7 (New York City Subway service)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  |
Flushing Local and Express |
| Western end | Times Square |
| Eastern end | Flushing – Main Street |
| Stations | 21 |
The 7 Flushing Local and 7 Flushing Express are rapid transit services of the New York City Subway, providing local and express services along the full length of the IRT Flushing Line. The services are colored purple on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, with local service denoted by a 7 in a circular logo, and express service by a 7 in a diamond-shaped logo.
Local service operates at all times. Express service runs in the peak direction (to Times Square during mornings, to Flushing – Main Street during evenings) between 06:30 and 22:00 (6:30 am and 10:00 pm ET) on weekdays. "Super Express" service to Manhattan is also provided after New York Mets games weeknights and weekends at Citi Field: starting at Mets – Willets Point and operating express to Times Square, also bypassing Junction Boulevard, Hunters Point Avenue and Vernon Boulevard – Jackson Avenue.[1] The 7 route is the only one in the system to run 11-car trains, more than any other New York City Subway route.
The 7 has been referred to in some publications as the "International Express",[2][3] because the route travels through several different ethnic neighborhoods populated by U.S. immigrants, especially along Roosevelt Avenue. This name is not official, nor is the title used in day to day operations.
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[edit] Fleet
This line was the last stronghold for the "Redbird" subway cars. Until 2002, the entire fleet was dominated by the R33/R36 World's Fair cars. As time passed, the Redbirds were being phased out and replaced by the Bombardier-built R62A cars. On November 3, 2003, the last Redbird train made its final trip on this line, making all stops between Times Square and (the then-named) Willets Point – Shea Stadium.
Several Redbird cars running on this line were decorated with Mets logos and colors during the 2000 Subway Series against the New York Yankees, as the line runs adjacent to CitiField and the former location of Shea Stadium. Some R33/R36 WFs remain in Corona Yard, adjacent to Flushing Meadow Corona Park and CitiField.
Currently, all of the R62As on the 7 have been upgraded with LED lighted signs to distinguish between express and local trains. The local is a green circle around the 7 service bullet while the express is a red diamond. Previously, the rollsigns showed either a 7 within a circle or a 7 within a diamond with the word "Express" underneath it.
[edit] Service history
On June 13, 1915, the first test train on the IRT Flushing Line ran between Grand Central and Vernon Boulevard – Jackson Avenue, followed by the start of revenue service on June 22nd. Over the next thirteen years, the line was extended piece by piece to its current form between Times Square and Flushing – Main Street.
The 7 designation has been assigned to its current route since the introduction of front rollsigns on the R12 in 1948.
From May 13, 1985 to August 21, 1989, the IRT Flushing Line was overhauled for improvements, including the installation of new track, repair of station structures and to improve line infrastructure. The major element was the replacement of rails on the Queens Boulevard viaduct. Express service was suspended for the duration of the project; however, extra service was provided for Mets games and Flushing Meadows Park events. Upon the completion of the project, express service was restored, but express trains bypassed the 61st Street – Woodside station because the Transit Authority was concerned about passengers transferring between local and express trains at that station. The stop was added a few months later after pressure from community opposition.[4]
In the mid-1990s, the MTA discovered that the Queens Boulevard viaduct structure was unstable, as rocks that were used to support the tracks as ballast became loose due to poor drainage, which, in turn, affected the integrity of the concrete structure overall. Express service was suspended between 61st Street – Woodside and Queensboro Plaza; temporary platforms were installed to access the express track in the four intermediate stations.[5] The work began in April 1993. When the viaduct reconstruction finished on March 31, 1997, full express service was reinstated. [6]
In 1999, express service was extended from rush hours only to its current time frame.
An extension of the line to 11th Avenue – 34th Street, near the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is currently being constructed and is scheduled to be completed in 2013.[7]
As of early 2008, service is being altered to accommodate construction for the conversion to Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) operation on the 7. In the MTA's Q&A pdf of the capital construction program for 2010-2014 are the possible future for the seven line. In November 2009, Possibly a contract will be awarded to begin construction of new system which MTA estimates which would be completed in 2016 alongside with the opening of the extension.[8]
[edit] Stations
For a more detailed station listing, see IRT Flushing Line.
| Station service legend | |
|---|---|
 |
Stops all times |
 |
Stops all times except late nights |
 |
Stops late nights and weekends only |
 |
Stops weekdays only |
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Stops rush hours in the peak direction only |
 |
Station closed |
| Time period details | |
- Express trains run on Weekdays from 06:30 to 22:00 (6:30 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. ET), to Manhattan during a.m. hours, to Queens during p.m. hours and after games at Citi Field.
[edit] References
- ^ "Mets Super Express". New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority. http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/events/mets_express.htm. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ "The International Express: Around the World on the 7 Train". Queens Tribune. http://www.queenstribune.com/anniversary2002/internationalexpress.htm. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ Cohen, Billie (January 14, 2008). "No. 7 Train From Flushing-Main Street to Times Square". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/realestate/14comm.html?scp=1&sq=%22international%20express%22%207&st=cse. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ Feinman, Mark S. (December 8, 2004). "The New York City Transit Authority in the 1980s". nycsubway.org. http://www.nycsubway.org/articles/history-nycta1980s.html. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ Pérez-Peńa, Richard (October 9, 1995). "Along the Subway, a Feat in Concrete". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/09/nyregion/along-the-subway-a-feat-in-concrete.html. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ Onishi, Norimitsu (February 16, 1997). "On the No. 7 Subway Line in Queens, It's an Underground United Nations". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/16/nyregion/on-the-no-7-subway-line-in-queens-it-s-an-underground-united-nations.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/134949
- ^ MTA's Q&A on Capital Program 2010-2014
- ^ Only the Flushing-bound local side platform is wheelchair-accessible. Trains operate on this platform only during New York Mets games and other special events.
- ^ "Mets - Willets Point Station: Accessibility on game days and special events only". New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority. http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/events/mets_willets.htm. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
[edit] External links
- MTA New York City Transit - 7 Flushing Local
- MTA New York City Transit - 7 Flushing Express
- MTA NYC Transit - 7 train timetablePDF (281 KB)
- Safari 7 - Tour of Urban Wildlife along the 7 line
- Fiscal Brief September 2002PDF (144 KB)
- wcbstv story
- Newsday story
- NY1 story
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