View source for BMT Astoria Line

{{short description|New York City Subway line}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox rail line
| name = BMT Astoria Line
| image = {{rint|nycs|N|size=50}} {{rint|nycs|W|size=50}}
| image_width = 175px
| caption = The [[N (New York City Subway service)|N]] and [[W (New York City Subway service)|W]] train services use the entire BMT Astoria Line.
| type = [[Rapid transit]]
| system = [[New York City Subway]]
| start = [[Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard (BMT Astoria Line)|Ditmars Boulevard]]
| end = [[Queensboro Plaza (BMT Astoria Line)|Queensboro Plaza]]
| stations = 7
| open = 1917
|locale      = [[Queens]], [[New York City]]
|owner       = [[Government of New York City|City of New York]]
|operator    = [[New York City Transit Authority]]
| daily_ridership = 47,522<ref name="ridership">{{NYCS const|riderref|weekday}}</ref>
| stock =
| character = Elevated
| linelength =
| tracks = 2-3
| gauge = {{track gauge|ussg}}
| electrification = [[Direct current traction|600V DC third rail]]
| map = {{BMT Astoria Line|inline=1}}
| map_state = collapsed
}}

The '''BMT Astoria Line''' (formerly the [[IRT Astoria Line]]) is a [[rapid transit]] line in the [[B Division (New York City Subway)|B Division]] of the [[New York City Subway]], serving the [[Queens]] neighborhood of [[Astoria, Queens|Astoria]]. It runs south from [[Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard (BMT Astoria Line)|Ditmars Boulevard]] in Astoria to [[39th Avenue (BMT Astoria Line)|39th Avenue]] in [[Long Island City]] above 31st Street. It then turns west and serves [[Queensboro Plaza (New York City Subway)|Queensboro Plaza]] over [[Queens Plaza (IND Queens Boulevard Line)|Queens Plaza]].

The entire line is served by the [[N (New York City Subway service)|N]] train at all times, joined by the [[W (New York City Subway service)|W]] train only on weekdays during the day.<ref name=":1">{{NYCS const|timetable|n}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{NYCS const|timetable|w}}</ref> It was built as part of the [[Dual Contracts]] and jointly operated by the [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company]] (IRT) and [[Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation]] (BMT) using IRT-sized cars until 1949, when the platforms were shaved to accept the wider BMT cars and joint service was discontinued.

== Description and service ==
All services make all stops on the BMT Astoria Line.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{NYCS const|serviceguide}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable"
!rowspan=2|&nbsp;
!colspan=2|Time period
|-
!Weekdays
!Late nights and weekends
|-
|width=10|{{rint|newyork|N}}
|colspan=2 align=center|full line
|-
|{{rint|newyork|W}}
|align=center|full line
|align=center|no service
|}

[[File:Linea BMT Astoria.png|thumb|Overview of the BMT Astoria Line]]

The north end of the Astoria Line is a two-track terminal at [[Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard (BMT Astoria Line)|Ditmars Boulevard]], with one island platform. South of the station, the center express track, currently not used in revenue service, begins (with crossovers to allow terminating trains to reach the correct track). The next station, [[Astoria Boulevard (BMT Astoria Line)|Astoria Boulevard]], is the only express station on the three-track section. The next four stations are local ones with two side platforms.<ref name="tracks">{{NYCS const|trackref|trackbook3}}</ref>

South of [[39th Avenue (BMT Astoria Line)|39th Avenue]], the express track merges with the two outer tracks. The line then curves west and enters [[Queensboro Plaza (New York City Subway)|Queensboro Plaza]], a dual-level station with northbound trains on the upper level, southbound trains on the lower level, and cross-platform transfers to the [[IRT Flushing Line]]. Crossover tracks exist between the upper-level tracks just north of the station, [[List of New York City Subway inter-division connections|one of a few connections]] between the [[Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation|BMT]] / [[Independent Subway System|IND]] and [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company|IRT]]. After Queensboro Plaza, the line ramps underground, and merges with the [[60th Street Tunnel Connection]] to become the [[BMT Broadway Line]] via the [[60th Street Tunnel]] to [[Manhattan]].<ref name="tracks" />

== History ==
===Opening===
[[File:R12 IRT 8.gif|100px|left|thumb|The BMT Astoria Line was originally served by the IRT "8" train.]]
[[File:October 17, 1949 New York Board of Transportation Subway Service Change Poster .jpg|thumb|left|A poster describing the changes at Queensborough Plaza in 1949]]
[[File:NYCS BMT 60thStTunnel.jpg|thumb|225px|Entrance to the [[60th Street Tunnel]]]]
[[File:N BMT under NYCR jeh.JPG|thumb|225px|Passing under [[New York Connecting Railroad]]]]
[[File:Turning on Astoria Line.JPG|thumb|225px|Northbound curve on the Astoria line east of [[Queensboro Plaza (BMT Astoria Line)|Queensboro Plaza]] station]]
[[File:Queensboro Plaza Station.jpg|thumb|225px|[[Queensboro Plaza (BMT Astoria Line)|Queensboro Plaza]] station as seen from a southbound Astoria line train]]

The Astoria Line was originally part of the Second Avenue Elevated 
Line, eventually purchased by the [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company]] (IRT).  Manhattan-bound trains went over the 59th Street (Queensboro) Bridge, then turned south on Second Avenue, joining up with the main line of the Second Avenue Elevated to [[City Hall (IRT Second Avenue Line)|City Hall]] and [[South Ferry (IRT Second Avenue Line)|South Ferry]].  Later the Astoria line was made a spur off the [[IRT Queensboro Line]], now the [[IRT Flushing Line]]. The whole line north of Queensboro Plaza opened on February 1, 1917 and was used by trains between [[Grand Central (IRT Flushing Line)|Grand Central]] and Astoria.<ref name="AstoriaExtension">{{cite web|title=First Train Runs On Elevated Line to Astoria Section|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/54438288/?terms=ditmars+boulevard+subway+station|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|newspaper=[[Brooklyn Daily Eagle]]|access-date=June 29, 2015|date=February 1, 1917}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015016416920;view=1up;seq=23|title=1916-1917 Annual Report of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company For The Year June 30, 1917|publisher=Interborough Rapid Transit Company|year=1917|pages=21}}</ref> Through IRT service to the Corona Line (now the Flushing Line) began two months later on April 21.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1917/02/02/archives/new-astoria-line-opened-mayor-and-other-officials-ride-on-first.html|title=New Astoria Line Opened|date=February 2, 1917|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=December 18, 2011|page=14|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

On July 23, 1917, the [[Queensboro Bridge]] spur of the [[elevated railway|elevated]] [[IRT Second Avenue Line]] opened. At that time, all elevated trains to Queensboro Plaza used the Astoria Line while all subway trains used the Corona Line, though this was later changed with trains alternating between branches.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1917/07/22/archives/subway-link-over-queensboro-bridge.html|title=Subway Link Over Queensboro Bridge|date=July 22, 1917|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=December 18, 2011|page=31|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The [[60th Street Tunnel]] opened on August 1, 1920, allowing [[Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation|BMT]] trains to reach Queensboro Plaza. However, the stations on the Astoria and Corona Lines were built to IRT specifications, whose platforms were too wide for BMT rolling stock. As a result, those trains terminated at Queensboro Plaza using a relay track east of the station to reverse direction for the return trip to Manhattan.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1920/08/01/archives/new-subway-link-opens-service-started-through-queens-and-montague.html|title=New Subway Link Opens|date=August 1, 1920|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=December 18, 2011|page=12|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

On April 8, 1923, the [[Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation|BMT]], using elevated cars, started running shuttles along the Astoria (numbered '''[[BMT 8]]''' in 1924) and Corona Lines ('''[[BMT 9]]''') in addition to the existing IRT service. On June 23, 1942, the [[IRT Second Avenue Line]] spur to Queensboro Plaza closed.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1923/04/08/archives/hylan-tells-how-he-would-relieve-subways-in-60-days-start-and-quit.html|title=Additional Subway Service to Borough of Queens|date=April 8, 1923|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=December 18, 2011|page=RE1|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The IRT services were numbered in 1948, with {{NYCS service|7}} being assigned to the Flushing Line and {{NYCS service|8}} to the Astoria Line.

===Modifications===
On July 24, 1949, through service between the Astoria Line and the IRT Times Square station was discontinued.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25053125/daily_news/|title=Astoria Line Change|date=July 15, 1949|work=New York Daily News|access-date=November 5, 2018}}</ref> On October 17, 1949, the Flushing Line became IRT-only. The platforms on the Astoria Line were shaved back to allow through BMT trains to operate on it, the first ones being the ''Brighton Local'' ([[BMT 1]]) weekdays & ''Broadway - Fourth Avenue Local'' ([[BMT 2]]) at all times.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/10/15/archives/direct-subway-runs-to-flushing-astoria.html|title=Direct Subway Runs to Flushing, Astoria|date=October 15, 1949|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=December 18, 2011|page=17|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Since then, the Astoria Line has hosted the northern end of various services running from Brooklyn through Manhattan; see {{NYCS service|B}}, {{NYCS service|N}}, {{NYCS service|Q}}, {{NYCS service|R}}, {{NYCS service|T}} and {{NYCS service|W}} for details.

The platforms at the seven stations on the Astoria Line were lengthened to {{Convert|610|feet|meters}} to accommodate ten-car (60') trains in 1950.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=98j0AAAAMAAJ&q=%22astoria+line%22+platform+extensions|title=Bulletin|date=1950|publisher=General Contractors Association|pages=23|language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|23}} The project cost $863,000. Signals on the line had to be modified to take into account the platform extensions.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TrocAQAAMAAJ&q=%22astoria+line%22+platform+extensions|title=Proceedings of the Board of Transportation of The City of New York|date=1950|publisher=New York City Board of Transportation|pages=432, 729|language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|633, 729}}

As part of an 18-month capital budget that took effect on January 1, 1963, the wooden platforms at the stations on the Astoria Line were replaced with concrete platforms.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web|url=http://www.laguardiawagnerarchive.lagcc.cuny.edu/pages/FileBrowser.aspx?LinkToFile=FILES_DOC/WAGNER_FILES/06.023.0000.141.1637.PDF#undefined|title=For Release Sunday, July 12, 1964|date=July 12, 1964|publisher=New York City Office of the Mayor|access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref>

The 2015–2019 [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority|MTA]] Capital Plan called for the Astoria Line's [[30th Avenue (BMT Astoria Line)|30th Avenue]], [[Broadway (BMT Astoria Line)|Broadway]], [[36th Avenue (BMT Astoria Line)|36th Avenue]], and [[39th Avenue (BMT Astoria Line)|39th Avenue]] stations, along with 29 others, to undergo a complete overhaul as part of the [[Enhanced Station Initiative]]. Updates included cellular service, Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, interactive service advisories and maps, improved signage, and improved station lighting.<ref>{{cite web|last=Whitford|first=Emma|date=January 8, 2016|url=http://gothamist.com/2016/01/08/subway_facelift_shutdown.php|title=MTA Will Completely Close 30 Subway Stations For Months-Long "Revamp"|publisher=Gothamist|access-date=July 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801200338/http://gothamist.com/2016/01/08/subway_facelift_shutdown.php|archive-date=August 1, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/MTAStations.pdf|title=MTAStations|website=governor.ny.gov|publisher=Government of the State of New York|access-date=July 18, 2016}}</ref> The 30th and 36th Avenues stations were renovated first, from October 2017 to June 2018. After these two stations were reopened, the Broadway and 39th Avenue stations were renovated from July 2018 to January 2019.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mta.info/press-release/nyc-transit/broadway-39-av-nw-stations-undergo-extensive-repairs-renovations|title=Broadway & 39 Av NW Stations to Undergo Extensive Repairs & Renovations|date=June 8, 2018|website=mta.info|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141944/http://www.mta.info/press-release/nyc-transit/broadway-39-av-nw-stations-undergo-extensive-repairs-renovations|archive-date=June 12, 2018|url-status=dead|access-date=June 17, 2018}}</ref> The remaining stations on the line, Astoria Boulevard and Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard, are also simultaneously undergoing renovations. Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard was renovated from April 2018 to June 2019 and would remain open during this time. However, the Astoria Boulevard station was closed from March 2019 until late 2019. Astoria Boulevard's mezzanine was torn down and replaced, and elevators were added at the station.<ref name=":3" />

==Extension proposals==
A 1920s Transit Commission study proposed extending the line northwest across or under [[Randalls and Wards Islands]] back into Manhattan as a crosstown line at 125th Street, roughly following the route of what is now the [[Triborough Bridge]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/New_Subways:_Proposed_Additions_to_Rapid_Transit_System..._(1922)|title=Proposed Additions to Rapid Transit System to Cost $218,000,000|date=1922|publisher=New York State Transit Commission|via=nycsubway.org|access-date=August 1, 2019}}</ref> As part of the IND Second System plan from 1929, the BMT/IRT Astoria Line would be extended east via Ditmars Boulevard, Astoria Boulevard, 112th Street, and Nassau Boulevard (today's Long Island Expressway) terminating at Cross Island Boulevard. The new line that would have been an extension of the Astoria Line would be called the Long Island City-Horace Harding Boulevard Line. The line would have been 2 tracks to Astoria Boulevard, and afterward, it would become a 4 track line before going back to 2 tracks at Parsons Boulevard. The entire line would be elevated except for a short section which would have been depressed under Nassau Boulevard. The line would have been extended 8.1 miles at a cost of $17.7 million.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/nyregion/20070408_SUBWAY_DOCS/19290916_subway_doc.pdf 100 Miles of Subway in New City Project; 52 of them in Queens], ''[[The New York Times]]'' September 16, 1929, p. 1. Retrieved June 11, 2014</ref><ref name="nycsubway 1929 plan">nycsubway.org—[http://nycsubway.org/wiki/IND_Second_System_-_1929_Plan IND Second System – 1929 Plan]</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qfZ0VxuLoc0C|title=The Wheels That Drove New York: A History of the New York City Transit System|last1=Roess|first1=Roger P.|last2=Sansone|first2=Gene|date=August 23, 2012|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=9783642304842|language=en}}</ref>

In 1998, an [[LaGuardia Airport subway extension|extension of the BMT Astoria Line]] to [[LaGuardia Airport]] was planned as part of a $1.2 billion package to provide access to the New York City airports with funding from the MTA, the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|Port Authority]] and the city. The preferred route would have extended the Astoria Line along 31st Street north onto Con Edison's property at the edge of Astoria and then east along 19th Avenue to the Marine Air Terminal. The MTA also considered an eastward extension along Ditmars Boulevard, and a plan to reroute LaGuardia-bound trains from Queensboro Plaza through the Sunnyside rail yard and along the eastern edge of St. Michael’s Cemetery to elevated tracks parallel to the [[Grand Central Parkway]]. A fourth route was to have trains turn east via Astoria Boulevard.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/01/19/dreams-of-taking-the-n-to-laguardia/|title=Dreams of taking the N to LaGuardia|date=January 19, 2010|website=Second Ave. Sagas|access-date=May 1, 2016}}</ref> All of the options would have new elevated sections built. $645 million for the LaGuardia extension was included in the MTA's 2000–2004 Five-Year Capital Plan, and in late 2002, Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg|Bloomberg]] supported the extension. These options were studied in the LaGuardia Airport Subway Access Study.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/capital/sas_docs/sdeis/appendixa.pdf|title=Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS), April 2003 Appendix A Planning Context|date=April 2003|website=mta.info|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=August 9, 2016}}</ref> Community opposition was strong and therefore the plan was canceled in July 2003;<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.qgazette.com/news/2003/0716/Front_Page/002.html|title=N Train Extension To LaG Scrapped|last=Toscano|first=John|date=July 16, 2003|newspaper=Queens Gazette|access-date=July 26, 2009|archive-date=May 25, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525091226/http://www.qgazette.com/news/2003/0716/Front_Page/002.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qgazette.com/news/2007-06-27/Features/Flashback_To_1999_001.html|title=Flashback To 1999|date=June 27, 2007|publisher=www.qgazette.com|access-date=March 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322134801/http://www.qgazette.com/news/2007-06-27/features/flashback_to_1999_001.html|archive-date=March 22, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> however, {{asof|2021|lc=yes}}, it is being reconsidered after New York governor [[Kathy Hochul]] requested the Port Authority find alternatives to the [[AirTrain LaGuardia]] project.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-lga-subway-extension-hochul-mta-20211116-hxmy7hhmffhqrg6vfwuocna6lu-story.html|title = Port Authority brings in MTA, transit experts to reexamine subway extension to LaGuardia Airport|newspaper = [[New York Daily News]] |first=Clayton |last=Guse |date=November 16, 2021}}</ref>

The [[Regional Plan Association]], in its Fourth Plan in 2017, anticipated that the population of Astoria would quickly grow over the next three decades, and so called for the Astoria Line to be extended to a new storage yard at Ditmars Boulevard and 20th Street, which would provide added capacity. In addition, a new station at 21st Avenue and 20th Street would improve access for the currently underserved but dense northwest parts of Astoria.<ref name="Fourth Regional Plan - Regional Plan Association">{{cite web|title=Fourth Regional Plan - Regional Plan Association|url=http://fourthplan.org/|publisher=Regional Plan Association|date=November 2017 |access-date=22 January 2022}}</ref>

== Station listing ==

{{NYCS service legend
| alltimes        = show
| allexceptnights = show
| weekdaysonly    = show
| rushpeak        = show
}}
{| class="wikitable"

!Neighborhood<br />(approximate)
!{{Access icon}}
!Station
!Tracks
!Services
!Opened
!Transfers and notes
|-
|rowspan=6|[[Astoria, Queens|Astoria]]
|
|{{stl|NYCS|Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard}}
|
|{{NYCS Astoria|time=show}}
|February 1, 1917<ref name=AstoriaExtension />
|originally Ditmars Avenue
|-
!colspan=6 style="background-color: silver;"|Center Express track begins (No Regular Service)
|-
|{{Access icon}}
|{{stl|NYCS|Astoria Boulevard}}
|all
|{{NYCS Astoria|time=show}}
|February 1, 1917<ref name=AstoriaExtension />
|originally Hoyt Avenue<br />[[M60 SBS (New York City bus)|M60 Select Bus Service]] to [[LaGuardia Airport]]
|-
|
|{{stl|NYCS|30th Avenue}}
|local
|{{NYCS Astoria local|time=show}}
|February 1, 1917<ref name=AstoriaExtension />
|originally Grand Avenue
|-
|
|{{stl|NYCS|Broadway|Astoria}}
|local
|{{NYCS Astoria local|time=show}}
|February 1, 1917<ref name=AstoriaExtension />
|
|-
|
|{{stl|NYCS|36th Avenue}}
|local
|{{NYCS Astoria local|time=show}}
|February 1, 1917<ref name=AstoriaExtension />
|originally Washington Avenue
|-
|rowspan=4|[[Long Island City]]
|
|{{stl|NYCS|39th Avenue}}
|local
|{{NYCS Astoria local|time=show}}
|February 1, 1917<ref name=AstoriaExtension />
|originally Beebe Avenue<br>Also known as Dutch Kills
|-
!colspan=6 style="background-color: silver;"|Center Express track ends
|-
!colspan=6 style="background-color: silver;"|connecting tracks to [[IRT Flushing Line]] (No regular service)
|-
|{{Access icon}}
|{{stl|NYCS|Queensboro Plaza}}
|all
|{{NYCS Astoria|time=show}}
|February 1, 1917<ref name=AstoriaExtension />
|{{NYCS Flushing|time=show}} ([[IRT Flushing Line]])
|-
!colspan=7 style="background-color: silver;"|merges with the [[60th Street Tunnel Connection]] ({{NYCS 60th Connection|time=show}}) and becomes the<br>[[BMT Broadway Line]] via the [[60th Street Tunnel]] ({{NYCS Broadway 60th|time=show}})
|}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{attached KML|display=inline,title}}
{{commons category inline}}
* [http://nycsubway.org/bmt/astoria/ nycsubway.org - BMT Astoria Line]

{{Clear}}
{{NYCS lines navbox}}
{{NYCS navbox}}
{{NYCS stations navbox|astoria=yes}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Astoria}}
[[Category:New York City Subway lines]]
[[Category:Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1917]]
[[Category:1917 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:Standard-gauge railways in the United States]]