Route 2 (New York City Subway)

For the former BMT service, see BMT 2.

The 2 Seventh Avenue Express is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored red on station signs and the NYC Subway map because it represents service provided on the IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line through Manhattan. Trains of the 2 service run all the time. The usual pattern is express through Manhattan and local elsewhere; at late nights it is local everywhere. Some rush hour trips run to New Lots Avenue. Limited rush hour service operates on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line (two trains heading to Brooklyn during morning rush hours, and four trains heading to the Bronx during evening rush hours) to clear congestion.

The 2 service was one of the last strongholds of the Redbird cars. Introduced in the mid-1950s to early 1960s, they ran on the line until 2001–2002 and were replaced by the Bombardier-built R142s.

Service history

2 7THAV-BRONX

R12 end rollsign

2

1967-1979 bullet (in a circle)

The IRT White Plains Road Line had been serviced by 3rd Avenue El trains until July 10, 1905, when the connecting subway from 135th Street to the portal past Third Avenue–149th Street opened. Trains went to South Ferry, which opened the same day, from 180th St–Bronx Park.

On January 9, 1908, the Joralemon Street Tunnel to Brooklyn opened, and trains ran from East 180th Street to Borough Hall.

Five months later, Nevins Street and Atlantic Avenue stations opeed.

On March 3, 1917 and March 31, 1917, the IRT White Plains Road Line opened to 219th Street and Nereid Avenue–238th Street, respectively. They were later connected to the IRT Lexington Avenue Line

On July 1, 1918, the IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line was completed to Wall Street and South Ferry. The 2 train served both.

On April 15, 1919, the Clark Street Tunnel opened, connecting the IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line with Brooklyn.

On December 19, 1919, trains began alternating between South Ferry and Atlantic Avenue during rush hours. In 1923, service was extended to Utica Avenue.

On December 1, 1924, trains that ended at South Ferry now ran to New Lots Avenue instead.

On September 5, 1937, evening trains were rerouted to the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line.

In 1957, trains were extended to the IRT Dyre Avenue Line via new connecting tracks at East 180th Street.

On February 6, 1959, trains began running between Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College and Wakefield–241st Street during overnight hours, and between New Lots Avenue and East 180th Street other times.

Over the decades, the 1 and 2 (and later the 3) trains switched terminals between Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College and New Lots Avenue several times, until April 18, 1965 when all 2 trains were sent to New Lots Avenue at all times.

On July 10, 1983, the 2 train was sent back to Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College, its current route.

From March to October 1998, the IRT Lenox Avenue Line was rehabilitated. On weekdays, 2 trains ran via the IRT Lexington Avenue Line between 149th Street–Grand Concourse and Nevins Street uptown from 5:00 to 12:00 and downtown from 12:00 to 0:00.

In 1999, late night express service in Manhattan was discontinued.

After September 11, 2001, the 2 train became local in Manhattan (so they wouldn't back up behind 3 trains terminating at 14th Street). It returned to normal service on September 15, 2002.

Route

The following table shows the lines used by Route 2 service, with shaded boxes indicating the route at the specified times:

Line	From	To	Tracks	Times
				all ex. nights	late nights	rush peak
IRT White Plains Road Line (full line)	Wakefield – 241st Street	149th Street – Grand Concourse	local
IRT Lenox Avenue Line	135th Street	Central Park North – 110th Street	all
IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line	96th Street	Chambers Street	express
			local
IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line, Brooklyn Branch	Park Place	Borough Hall	all
IRT Eastern Parkway Line	Hoyt Street	Franklin Avenue	local
IRT Nostrand Avenue Line (full line)	President Street	Flatbush Avenue – Brooklyn College	all
IRT Eastern Parkway Line	Nostrand Avenue	Crown Heights – Utica Avenue	local
IRT New Lots Line (full line)	Sutter Avenue – Rutland Road	New Lots Avenue	all

Station service legend
	Stops all times
	Stops all times except late nights
	Stops late nights only
	Stops weekdays only
	Stops daily except rush hours in the peak direction
	Stops rush hours only
	Stops rush hours/weekdays in the peak direction only

			Stations		Transfer	Connections and notes
			Wakefield – 241st Street			Metro-North: Harlem Line @ Wakefield
			Nereid Avenue
			233rd Street			Metro-North: Harlem Line @ Woodlawn
			225th Street
			219th Street
			Gun Hill Road			Bx41 SBS
			Burke Avenue
			Allerton Avenue
			Pelham Parkway			Bx12 SBS
			Bronx Park East
			East 180th Street
			West Farms Square – East Tremont Avenue
			174th Street
			Freeman Street
			Simpson Street
			Intervale Avenue
			Prospect Avenue
			Jackson Avenue
			Third Avenue – 149th Street			Bx41 SBS
			149th Street – Grand Concourse
			135th Street
			125th Street			M60 SBS to LaGuardia Airport
			116th Street
			Central Park North – 110th Street
			96th Street
			86th Street
			79th Street
			72nd Street
			66th Street – Lincoln Center
			59th Street – Columbus Circle
			50th Street
			Times Square – 42nd Street		(42nd Street Shuttle)	Port Authority Bus Terminal
			34th Street – Penn Station			M34 / M34A SBS, Amtrak, LIRR, NJ Transit @ Pennsylvania Station
			28th Street
			23rd Street
			18th Street
			14th Street			PATH @ 14th Street
			Christopher Street – Sheridan Square			PATH @ Christopher Street
			Houston Street
			Canal Street
			Franklin Street
			Chambers Street
			Park Place			PATH @ World Trade Center
			Fulton Street
			Wall Street
			Clark Street
			Borough Hall
			Hoyt Street
			Nevins Street
			Atlantic Avenue – Barclays Center			LIRR: Atlantic Branch @ Atlantic Terminal
			Bergen Street
			Grand Army Plaza
			Eastern Parkway – Brooklyn Museum
			Franklin Avenue		(Franklin Avenue Shuttle)
			President Street
			Sterling Street			B44 SBS
			Winthrop Street			B44 SBS
			Church Avenue			B44 SBS
			Beverly Road
			Newkirk Avenue			B44 SBS
			Flatbush Avenue – Brooklyn College			B44 SBS
			Nostrand Avenue			B44 SBS
			Kingston Avenue
			Crown Heights – Utica Avenue
			Sutter Avenue – Rutland Road			B15 to JFK Airport
			Saratoga Avenue
			Rockaway Avenue
			Junius Street
			Pennsylvania Avenue
			Van Siclen Avenue
			New Lots Avenue			B15 to JFK Airport

References

• Line By Line History
• MTA NYC Transit - 2 schedulePDF (170 KiB)

External links

• MTA NYC Transit - 2 Broadway Express