S (New York City Subway service)
Three services in the New York City Subway are designated as a dark slate gray S (shuttle) service. These services operate as full-time shuttles. In addition, four services run as shuttles during late night hours but retain their regular service designations.[1]
Shuttle services
Official designations
Shuttle name | NYCT designator |
Northern terminal | Southern terminal | Service hours | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
42nd Street Shuttle | 0 (zero) | Times Square | Grand Central | Operates at all times except late nights. | |
Rockaway Park Shuttle | H | Broad Channel summer weekend service to Rockaway Boulevard |
Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street | Operates at all times. | |
Franklin Avenue Shuttle | S | Franklin Avenue | Prospect Park | Operates at all times. |
Late-night shuttles
Route | Name | Northern terminal | Southern terminal | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dyre Avenue Shuttle | Eastchester–Dyre Avenue | East 180th Street | Formerly designated SS. | |
Lefferts Boulevard Shuttle | Euclid Avenue | Ozone Park–Lefferts Boulevard | Operates concurrently with regular A service. Designated on the late night map, in the schedule, on trains. | |
Myrtle Avenue Shuttle | Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue | Myrtle Avenue | Formerly designated SS. | |
Fourth Avenue Shuttle | Whitehall Street–South Ferry | Bay Ridge–95th Street |
Former uses
Other routes have in the past been designated S or SS; the label has also been used for temporary shuttles due to construction. Before June 1979,[2] all shuttles had the label SS; the designation S was reserved for "special"' services, including IND trains to Aqueduct Racetrack. The SS label was first applied in 1967, when all services were labeled due to the completion of the Chrystie Street Connection.
Former uses of the S or SS designation are as follows:
- Bowling Green – South Ferry Shuttle (1909–1977)
- Culver Shuttle (1954–1975)
- 63rd Street Shuttle (1998–1999)
- Grand Street Shuttle (2001–2004)
Some shuttle routes also used the H or HH designation, which were the last to be assigned to the Independent Subway System. Former uses include the Court Street Shuttle from 1936 to 1946 and Rockaway Park Shuttle until 1993, when that route's label was changed to a blue S. A temporary shuttle opened in November 2012 after Hurricane Sandy destroyed track connecting the Rockaways to the rest of the system used the H designation.
When the Transit Authority began assigning labels to all services, the Third Avenue Elevated was designated as 8 because it was deemed too long to be considered a "shuttle". However, trains on this line showed SHUTTLE on their rollsigns instead of "8". The service was discontinued in 1973.
Lenox Terminal Shuttle (mid-1900s – early 1970s)
The Lenox Terminal Shuttle (also Lenox Shuttle and Lenox Avenue Shuttle) ran between 148th Street and 135th Street when the 3 did not run. Prior to May 13, 1968, it was called the 145th Street Shuttle, running only to 145th Street, and only from 9:00 pm to 1:00 am. It was in place by 1918, but may have been started in 1905 when the IRT White Plains Road Line opened to the IRT Lenox Avenue Line.
Between 1969 and 1972, it was folded into the 3, but continued to run as a shuttle at those times. Late night 3 service ended on September 10, 1995 and was not restored until July 27, 2008. During this time, the route was served by a free overnight shuttle bus.[3]
Myrtle Avenue Shuttle (1969–1973)
After the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line south of Myrtle Avenue – Broadway ceased operation on October 3, 1969, the MJ service was discontinued and the current nighttime/weekend M shuttle was formed. However, this service was labeled SS and considered a separate route from the M until the two routes merged in 1973.
Nassau Street Shuttle (1999)
This shuttle ran only from May to September 1999 during the rehabilitation of the Williamsburg Bridge. The shuttle ran from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm daily from Essex Street to Broad Street (Chambers Street on weekends). At Essex Street, the B39 bus provided service across the bridge to Marcy Avenue, where customers could transfer to the M, which connected to the J at Myrtle Avenue.
References
- ↑ "Late Night Service Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
- ↑ "1979 Subway Map". Photobucket. New York City Transit Authority. June 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- ↑ "Service Enhancements on 3 Line" (Press release). MTA New York City Transit. 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
Further reading
- "Coming Transit Reductions: What They Mean for You," The New York Times, August 20, 1995, p. CY10
- "A Subway Station is Shuttered, the First in 33 Years," The New York Times, September 11, 1995 (the article is about Dean Street on the Franklin Avenue Shuttle, and the headline refers to the 1962 closing of Worth Street; several old-style elevated railways were closed since then, as well as the Culver Shuttle which hosted both elevated and subway service at one time)