F (New York City Subway service)
F (New York City Subway service)
Main page
2060411

F (New York City Subway service)

logo
Community Hub0 subscribers
What are your thoughts?
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
F (New York City Subway service)

The F and <F> Queens Boulevard Express/Sixth Avenue Local are two rapid transit services in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Their route bullets are colored orange, since they use and are part of the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan.

The F operates 24 hours daily between 179th Street in Jamaica, Queens and Stillwell Avenue in Coney Island, Brooklyn. Daytime service makes express stops in Queens (between Forest Hills–71st Avenue and 21st Street–Queensbridge) and all stops in Manhattan and Brooklyn; overnight service makes all stops along the full route. Limited rush hour service operates along the full route and makes express stops between Jay Street and Church Avenue in the peak direction only, making one intermediate stop at Seventh Avenue; this express service was introduced in September 2019. In Brooklyn, local service is denoted as (F) in a circle-shaped bullet while express service is denoted as <F> in a diamond-shaped bullet.

From 1968 to 1976, the F ran express along the IND Culver Line in Brooklyn. The F also ran via the 53rd Street Tunnel until moving to the 63rd Street Tunnel in 2001, except between August 2023 and March 2024 when service between Queens and Manhattan was rerouted to the 53rd Street Tunnel due to track replacement. Since the 1990s, there have been calls to restore partial express service in Brooklyn from Jay Street–MetroTech to Church Avenue, although this has been controversial. The limited express <F> service between Jay Street and Church Avenue started on September 16, 2019, with two trains in the peak direction during rush hours. The F has a weekday ridership of 600,000.

With the opening of the IND Sixth Avenue Line on December 15, 1940, F service began, operating as the line's Queens Boulevard service. It operated between Parsons Boulevard and Church Avenue via Queens Boulevard Line, Sixth Avenue Line, and the Culver Line. It ran express in Queens and local in Manhattan and Brooklyn. F trains provided an additional 24/7 express route in Queens, and inaugurated express service on the Queens Boulevard Line east of Continental Avenue. F trains ran on the express tracks between West Fourth Street and Broadway-Lafayette Street to avoid conflict with the D and E south of West Fourth Street. This service pattern was first announced by the New York City Board of Transportation on December 1, 1939. With the start of F service, E service was cut back from Church Avenue to Broadway–Lafayette Street.

On January 10, 1944, trains were extended to 169th Street during evenings, late nights, and Sunday mornings. Temporarily in 1948, as shown in a map from that year, the D and F service switched, with the F terminating at Second Avenue, but this was subsequently rescinded.

On December 11, 1950, trains were extended to the newly opened Jamaica–179th Street on evenings, nights, and Sunday mornings. On May 13, 1951, all trains outside of rush hour were extended to 179th Street using the local tracks beyond Parsons Boulevard. On October 8, 1951, trains were extended to 179th Street at all times. During rush hours F trains skipped 169th Street running via the express tracks. At other times, the F stopped at 169th Street.

On June 30, 1952, two morning rush hour trips on both the E and F trains, running between 71st Avenue and Jay Street. E and F trains each began running every three minutes for 24 minutes in the AM rush, and every 3.5 minutes for 45 minutes in the PM rush.

In 1953, the platforms were lengthened to 660 feet (200 m) at 75th Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard so that F trains could 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. Ten 11-car trains operated on each of the E and F trains.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.