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IND Crosstown Line

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This article is about the subway line originally built by the Independent Subway System. For the former trolley line of the Brooklyn and Queens Transit, see Crosstown Line (Brooklyn surface).
IND Crosstown Line
"G" train
The G, which uses the Crosstown Line through Brooklyn and Queens, is colored lime green.
Overview
OwnerCity of New York
Termini
Stations13
Service
TypeRapid transit
SystemNew York City Subway
Operator(s)New York City Transit Authority
Daily ridership70,453[1]
History
Opened1933–1937
Technical
Number of tracks2-4
CharacterUnderground
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification600V DC third rail
Route map

Legend
Queens Boulevard Line
Flushing Line
Court Square
53rd Street Line
21st Street
Flushing Line
Greenpoint Tubes (Newtown Creek)
 Greenpoint Avenue
Nassau Avenue
Lorimer Street
(Canarsie Line)
 Metropolitan Avenue
Jamaica Line
 Broadway
Flushing Avenue
Myrtle–Willoughby Avenues
Bedford–Nostrand Avenues
Classon Avenue
Clinton–Washington Avenues
Fulton Street Line
 Fulton Street
| Lafayette Avenue
Brighton Line
Fourth Avenue Line
Eastern Parkway Line
 Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets
Culver Line
Fulton Street Line
This box:

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 southwestern Queens and is the only non-shuttle subway line that does not carry trains to and from Manhattan.

Extent and service

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The following service uses part or all of the IND Crosstown Line,[2] whose bullet is colored lime green:

  Time period Section of line
"G" train all times south of Court Square
Metropolitan Avenue station

The only service to use the Crosstown Line is the G. The line north of Court Square has not been in regular use since 2010.[3]

The north end of the Crosstown Line is a flying junction with the IND Queens Boulevard Line and 60th Street Tunnel Connection just south of Queens Plaza. The line then travels south as a two-track line, except for a center relay track south of Court Square. At the turn from Marcy Avenue to Lafayette Avenue, two center tracks appear, merging into one after crossovers to the main tracks. These tracks were to be used for a split to another line in a 1931 expansion plan. This center track continues through Bedford–Nostrand Avenues and then ends with crossovers to the main tracks, but space remains in the center through Classon Avenue for the third track.[3]

At Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets, the Crosstown Line passes through the middle of the four-track IND Fulton Street Line. Cross-platform interchange is available between the lines, but no track connections exist. After Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets, the line turns south and ends as a merge into the local tracks of the IND Culver Line, just south of the split of that line into local and express tracks.[3]

History

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Development and 20th century

[edit]

Plans for a crosstown subway line were floated as early as 1912.[4][5] In 1923, a plan for such a line, to be operated by the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) from the Queensboro Bridge under Jackson Avenue, Manhattan Avenue, Roebling Street, Bedford Avenue, and Hancock Street to Franklin Avenue at the north end of the BMT Franklin Avenue Line,[6] was adopted by the city.[7] However, the following year, Mayor Hylan announced his opposition to it.[8] In addition, residents of central Brooklyn, which was already heavily developed, opposed an elevated line because of noise and aesthetic concerns, but the BRT would not build a subway because an elevated was the cheapest option.[5]

Eventually, the line was moved and incorporated into the city's Independent Subway System (IND).[9] The junction with the IND Queens Boulevard Line in Long Island City was originally supposed to have a second wye, with service from Manhattan via the 53rd Street Tunnel planned to feed into the Crosstown Line. This would have been part of a loop service between the Crosstown and Eighth Avenue Lines.[9][10]

1920 proposal

The first contract to build the Crosstown Line, for a section north of Nassau Avenue in Brooklyn, was awarded in 1928.[11] The portion of the line crossing Newtown Creek between Brooklyn and Queens, now known as the Greenpoint Tubes, was built without the use of a tunneling shield or compressed air, contrary to the convention of the time. The tunnel was bored through solid rock, crossing under the East River Tunnels of the Long Island Rail Road and the IRT Flushing Line, then lined with concrete.[12]

On August 19, 1933, the line was opened north of Nassau Avenue, and the GG began operation to Queens Plaza.[13] The entire Crosstown Line was completed and connected to the IND Culver Line on July 1, 1937, whereupon the GG was extended in both directions to Smith–Ninth Streets and Forest Hills–71st Avenue.[14]

In 1946, as part of a $1 billion plan issued by the New York City Board of Transportation, a branch of the IND Crosstown Line was to be built, with the routing via Franklin Avenue and connecting with the BMT Brighton Line. This would have replaced the BMT Franklin Avenue Line.[15]

In 1986, the New York City Transit Authority launched a study to determine whether to close 79 stations on 11 routes, including the entire Crosstown Line, due to low ridership and high repair costs.[16][17] Numerous figures, including New York City Council member Carol Greitzer, criticized the plans.[17][18]

Service history

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Over the years, the termini for the GG (relabeled G in 1985)[19] varied, including being extended to Jamaica–179th Street[20] or cut back to Queens Plaza. On December 16, 2001, a new weekdays-only V train (replaced in 2010 by the M) running local on the Queens Boulevard Line required the truncation of the G to Long Island City–Court Square during weekdays.[21][22] G service was extended to Forest Hills–71st Avenue at all other times until April 19, 2010, when G service was permanently cut back from the Queens Boulevard Line due to budget cuts and closures for repair work.[23]

Service was also extended to Church Avenue several times, the most recent extension being in 2009. During weekend service disruptions on the F service between Jay and Bergen Streets, trains were extended beyond Church Avenue to Coney Island.

21st century

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Repairs of the Greenpoint Tubes from Hurricane Sandy

In 2012, flood waters from Hurricane Sandy caused significant damage to the Greenpoint Tubes under the Newtown Creek. Although the G was back in service days after the hurricane, the tube needed permanent repairs. To allow for these repairs, G service was curtailed for twelve weekends between July and December 2013, as well as daily between July 25 and September 2, 2014.[24]

The 2015–2019 MTA Capital Plan called for the Crosstown Line's Classon Avenue and Flushing Avenue stations, along with 31 others, to undergo a complete overhaul as part of the Enhanced Station Initiative. Updates would include cellular service, Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, interactive service advisories and maps, improved signage, and improved station lighting.[25][26] However, in April 2018, it was announced that cost overruns had forced the MTA to reduce the number of subway stations included in the program from 33 stations to 20. The stations to be renovated along the IND Crosstown Line were among the 13 stations without funding, which will be pushed back to the 2020–2024 Capital Plan.[27]

CBTC installation

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The MTA announced in early 2022 that it planned to put the contract to install communications-based train control (CBTC) on the Crosstown Line to Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets station and modify the three interlockings on the line up for bid. The cost of the project is estimated to be $556.4 million.[28] On May 16, 2022, the MTA put out the RFP for the design-build contract to install CBTC on the Crosstown Line. Court Square Interlocking will be modified to interface with CBTC while mechanical interlockings at Nostrand Avenue and Nassau Avenue will be replaced. Relay rooms and towers at Nostrand Avenue and Nassau Avenue will be decommissioned as part of the project. This project will include the use of axle counters instead of track circuits. Work on the project is expected to take four years.[29] In December 2022, the MTA announced that it would award a $368 million design–build contract to Crosstown Partners, a joint venture between Thales Group and TC Electric LLC.[30][31] The contract includes not only the Crosstown Line between Court Square and Bergen Street, but also the Culver Line between Bergen Street and Church Avenue.[31] The project also included adding Wi-Fi in the tunnels.[32]

Crosstown Partners formally received the CBTC contract in March 2023.[33] The installation of CBTC required nighttime closures of parts of the line in late 2023 and early 2024.[34] To accommodate the CBTC upgrades, the Crosstown Line was partially closed in three phases starting on June 28, 2024, and G service was partially suspended. Initially, the northern half of the line was closed, followed by the southern half.[35][36] Additionally, 5G cellular infrastructure was added during the partial shutdown.[37][38] The line fully reopened on September 3, 2024.[39][40]

Station listing

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Every station is served by the G train.

Station service legend
Stops all times Stops all times
Stops all times except late nights Stops all times except late nights
Stops late nights and weekends Stops late nights and weekends only
Stops weekdays during the day Stops weekdays during the day
Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only
Time period details
Disabled access Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
Disabled access ↑ Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
in the indicated direction only
Disabled access ↓
Elevator access to mezzanine only
Neighborhood
(approximate) 		Disabled access Station Services Opened Transfers and notes
Queens
Long Island City Splits from the IND Queens Boulevard Line local tracks (no regular service)
Disabled access Court Square G all times August 19, 1933[13] IRT Flushing Line (7 all times <7> rush hours until 9:30 p.m., peak direction​)
IND Queens Boulevard Line (E all times ​M weekdays during the day)
21st Street G all times August 19, 1933[13] Connection to LIRR at Hunterspoint Avenue
Brooklyn
Greenpoint Disabled access Greenpoint Avenue G all times August 19, 1933[13]
Nassau Avenue G all times August 19, 1933[13]
Williamsburg Disabled access Metropolitan Avenue G all times July 1, 1937[14] BMT Canarsie Line (L all times) at Lorimer Street
Broadway G all times July 1, 1937[14]
Williamsburg/
Bedford–Stuyvesant 		Flushing Avenue G all times July 1, 1937[14]
Bedford–Stuyvesant Myrtle–Willoughby Avenues G all times July 1, 1937[14]
Bedford–Nostrand Avenues G all times July 1, 1937[14] Center track between the two island platforms
Clinton Hill Classon Avenue G all times July 1, 1937[14] Additional space for a center track
Clinton–Washington Avenues G all times July 1, 1937[14]
Fort Greene Fulton Street G all times July 1, 1937[14]
Downtown Brooklyn Elevator access to mezzanine only Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets G all times July 1, 1937[14] IND Fulton Street Line (A all times ​C all except late nights)
Merges with the IND Culver Line (G all times)

References

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  1. ^ "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  2. ^ "Subway Service Guide" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Raskin, Joseph B. (2013). The Routes Not Taken: A Trip Through New York City's Unbuilt Subway System. New York, New York: Fordham University Press. doi:10.5422/fordham/9780823253692.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-82325-369-2.
  5. ^ a b vanshnookenraggen (September 23, 2015). "Mysteries of the Queens Boulevard Subway". vanshnookenraggen. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  6. ^ Transit Commission, New Subways: Proposed Additions to Rapid Transit System, 1922
  7. ^ "Two Subway Routes Adopted by City". The New York Times. August 4, 1923. p. 9. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
  8. ^ "Hylan About Faced, Says Citizens Union". The New York Times. April 6, 1924. p. 13. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
  9. ^ a b "New Subway Routes in Hylan Program to Cost $186,046,000" (PDF). The New York Times. March 21, 1925. p. 1.
  10. ^ "Bids for Test Boring in L. I. City For Crosstown Line Due May 22". Queens Daily Star. May 6, 1925. Retrieved May 1, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  11. ^ "SUBWAY EXTENSIONS FOR LONG ISLAND; Three Contracts for Work in the Greenpoint Section for Over Five Miles of Track. WILL COST-OVER $15,000,000 The New Fifty-third Street Terminal Under East River Now 45Per Cent. Completed". The New York Times. January 22, 1928. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  12. ^ Snapp, Fletcher G. (April 24, 1929). "Newtown Creek Tunnel First Tube of Kind Bored Without Compressed Air". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 3. Retrieved August 28, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Two Subway Units Open at Midnight – Links in City-Owned System in Queens and Brooklyn to Have 15 Stations" (PDF). The New York Times. August 18, 1933. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "New Crosstown Subway Line Is Opened". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 1, 1937. Retrieved December 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Borough Subway Relief Still 2 to 3 Years Off". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 6, 1946. p. 5. Retrieved January 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Beginning of text, p. 1:[1]
  16. ^ Brooke, James (April 29, 1986). "Subway Aides to Weigh Cuts on 11 Routes". The New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Gordy, Margaret (April 29, 1986). "MTA Studies Citywide Cuts in Subway Lines, Stations". Newsday. pp. 3, 27. Retrieved January 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Finder, Alan; Connelly, Mary (May 4, 1986). "The Region; On Shrinking The Subways". The New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  19. ^ "The JoeKorNer Brochures". www.thejoekorner.com. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  20. ^ "Service Changes September 30, 1990" (PDF). subwaynut.com. New York City Transit Authority. September 30, 1990. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  21. ^ "Review of the G Line" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 10, 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  22. ^ Kennedy, Randy (May 25, 2001). "Panel Approves New V Train but Shortens G Line to Make Room". The New York Times. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  23. ^ Haddon, Heather (April 13, 2010). "G train taking a hit before service cuts roll out". AM New York. Archived from the original on April 24, 2010. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
  24. ^ "G Line Review". mta.info. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  25. ^ Whitford, Emma (January 8, 2016). "MTA Will Completely Close 30 Subway Stations For Months-Long "Revamp"". Gothamist. Archived from the original on August 1, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  26. ^ "MTAStations" (PDF). governor.ny.gov. Government of the State of New York. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  27. ^ Berger, Paul (April 3, 2018). "New York Subway Cuts Back Plans to Renovate Stations". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  28. ^ "MTA 2022 Adopted Budget February Financial Plan 2022 – 2025 February 2022". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. February 18, 2022. p. V-3. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  29. ^ "Solicitation Title: S48012 Design-Build Services for Communication Based Train Control Crosstown Line "B" Division in Brooklyn and Queens". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 16, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  30. ^ Brachfeld, Ben (December 20, 2022). "MTA set to award $368 million contract to modernize G line signals". amNewYork. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  31. ^ a b "Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting December 2022". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 19, 2022. pp. 99–101. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  32. ^ Burkett, N.J. (August 7, 2024). "Exclusive look at MTA's G train modernization and what it means for riders in New York City". ABC7 New York. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  33. ^ "Crosstown Partners awarded New York Subway CBTC contract". Railway Gazette International. March 7, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  34. ^ Rahhal, Emily (November 27, 2023). "G Train Service To Be Suspended Overnight Between Bed-Stuy & Queens". Bed-Stuy, NY Patch. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
    Fishman, Melissa (November 28, 2023). "Overnight G train service to be partially suspended for signal modernization starting Nov. 30". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  35. ^ "NYC commuter alert: G train service partially suspended starting Friday night in Brooklyn for MTA signal modernization project". ABC7 New York. June 28, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  36. ^ Zanger, Jesse (May 30, 2024). "G train service will be partially shut down throughout the summer. Here's what to expect". CBS New York. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  37. ^ Khalifeh, Ramsey (September 4, 2024). "MTA rolls out cell service between stations on Midtown's 42nd Street Shuttle". Gothamist. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  38. ^ Rahhal, Emily (September 4, 2024). "Times Square shuttle will be NYC's first subway line with cell service". PIX11. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  39. ^ Medgie, Raegan (September 3, 2024). "NYC Subway: G train back to full service after summer repairs and modernization project". ABC7 New York. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  40. ^ Simko-Bednarski, Evan (September 3, 2024). "G train reopens as MTA crews wrap up subway signaling work". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
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