A (New York City Subway service)

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The A Eighth Avenue Express is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored blue on the route sign (either on the front and/or side - depending on equipment used) and on station signs and the NYC Subway map, as it represents a service provided on the IND Eighth Avenue Line through Manhattan. The longest one-seat ride on the subway system is on the A: over 31 miles^[1] (50 km) from 207th Street station in Inwood, Manhattan, to Mott Avenue station in Far Rockaway, Queens. The normal A service pattern is from 207th Street to Mott Avenue or to Lefferts Boulevard in Ozone Park, Queens, running express in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Some rush hour trips run to Beach 116th Street in Rockaway Park, Queens; the S Rockaway Park Shuttle serves Beach 116th Street at all times. During late nights, when C service doesn't run, A service runs local to Far Rockaway only; a special shuttle (the Lefferts Boulevard Shuttle) runs from Euclid Avenue to Lefferts Boulevard.

Billy Strayhorn's jazz hit "Take the A Train" (popularized in 1941 by Duke Ellington) made the A train famous. It is among the better-known trains in the system.

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
IND Eighth Avenue Line south of 168th Street	local	late nights
IND Fulton Street Line north of Euclid Avenue	express	all times except late nights
IND Fulton Street Line north of Euclid Avenue	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

[edit] Service history

A

8^TH AVE

AA

8^TH AVE

R1 end rollsigns

A

AA

1967-1979 bullets (in a circle)

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 Hudson Terminal (today's World Trade Center station), and the AA was a local between 168th Street and Chambers Street (adjacent to Hudson Terminal). 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 E 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 E train was extended to the Rockaways, and the A train ran local to Euclid Avenue or Lefferts Boulevard at all times. (CC 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 CC 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 E train became the local.

In 1986, the IND 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 C.

Until 1990, the main service was to Lefferts Boulevard, while the Far Rockaway service did not 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 59th Street-Columbus Circle 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 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.

[edit] Station listing

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

	Station	Times	Services
Manhattan
	Inwood–207th Street	all times	A
	Dyckman Street	all times	A
	190th Street	all times	A
	181st Street	all times	A
	175th Street	all times	A George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal
	168th Street	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line: 1
	163rd Street–Amsterdam Avenue	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	155th Street	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	145th Street	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ IND Concourse Line: B ^(123a) D
	135th Street	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ B ^(123a) C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	125th Street	all times	A B ^(123a) C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ D
	116th Street	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ B ^(123a) C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	110th Street–Cathedral Parkway	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ B ^(123a) C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	103rd Street	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ B ^(123a) C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	96th Street	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ B ^(123a) C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	86th Street	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ B ^(123a) C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	81st Street–Museum of Natural History	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ B ^(123a) C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	72nd Street	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ B ^(123a) C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	59th Street–Columbus Circle	all times	A B ^(123a) C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ D IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line: 1 2 ⁽⁵⁾
	50th Street	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ IND Queens Boulevard Line: E
	42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ E BMT Broadway Line: N Q R ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ W ^(123a) IRT 42nd Street Shuttle: S ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line: 1 2 3 ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ IRT Flushing Line: 7 <7> ^(1a2a3c) Port Authority Bus Terminal
	34th Street–Penn Station	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ E Amtrak LIRR NJ Transit
	23rd Street	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ E
	14th Street	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ E BMT Canarsie Line: L
	West Fourth Street–Washington Square	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ E IND Sixth Avenue Line: B ^(123a) D F V ⁽¹²³⁾
	Spring Street	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ E
	Canal Street	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ E
	Chambers Street–World Trade Center	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ E IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line: 2 3 ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	Broadway–Nassau Street	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ BMT Nassau Street Line: J ^(1235a) M ⁽¹⁾ Z ^(1a) IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line: 2 3 ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ IRT Lexington Avenue Line: 4 5 ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
Brooklyn
	High Street–Brooklyn Bridge	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	Jay Street–Borough Hall	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ F
	Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ IND Crosstown Line: G
	Lafayette Avenue	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	Clinton–Washington Avenues	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	Franklin Avenue	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ BMT Franklin Avenue Line: S
	Nostrand Avenue	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ LIRR
	Kingston–Throop Avenues	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	Utica Avenue	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	Ralph Avenue	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	Rockaway Avenue	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	Broadway Junction	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾ BMT Canarsie Line: L BMT Jamaica Line: J Z ^(1a)
	Liberty Avenue	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	Van Siclen Avenue	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	Shepherd Avenue	late nights only	A ⁽⁵⁾ C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	Euclid Avenue	all times	A C ⁽¹²³⁴⁾
	Grant Avenue	all times	A
Queens
	80th Street	all times	A
	88th Street	all times	A
	Rockaway Boulevard	all times	A
Ozone Park–Lefferts Boulevard Branch
	Rockaway Boulevard	all times	A
	104th Street	all times Euclid Avenue–Lefferts Boulevard shuttle, late nights	A
	111th Street	all times Euclid Avenue–Lefferts Boulevard shuttle, late nights	A
	Ozone Park–Lefferts Boulevard	all times Euclid Avenue–Lefferts Boulevard shuttle, late nights	A
Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue Branch
	Rockaway Boulevard	all times	A
	Aqueduct Racetrack	northbound only (11:00 to 19:00 on racing days at Aqueduct Racetrack)	A
	Aqueduct–North Conduit Avenue	all times	A
	Howard Beach–JFK Airport	all times	A AirTrain JFK
	Broad Channel	all times	A S
	Beach 67th Street	all times	A
	Beach 60th Street	all times	A
	Beach 44th Street	all times	A
	Beach 36th Street	all times	A
	Beach 25th Street	all times	A
	Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue	all times	A LIRR
Rockaway Park Branch–Rush Hour Peak-Direction Service Only
	Broad Channel	all times	A S
	Beach 90th Street	rush hours, peak direction only	A ^(1a) S
	Beach 98th Street	rush hours, peak direction only	A ^(1a) S
	Beach 105th Street	rush hours, peak direction only	A ^(1a) S
	Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street	rush hours, peak direction only	A ^(1a) S

[edit] Notes

↑ MTA NYC Transit — Info — Subways. Retrieved on 2006-07-08.

[edit] References

Line By Line History
IND Subway Services
"City Opens Subway to Brooklyn Today," New York Times, February 1, 1933; page 19
"City Subway Adds a New Link Today," New York Times, March 20, 1933; page 17
"New Bronx Subway Starts Operation," New York Times, July 1, 1933; page 15

[edit] External links

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[0] MTA NYC Transit — Info — Subways. Retrieved on 2006-07-08.

[1]

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