E (New York City Subway service)
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The E Eighth Avenue Local is a
rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be ...
service in the
B Division B Division, Division B, or variant may refer to: * ''B Division'' (New York City Subway) * ''B Division'' (Irish League), association football * ''Division B'' (Scottish Football League) * ''Divizia B'' (Romanian Football League) * Moldovan "B ...
of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is
blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...
since it uses the
IND Eighth Avenue Line The IND 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. Opened in 1932, it was the first line of the Independent Subway System (IND), and the ''Eighth Avenu ...
in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. The E operates at all times between Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer in Jamaica, Queens, and the
World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...
in Lower Manhattan; additional service during weekday rush hours originates and terminates at Jamaica–179th Street instead of Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer. Daytime service operates express in Queens and local in Manhattan; late night service makes local stops along its entire route. E service, which is one of the most heavily used services in the subway system, started in 1933 with the opening of the IND Queens Boulevard Line. In its early years, the E train ran along the
Rutgers Street Tunnel Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...
and South Brooklyn Line to
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, though this service pattern stopped by 1940. Until 1976, E train ran to
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
and
Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
via the IND Fulton Street Line and
IND Rockaway Line The IND Rockaway Line is a rapid transit line of the IND Division of the New York City Subway, operating in Queens. It branches from the IND Fulton Street Line at Rockaway Boulevard, extending over the Jamaica Bay, into the Rockaways. The ...
during rush hours and to the World Trade Center at other times. The E's northern terminal was switched from 179th Street to Jamaica Center with the opening of the IND Archer Avenue Line in 1988.


History


Creation and extensions

With the opsening of the IND Queens Boulevard Line from 50th Street to
Roosevelt Avenue Roosevelt Avenue and Greenpoint Avenue are main thoroughfares in the New York City boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. Roosevelt Avenue begins at 48th Street and Queens Boulevard in the neighborhood of Sunnyside. West of Queens Boulevard, the ro ...
on August 19, 1933, E service began, running between Roosevelt Avenue and
Hudson Terminal Hudson Terminal was a rapid transit station and office-tower complex in the Radio Row neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Opened during 1908 and 1909, it was composed of a terminal station for the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad (H&M), ...
(current World Trade Center station) on the
IND Eighth Avenue Line The IND 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. Opened in 1932, it was the first line of the Independent Subway System (IND), and the ''Eighth Avenu ...
. Because the
IND Crosstown Line The IND Crosstown Line or Brooklyn–Queens Crosstown Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It provides crosstown service between western Brooklyn and nor ...
did not yet fully open, and as the IND Queens Boulevard Line had not yet opened to Jamaica, service ran via the Queens Boulevard Line's local tracks. The E also ran local in Manhattan. Initially, weekday service ran every four minutes during rush hours, every five minutes middays, every six or eight minutes evenings, and every twelve minutes overnights. Service ran every four or five minutes during the Saturday morning rush hour, every five minutes during the morning and afternoon, and every six or eight minutes in the evening. On Sunday, E trains ran every six or seven minutes in the morning, every five minutes in the afternoon, and every six or eight minutes in the evening. Service provided by three-car trains during rush hours and two-car trains at other times. By January 16, 1934, rush hour service was operating with three- or four-car trains. E trains were extended to East Broadway following the opening of the IND Sixth Avenue Line from West Fourth Street on January 1, 1936. E trains no longer served stations on the Eighth Avenue Line south of West Fourth Street. On April 9 of the same year, the Sixth Avenue Line was extended through the Rutgers Street Tunnel to
Jay Street–Borough Hall A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family (biology), family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For examp ...
, and E trains were extended via this line and the IND South Brooklyn Line to Church Avenue, replacing the train, which was rerouted via the new IND Fulton Street Line to Rockaway Avenue. The E service was again extended with the opening of the Queens Boulevard Line extension to Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike on December 31, 1936. Express service along Queens Boulevard began on April 24, 1937, coinciding with the extension of the line and E service to 169th Street. Express service was inaugurated during rush hours, with E trains making express stops from 71st–Continental Avenues to Queens Plaza. The express service operated between approximately 6:30 and 10:30 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Express service was also provided on Saturdays between 6:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. During rush hours, GG trains were extended to Continental Avenue from Queens Plaza, taking over the local. During non-rush hours, when GG service terminated at Queens Plaza, local service was provided by EE trains, which operated between 169th Street and Church Avenue in Brooklyn. The initial headway for express service was between three and five minutes. With the completion of the Crosstown Line on July 1, 1937, non-rush hour GG service was extended to 71st Avenue, allowing E trains to run express along Queens Boulevard west of 71st Avenue at all times. EE service was discontinued at this time. In addition, three southbound E trains began service at 71st Avenue between 8:07 and 8:28 a.m. during the morning rush hour. The headway between trains during the peak of rush hour was reduced to three minutes at this time. On September 12, 1938, nine weekday rush hour trains began terminating at Jay Street between 7:45 and 8:30 a.m. Five of these trips originated at 169th Street, while the other four began service at
Parsons Boulevard Parsons Boulevard is a road in Queens, New York. Its northern end is at Malba Drive in the Malba neighborhood and its southern end is at Archer Avenue in downtown Jamaica. Route The road stretches for nearly six miles, divided into four segmen ...
. Four northbound E trains entered service at Smith–Ninth Streets between 4:52 and 5:25 p.m. on weekdays. The additional service allowed for a peak two-minute headway for twelve minutes in the morning rush hour southbound. The
23rd Street–Ely Avenue Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...
station opened as an
in-fill station An infill station (sometimes in-fill station) is a train station built on an existing passenger rail, rapid transit, or light rail line to address demand in a location between existing stations. Such stations take advantage of existing train serv ...
on August 28, 1939, and was served by the E service during rush hours, and by the EE service during other times.* * Between April 1939 and October 1940, select evening E trains ran to and from the Horace Harding Boulevard terminal at the 1939 New York World's Fair, terminating at
Hudson Terminal Hudson Terminal was a rapid transit station and office-tower complex in the Radio Row neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Opened during 1908 and 1909, it was composed of a terminal station for the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad (H&M), ...
in Manhattan. These trains operated to and from Chambers Street and ran between 8:24 p.m. and 1:29 a.m., when the fair closed for the night. Service ended following the fair. On December 15, 1940, service on the entire Sixth Avenue Line began, and service patterns across the IND were modified. E service was cut back to Broadway–Lafayette Street, and service south of that station to Church Avenue was replaced by the new train along Sixth Avenue. The new F service supplemented E express along Queens Boulevard, and allowed for the introduction of express service along Queens Boulevard between 71st Avenue and Parsons Boulevard. F trains terminated at Parsons Boulevard instead of 169th Street to reduce congestion at the two stations. Starting January 10, 1944, some E trains began terminating at 71st Avenue after the weekday and Saturday morning rush hour, and some originated there during the evening rush hour. In addition, the headway of late night service was increased from twelve minutes to fifteen minutes. In 1949, Saturday afternoon trains were cut back from eight cars to five cars. On October 24, 1949, the E was extended during weekday rush hours to Broadway–East New York, running local via the Fulton Street Line to allow A trains to run express. Several trains continued to terminate at 71st Avenue after the morning rush hour. At the same time, the headway between rush hour trains in the peak-direction was reduced from four minutes to three minutes. The Queens Boulevard Line's extension to 179th Street opened on December 11, 1950, and E trains were extended from 169th Street to terminate there. In 1952, trains were lengthened from five-car trains to six-car trains on Saturday mornings, afternoons, and evenings. On June 30, 1952, two morning rush hour trips on the E train were added, running between 71st Avenue and Jay Street. Midday service began operating on eight-minute headways instead of six-minute headways, evening service began operating on ten-minute headways instead of eight-minute headways, and late night service began operating on twenty-minute headways, instead of fifteen-minute headways. With the July 5, 1952 timetable, E trains began running every eight minutes during the morning and afternoon on Saturday, instead of every six minutes during the morning rush hour, and every seven minutes during the morning and afternoon. During late evenings, trains began running every twelve minutes, instead of every eight minutes. In 1953, the platforms were lengthened at 75th Avenue, Sutphin Boulevard,
Spring Street Spring Street may refer to: * Spring Street (Los Angeles), USA * Spring Street (Manhattan), New York City, USA * Spring Street, Melbourne, Australia * Spring Street, Singapore * Spring St (website), a US based lifestyle website Subway and trolle ...
, Canal Street, Ralph Avenue, and Broadway–East New York to to allow E and F trains to run eleven-car trains. The E and F began running eleven-car trains during rush hours on September 8, 1953. The extra train car increased the total carrying capacity by 4,000 passengers. The lengthening project cost $400,000. On October 30, 1954, the E service was modified as part of a series of service change made following the completion of the Culver Ramp, which made it possible for IND service on the Culver Line to run to Coney Island. Non-rush hour E service was rerouted from Broadway–Lafayette Street to Hudson Terminal, and E trains began running express in Manhattan during rush hours, when they headed to Brooklyn. In 1955, late night trains were cut back from five-car trains to three-car trains, and midday and evening trains were lengthened from six-car trains to eight-car trains. A year later, late night trains were lengthened to operate with four-car trains instead of three-car trains.


Changes in Brooklyn service

On June 28, 1956, the Long Island Rail Road's
Rockaway Beach Branch The Rockaway Beach Branch was a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in Queens, New York City, United States. The line left the Main Line at Whitepot Junction in Rego Park heading south via Ozone Park and across Jamaica ...
reopened as the
IND Rockaway Line The IND Rockaway Line is a rapid transit line of the IND Division of the New York City Subway, operating in Queens. It branches from the IND Fulton Street Line at Rockaway Boulevard, extending over the Jamaica Bay, into the Rockaways. The ...
after being converted for subway service, and E service was extended from East New York to Rockaway Park or Wavecrest (now Beach 25th Street) during weekday rush hours. During non-rush hours, service was provided by four-car shuttles between Euclid and Rockaway Park or Wavecrest. Three weekday E trains leaving 179th Street between 6:54 and 7:27 a.m. were cut at Euclid Avenue, with one half of the train running to Far Rockaway, and the other half going to Rockaway Park. After the end of the morning rush hour, several trains terminated at East New York, before going back into Manhattan-bound service before the afternoon rush hour. On September 17, 1956, rush hour E service was cut back to Euclid Avenue when Rockaway service was replaced by the A train. The A and E later switched southern terminals again, and on September 8, 1958, the E began running to Far Rockaway and Rockaway Park during rush hours, with some trips terminating at Euclid Avenue. During weekday off-peak hours, separate shuttles operated from Euclid Avenue to Far Rockaway and Rockaway Park. At the same time, round-robin service began during weekend and late night service, because of the low ridership at these times. These trains would run from Euclid Avenue to Rockaway Park, and then reverse and run to Far Rockaway, before returning to Euclid Avenue. The operation of eleven-car trains ended on August 18, 1958 because of operational difficulties. The signal blocks, especially in Manhattan, were too short to accommodate the longer trains, and the train operators had a very small margin of error to properly platform the train. It was found that operating ten-car trains allowed for two additional trains per hour to be scheduled. To make up for the loss of eleven-car trains, two short-run trains during rush hours from 71st Avenue were added on the E and F. On October 11, 1958, round-robin service ceased operating on weekends, being by replaced by shuttles running from Euclid Avenue to either terminal in the Rockaways. Round-robin service continued to operate late evenings, late nights, and early mornings. From October to June, round-robin service started at 6:40 p.m. leaving Euclid Avenue, and from June to October, the service began at 9:44 p.m. from Euclid Avenue. Since many Rockaway riders were dissatisfied with having rush hour service provided by local trains, starting on November 3, 1958, four morning rush hour E trains ran express via the Fulton Street Line from Euclid Avenue, two from Rockaway Park, and two from Far Rockaway. To make up for the loss of local service along the Fulton Street Line, four A trains leaving Euclid Avenue between 7:56 a.m. and 8:24 a.m. began making local stops. All E trains began running express and all A trains began running local to Euclid Avenue on September 8, 1959. On June 6, 1960, three E trains started originating at
Lefferts Boulevard Lefferts Boulevard is a major north–south thoroughfare in Queens, New York City, running through the communities of Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill, and South Ozone Park. Its northern end is at Kew Gardens Road, in Kew Gardens, and its southern end i ...
in the morning rush hour, and three E trains began terminating there in the evening rush hour after complaints from riders. Shuttles between Euclid Avenue and the Rockaways, which had not been assigned a route designation, but often were signed as E trains, were labeled HH trains on February 1, 1962. In 1964, E trains were cut back from five-car trains to four-car trains on Saturday late nights and to three-car trains on Sunday late nights. In addition, trains were lengthened from five cars to six cars on Sunday mornings, afternoons, and evenings. Two additional E trains began running from 169th Street during the morning rush hour on April 6, 1964; these trips began entering service at 179th Street on December 21, 1964. On July 11, 1966, midday service began running every ten minutes, instead of every eight, and evening service began running every twelve minutes, instead of every ten. At the same time, midday and evening trains began running with ten-car trains instead of eight-car trains, and late night trains were extended from four-car trains to five-car trains. Midday and evening shuttles between the Rockaways and Euclid Avenue were replaced by the A service on July 10, 1967. In October 1969, the
New York City Transit Authority The New York City Transit Authority (also known as NYCTA, the TA, or simply Transit, and branded as MTA New York City Transit) is a New York state public-benefit corporations, public-benefit corporation in the U.S. state of New York (state), New ...
(NYCTA) performed a test over the course of a month to evaluate the impact that increasing the scheduled frequency of the E and F services along the Queens Boulevard Line in the southbound direction in the morning would have on running times and the number of trains that actually ran in service. As part of the test, 35 trains were scheduled to leave 179th Street during the morning peak hour, 17 E trains and 18 F trains. However, only 32 trains actually left the terminal, 15 E trains and 17 F trains. The study found that the average number of trains actually in service was 28 at Queens Plaza, 14 Es and 14 Fs, and 31 at 71st Avenue, 15 Es and 16 Fs, and that running such a high frequency of service was not possible without increasing running times and causing congestion. Southbound E trains began stopping at the lower level of the 42nd Street station during rush hours on March 23, 1970 to reduce delays by relieving congestion on the station's platforms. The frequency of weekend service was decreased on July 3, when trains started running every ten minutes on Saturdays, and every twelve minutes on Sundays. As part of systemwide changes in bus and subway service on January 2, 1973, the E became the local in Brooklyn again, running alternatively to Euclid Avenue and Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street on weekdays from 6:15 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3:35 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.. The span of express service in Manhattan and through service to Brooklyn and the Rockaways during rush hours was doubled. The E would no longer also serve Far Rockaway during rush hours, with this service provided by the A. During other times, except when Round-Robin service operated, E shuttle service would run from Broad Channel to Rockaway Park. A trains would run express instead in Brooklyn during rush hours, though for a longer period of time, and would take over service to Far Rockaway. These changes were initially supposed to take effect on September 11, 1972. On January 19, 1976, rush hour service on the E was decreased. Northbound rush hour service began running every four or five minutes, instead of every four, and southbound evening rush hour service began running every four or six minutes, instead of every four. Finally, on August 30, 1976, E service in Brooklyn was eliminated with all trains terminating at World Trade Center. Brooklyn service was replaced by the CC local. On January 24, 1977, as part of a series of NYCTA service cuts to save $13 million, many subway lines began running shorter trains during middays. As part of the change, E trains began running with six cars between 9:50 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. On August 30, 1976, some E trains began terminating at 71st Avenue after the morning rush hour. Until 1986, two E trains and two F trains started at 71st Avenue in the morning rush hour with the intention to relieve congestion. These trains were eliminated because they resulted in a loading imbalance, as these lightly-loaded trains would be followed by extremely crowded trains from 179th Street, which followed an eight-minute gap of E and F service from 179th Street.''Archer Avenue Corridor Transit Service Proposal''. New York City Transit Authority, Operations Planning Department. August 1988 In 1986, the NYCTA studied which two services should serve the Queens Boulevard Line during late nights as ridership at this time did not justify three services. A public hearing was held in December 1986, and it was determined that having the E and R, which would replace the N, run during late nights provided the best service. On May 24, 1987, ten-minute frequencies on E during evenings were extended by an additional hour to 9 p.m.*


Archer Avenue changes

On December 11, 1988, the Archer Avenue Lines opened, and E trains were rerouted via this branch, running to Jamaica Center via the Queens Boulevard Line's express tracks. E trains began running express east of 71st Avenue, skipping 75th Avenue and
Van Wyck Boulevard A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across ...
at all times, with local service to 179th Street replaced by the R, which was extended to 179th Street from 71st Avenue. The R extension allowed F trains to continue running express to 179th Street. It was decided to serve Archer with the E as opposed to the F to minimize disruption to passengers who continued to use Hillside Avenue, to maximize Jamaica Avenue ridership and the length of the peak ridership period, which is longer on the F. It was found that most riders using buses diverted to Archer Avenue used the E, while passengers on buses to 179th Street used the F. Having E trains run local between 71st Avenue and Van Wyck Boulevard was dismissed in order to provide 24 hour express service to the Archer Avenue Line. Two service plans were identified prior to a public hearing on February 25, 1988 concerning the service plan for the new extension. The first would have split rush-hour E service between the two branches, with late night service to 179th Street provided by the R, while the second would have had all E trains run via Archer Avenue, and would have extended R locals to 179th Street. A modified version of the second plan was decided upon. The change in the plan was the operation of alternate E trains from 179th Street as expresses during the morning rush hour between 7:07 and 8:19 a.m. to provide an appropriate level of E service to Archer during the morning rush, to maintain the same level of service to 179th Street while providing express service, and to provide greater choice for riders at the Parsons Boulevard and 179th Street stations on Hillside Avenue. It was decided not to divert some E trains to 179th Street during the afternoon rush hour so that Queens-bound riders would not be confused about where their E train was headed. The 1988 changes angered some riders because they resulted in the loss of direct Queens Boulevard Express service at local stations east of 71st Avenue (169th Street, Sutphin Boulevard, Van Wyck Boulevard and 75th Avenue stations). Local elected officials pressured the MTA to eliminate all-local service at these stations. As part of service cuts on September 30, 1990, the R was cut back to 71st Avenue outside of rush hours. Local service to 179th Street was replaced by F trains, which provided Queens Boulevard Express service, during middays, evenings, and weekends, and local G service during late nights. In May 1989, Sunday headways were reduced from twelve minutes to ten minutes. As part of the changes, on October 1, 1990, morning rush hour service from 179th Street was discontinued, and all E trains began running to Jamaica Center. In addition, the frequency of E service was reduced from 15 trains per hour to 12 trains per hour to allow the frequency of F service to be increased from 15 trains per hour to 20 trains per hour. The frequency of F service was subsequently reduced to running every minutes on April 15, 1991, before being increased back to minutes, or about 18 trains per hour, on October 26, 1992. On April 1, 1991, E trains were shortened to run with six-car trains between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. in order to increase passenger security during overnight hours. In 1992, the MTA considered three options to improve service at the local stops east of 71st Avenue, including leaving service as is, having E trains run local east of 71st Avenue along with R service, and having F trains run local east of 71st Avenue replacing R service, which would be cut back to 71st Avenue at all times. The third option was chosen to be tested for six months starting in October or November 1992. The test started on October 26, 1992 and was implemented on a permanent basis six months later, eliminating express service along Hillside Avenue.


63rd Street changes

On March 23, 1997, the E service began stopping at 75th Avenue and Briarwood during evenings, nights and weekends. On August 30, 1997, E service began running local in
Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
during late nights in order to ease connections, reduce the need for late night transfers, and provide even service intervals. On the same date, late night G service was permanently cut back from 179th Street to Court Square, replaced by F service running local east of Queens Plaza, doubling late night service frequency at Queens Boulevard local stations. On September 8, 1998, E trains began running at a frequency of eight trains per hour middays, an increase from six trains per hour. During the early part of 2000, because of the replacement of track switches at the World Trade Center station, the E was extended to Euclid Avenue at all times except late nights, when it operated to Canal Street. Service on the E was again affected by the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
in 2001, as its terminal station, World Trade Center, was located at the northeastern corner of the
World Trade Center site The World Trade Center site, often referred to as "Ground Zero" or "the Pile" immediately after the September 11 attacks, is a 14.6-acre (5.9 ha) area in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The site is bounded by Vesey Street to the north ...
, so for a time, the E again operated to Euclid Avenue in Brooklyn as the local on the IND Fulton Street Line at all times except late nights, replacing the temporarily suspended service. On September 24, 2001, service was restored, and E service was cut back to Canal Street, since World Trade Center would be closed until January 28, 2002. On December 16, 2001, the connection from the IND 63rd Street Line to the Queens Boulevard Line opened, and trains were rerouted via this connector to travel between
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
and
Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
. E rush hour service was increased from 12 trains per hour to 15 trains per hour, and F service decreased from 18 trains per hour to 15 trains per hour to accommodate these trains. These trains ran to 179th Street, running express along Hillside Avenue, due to a lack of capacity to handle additional trains at Jamaica Avenue. Four trains began at 179th Street in the morning rush hour, and three began there in the beginning of the evening rush hour, four rush hour E trains ran to 179th Street in the evening rush hour, and three morning rush hour reverse-peak trips terminated at Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike. In addition, the frequency of weekday evening service was increased, with trains running every ten minutes instead of every 12 minutes. In 2002, the frequency of weekend E service was increased. Trains began running every eight minutes on Saturday mornings, instead of every ten minutes, and every ten or twelve minutes on Saturday evenings, instead of every twelve minutes. Sunday service was increased to run every ten or twelve minutes during the morning and evening, instead of every twelve or fifteen minutes, and trains began running every 8 or 10 minutes during afternoons, instead of every twelve minutes. On April 27, 2003, evening service was increased, with trains running at six-, eight-, and ten-minute headways, instead of twelve minute headways. Midday, afternoon, and early evening service was increased to run every eight minutes on February 22, 2004. On September 16, 2019, the three trips that terminated at Kew Gardens were extended to 179th Street, making express stops along Hillside Avenue. Between September 19 and November 2, 2020, E service was cut back to Jamaica–Van Wyck due to track replacement on the upper levels of the Jamaica Center and Sutphin Boulevard stations. During this time, a shuttle bus connected to Sutphin Boulevard and Jamaica Center. During the second phase, which started on November 2, 2020, a limited number of E trains ran to Jamaica Center, running express east of 71st Avenue during the day on weekdays and making local stops at other times. Service to 179th Street was expanded from weekday limited rush hour service to weekday daytime service; these trains made local stops east of 71st Avenue. This phase was completed in December 2020.


EE service

The EE originally ran as an Eighth Avenue local between 71st Avenue and Chambers Street during off peak hours when the did not run. This service was discontinued on July 1, 1937. However, the EE reappeared on November 26, 1967 when it ran between 71st–Continental Avenues and
Whitehall Street Whitehall Street is a street in the South Ferry/Financial District neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City, near the southern tip of Manhattan Island. The street begins at Bowling Green to the north, where it is a continuation of the ...
via the local tracks of the
BMT Broadway Line The BMT Broadway Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Manhattan. , it is served by four services, all colored : the on the express tracks and the on the local tracks during weekdays (the N and Q train ...
, replacing the and . This service was discontinued on August 30, 1976, and replaced by the .


Issues


Overcrowding

The E and F, the two Queens Boulevard express services, have historically been some of the most overcrowded routes in the entire subway system, and have more ridership than can be accommodated by existing capacity. Multiple efforts have been made to deal with the problem. In 1968, as part of the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority (MCTA)'s Program for Action plan to drastically expand the region's transportation network, the 63rd Street–Southeast Queens line was proposed to increase capacity between Queens and Manhattan and reduce overcrowding on Queens Boulevard express trains. This line would have served as a "super-express" bypass of the Queens Boulevard Line, paralleling the line by running along the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line, and making stops at Northern Boulevard, where a transfer would be available to Queens Plaza and Woodside, before merging with the Queens Boulevard Line at 71st Avenue. The line would have provided additional express service to stations east of 71st Avenue, and was intended to divert passengers from the overcrowded E and F to the new line, which would have connected to the
BMT Broadway Line The BMT Broadway Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Manhattan. , it is served by four services, all colored : the on the express tracks and the on the local tracks during weekdays (the N and Q train ...
and IND Sixth Avenue Lines in Manhattan via the new 63rd Street Lines. Since funding for the entire line dried up, because of the 1975–1976 New York City fiscal crisis, the plan was scaled back to the construction of the 63rd Street Lines to a dead-end station at 21st Street–Queensbridge in Queens. In 1990, the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area of the U.S. state of New York. The MTA is the largest public transit authority in th ...
(MTA) elected to connect the 63rd Street Lines to the Queens Boulevard Line at 36th Street, with connections to both the local and express Queens Boulevard tracks. In 2001, the 63rd Street Connection was completed, allowing for an increase of nine trains per hour on the line between Queens and Manhattan through the introduction of V service. Express F trains, which had run via 53rd Street, were rerouted via the new connection, and were replaced by new local V trains. To further increase capacity, as part of the MTA's 2010–2014 Capital Program, the MTA is equipping the tracks from 50th Street/8th Avenue and 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center to Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike with
communications-based train control Communications-based train control (CBTC) is a railway signaling system that uses telecommunications between the train and track equipment for traffic management and infrastructure control. CBTC allows a train's position to be known more accurat ...
, which would allow for three more trains during peak hours on the Queens Boulevard express tracks (it currently runs 29 tph). This would also increase capacity on the local tracks of the IND Queens Boulevard Line. With the installation of CBTC on the Eighth Avenue Line as part of the 2015–2019 Capital Program, and on the Archer Avenue Line as part of the 2020–2024 Capital Program, the E will become fully automated. In October 2017, twenty five-car train sets assigned to the E service had seats at the end of the cars removed to provide extra capacity. The MTA expected that the removal of seats would allow each E train to carry up to 100 additional riders. Subsequent surveys found that the removal of seats improved passenger flow on trains, helping reduce dwell times in stations.


Homelessness

For several decades, the E has hosted a large population of homeless people and has been nicknamed the "Homeless Express", according to a conductor interviewed by
WNBC WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo stati ...
. It is the subway route that most homeless people sleep on since the route runs fully underground, sheltering people from the cold, and since the route has some of the system's newer rolling stock. In addition, the route passes through major transit hubs that shelter the homeless, like
Pennsylvania Station Pennsylvania Station (often abbreviated Penn Station) is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to several of its grand passenger terminals. Several are still in active use by Amtrak and other transportation services; others have been ...
and the
Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving about 8,000 buse ...
.


Route


Service pattern

E trains run between Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer on the Archer Avenue Line and World Trade Center on the Eighth Avenue Line at all times, running via the Queens Boulevard Line in Queens. E trains run local along the Eighth Avenue Line at all times. All trains run express in Queens between 71st Avenue and Queens Plaza at all times except late nights, when they make local stops. On weekends, weekday evenings, and late nights, E trains stop at 75th Avenue station, 75th Avenue and Briarwood station, Briarwood; limited AM-rush trains also make these stops in both directions. During rush hours, limited service runs to and from 179th Street, typically making express stops east of 71st Avenue, although select PM-rush trains to this terminal make local stops. Four E trips originate from 179th Street during the a.m. rush hour, three E trips originate from 179th Street during the p.m. rush hour, three E trips terminate at 179th Street during the a.m. rush hour, and four trips terminate at 179th Street during the p.m. rush hour. E trains share tracks with F trains between the 75th Avenue and 36th Street interlockings during weekday rush hours and middays, and between the Van Wyck Boulevard and 36th Street interlockings on evenings, late nights and weekends. The shared segment with the F, during rush hours, receives the most scheduled service of any track segment in the system with 30 trains per hour, 15 on the E, and 15 on the F. The route shares tracks with M trains between Queens Plaza and Fifth Avenue/53rd Street station, Fifth Avenue–53rd Street, and with C or late-night A service from 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal to Canal Street. The following table shows the lines used by the E service, with shaded boxes indicating the route at the specified times:


Stations

For a more detailed station listing, see the articles on the lines listed above.


Route bullet

The E is signed on trains, in stations, and on maps with a blue emblem, or "bullet" since it runs via the Eighth Avenue Line. The route was first color-coded in a light blue on November 26, 1967, when the NYCTA introduced its first set of colored service labels to coincide with the opening of the Chrystie Street Connection. In June 1979, the route was given a darker blue bullet as part of the introduction of a new color-coding scheme based on subway trunk lines in Manhattan, done in connection with a redesign of the subway map.Navigating New York
9 Oct. 2018-9 Sep. 2019, New York Transit Museum, New York.


Rolling stock

The E train uses ten-car R160 (New York City Subway car), R160 trains to provide regular service, and uses 260 R160 cars, or 26 trains, to provide weekday service. E trains share their rolling stock with the , , and trains, and the route's rolling stock is stored and maintained at Jamaica Yard.


Notes


References


External links


MTA NYC Transit – E Eighth Avenue Local
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:E (New York City Subway Service) Independent Subway System, # New York City Subway services