paris-Istanbul trainThe Orient Express is the name of a long-distance passenger train originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. Its route has changed many times, and several routes have in the past concurrently used the name...
. It is now nicknamed the "International Express" because of the diversity of the population of the communities it serves. It is also famous for being the official train of the
New York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. The Mets are a member of the East Division of Major League Baseball's National League....
and the US Open (
tennisTennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court....
) as both are located at Mets–Willets Point station, which serves Citi Field,
Louis Armstrong StadiumLouis Armstrong Stadium is a tennis stadium of the US Open, the last of each year's four Grand Slam tournaments. It is located at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the New York City borough of Queens; it was the main stadium before Arthur Ashe...
and
Arthur Ashe StadiumArthur Ashe Stadium, a part of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center located within Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the New York City borough of Queens, is the main tennis stadium of the US Open, the last of each year's four Grand Slam tournaments, and also where the annual Arthur Ashe...
in
Flushing Meadows-Corona ParkFlushing Meadows–Corona Park, often referred to as Flushing Meadow Park, Flushing Meadows Park or Flushing Meadows, is located in the New York City borough of Queens, between the Van Wyck Expressway and Grand Central Parkway and stretching from Flushing Bay to Union Turnpike.The second-largest...
. The line also serves
Little IndiaLittle India is an ethnic enclave containing a large population of Indian people within a society where the majority of people are either not South Asians or where the majority in the enclave are indigenous to states in the country of India within a South Asian Society not identifying as Indian.-...
in the neighborhood of Jackson Heights and the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City.
In 1999, the Flushing Line was designated a
National Millennium TrailNational Millennium Trails are 16 long-distance trails selected from 58 nominees as visionary trails that reflect defining aspects America's history and culture...
(along with the
Appalachian TrailThe Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply The A.T., is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States, extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long. The path is maintained by thirty trail...
and 14 others) by a joint program of the
White HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., it was built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the late Georgian style and has been the residence of every...
Millennium Council, the
United States Department of TransportationThe United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966 and began operation on April 1, 1967...
, and the
Rails-to-Trails ConservancyRails-to-Trails Conservancy is an American nonprofit organization working with communities to preserve unused rail corridors by transforming them into rail trails within the United States of America...
. It was chosen as a representative of the
immigrantImmigration is the arrival of new individuals into a habitat or population. It is a biological concept and is important in population ecology, differentiated from emigration and migration.-As a political term:...
experience, and because the approximate path of the Flushing Line has been in continuous use as a transportation route since the 17th century.
Also in 1999,
Atlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From to the present, the Braves have played in Turner Field....
baseball pitcher
John RockerJohn Loy Rocker is a retired American Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the Atlanta Braves, the Cleveland Indians, the Texas Rangers, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as well as the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball...
was quoted by
Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. It has over 3 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men, 19% of the adult males in the United States. It was the first magazine with circulation over one...
to have said:
- It's [New York City] the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the 7 train to the ballpark, looking like you're riding through Beirut next to some kid with purple hair next to some queer with AIDS right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time right next to some twenty-year-old mom with four kids. It's depressing."
When it became clear that Rocker was serious,
New York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. The Mets are a member of the East Division of Major League Baseball's National League....
fans — and fans nationwide — booed Rocker consistently.
The Flushing Line has various styles of
architectureFor a topical guide to this subject, see Outline of architecture. Architecture is the art and science of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures for human shelter or use....
, which range from steel girder elevated structures to
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
an-style concrete viaducts. The underground stations have some unique designs as well, such as
Hunters Point AvenueHunters 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 ' train....
, which is in an Italianate style and 42nd Street–Grand Central, which is a single round tube similar to a
London UndergroundThe London Underground, Underground or Tube is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in the UK. The first section opened in 1863, and was the first underground railway system in the world, and, starting in...
station.
Extent and service
The line has two distinct sections, split by the Queensboro Plaza station. It begins as a three-track subway, with the center track used for express service, at Main Street–Flushing. It quickly leaves the ground onto a
steelSteel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most cost-effective alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
elevated structure above Roosevelt Avenue, passing Citi Field and the
USTA National Tennis CenterThe USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the New York City borough of Queens and has been the home of the US Open Grand Slam tennis tournament played every year in August and September. There are 22 courts inside the facility and 11 in the...
. A
flying junctionA flying junction is a railway junction at which one or more diverging or converging tracks in a multiple-track route cross other tracks on the route by bridge to avoid conflict with other train movements. A more technical term is "grade-separated junction"...
between Mets–Willets Point and
111th Street111th Street is a local station on the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway. At this point, the express track "flies" over the other four tracks. The two center tracks are yard leads of the Corona Yard, home of the ' line...
provides access to
Corona YardCorona Yard is the yard facility in Flushing, in the New York City borough of Queens, that serves the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway...
from the local tracks. At 48th Street in
SunnysideSunnyside is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens, in New York state, in the United States. It shares borders with Hunters Point and Long Island City to the west, Astoria to the north, Woodside to the east and Maspeth to the south. The neighborhood is part of...
, the line switches to
Queens BoulevardQueens Boulevard is a major thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Queens, connecting communities from Long Island City to Jamaica. It forms part of New York State Route 25.-Location:...
and an ornate concrete viaduct begins. The express track ends between 33rd Street–Rawson Street and Queensboro Plaza.
At Queensboro Plaza, the eastbound track (
railroad northRailroad 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...
) is above the westbound track, with both Flushing Line tracks on the south side of the island platforms. On the north side of these platforms is the
BMT 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.-Extent and service:...
. East of this point, both the Flushing Line and the Astoria Line were operated by the
IRTThe 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...
and the
BMTThe Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation was an urban transit holding company, based in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, and incorporated in 1923. It is now the BMT Division of the New York City Subway. Together with the IND, it is operationally described as B Division...
; details on that dual operation are in the Background section. Connections still exist between the eastbound tracks just east of the platforms, but they cannot be used for revenue service because
BMTThe Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation was an urban transit holding company, based in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, and incorporated in 1923. It is now the BMT Division of the New York City Subway. Together with the IND, it is operationally described as B Division...
trains are wider than
IRTThe 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...
trains. This is the only track connection between the Flushing Line and the rest of the subway system.
West of Queensboro Plaza, the line immediately turns south onto an elevated structure over 23rd Street. It heads into the west end of
AmtrakThe 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 blend of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union Station...
's
Sunnyside YardSunnyside Yard is a large coach yard, a railroad yard for passenger cars, in Sunnyside, Queens in New York City.-History:The Pennsylvania Railroad completed construction of the yard in 1910. At that time Sunnyside was the largest coach yard in the world, occupying 192 acres and containing 25.7 mi...
, and passes through two underground stations before entering
ManhattanManhattan is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.New York County, which has the same boundaries as the Borough of Manhattan , is the most densely populated county in the United States, with a 2008 population of 1,634,795...
via the
Steinway TunnelThe Steinway Tunnel carries the train of the New York City Subway under the East River between 42nd Street in Manhattan and 51st Avenue in Long Island City, Queens, in New York City...
under the
East RiverThe East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
. In Manhattan, the line runs under 42nd Street, with part directly underneath the 42nd Street Shuttle , before angling towards 41st Street and ending at the huge Times Square–42nd Street station, with no track connections to other lines.
Plans are underway to extend the Flushing Line west to Manhattan's Far West Side. A decommissioned lower level at the
IND 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...
's 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal station blocks the way; it has been rumored that the
INDThe 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...
built it to keep the
IRTThe 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...
from extending the Flushing Line, although all initial blueprints indicate that the IRT never planned such an expansion. While some have questioned the necessity of the plan, with
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
receiving the
2012 Summer OlympicsThe 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, are due to take place in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
, as of September 2009 the plan is still going forward.
The Flushing Line is one of only two
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
non-shuttle subway lines that hosts only a single service and does not share operating trackage with any other line or service; the other is the
BMT Canarsie LineThe 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...
, carrying the service. Because of this, there are plans to use new trains with communication-based train control on the line, similar to the current project on the
BMT Canarsie LineThe 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...
.
The IRT Flushing Line has the distinction of running the longest trains on the New York subway, by number of cars. Flushing Line trains are 11 cars long; most other New York City subway lines run 10-car or 8-car trains. The trains are not the longest by total length, however, as an IND/BMT 10-car train is still longer than an 11-car IRT train. Having 11 cars also gives it the distinction of running an odd number of cars which other train lines do not.
History
Even though subway service started in 1915, construction on the portion of the line that ran under the
East RiverThe East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
was originally started by the
East River Tunnel Railroad on February 25, 1885. The original intent of the line was to connect the
Long Island Rail RoadThe Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York that has been classified as a Class II railroad by the Surface Transportation Board. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, servicing around 81 million passengers each year, and...
with the
New York Central RailroadThe New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
, one end of the tunnel being at the terminal of each railroad. Other than an engineering survey of the East River at the tunnel site, nothing else was done, and in 1887, the company reorganized as the
New York and Long Island Railroad. The tunnel was planned to run from approximately 42nd Street and
Tenth AvenueTenth Avenue / Amsterdam Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. It carries uptown traffic as far as West 110th Street, also known as Cathedral Parkway for the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine...
, under 42nd Street, then under the East River to Van Alst (now 21st) Avenue. The rest of the line in
QueensQueens is the largest in area, the second-largest in population, and the easternmost of the Five Boroughs which form New York City. The Borough of Queens' boundaries are identical to those of the County of Queens , a subdivision of the State of New York in the Northeastern United States.Located on...
would be on private
right-of-wayA right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted – through an easement or other mechanism – for transportation purposes, such as for a rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
, and various mappings were planned and revised for this section of route.
Various problems occurred and caused extensive delays and cost overruns.
William SteinwayWilliam Steinway, also Wilhelm Steinway, , son of Steinway & Sons founder Henry E. Steinway, was a businessman and civic leader who was influential in the development of Astoria, New York.-Steinway & Sons:...
, founder of
Steinway & SonsSteinway & Sons, also known as Steinway, is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded in 1853 in New York City, by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg . The company's growth led to the opening of a factory and employee village in what is now Astoria, Queens, followed...
, became involved in 1890, and the tunnel was popularly known as the
Steinway TunnelThe Steinway Tunnel carries the train of the New York City Subway under the East River between 42nd Street in Manhattan and 51st Avenue in Long Island City, Queens, in New York City...
. He felt that controlling operations of the tunnel company would boost the value of his real estate and envisioned operating the tunnels using electricity. On June 3, 1892, groundbreaking occurred at 50th Avenue between Vernon and Jackson Avenues in Queens. However, a series of mishaps, such as an underground water spring that hampered debris removal, followed by lawsuits by property owners along the line, forced the company to board up the tunnel on February 2, 1893. Various attempts to restart the project between 1893 and 1896 (when Steinway died), and proposals to extend the line into
New JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, and to the east by the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, the Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill, Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, Westchester County, New York City, Long Island, and...
, all failed.
In February 1902,
August Belmont, Jr.August Belmont, Jr. was an American financier, the builder of New York's Belmont Park racetrack, and a major owner/breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses.-Early life:...
became interested in the project, which became known as the
Belmont Tunnel, although Belmont preferred the project be known as the Steinway Tunnel. By May 16, 1907, the north (westbound) tube was broken through, and the south tunnel was broken through on August 7 of the same year. The landfill from the tunnel excavations had been used to construct nearby Belmont Island, later called
U Thant IslandU Thant Island is a tiny 100 x 200 foot artificial island in New York City's East River, just south of Roosevelt Island. It lies across from United Nations Headquarters at 42nd Street, and is legally considered part of the Borough of Manhattan and New York County...
, on an existing outcrop in the East River.
Because the
Pennsylvania RailroadThe Pennsylvania Railroad was an American railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
planned to build a very large station at 32nd and 33rd Streets on the West Side, and also planned to tunnel under the
HudsonThe Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. It rises at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains, flows past Albany, and finally forms the border between New York City and New Jersey at its mouth before emptying into...
and East Rivers, the motive power for the tunnels was changed to interurban trolley cars. However, because of the low clearance of the tunnels, typical trolley wire could not be used; instead, overhead
third railA third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost fully...
was hung from the roof of the tunnel using special brackets. The Van Alst Avenue station was originally on a loop at the end of a 50-foot (15 m) radius curve located near 50th Avenue and Van Alst Avenue. At 42nd Street–Grand Central, there was another loop located under
Park AvenuePark Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Throughout most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
and 42nd Street. The tunnel officially opened on September 24 for Belmont, the Mayor and other officials. However, because Belmont did not have a
franchiseIn Anglo-Saxon law, an exclusive right is a de facto, non-tangible prerogative existing in law to perform an action or acquire a benefit and to permit or deny others the right to perform the same action or to acquire the same benefit...
to operate the line, or a company to run it (because of litigation with New York City), he was forced to board up the tunnel. From October 23, 1907 until 1915, the completed tunnel was idle of traffic.
On April 3, 1913, the City of New York purchased the tunnels from Belmont as part of the Dual Contracts for $3 million, and the tunnels were placed under
IRTThe 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...
operation. With minor modifications, the tunnel could accommodate subway trains. Because of the steep grade of the tunnels, special "Steinway" cars were built to run on the line. With the conversion to rapid transit, the loops on both ends of the Steinway tunnels were abandoned. No vestiges of the Queens loop remain today as the
Hunters Point AvenueHunters 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 ' train....
station occupies the site. Remnants of the Manhattan loop still exist, but are occupied by machinery and not accessible by passengers. The Manhattan loop is just west of the current 42nd Street–Grand Central station. IRT "Steinway" cars made the first test trip on June 13, 1915. Regularly scheduled subway service began on the line, then known as the Queensboro Tunnel, from Grand Central to Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue at noon on June 22, 1915.
Extensions soon opened east to
Hunters Point AvenueHunters 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 ' train....
on February 15, 1916, and further east to Queensboro Plaza on November 5, 1916.
Queensboro Plaza and beyond
At Queensboro Plaza, the line met the
BMTThe Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation was an urban transit holding company, based in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, and incorporated in 1923. It is now the BMT Division of the New York City Subway. Together with the IND, it is operationally described as B Division...
's
60th Street TunnelThe 60th Street Tunnel carries the , , and trains of the New York City Subway under the East River and Roosevelt Island between Manhattan and Queens.The tunnel was built as part of the Dual Contracts period of New York City subway construction...
, as well as a spur from the elevated
IRT Second Avenue LineThe IRT Second Avenue Line was an elevated railway in Manhattan, New York City, United States, operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company until city takeover in 1940...
on the
Queensboro BridgeThe Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City that was completed in 1909. It connects the neighborhood of Long Island City in the borough of Queens with Manhattan, passing over Roosevelt Island...
. From this point east, the Flushing and
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.-Extent and service:...
s were built by the City of New York as part of the Dual Contracts. They were officially
IRTThe 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...
lines on which the
BMTThe Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation was an urban transit holding company, based in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, and incorporated in 1923. It is now the BMT Division of the New York City Subway. Together with the IND, it is operationally described as B Division...
held irrevocable and equal trackage rights. Because BMT trains were wider, and the platforms had been built for the IRT, normal BMT trains ran only to
Queensboro PlazaQueensboro Plaza is an elevated New York City Subway station over Queens Plaza in Long Island City, at the east end of the Queensboro Bridge, with Queens Boulevard running east from the plaza. It stands over the south side of the roadway, but formerly spanned the whole plaza...
, with a transfer to shuttles, using elevated cars, that alternated between the Ditmars Boulevard–Astoria and Main Street–Flushing terminals. IRT trains simply continued from the Queensboro Line and Queensboro Bridge onto the lines to Astoria and Flushing, originally called the Corona Line or Woodside and Corona Line before it was completed to Main Street–Flushing.
The line was opened from Queensboro Plaza to 103rd Street–Corona Plaza on April 21, 1917.
BMTThe Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation was an urban transit holding company, based in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, and incorporated in 1923. It is now the BMT Division of the New York City Subway. Together with the IND, it is operationally described as B Division...
shuttles began to use the line (and the
BMT 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.-Extent and service:...
) on April 8, 1923. East of there, sources conflict on when each section opened. A New York Times article from May 8 reports that service began on May 7 to Mets–Willets Point station, and mentions delays due to the structure sinking. Articles from May 13 and May 15 cover a celebration to coincide with the opening to the Willets Point stop on May 14. Finally, a January 22, 1928 article reports that the line had ended at 103rd Street–Corona Plaza until January 21; the extension had been finished over a year earlier but had to be strengthened due to structural problems.
Main Street–Flushing was not originally intended to be the end of the line. The Public Service Commission, in June 1913, was actively engaged in considering extensions of the line beyond Flushing, but these extensions, later planned as part of a large system expansion, were never built.
Currently and historically, IRT subway services on the Flushing Line were assigned the number 7, though this did not appear on any equipment until the introduction of the
R12The R12 was a New York City Subway car, the first rolling stock for the IRT division. Built by American Car and Foundry Company in 1948, these cars were very similar to the R10 cars, except the R12 was smaller...
class cars in 1948. The BMT services were assigned the BMT number
9, used on maps but not trains.
Western extensions were also built, with part underneath the Times Square–Grand Central Shuttle:
- 42nd Street–Grand Central to Fifth Avenue–Bryant Park
Fifth Avenue – Bryant Park is a rapid transit station on the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway at Bryant Park in Manhattan, New York City, United States. It has two tracks and one island platform, serving both Times Square-bound and Main Street – Flushing-bound trains...
on March 22, 1926
- west to Times Square–42nd Street on March 14, 1927
For the
1939 New York World's Fair1939 World's Fair redirects here. The term can also refer to the Golden Gate International Exposition, which was held in San Francisco/Oakland at the same time as the New York fair....
, the Mets–Willets Point station was rebuilt and centered on 123rd Street, just west of where the station originally lay. Some remnants of the old station are still visible; ironwork tends to indicate where the older outside-platform stations were, and the remains of the fare entry area can be seen east of the current station. The original
Willets Point BoulevardWillets Point, also known locally as the Iron Triangle, is the name currently applied to a neighborhood of Corona, in the New York City borough of Queens. It has no sidewalks or sewers....
station was a "minor" stop on the Flushing Line; it had only two stairways and short station canopies at platform level. It was rebuilt into the much larger station in use today, and the ramp used during two World's Fairs still exists, but is only used during special events, such as the US Open (
tennisTennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court....
). Express service to the World's Fair began on the Flushing Line on April 24, 1939. This was the first time the middle express track had been used for revenue service; prior to the fair, the express track had only been used for non-revenue moves and re-routes during construction.
Rolling stock on the line for World's Fairs
In 1938, an order of all-new World's Fair cars was placed with the
St. Louis Car CompanyThe St. Louis Car Company was a major United States manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, streetcars, trolleybuses and locomotives that existed from 1887–1973, based in St. Louis, Missouri....
. These cars broke from
IRTThe 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...
"tradition" in that they did not have vestibules at each car end. In addition, because the IRT was bankrupt at the time, the cars were built as single ended cars, with train controls for the motorman on one side and door controls for the conductor on the other. These cars spent their last days on the elevated
IRT Third Avenue LineThe Third Avenue Line, or Third Avenue El, was an elevated railway in Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City, open in parts from 1878 to 1973...
in
The Bronx