The E Eighth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored blue since it uses the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan.
The E operates 24 hours daily between Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer in Jamaica, Queens, and the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan; limited rush hour service originates and terminates at 179th Street instead of Jamaica Center. Daytime service makes express stops in Queens and all stops in Manhattan; overnight service makes all stops along the full route.
E service, which is one of the most heavily used services in the subway system, started in 1933 with the opening of the IND Queens Boulevard Line. In its early years, the E train ran along the Rutgers Street Tunnel and South Brooklyn Line to Brooklyn, though this service pattern stopped by 1940. Until 1976, the E train ran to Brooklyn and Queens via the IND Fulton Street Line and IND Rockaway Line during rush hours and to the World Trade Center at other times. The E's northern terminal was switched from 179th Street to Jamaica Center with the opening of the IND Archer Avenue Line in 1988.
History
Creation and extensions E service began with the opening of the IND Queens Boulevard Line from 50th Street to Roosevelt Avenue on August 19, 1933, running between Roosevelt Avenue and Hudson Terminal (current World Trade Center station) on the IND Eighth Avenue Line. Because the IND Crosstown Line did not yet fully open, and as the IND Queens Boulevard Line had not yet opened to Jamaica, service ran via the Queens Boulevard Line's local tracks. The E also ran local in Manhattan. Initially, weekday service ran every four minutes during rush hours, every five minutes middays, every six or eight minutes evenings, and every twelve minutes overnights. Service ran every four or five minutes during the Saturday morning rush hour, every five minutes during the morning and afternoon, and every six or eight minutes in the evening. On Sunday, E trains ran every six or seven minutes in the morning, every five minutes in the afternoon, and every six or eight minutes in the evening. Service was provided by three-car trains during rush hours and two-car trains at other times. By January 16, 1934, rush hour service was operating with three- or four-car trains.
E trains were extended to East Broadway following the opening of the IND Sixth Avenue Line from West Fourth Street on January 1, 1936. E trains no longer served stations on the Eighth Avenue Line south of West Fourth Street. On April 9 of the same year, the Sixth Avenue Line was extended through the Rutgers Street Tunnel to Jay Street–Borough Hall, and E trains were extended via this line and the IND South Brooklyn Line to Church Avenue, replacing the train, which was rerouted via the new IND Fulton Street Line to Rockaway Avenue. The E service was again extended with the opening of the Queens Boulevard Line extension to Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike on December 31, 1936.
Express service along Queens Boulevard began on April 24, 1937, coinciding with the extension of the line and E service to 169th Street. Express service was inaugurated during rush hours, with E trains making express stops from 71st–Continental Avenues to Queens Plaza. The express service operated between approximately 6:30 and 10:30 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Express service was also provided on Saturdays between 6:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. During rush hours, GG trains were extended to Continental Avenue from Queens Plaza, taking over the local service. During non-rush hours, when GG service terminated at Queens Plaza, local service was provided by EE trains, which operated between 169th Street and Church Avenue in Brooklyn. The initial headway for express service was between three and five minutes. With the completion of the Crosstown Line on July 1, 1937, non-rush hour GG service was extended to 71st Avenue, allowing E trains to run express along Queens Boulevard west of 71st Avenue at all times. EE service was discontinued at this time. In addition, three southbound E trains began service at 71st Avenue between 8:07 and 8:28 a.m. during the morning rush hour. The headway between trains during the peak of rush hour was reduced to three minutes at this time.
On September 12, 1938, nine weekday rush hour trains began terminating at Jay Street between 7:45 and 8:30 a.m. Five of these trips originated at 169th Street, while the other four began service at Parsons Boulevard. Four northbound E trains entered service at Smith–Ninth Streets between 4:52 and 5:25 p.m. on weekdays. The additional service allowed for a peak two-minute headway for twelve minutes in the morning rush hour southbound. The 23rd Street–Ely Avenue station opened as an in-fill station on August 28, 1939, and was served by the E service during rush hours, and by the EE service during other times.* Between April 1939 and October 1940, select evening E trains ran to and from the Horace Harding Boulevard terminal at the 1939 New York World's Fair, terminating at Hudson Terminal in Manhattan. These trains operated to and from Chambers Street and ran between 8:24 p.m. and 1:29 a.m., when the fair closed for the night. Service ended following the fair.
On December 15, 1940, service on the entire Sixth Avenue Line began, and service patterns across the IND were modified. E service was cut back to Broadway–Lafayette Street, and service south of that station to Church Avenue was replaced by the new train along Sixth Avenue. The new F service supplemented E express along Queens Boulevard, and allowed for the introduction of express service along Queens Boulevard between 71st Avenue and Parsons Boulevard. F trains terminated at Parsons Boulevard instead of 169th Street to reduce congestion at the two stations. Starting January 10, 1944, some E trains began terminating at 71st Avenue after the weekday and Saturday morning rush hour, and some originated there during the evening rush hour. In addition, the headway of late night service was increased from twelve minutes to fifteen minutes.
In 1949, Saturday afternoon trains were cut back from eight cars to five cars. On October 24, 1949, the E was extended during weekday rush hours to Broadway–East New York, running local via the Fulton Street Line to allow A trains to run express. Several trains continued to terminate at 71st Avenue after the morning rush hour. At the same time, the headway between rush hour trains in the peak-direction was reduced from four minutes to three minutes. The Queens Boulevard Line's extension to 179th Street opened on December 11, 1950, and E trains were extended from 169th Street to terminate there. In 1952, trains were lengthened from five-car trains to six-car trains on Saturday mornings, afternoons, and evenings.
On June 30, 1952, two morning rush hour trips on both the E and F trains, running between 71st Avenue and Jay Street. E and F trains each began running every three minutes for 24 minutes in the AM rush, and every 3.5 minutes for 45 minutes in the PM rush. Midday E service began operating on eight-minute headways instead of six-minute headways, evening service began operating on ten-minute headways instead of eight-minute headways, and late night service began operating on twenty-minute headways, instead of fifteen-minute headways. With the July 5, 1952 timetable, E trains began running every eight minutes during the morning and afternoon on Saturday, instead of every six minutes during the morning rush hour, and every seven minutes during the morning and afternoon. During late evenings, trains began running every twelve minutes instead of every eight minutes.
In 1953, the platforms were lengthened at 75th Avenue, Sutphin Boulevard, Spring Street, Canal Street, Ralph Avenue, and Broadway–East New York to to allow E and F trains to run eleven-car trains. The E and F began running eleven-car trains during rush hours on September 8, 1953. The extra train car increased the total carrying capacity by 4,000 passengers. The lengthening project cost $400,000. 11-car E trains left 179th Street between 7:43 an 8:19 a.m. and arrived there between 5:32 and 6:08 p.m.. Ten 11-car trains operated on each of the E and F trains. The E trains were laid up after terminating at Euclid Avenue in the AM rush.
On October 30, 1954, the E service was modified as part of a series of service changes made following the completion of the Culver Ramp, which made it possible for IND service on the Culver Line to run to Coney Island. Non-rush hour E service was rerouted from Broadway–Lafayette Street to Hudson Terminal, and E trains began running express in Manhattan during rush hours, when they headed to Brooklyn. In 1955, late night trains were cut back from five-car trains to three-car trains, and midday and evening trains were lengthened from six-car trains to eight-car trains. A year later, late night trains were lengthened to operate with four-car trains instead of three-car trains.
Changes in Brooklyn service On June 28, 1956, the Long Island Rail Road's Rockaway Beach Branch reopened as the IND Rockaway Line after being converted for subway service, and E service was extended from East New York to Rockaway Park or Wavecrest (now Beach 25th Street) during weekday rush hours. During non-rush hours, service was provided by four-car shuttles between Euclid and Rockaway Park or Wavecrest. Three weekday E trains leaving 179th Street between 6:54 and 7:27 a.m. were cut at Euclid Avenue, with one half of the train running to Far Rockaway, and the other half going to Rockaway Park. After the end of the morning rush hour, several trains terminated at East New York, before going back into Manhattan-bound service before the afternoon rush hour.
On September 17, 1956, rush hour E service was cut back to Euclid Avenue when Rockaway service was replaced by the A train. The A and E later switched southern terminals again, and on September 8, 1958, the E began running to Far Rockaway and Rockaway Park during rush hours, with some trips terminating at Euclid Avenue. During weekday off-peak hours, separate shuttles operated from Euclid Avenue to Far Rockaway and Rockaway Park. At the same time, round-robin service began during weekend and late night service, because of the low ridership at these times. These trains would run from Euclid Avenue to Rockaway Park, and then reverse and run to Far Rockaway, before returning to Euclid Avenue.
The operation of eleven-car trains ended on September 8, 1958. While the schedule had included the continued operation of 11-car trains, with two conductors, that was cancelled after a labor arbitrator ruled that all trains could run with a single conductor. Operational difficulties were also a factor in the elimination of 11-car trains. The signal blocks, especially in Manhattan, were too short to accommodate the longer trains, and the train operators had a very small margin of error to properly platform the train. It was found that operating ten-car trains allowed for two additional trains per hour to be scheduled. To make up for the loss of eleven-car trains, two short-run trains from 71st Avenue were added on the E and F during rush hours.
On October 11, 1958, round-robin service ceased operating on weekends, being by replaced by shuttles running from Euclid Avenue to either terminal in the Rockaways. Round-robin service continued to operate late evenings, late nights, and early mornings. From October to June, round-robin service started at 6:40 p.m. leaving Euclid Avenue, and from June to October the service began at 9:44 p.m. from Euclid Avenue.