View source for 12 (BMT rapid transit service)

{{Short description|Former New York City Subway service (ceased 1950)}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2016}}
'''12''' was the [[Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation]]'s designation for trains that used the [[BMT Lexington Avenue Line]]. This number was used on service listings on company maps, but was never displayed on train equipment, nor were trains referred to as "12 trains" in the manner of the current system, but were called '''Lexington Avenue Line trains'''.

The [[Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation|BMT]] assigned numbers to its services in 1924, and '''12''' was applied to trains between [[Park Row (BMT station)|Park Row]] and [[Broadway Junction (BMT Jamaica Line)|Eastern Parkway]] via the [[Brooklyn Bridge]], [[BMT Myrtle Avenue Line]], [[BMT Lexington Avenue Line]] and [[BMT Jamaica Line]]. During [[rush hour]]s, service extended east to [[Crescent Street (BMT Jamaica Line)|Crescent Street]]; some afternoon rush hour trains continued to [[111th Street (BMT Jamaica Line)|111th Street]] or [[168th Street (BMT Jamaica Line)|168th Street]].

Between 1925 and 1931, all rush hour service was extended to 111th or 168th Street. In addition, some afternoon rush hour trains were added between [[Sands Street (BMT station)|Sands Street]] (on the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge) and 111th Street.

By 1937, normal service had been truncated to the Brooklyn side of the bridge; rush hour trains still crossed the bridge to Park Row. Additionally, trains no longer ran to 168th Street, with all rush hour trains going to 111th Street. The extra afternoon rush hour trains from Sands Street to 111th Street remained.

On May 31, 1940, service was ended on the [[BMT Fulton Street Line]] west of [[Rockaway Avenue (BMT Fulton Street Line)|Rockaway Avenue]] and the full length of the [[BMT Fifth Avenue Line]] and [[BMT Third Avenue Line]]. All Lexington Avenue trains were once again extended across the [[Brooklyn Bridge]] to [[Park Row (BMT station)|Park Row]], and a new service called ''Fulton – Lexington Avenue'' was inaugurated, replacing service that had been provided by Fulton Street trains, and operating to the Fulton Street Line terminus at [[Lefferts Boulevard (IND Fulton Street Line station)|Lefferts Avenue]].

On March 5, 1944, the [[BMT Myrtle Avenue Line]] was closed west of Jay Street and the Bridge Street station at that location was renamed [[Bridge–Jay Streets (BMT Myrtle Avenue Line)|Bridge–Jay Streets]]; all '''12''' trains were truncated there (with a free transfer first to streetcars, and then to the [[Independent Subway System|IND]] at [[Jay Street – MetroTech (IND Fulton Street Line)|Jay Street – Borough Hall]]) – see [[List of New York City Subway transfer stations#Brooklyn|List of New York City Subway transfer stations]] for details.

By 1948, Fulton – Lexington Avenue trains were truncated to [[Grant Avenue (BMT Fulton Street Line)|Grant Avenue]]. The [[BMT Lexington Avenue Line]] closed on October 13, 1950, ending all '''12''' service.

== References ==
* {{Cite web|url=http://nycsubway.org/wiki/Historical_Maps|title=Historical Maps|last=|first=|date=|website=www.nycsubway.org|access-date=}}
* {{cite news |title=B.M.T. 'El' Lines to Shift Service; City to Close 2 Sections This Week |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 27, 1940 |page=19}}

{{NYCS navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:12 (Bmt Rapid Transit Service)}}
[[Category:Defunct New York City Subway services]]