Metro Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox NYCS service

The D Sixth Avenue Express[1] is a rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored Template:NYCS const, since it uses the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan.[2]

The D operates at all times between 205th Street in Norwood, Bronx, and Stillwell Avenue in Coney Island, Brooklyn via Grand Concourse in the Bronx, Central Park West and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, the north side of the Manhattan Bridge, and Fourth Avenue and West End in Brooklyn.

During daytime hours, the D runs express between 145th Street in Manhattan and 36th Street–Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn and local elsewhere. During rush hours in the peak direction, the D also runs express between Fordham Road in the Bronx and 145th Street in Manhattan. Overnight D service is only express in Manhattan and local elsewhere.

In its early years, the D ran to World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan via the lower IND Eighth Avenue Line. From 1954 to 1967, the D ran via the IND Culver Line to Coney Island. With the completion of the Chrystie Street Connection, service was rerouted via the BMT Brighton Line, running there from 1967 to 2001. A short-lived Template:NYCS const D service ran via the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan to the Brighton Line in Brooklyn, while Template:NYCS const D service used the Sixth Avenue, Central Park West, and Concourse Lines in Manhattan and the Bronx.

Mt. Eden Avenue[]

File:Sixth Avenue Subway Will Be Opened to the Public at 12-01 A.M. Sunday, Dec. 15, 1940.jpg

Sixth Avenue Subway Will Be Opened to the Public at 12:01 A.M. Sunday, Dec. 15, 1940

Mount Eden[]

File:1962 water main break service changes.gif

A poster showing the temporary DD service that resulted from a water main break

D service began on December 15, 1940 when the IND Sixth Avenue Line opened. It ran from 205th Street, the Bronx to World Trade Center (at that time called Hudson Terminal) on the IND Eighth Avenue Line at all times, switching between the IND Sixth Avenue to the Eighth Avenue Lines just south of West Fourth Street–Washington Square.[3] Service ran express via the Concourse Line during rush hours.[4]

D service was increased on October 24, 1949 in order to offset the discontinuation of C service, which ran express via the Concourse Line and the Eighth Avenue Line.[5] On December 29, 1951, Saturday peak direction express service in the Bronx was discontinued.[6]

On October 30, 1954, the Culver Ramp, a connection between the IND South Brooklyn Line and BMT Culver Line opened. D service was rerouted via these two lines to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue with additional trains to Church Avenue on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.[7] On Saturdays, four round trips ran between 205th Street and Kings Highway.[8][9] D trains replaced F service on the South Brooklyn Line, and were sent over the new connection as the first IND service to reach Coney Island. The service was announced as Concourse–Culver and advertised as direct Bronx–Coney Island service.[10][11]

Between October 7, 1957 and 1959, limited rush hour trains ran express to Euclid Avenue via the IND Fulton Street Line when the D started being inspected at Pitkin Yard.[6] Four trains left 205th Street between 7:20 and 8:10 a.m., and one left Bedford Park Boulevard at 8:53 a.m. These five trains returned between 3 and 5 p.m. During the morning rush hour, several northbound trains ended at Bedford Park Boulevard.[8][9]

From December 4 to 27, 1962, a special service labeled DD was provided due to a water main break. It ran local from 205th Street, Bronx to 59th Street–Columbus Circle, then continued as a local down the Eighth Avenue Line to West Fourth Street, where it switched to the Sixth Avenue Line and continued on its normal route to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via the Culver Line.[12]

Chrystie Street[]

File:D Train (1967-1979).svg
1967–1979 and 1989–present bullet

On November 26, 1967, the Chrystie Street Connection opened, connecting the Sixth Avenue Line with the north tracks of the Mount Eden Manhattan Bridge and the BMT Southern Division lines in Brooklyn. In conjunction with this project, the new express tracks on the Sixth Avenue Line between West Fourth Street–Washington Square and 34th Street were opened, providing additional capacity for the extra trains on the IND via the connection.[13] On this date, D service was switched over to BMT Brighton Line via this new connector, running express on weekdays to Brighton Beach and local to Stillwell Avenue at all other times. The D replaced Q service, which had run local in Brooklyn (except during morning rush hours and early evenings) and express on the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan, terminating at 57th Street. In Manhattan, it ran express from West 4th Street to 34th Street rush hours only, with the B using the express tracks to relay when it terminated at West 4th Street at other times. Service on the Culver Line to Coney Island was replaced by extended F service.[10][14][15] On July 1, 1968, it would become the full-time Sixth Avenue Express when non-rush hours B service and new KK service was extended to the new 57th Street–Sixth Avenue station.[16]

On August 19, 1968, to reduce conflicts at the Brighton Beach terminal, D service was truncated to Brighton Beach when it ran express on the BMT Brighton Line (morning rush hours through early evenings, and QB (rush-hour peak direction only) and QJ (morning rush hours through early evenings) were extended from Brighton Beach to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue. In addition, the span of Manhattan-bound D express service was increased by two hours, with the last express leaving Brighton Beach at 7:37 p.m.[17] Effective January 2, 1973, the daytime QJ was truncated to Broad Street as the J, and the M was extended beyond Broad Street during the day along the QJ's former route to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue, via the Montague Street Tunnel and Brighton Line local tracks.[18]

On January 2, 1978, changes were made to D and M service on the Brighton Line. Northbound weekday M train service originating at Kings Highway would begin at 5:46 a.m., while northbound service from Coney Island would begin at 6:34 a.m. From 5:40 to 6:34 a.m. northbound D trains would run local from Brighton Beach to Kings Highway, and then run express to Prospect Park. Late morning and early afternoon D trains would from then on run express from Brighton Beach to Kings Highway. The span of D express service to Brighton Beach was extended by 45 minutes to 9:05 p.m. from Prospect Park, and the span of M service from Broad Street to Coney Island was extended by 45 minutes to cover local stops.[19]

Rehabilitation work[]

File:NYCS-bull-trans-D yellow.svg
1986–1988 Yellow D bullet, serving the BMT Broadway Line

D service was divided and ran in two sections when the north tracks of the Mount Eden Manhattan Bridge closed on April 26, 1986, due to construction, with regular service expected to resume on October 26, 1986. The northern section ran between Norwood–205th Street in the Bronx and 34th Street–Herald Square (the orange D) while the southern section ran from 57th Street–Seventh Avenue on the BMT Broadway Line, then express along the Broadway Line to Canal Street, then over the south tracks of the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn, and then along the Brighton Line to Stillwell Avenue (the yellow D). Service to Grand Street was replaced by the S shuttle, which ran via the Sixth Avenue local to 57th Street–Sixth Avenue.[20]

At this time, the local tracks on the BMT Brighton Line also underwent reconstruction, necessitating the suspension of express service. As a substitute, the D and Q ran skip-stop service between Newkirk Avenue and Sheepshead Bay on weekdays. D trains served Neck Road, Avenue M and Avenue H; the Q skipped those stops, serving Avenue U and Avenue J, while both trains served Kings Highway.[21] The first skip-stop train left Brighton Beach at about 6:30 a.m. while the last one left 57th Street–Seventh Avenue at about 7:30 p.m. On weekday evenings, between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m., D trains made all local stops, except Parkside Avenue and Beverley Road where service was only available in one direction. During late nights and weekends, D trains ran express between Prospect Park and Kings Highway depending on which tracks were being worked on.[22] By 1987, as reconstruction on the Brighton Line progressed, the weekday skip-stop pattern expanded to Prospect Park, with D trains serving Beverley Road while Q trains served Cortelyou Road and Parkside Avenue, with Church Avenue as a mutual station.[23]

On December 11, 1988, the north tracks of the Mount Eden Manhattan Bridge reopened and the two sections of the D joined together running via Sixth Avenue Express. The D now ran as the full-time Brighton Local to Stillwell Avenue.[24][25]

From April 30 to November 12, 1995,[26] the Bridge's north tracks closed during middays and weekends and during these hours, D service was cut south of 34th Street-Herald Square. In its place, the Q ran local in Brooklyn to Stillwell Avenue.[27] On July 22, 2001, the north tracks were closed at all times and the southern (Broadway Line) tracks reopened. D service was again cut below 34th Street–Herald Square. In Brooklyn, D service was replaced by Q local service.[28][29][30]

After September 11, 2001, C service was suspended. On weekends, the D ran local on Central Park West north of 59th Street to fill in the gap in service caused by the suspension until September 21.Template:Citation needed

On February 22, 2004, full service on the Mount Eden Manhattan Bridge was restored and D trains were extended via the north tracks of the bridge to Brooklyn, replacing the W as the Fourth Avenue Express (late nights local) and West End Local to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue.[31][32] The D was moved to the West End Line instead of returning to the Brighton Line, which it had run on since 1967, to provide 24-hour service to both the Concourse Line and West End Line and avoid running two separate (B and D) shortened services outside of weekdays. This eliminated the need to run late-night and weekend shuttles on the West End Line as was done prior to 2002.[33]

From May 24, 2004 to fall 2004, signal modernization on the IND Concourse Line required the suspension of D express service in the Bronx.[34]

Starting on September 18, 2021, and continuing until January 24, 2022, southbound D trains terminated at Bay 50th Street so work could be completed to protect Coney Island Yard from flooding.[35]

In popular culture[]

  • Bob Dylan's 1966 song "Visions of Johanna" includes the lyric "In the empty lot where the ladies play blindman's bluff with the keychain/And the all-night girls, they whisper of escapades out on the D train." At the time, the D used the IND Culver Line to Coney Island.
  • Biz Markie's song "Pickin' Boogers" from his debut album Goin' Off features the line "I was chillin one day/with my partner Kane/headed up to the rooftop/ridin' the D train."
  • The opening track on Yoko Ono's 2009 album Between My Head and the Sky is titled "Waiting for the D Train". The D passes through 72nd Street (opposite her apartment in the Dakota Building) but never stops there, as it is a local station.
  • Beginning in the late 1980s, numerous Top 10 Lists on Late Night with David Letterman contained references to the D train as a punchline theme.
  • The service is mentioned in the song "Boogie Down "by Man Parrish Ft. Freeze Force (MC John Ski) raps the following line: "You take the D to 205th Then go see me 'cause I got the gift And I'm the cool MC with the vicious sounds I'm not from the Bronx, but I still Boogie Down".
  • The service is mentioned in the song "3 The Hard Way" by Beastie Boys. Adam Yauch raps the following line: "Used to ride the D to beat the morning bell at Edward R. Murrow out on Avenue L..." (Referring to Edward R. Murrow High School, where the D served the station closest to the school, Avenue M, until 2001, when it was replaced by the Q).
  • The service is mentioned twice in the song "Stop That Train" by the Beastie Boys. Mike D and Adrock rap the following line: "Same faces every day, but you don't know their names, party people going places on the D train". Adam Yauch raps the following line: "Groggy-eyed and fried, and I'm headed for the station, D train ride to Coney Island vacation."
  • The eponymous character of Seinfeld uses the D train to go to Coney Island in the episode "The Subway".
  • The 1980s folk-pop trio The Washington Squares includes a song titled "D Train" on their eponymous 1987 debut album.
  • Type O Negative refer to the D train as the chosen transport to Brighton Beach, where lead singer Peter Steele will kill his girlfriend in their songs "Xero Tolerance," "Hey Pete", and "Kill You Tonight".
  • It is also mentioned in an episode of The Penguins of Madagascar called "Gone In A Flash" where the penguins go to rescue Maurice and have to travel through the subway system. Also, in episode "Dr. Blowhole's Revenge", when Julien is kidnapped by the lobsters, Mort starts his travel to save him by using the metro until Coney Island.
  • The D train is the setting of the Amazon Prime series Riding The D With Dr. Seeds.
  • Man Against Crime episode "Third Rail" (S4E19) starring Ralph Bellamy was filmed on the D train and at the 207th Street Yard in 1953.
  • Jean-Michel Basquiat generated much interest in his graffiti art, which took the form of spray-painted aphorisms that were targeted at the D train.[36]
  • Joji's 2015 single "Thom" refers to the line in the lyric - "I take the D train to go to BK", referencing the service to Brooklyn, where he resides as of 2018[37]

Route[]

Service pattern[]

The following table shows the lines used by the D, with shaded boxes indicating the route at the specified times:[38]

Line From To Tracks Times
non-
rush
rush
peak
late
nights
IND Concourse Line (full line) Norwood–205th Street all      
Bedford Park Boulevard 145th Street express    
local      
IND Eighth Avenue Line 135th Street 59th Street–Columbus Circle express  
IND Sixth Avenue Line Seventh Avenue Broadway–Lafayette Street
Chrystie Street Connection Grand Street all
Manhattan Bridge north
BMT Fourth Avenue Line DeKalb Avenue bypass  
bridge      
Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center 36th Street express      
local      
BMT West End Line (full line) Ninth Avenue Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue    

Stations[]

For a more detailed station listing, see the articles on the lines listed above.[1]

Station service legend
Black dot Stops all times
Period dot Stops all times except late nights
Crescent dot Stops late nights only
Circle dot Stops weekdays only
Half dot Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction
Black diamond Stops rush hours only
Gray dot Station closed
File:Rushpeak Stops weekdays in the peak direction only

Mt. Eden Av[]

Template:Notelist

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Template:NYCS const
  2. mta.info - Line Colors. mta.info.
  3. "The New Subway Routes", December 15, 1940.
  4. "City's Subways Are Complete. 6th Ave. Line Set to Open On Sunday", New York Daily News, December 13, 1940.
  5. "IND Faster Service Will Start Sunday", October 20, 1949.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Template:Cite journal
  7. "Bronx to Coney Ride In New Subway Link", October 18, 1954.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Template:Cite journal
  9. 9.0 9.1 Template:Cite journal
  10. 10.0 10.1 Sparberg, Andrew J. (October 1, 2014). From a Nickel to a Token: The Journey from Board of Transportation to MTA. Fordham University Press. ISBN 978-0-8232-6190-1. 
  11. "Adequate Transit Promised For City; Authority Head Writes Mayor and Sharkey Denying Cuts Will Be 'Indiscriminate'", The New York Times, October 29, 1954, p. 25. (in en-US)
  12. Emergency IND Service Water Main Break Halts Service At IND 6th Avenue 14th St. and 23rd St. Stations. New York City Transit Authority (December 7, 1962).
  13. "Subway Route Changes Put in Effect; Capacity Increased", The New York Times, November 26, 1967. (in en-US)
  14. "Subway Changes to Speed Service: Major Alterations in Maps, Routes and Signs Will Take Effect Nov. 26", The New York Times, November 16, 1967.
  15. New Subway Routes Brochure. New York City Transit Authority (November 1967).
  16. Hofmann, Paul. "Skip-Stop Subway Begins Run Today; KK Line Links 3 Boroughs --Other Routes Changed", The New York Times, July 1, 1968.
  17. "5 Fast Lines To Coney", New York Daily News, August 18, 1968.
  18. To serve you better.... New York City Transit Authority (1972).
  19. To serve you better... On The Brighton Line in Brooklyn. New York City Transit Authority (1978).
  20. (April 1986) Washington Heights, Central Park West And Grand Concourse Riders Your Guide To Service Changes On The B D During Rehabilitation Work April 26 Through October 26, 1986. New York City Transit Authority. 
  21. The JoeKorNer Brochures.
  22. (April 1986) Brighton Line Riders Your Guide To Service Changes On The B Q M During Rehabilitation Work April 26 Through October 26, 1986. New York City Transit Authority. 
  23. Mader, Stewart. NYC Subway Maps Have a Long History of Including PATH, NJ Waterfront.
  24. System-Wide Changes In Subway Service Effective Sunday, December 11, 1988. New York City Transit Authority (December 1988).
  25. Johnson, Kirk. "Big Changes For Subways Are to Begin", December 9, 1988.
  26. Belluck, Pam. "For Riders, A Bright Spot Amid Tumult", The New York Times, November 13, 1995. (in en-US)
  27. Ronald Sullivan. "Bridge Repairs to Disrupt Off-Peak Subway Service", March 26, 1995.
  28. B D S Manhattan Bridge Service Change Timetable. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (April 2003).
  29. Manhattan Bridge Service Changes (July 21, 2001).
  30. Manhattan Bridge Service Changed B D Q <Q> W. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (July 2001).
  31. B D M N Q R W Weekday Service Manhattan Bridge Map. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (February 2004).
  32. MTA NYC Transit Manhattan Bridge Information. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (February 5, 2004).
  33. A Subway Map Remade, in Hopes of Matching Routes and Riders. The New York Times (February 20, 2004).
  34. Subway Service Information. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (October 12, 2004).
  35. Duggan, Kevin (August 17, 2021). D train service cuts coming to southern Brooklyn for three months.
  36. MoMA. MoMA.org.
  37. Joji Opens Up About YouTube Fame, Porn, & "In Tongues (17 September 2018).
  38. Template:NYCS const

External links[]

Template:Commons category

 v  d  e 
MTA: New York City Subway
Routes NYCS Route 1NYCS Route 2NYCS Route 3NYCS Route 4NYCS Route 5NYCS Route 6NYCS Route 6dNYCS Route 7NYCS Route 7dNYCS Route ANYCS Route BNYCS Route CNYCS Route DNYCS Route ENYCS Route FNYCS Route FdNYCS Route GNYCS Route JNYCS Route LNYCS Route MNYCS Route NNYCS Route QNYCS Route RNYCS Route WNYCS Route Z
Shuttles NYCS Route S (42nd StreetFranklin AvenueRockaway Park)
Defunct NYCS 89HKTVJFK Express
BMT 12345678910111213141516Brooklyn Loops
Shuttles 63rd StreetBowling GreenCulverGrand StreetOther
Unused 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • P • U • X • Y
Expansion Second Avenue Subway7 Subway ExtensionFulton Street Transit Center
Divisions A Division: IRTB Division: BMTIND (Second System)
Lists Inter-division connectionsInter-division transfersLinesServicesStationsTerminalsYards
Miscellaneous AccessibilityChainingHistoryMetroCardNomenclatureRolling stock
Other NYC transit Rail: AirTrain JFKAmtrakLIRRMetro-NorthNJT (rail)PATHStaten Island Railway
Other: NJT (buses)NYCT busesRoosevelt Island Tramway
Advertisement