A (New York City Subway service)
The
A Eighth Avenue Express is a service of the
New York City Subway. It is colored blue, since it uses the
IND Eighth Avenue Line through
Manhattan. The longest one-seat ride on the subway system is on the : over 31 miles
(
50 km) from 207th Street station in
Inwood, Manhattan, to Mott Avenue station in
Far Rockaway, Queens. The normal 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 Rockaway Park Shuttle serves Beach 116th Street at all times. During late nights, when service doesn't run, 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 train famous. It is among the better-known trains in the system.
The following lines are used by the :
| 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 |
}} | | 1967-1979 bullets (in a circle) |
A and AA
The and were the first services on the
IND Eighth Avenue Line when it opened on
September 10,
1932. The ran express between
207th Street and Hudson Terminal (today's
World Trade Center station), and the was a local between
168th Street and
Chambers Street (adjacent to Hudson Terminal). During late nights and Sundays, the didn't run and the made all stops along the line.
Detailed history
The 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 train ran local to Euclid Avenue or Lefferts Boulevard at all times. ( shuttle service from Euclid Avenue provided all service to the Rockaways).
On
July 9,
1967, the train was extended to Far Rockaway middays, evenings, and weekends, replacing the shuttle on that branch. Five years later, it would also be extended during rush hours.
On
January 2,
1973, the train became the express service along Fulton Street and the train became the local.
In 1986, the practice of using double letters to indicate local service was discontinued. The service was renamed the .
In 1988, the train was discontinued, and the train was extended to run at all times except late nights. It ran local to Euclid Avenue midday and rush hours (the ran express in Brooklyn during this time), and to World Trade Center during evenings and weekends.
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 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 service began running from Rockaway Park to 207th Street during the morning rush, and from 59th Street–Columbus Circle to Rockaway Park during the evening rush.
In the wake of the
September 11, 2001 attacks, service was suspended until
September 21,
2001. trains were extended from Canal Street to Euclid Avenue at all times except late nights. and trains assumed service along Central Park West, replacing the train.
On
January 23,
2005, there was a
fire at Chambers Street, crippling and 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.
For a more detailed station listing, see the articles on the lines listed above.
*50th Street station is accessible only in the southbound direction
*
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
*
MTA NYC Transit - A Eighth Avenue Express*
MTA NYC Transit - A schedule ()
