B (New York City Subway service)

Sixth Avenue Express
Note: dashed line shows rush hour only service
Northern end	Bedford Park Boulevard or 145th Street
Southern end	Brighton Beach
Stations	37
Rolling stock	R68 R68A (Rolling stock assignments subject to change)

The B Sixth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs over the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan.

The B service operates on weekdays only from approximately 6:00 to 23:00 (6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.) though the last trains depart from their respective terminals at around 10 PM. Normal service operates between 145th Street in Harlem, Manhattan to Brighton Beach, Brooklyn via Central Park West, Sixth Avenue, and the Manhattan Bridge to and from Brooklyn. In Brooklyn, the B operates along the BMT Brighton Line.

During rush hours, the northern terminus for the B is extended to/from Bedford Park Boulevard in the Bronx. The B runs local in the Bronx and along Central Park West, and express along Sixth Avenue in Manhattan and in Brooklyn.

NOTE: Due to a renovation project, B service will run local in Brooklyn until late 2011 and only bypass stations that are being reconstructed.

The B is one of only two New York City Subway services that have two or more stations with the same name (the other being the R train): It has two "Seventh Avenue" stations, one in Brooklyn (on Flatbush Avenue) and the other in Manhattan (on 53rd Street).

History

Bronx-bound B train of R68s at Kings Highway

Brighton Beach-bound B train of R68As leaving Sheepshead Bay

B 6TH AVE	BB 6TH AVE
R1 end rollsigns

File:B Train (1967-1979).pngFile:B Train 2.pngFile:B Train 3.png

B Train Logos

• The designation B was originally intended to designate express trains originating in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan and operating in Midtown Manhattan on the IND Sixth Avenue Line. However, the original B service, beginning with the opening of the Sixth Avenue Line in 1940 and continuing until opening of the IND Chrystie Street Connection in 1967, ran only as a rush-hour local between 168th Street – Washington Heights and 34th Street – Herald Square. This service was designated BB in conformance with Independent Subway System protocol of using double letters to indicate local services.
• Subsequent to the opening of the Chrystie Street Connection the former BB trains were combined with the former T service of the BMT West End Line, creating a through service from Washington Heights to Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue. This service was initially to have been signed BT but was simply signed B instead.
• The partial closure of the Manhattan Bridge to subway service between 1986 and 2004 affected B service by severing the connection between the northern and southern portions of the route. Beginning on April 26, 1986, the northern B (via Sixth Avenue, informally called "Orange B") and the southern B (via the BMT Broadway Line, informally called "Yellow B") operated as two different services. The Orange B more or less duplicated the former BB service, and the Yellow B imitated the old T service.
• The former B service resumed December 11, 1988. On October 29, 1989, the IND 63rd Street Line opened, extending service to 21st Street – Queensbridge. B service ran through this new line on weekends. A year later, it would also run here on weekday evenings.
• On April 30, 1995, the north side of the Manhattan Bridge was closed on midday and weekends until the following November. During this time, B trains ran only between Atlantic Avenue – Pacific Street and Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue, running local on the BMT West End Line and express on the BMT Fourth Avenue Line.
• On February 22, 1998, B service was cut to 57th Street on evenings and weekends as a result of the reconstruction of the IND 63rd Street Line. Service on that line was replaced by a shuttle to the BMT Broadway Line.
• On March 1, 1998, the B and the C switched northern terminals, ending the connection between the B and Washington Heights. The B was now routed onto the IND Concourse Line during rush hours.
• In 2000, B service was taken out of the IND 63rd Street Line for signal and track work. It now ran along Central Park West to 145th Street (Bedford Park Boulevard during rush hours) at all times except late nights.
• On July 22, 2001, B service over the Manhattan Bridge was again interrupted and service recast similarly to the 1986 changes. However, this time the West End Line portion of the run was redesignated as the W. B service ran weekdays only, to Bedford Park Boulevard during rush hours and 145th Street during middays and evenings.
• On February 22, 2004, the Manhattan Bridge was fully reopened to subway service. B trains were extended through Grand Street station and over the north tracks of the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn, replacing the Q Diamond as the Brighton Express to Brighton Beach.

Route

Following lines

The following lines are used by the B service:

Line	Tracks	Time
IND Concourse Line south of Bedford Park Boulevard	local	weekdays (rush hours)
IND Eighth Avenue Line from 145th Street to 59th Street – Columbus Circle		weekdays (rush hours, middays and evenings)
IND Sixth Avenue Line from 59th Street – Columbus Circle to Broadway – Lafayette Street	express
IND Chrystie Street Connection (full line)
Manhattan Bridge	north tracks
BMT Brighton Line north of Brighton Beach	express (local until 2011)

Stations

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

Station service legend
	Stops all times
	Stops all times except late nights
	Stops late nights only
	Stops weekdays during the day
	Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction
	Stops rush hours only
	Stops rush hours in the peak direction only
Time period details
	Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
↑	Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act in the indicated direction only
↓
	Elevator access to mezzanine only

	Stations		Subway transfers	Connections
Bronx
	Bedford Park Boulevard		D
	Kingsbridge Road		D
	Fordham Road		D
	182nd–183rd Streets		D
	Tremont Avenue		D
	174th–175th Streets		D
	170th Street		D
	167th Street		D
	161st Street – Yankee Stadium		D  4  (IRT Jerome Avenue Line)
Manhattan
	155th Street		D
	145th Street		D  A  ​C  (IND Eighth Avenue Line)
	135th Street		C
	125th Street		A  ​​C  ​D	M60 bus to LaGuardia Airport
	116th Street		C
	110th Street – Cathedral Parkway		C
	103rd Street		C
	96th Street		C
	86th Street		C
	81st Street – Museum of Natural History		C
	72nd Street		C
	59th Street – Columbus Circle		A  ​​C  ​D  1  (IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line)
	Seventh Avenue		D  E  (IND Queens Boulevard Line)
	47th–50th Streets – Rockefeller Center		​D  ​F  <F> ​M
	42nd Street – Bryant Park		​D  ​F  <F> ​M  7  <7> ​ (IRT Flushing Line at Fifth Avenue – Bryant Park)
	34th Street – Herald Square		​D  ​F  <F> ​M  N  ​Q  ​R  ​W  (BMT Broadway Line)	PATH at 33rd Street
	West Fourth Street – Washington Square		​D  ​F  <F> ​M  A  ​C  ​E  (IND Eighth Avenue Line)	PATH at 9th Street
	Broadway – Lafayette Street		​D  ​F  <F> ​M  6  <6> ​ (IRT Lexington Avenue Line at Bleecker Street; transfer to downtown trains only)
	Grand Street		D
Brooklyn
	DeKalb Avenue		​N  ​Q  ​R  ​W
	Atlantic Avenue		Q  D  ​N  ​R  ​W  (BMT Fourth Avenue Line) 2  ​3  ​4  ​5  (IRT Eastern Parkway Line)	LIRR Atlantic Branch at Flatbush Avenue
	Seventh Avenue		Q
	Prospect Park		Q  S  (BMT Franklin Avenue Line)
	Church Avenue		Q
	Newkirk Avenue		Q
	Kings Highway		Q
	Sheepshead Bay		Q
	Brighton Beach		Q

External links

• MTA NYC Transit - B Sixth Avenue Express
• Template:PDFlink