The B Division is a division of the New York City Subway consisting of the lines whose services are designated by letters (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, J, L, M, N, Q, R, W, and Z), as well as the Franklin Avenue and Rockaway Park shuttles. These lines and services were operated by the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) and city-owned Independent Subway System (IND) prior to the 1940 city takeover of the BMT.

The B Division rolling stock is wider, longer, and heavier than that used on the A Division measuring up to in width and in length, compared to in width and in length for A Division cars, which are limited by the infrastructure's loading gauge.Second Avenue Subway Draft Environmental Impact Statement,  

The B Division is broken down into two subdivisions, B1 (BMT) and B2 (IND), for chaining purposes. The two former systems are still sometimes referred to as the BMT Division and IND Division.MTA New York City Transit, Employment Opportunities: "During the first phase of the project, NYC Transit installed SONET nodes in the three subway divisions: IRT, BMT, and IND."

List of lines

The following lines are part of the B Division (services shown in parentheses; lines with colors next to them are trunk lines):

IND Second Avenue Line () BMT Fourth Avenue Line () IND Sixth Avenue Line () IND Eighth Avenue Line () 60th Street Tunnel Connection () BMT 63rd Street Line () IND 63rd Street Line () BMT Archer Avenue Line () IND Archer Avenue Line () BMT Astoria Line () BMT Brighton Line () BMT Broadway Line () BMT Canarsie Line () Chrystie Street Connection () IND Concourse Line () IND Crosstown Line () IND Culver Line () BMT Franklin Avenue Shuttle () IND Fulton Street Line () BMT Jamaica Line () BMT Myrtle Avenue Line () BMT Nassau Street Line () IND Queens Boulevard Line () IND Rockaway Line () BMT Sea Beach Line () BMT West End Line ()

History

Early history

The oldest line to become part of the B Division was the BMT Lexington Avenue Line, opened in 1885. A large system of elevated railways in Brooklyn was formed by 1908 by the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT), crossing the Brooklyn Bridge and Williamsburg Bridge to Manhattan terminals. With the Dual Contracts, signed in 1913, the BRT acquired extensions outward into Queens, as well as through Lower and Midtown Manhattan. The BRT became the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation in 1923 after a bankruptcy.

The Independent Subway System (IND) was created by the city in the 1920s and 1930s as a third system, operated by the city, competing with the BMT and Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT). The city took over operations of the BMT and IRT in 1940, consolidating ownership of the three systems into one. Since the original IRT tunnels were smaller, it has remained a separate division to this day.

IND before 1967 IND services were labeled on maps and signs starting with the opening of the first line in 1932. Six letters—A to F—were assigned to the major services, sorted by the north terminal and midtown line, and express services had single letters, while local services had double letters. G and H were assigned to lesser services, which did not enter Manhattan. The following labels were used from 1940 to 1967: NameNorth end/typeEighth Avenue Express (all times)Washington HeightsEighth Avenue Local (non-rush hours)Washington HeightsSixth Avenue Local (weekday rush hours)Washington HeightsEighth Avenue Local (weekday rush hours)ConcourseSixth Avenue-Houston Street Express (all times)ConcourseEighth Avenue Express (all times; to Rockaway weekday rush hours starting in 1956)Queens-JamaicaSixth Avenue Express (all times)Queens-JamaicaCrosstown Local (all times)Brooklyn-QueensHHFulton Street Local (discontinued in 1946)N/AHHRockaway Local (non-rush hours; began in 1956)N/A

Consolidation of operations Until 1954 and 1955, when the Culver Ramp and 60th Street Tunnel Connection opened, the BMT and IND trackage was not connected. The early joint services using these connections operated similarly to trackage rights; it was not until the Chrystie Street Connection opened in 1967 that the ex-BMT and IND systems were consolidated operationally.

Beginning in 1924, BMT services were designated by number. The city assigned letters (J and up)—generally following the IND pattern of double letters for local services—in the early 1960s to prepare for the 1967 Chrystie Street Connection. Only Southern Division routes (1–4 or N–T) were labeled on maps, but all services except remnants of the old els were assigned letters:New York City Transit Authority, 1966 Map and Station Guide OldNewName1Brighton Express via Bridge (weekdays)QBBrighton Local via Bridge (other times)QTBrighton Local via Tunnel (weekdays)QJBrighton-Nassau Loop via Tunnel (Weekdays)2RRFourth Avenue Local via Tunnel (all times)RJFourth Avenue-Nassau Loop via Bridge (rush hour Special)3TWest End Express via Bridge (weekday rush hours and Saturday)TTWest End Local via Tunnel (weekdays; shuttle in Brooklyn at other times)4NSea Beach Express via Bridge (all times)5N/ACulver Shuttle (all times)6N/AFifth Avenue-Bay Ridge Line (abandoned in 1940)7SSFranklin Avenue Line (all times)8N/AAstoria Line (all times)9N/AFlushing Line (discontinued in 1949; became all IRT)10MMyrtle Express (weekday rush hours)11MJMyrtle Local (all times)12N/ALexington Avenue Line (abandoned in 1950)13N/AFulton Street Line (Brooklyn portions abandoned in 1940 and 1956; Queens portion became IND)14KKBroadway Brooklyn Local (weekday rush hours)15JJamaica Express (weekday rush hours)JJJamaica Local (all times except weekday rush hours)16L14th Street Express (never ran)LL14th Street Local (all times)

Unofficially signed as "M", or sometimes "S".

In 1967, the Culver and Franklin Shuttles became SS—the standard shuttle designation—and the Myrtle Local ("Myrtle (Jay)"),New York City Transit Authority, 1959 Official New York City Subway Map and Station Guide discontinued in 1969) was labeled MJ.

After 1967 The 1967 opening of the Chrystie Street Connection resulted in a number of changes. The following services have been operated since then: A Eighth Avenue Express, 1967–present B Sixth Avenue Express, 1967–present C Eighth Avenue Local, 1967–present (CC until 1985) D Sixth Avenue Express, 1967–present E Eighth Avenue Local, 1967–present EE Broadway Local, 1967–1976 F Sixth Avenue Local, 1967–present G Brooklyn-Queens Crosstown Local, 1967–present (GG until 1985) J Nassau Street Express, 1967–present (QJ until 1973) K Broadway Brooklyn Local, 1967–1976 (JJ from 1967 to 1968; KK from 1968 to 1973) K Eighth Avenue Local, 1985-1988 (AA from 1967 to 1985) L 14th Street-Canarsie Local, 1967–present (LL until 1985) M Nassau Street Local, 1967–2010; Sixth Ave Local, 2010–present MJ Myrtle Avenue Local, 1967–1969 N Broadway Express, 1967–present NX Broadway Express, 1967–1968 Q Broadway Express, 1967–present (QB until 1985) R Broadway Local, 1967–present (RR until 1985) RJ Nassau Street Local, 1967–1968 S Franklin Avenue Shuttle, 1967–present (SS until 1985) S Rockaway Park Shuttle, 1967–1972, 1985–present (HH from 1967 to 1972 and H from 1985 to 1992 and 2012–2013; part of the A and CC in between) SS Culver Shuttle, 1967–1975 TT West End Shuttle, 1967–1968 V Sixth Avenue Local, 2001–2010 W Broadway Local, 2001–2010, 2016–present Z Nassau Street Express, 1988–present

See also A Division Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation Independent Subway System Interborough Rapid Transit Company

References