Everything about A New York City Subway Service totally explained
The
A Eighth Avenue Express is a
rapid transit service of the
New York City Subway. It is colored blue on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the
IND Eighth Avenue Line through
Manhattan. It is the longest one-seat ride in the subway system: over 31 miles (
50 km) from
207th Street in
Inwood, Manhattan, to
Mott Avenue in
Far Rockaway, Queens.
The
A service operates at all times. The usual service pattern is from Inwood–207th Street to Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue or to
Lefferts Boulevard in
Richmond Hill, Queens via
Central Park West and
Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, and
Fulton Street in
Brooklyn, running express in Manhattan and Brooklyn; local in Queens.
Five rush hour trips run from
Beach 116th Street in
Rockaway Park, Queens to Manhattan during the morning hours and five rush hour trips run to Beach 116th Street from Manhattan during the late afternoon hours. At all times, a shuttle train service (the
Rockaway Park Shuttle) connects Rockaway Park to the mainline at the Broad Channel station.
Late evenings and nights (approximately 10:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.), the
A service makes all local stops in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, terminating at Far Rockaway. During these times,
S shuttle trains run between Euclid Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard.
The A's rolling stock consists of
R32s,
R38s, three sets of
R42s and
R44s. The
R42s are used to fill in the gaps for the trains that have retired.
The following lines are used by the A service:
| Line |
Tracks |
Time |
| IND Eighth Avenue Line north of 168th Street |
N/A |
always |
| IND Eighth Avenue Line south of 168th Street |
express |
all times except late nights |
| local |
late nights |
| IND Fulton Street Line north of Euclid Avenue |
express |
all times except late nights |
| local |
late nights |
| IND Fulton Street Line south of Euclid Avenue |
local |
always |
| IND Rockaway Line to Far Rockaway |
N/A |
always |
| IND Rockaway Line to Rockaway Park |
N/A |
rush hours, peak direction only |
History
The A and
AA were the first services on the
IND Eighth Avenue Line when it opened on
September 10,
1932. The A ran express between
207th Street and
Chambers Street (adjacent to Hudson Terminal), and the AA was a local between
168th Street and Hudson Terminal (today's
World Trade Center station). During late nights and Sundays, the A didn't run and the AA made all stops along the line.
The A was extended to
Jay Street–Borough Hall on
February 1,
1933, when the
Cranberry Street Tunnel to Brooklyn opened; an extension to
Bergen Street opened on
March 20, and to
Church Avenue on
October 7.
On
April 9,
1936, the
IND Fulton Street Line was opened to
Rockaway Avenue. On
December 30,
1946 and
November 28,
1948, the line was extended to Broadway–East New York (now
Broadway Junction) and
Euclid Avenue, respectively.
On
April 29,
1956,
Grant Avenue was opened, and the line was extended over the
BMT Fulton Street Line to
Lefferts Boulevard. Two months later, on
June 28,
1956, the former
Long Island Rail Road Rockaway Line was converted to subway specifications, and service began to
Rockaway Park and
Wavecrest (Beach 25th Street). At this time, rush hour express service on the Fulton Street Line with the train began.
On
January 16,
1958, a new terminal was created at
Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue, and the through connection to the Long Island Rail Road's
Far Rockaway station was severed. In 1963, the train was extended to the
Rockaways, and the A train ran local to Euclid Avenue or Lefferts Boulevard at all times. (
HH shuttle service from Euclid Avenue provided all service to the Rockaways). On
July 9,
1967, the A train was extended to Far Rockaway middays, evenings, and weekends, replacing the
HH shuttle on that branch. Five years later, it would also be extended during rush hours. On
January 2,
1973, the A train became the express service along Fulton Street and the train became the local.
In 1986, the
Independent Subway System's practice of using double letters to indicate local service was discontinued. The AA service was renamed the
K. In 1988, it was discontinued and replaced by the .
Until 1990, the main service was to Lefferts Boulevard, while the Far Rockaway service didn't run late nights; at this time, a transfer to a shuttle at Euclid Avenue was available. In 1990, this pattern was switched, with late-night A service running to Far Rockaway only. A shuttle now provides service from Euclid Avenue to Lefferts Boulevard during late nights. A few years later, special A service began running from Rockaway Park to Dyckman Street during the morning rush, and from 59th Street–Columbus Circle to Rockaway Park during the evening rush.
In 1999, the A became the express on the Fulton Street Line on evenings and weekends after
C service was moved from World Trade Center to Euclid Avenue during that time.
On
January 23,
2005, a
fire at the
Chambers Street signal room crippled A and
C service. Initial assessments suggested that it would take several years to restore normal service, but the damaged equipment was replaced with available spare parts, and normal service resumed on April 21.
Cultural references
- Take the A Train is a jazz standard by Billy Strayhorn, referring to the A subway service that runs through New York City, going at that time from eastern Brooklyn up into Harlem and northern Manhattan, using the express tracks in Manhattan. It became the signature tune of Duke Ellington and often opened the shows of Ella Fitzgerald. Part of the significance of this is sociological: it connected the two largest Black neighborhoods in New York City.
There is also a play by New York playwright Stephen Adly Guirges called Jesus Hopped the A Train.
Stations
For a more detailed station listing, see the articles on the lines listed above.
Further Information
Get more info on 'A New York City Subway Service'.
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