The Smith Street Line was a public transit line in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, running mostly along Ninth Street and Smith Street between

Park Slope Park Slope is a neighborhood in South Brooklyn, New York City, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park and Eighth Avenue (Brooklyn), Prospect Park West to the east, ...

and

Downtown Brooklyn Downtown Brooklyn is the third-largest central business district in New York City (after Midtown Manhattan, Midtown and Lower Manhattan), and is located in the northwestern section of the borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. The neighb ...

. Originally a

streetcar line A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include segment ...

, and later the B75, it is now split between two bus routes: the B57 (Cobble Hill section) and the B61 (Park Slope section). The B67, which supplemented service in Downtown Brooklyn along Jay Street before the elimination of the B75, continues to serve that section of the route. The B61 is operated by MTA New York City Bus' Jackie Gleason Depot in Sunset Park, and the B57 is dispatched from the

Grand Avenue Depot MTA Regional Bus Operations operates local and express buses serving New York City in the United States out of 27 bus depots. These depots are located in all five boroughs of the city, plus one located in nearby Yonkers in Westchester County. 1 ...

Maspeth, Queens Maspeth is a residential and commercial community in the Borough (New York City), borough of Queens in New York City. It was founded in the early 17th century by Dutch and English settlers. Neighborhoods sharing borders with Maspeth are Woodside ...

2018 New Flyer XDE40 9504 on the B57 July 2024

History

The entire line, along Prospect Park West, 9th Street, and Smith Street from the 9th Avenue Depot was originally on 15th Street beyond the city line. It starts from downtown Brooklyn, through Fulton Ferry—and was opened in June 1862 by the

Coney Island and Brooklyn Railroad The B68 is a bus route that constitutes a public transit line operating in Brooklyn, New York City. The B68 is operated by the MTA New York City Transit Authority. Its precursor was a streetcar line that began operation in June 1862, and wa ...

. The

acquired the line at some point, and by 1897 it passes through the Coney Island Avenue Line (leaving the line to the 9th Avenue Depot at Prospect Park Southwest). Buses were substituted for streetcars on February 11, 1951, and at some point southbound traffic was moved from Smith Street to Court Street, replacing the Court Street Line (which had been part of the Myrtle Avenue Line). In 2010, because of budget cuts, the B75 was eliminated. The neighboring B77, which ran from Red Hook to 5th Avenue via 9th Street, was also eliminated. The Cobble Hill Section (Court and Smith Streets) was replaced by an extended B57, while the Park Slope (9th Street) section was replaced by an extended B61. This also absorbed the B77, providing a one-seat ride from Park Slope to Red Hook, and the Columbia Street Waterfront. The B67 continues to serve the Downtown Brooklyn section to Jay Street and Sands Street.

In popular culture

In the 2000 film

Requiem for a Dream ''Requiem for a Dream'' is a 2000 American psychological drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher McDonald, and Marlon Wayans. It is based on the 1978 novel of the same ...

, two characters are seen hugging at a B75 bus stop.

References

{{Brooklyn bus routes Streetcar lines in Brooklyn B075 B075