IND Crosstown Line

This article is about the subway line originally built by the Independent Subway System. For the former trolley line of the Brooklyn and Queens Transit, see Crosstown Line (Brooklyn surface).

IND Crosstown Line
Services that use the IND Crosstown Line in Brooklyn and Queens have been colored lime green since 1979. The original IND lettering system provided for G on the line.
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
System	New York City Subway
Termini	Court Square Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets
Stations	13
Daily ridership	149,043
Operation
Opened	1933–1937
Owner	City of New York
Operator(s)	New York City Transit Authority
Character	Underground
Technical
No. of tracks	2-4
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	Direct Current traction

IND Crosstown Line
IND Queens Boulevard Line IRT Flushing Line Court Square IND Queens Boulevard Line 21st Street IRT Flushing Line Newtown Creek Greenpoint Avenue Nassau Avenue Lorimer Street BMT Canarsie Line Metropolitan Avenue BMT Jamaica Line Broadway Flushing Avenue Myrtle–Willoughby Avenues Bedford–Nostrand Avenues Classon Avenue Clinton–Washington Avenues Fulton Street IND Fulton Street Line BMT Brighton Line BMT Fourth Avenue Line IRT Eastern Parkway Line Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets IND Culver Line IND Fulton Street Line

The IND Crosstown Line or Brooklyn–Queens Crosstown Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It provides crosstown service between western Brooklyn and northwestern Queens and is the only major line that does not carry trains to/from Manhattan.

Extent and service

The bullets of the services that use the Crosstown Line are colored lime green.

	Time period	Section of line
	all times	south of Court Square

The only service to use the Crosstown Line is the G. No revenue service runs over the line north of Court Square.

The north end of the Crosstown Line is a flying junction with the IND Queens Boulevard Line and 60th Street Tunnel Connection just south of Queens Plaza. The line then travels south as a two-track line, except for a center relay track south of Court Square. At the turn from Marcy Avenue to Lafayette Avenue, two center tracks appear, merging into one after crossovers to the main tracks. These tracks were to be used for a split to another line in a 1931 expansion plan. This center track continues through Bedford–Nostrand Avenues and then ends with crossovers to the main tracks, but space remains in the center through Classon Avenue for the third track.

At Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets, the Crosstown Line passes through the middle of the four-track IND Fulton Street Line. Cross-platform interchange is available between the lines, but no track connections exist. After Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets, the line turns south and ends as a merge into the local tracks of the IND Culver Line, just south of the split of that line into local and express tracks.

History

Plans for a crosstown line had been floated as early as 1912. In 1923, a plan for such a line, to be operated by the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) from the Queensboro Bridge under Jackson Avenue, Manhattan Avenue, Roebling Street, Bedford Avenue, and Hancock Street to Franklin Avenue at the north end of the BMT Franklin Avenue Line, was adopted by the city. However, the following year, Mayor Hylan announced his opposition against it. In addition, residents of central Brooklyn, which was already heavily developed, opposed an elevated line because of noise and aesthetic concerns, but the BRT would not build a subway because an elevated was the cheapest option.

Eventually, the line was moved and incorporated into the city's Independent Subway System. The junction with the IND Queens Boulevard Line in Long Island City was originally supposed to have a second wye, with service from Manhattan via the 53rd Street tunnel planned to feed into the Crosstown Line. This would have been part of a loop service between the Crosstown and Eight Avenue Lines.

On August 19, 1933, the line was opened north of Nassau Avenue, and the GG began operation to Queens Plaza. The entire Crosstown Line was completed to the IND Culver Line on July 1, 1937, and the GG was extended in both directions to Smith–Ninth Streets and Forest Hills – 71st Avenue.

Over the next 77 years, the termini for the GG (relabeled G in 1985) had varied, including being extended to Jamaica – 179th Street or cut back to Queens Plaza or Long Island City – Court Square. Service was also extended to Church Avenue several times and during weekend service disruptions on the F line between Jay and Bergen Streets, trains were extended beyond Church Avenue to Coney Island. On April 19, 2010, G service was permanently cut back from the Queens Boulevard Line due to budget cuts.

Station listing

Every station is served by the G train. Its northern terminus is at Court Square.

Station service legend
	Stops all times
	Stops all times except late nights
	Stops late nights and weekends only
	Stops weekdays only
	Stops rush hours in the peak direction only
Time period details

Neighborhood (approximate)		Station	Services	Opened	Transfers and notes
Long Island City	Splits from the IND Queens Boulevard Line local tracks (no regular service)
		Court Square	G	August 19, 1933	IRT Flushing Line (7  <7>) IND Queens Boulevard Line (E  M )
		21st Street	G	August 19, 1933
Greenpoint		Greenpoint Avenue	G	August 19, 1933
		Nassau Avenue	G	August 19, 1933
Williamsburg		Metropolitan Avenue	G	July 1, 1937	BMT Canarsie Line (L ) at Lorimer Street
		Broadway	G	July 1, 1937
Williamsburg/ Bedford-Stuyvesant		Flushing Avenue	G	July 1, 1937
Bedford-Stuyvesant		Myrtle–Willoughby Avenues	G	July 1, 1937
		Bedford–Nostrand Avenues	G	July 1, 1937	Center track between the two island platforms
Clinton Hill		Classon Avenue	G	July 1, 1937	Additional space for a center track
		Clinton–Washington Avenues	G	July 1, 1937
Fort Greene		Fulton Street	G	July 1, 1937
Downtown Brooklyn		Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets	G	July 1, 1937	IND Fulton Street Line (A  C )
Merges with the IND Culver Line (G )

External links

• nycsubway.org—IND Brooklyn/Queens Crosstown Line
• G Line Track Diagram: Court Square to Church Avenue