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BMT Myrtle Avenue Line

Route map:
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For the bus, formerly streetcar, line along Myrtle Avenue in Brooklyn, see B54 (New York City bus).

BMT Myrtle Avenue Line
"M" train
The M train serves the entire remaining section of BMT Myrtle Avenue Line, east of Broadway, at all times. The section west of Broadway has been demolished following its closure.
Overview
OwnerCity of New York
Termini
Stations7
Service
TypeRapid transit
SystemNew York City Subway
Operator(s)New York City Transit Authority
Daily ridership29,422[1]
History
Opened1889–1915
Closed1969 (segment west of Central Avenue)
Technical
Number of tracks2
CharacterStreet level (Metropolitan Avenue only)
Elevated
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification600V DC third rail
Route map

Legend
 Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue
Fresh Pond Yard
 Fresh Pond Road
Forest Avenue
Seneca Avenue
Queens
Brooklyn
 Myrtle–Wyckoff Avenues
(Canarsie Line)
 Knickerbocker Avenue
Central Avenue
Jamaica Line
Myrtle Avenue–Broadway
Jamaica Line
Sumner Avenue
Tompkins Avenue
Crosstown Line
Nostrand Avenue
Franklin Avenue
Grand Avenue
Lexington Avenue Line
Washington Avenue
Vanderbilt Avenue
Navy Street
Fifth Avenue Line
Brighton Line
Fourth Avenue Line
 Bridge–Jay Streets
(Fulton Street Line)
Adams Street
Fulton Street Line
Sands Street
Brooklyn Bridge (East River)
Park Row
This box:

The Myrtle Avenue Line, also called the Myrtle Avenue Elevated,[2] is a fully elevated line of the New York City Subway as part of the BMT division. The line is the last surviving remnant of one of the original Brooklyn elevated railroads. The remnant line operates as a spur branch from the Jamaica Line to Bushwick, Ridgewood, and Middle Village, terminating at its original eastern terminal across the street from Lutheran Cemetery. Until 1969, the line continued west into Downtown Brooklyn and, until 1944, over the Brooklyn Bridge to the Park Row Terminal in Manhattan.

Extent and service

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The following services use part or all of the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line:[3]

  Time period Section of line
"M" train All times Metropolitan Avenue to west of Central Avenue

The Myrtle Avenue Line is served by the M service. The line begins at Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village, Queens. It heads southwest along a private right-of-way, eventually joining an elevated structure above Palmetto Street in Ridgewood and Myrtle Avenue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. Just before reaching Broadway (on which the BMT Jamaica Line operates), the line curves to the left and merges into the Jamaica Line tracks just east of the Myrtle Avenue station.[4] The still-existing upper level of the station, which was called "Broadway", opened in 1889 and closed on October 4, 1969.

History

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Opening

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Myrtle Avenue Line stub at Lewis Avenue and Myrtle Avenue, left standing after the line's western portion was demolished in October 1969

The first section of the line ran over Myrtle Avenue from Johnson and Adams Streets to a junction with what was then known as the Main Line at Grand Avenue. It opened on April 10, 1888, by the Union Elevated Railroad Company, which was leased to the Brooklyn Elevated Railroad for its operation.[5][6] Trains continued along Grand Avenue and Lexington Avenue to Broadway, where the line joined the Broadway Elevated, and then along Broadway to East New York. On September 1, 1888, the line was extended westward along Adams Street and Sands Street, to a terminal at Washington Street for the Brooklyn Bridge. On April 27, 1889, the line was extended east along Myrtle Avenue to Broadway, and to Wyckoff Avenue (at the Brooklyn/Queens border) on July 20, 1889.[5][6] However, the station at Knickerbocker Avenue did not open until August 15, 1889.[7]

The west end of the line was extended north along Adams Street to an elevated station over Sands Street and High Street in 1896. The connection to the Brooklyn Bridge tracks opened on June 18, 1898, along a private right-of-way halfway between Concord Street and Cathedral Place. The first trains to use it came from the Fifth Avenue Elevated (using the Myrtle Avenue El west of Hudson Avenue).

Construction on the Myrtle Viaduct in 1913. The viaduct connects the BMT Myrtle Avenue and Jamaica lines
The Myrtle Viaduct 100 years later, after reconstruction

In 1906 the el was connected via a ramp to the Lutheran Cemetery Line, a former steam dummy line to Metropolitan Avenue that had opened on September 3, 1881. That section was elevated as part of the Dual Contracts on February 22, 1915.[6][8][9][10]

Connection to the Broadway Line

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On July 29, 1914, the connection to the Broadway-Brooklyn Line was opened, allowing Myrtle Avenue Line trains to operate via the Williamsburg Bridge.[9] Construction on this connection began in August 1913.[10] This service became BMT 10 in 1924, and the original Myrtle Avenue Line service to Park Row became BMT 11, later referred to as M and MJ (although the MJ designation never appeared on any equipment used on the line).

As part of the Dual Contracts rebuilding of the Myrtle Avenue El, a third track was installed north of Myrtle Avenue. This track started from a point south of Central Avenue through Myrtle – Wyckoff Avenues to a bumper just south of Seneca Avenue. The only switches were at the southern end so the center track could only be used for layups (parking). It was never used in revenue service and was removed by 1946.

In Fiscal Year 1930, the platforms at Seneca Avenue were lengthened to accommodate an eight-car train of Standard subway cars.[11]

Truncation and later years

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On March 5, 1944, the line west of Bridge–Jay Streets was closed coincident with the end of elevated service over the Brooklyn Bridge.[12][6] On January 21, 1953, the Grand Avenue station was closed so that it could be torn down and therefore complete the demolition of the BMT Lexington Avenue Line.[13] The rest of the line from Broadway to Jay Street closed on October 4, 1969, and was demolished soon afterward, ending the MJ service.[14] A free transfer to the B54 bus replaced the MJ, and service was increased on that bus. The free transfer at Jay Street was also replaced with a bus transfer.[15]

In 1986, the New York City Transit Authority launched a study to determine whether to close 79 stations on 11 routes, including the remaining portion of the Myrtle Avenue Line, due to low ridership and high repair costs.[16][17] Numerous figures, including New York City Council member Carol Greitzer, criticized the plans.[17][18]

In July 2017, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority started rebuilding two parts of the Myrtle Avenue Line, the 310-foot-long (94 m) approaches to the junction with the BMT Jamaica Line (which lasted until April 2018, requiring suspension of service between Wyckoff and Myrtle Avenues), and the Fresh Pond Bridge over the Montauk Branch in Queens (which lasted from July to September 2017).[19][20] This work was undertaken in preparation for a reconstruction of the BMT Canarsie Line tunnels under the East River, which took place between 2019 and 2020.[21][22][19] Regular service resumed on April 30, 2018.[23]

Station listing

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Station service legend
Stops all times Stops all times
Time period details
Disabled access Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
Disabled access ↑ Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
in the indicated direction only
Disabled access ↓
Elevator access to mezzanine only
Neighborhood
(approximate) 		Disabled access Station Services Opened Transfers and notes
Queens
Middle Village Disabled access Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue M all times October 1, 1906 Service extended to pre-existing Lutheran Line station.
Current station is ~100 feet west of the 1906 one.
Ridgewood connecting track to Fresh Pond Yard
Fresh Pond Road M all times February 22, 1915
Forest Avenue M all times February 22, 1915
Seneca Avenue M all times February 22, 1915
Brooklyn
Bushwick Disabled access Myrtle–Wyckoff Avenues M all times July 20, 1889[24] BMT Canarsie Line (L all times)
Station rebuilt to 3 tracks July 29, 1914; center track subsequently removed.
Knickerbocker Avenue M all times August 15, 1889[25][7] Station rebuilt to 3 tracks July 29, 1914; center track subsequently removed.
Central Avenue M all times July 20, 1889[24] Station rebuilt to 3 tracks July 29, 1914; center track subsequently removed.
merges into BMT Jamaica Line just east of Myrtle Avenue (connector added July 29, 1914)
Closed section
Bedford–Stuyvesant Broadway April 27, 1889[26][27] Station still in place; tracks removed; closed October 4, 1969[15]
Structure removed west of Reid Avenue
Sumner Avenue April 27, 1889[26][27] Closed October 4, 1969[15]
Tompkins Avenue April 27, 1889[26][27] Closed October 4, 1969[15]
Nostrand Avenue April 27, 1889[26][27] Closed October 4, 1969[15]
Franklin Avenue April 27, 1889[26][27] Closed October 4, 1969[15]
Clinton Hill Grand Avenue April 27, 1889[26][27] Closed January 21, 1953[13]
Washington Avenue December 4, 1888[28] Closed October 4, 1969[15]
Vanderbilt Avenue April 10, 1888[citation needed] Closed October 4, 1969[15]
Fort Greene Navy Street April 10, 1888[citation needed] Closed October 4, 1969[15]
Downtown Brooklyn Bridge–Jay Streets April 10, 1888[citation needed] Earlier known as Bridge Street. Closed October 4, 1969[15]
Adams Street April 10, 1888[29] Closed March 5, 1944
Sands Street September 1, 1888[30] Closed March 5, 1944
Brooklyn Bridge
Civic Center Park Row June 18, 1898[31] Closed March 5, 1944

References

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  1. ^ "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  2. ^ "Remembering the Myrtle Avenue El". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 19, 2011. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  3. ^ "Subway Service Guide" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  4. ^ Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ a b Report. January 1, 1890.
  6. ^ a b c d Roess, Roger P.; Sansone, Gene (August 23, 2012). The Wheels That Drove New York: A History of the New York City Transit System. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9783642304842.
  7. ^ a b "The Fifth Avenue Elevated To Greenwood". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 15, 1889. p. 6. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  8. ^ "Article 11 -- No Title" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  9. ^ a b Senate, New York (State) Legislature (1916). Documents of the Senate of the State of New York. E. Croswell.
  10. ^ a b Senate, New York (State) Legislature (January 1, 1916). Documents of the Senate of the State of New York. E. Croswell.
  11. ^ New York (State). Transit Commission. (1930). Tenth Annual Report, 1930. Columbia University Libraries. Albany, N.Y. : J.B. Lyon Co.
  12. ^ "Brooklyn Bridge "El" Service... To Be Discontinued March 5th". Flickr. New York City Board of Transportation. 1944. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  13. ^ a b "EL' STATION TO BE RAZED; Grand Ave. Stop on Myrtle Ave. Line to End Wednesday". The New York Times. January 17, 1953. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  14. ^ "1,200 on Last Trip On Myrtle Ave. El; Cars Are Stripped". The New York Times. October 4, 1969. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Myrtle Ave El". www.thejoekorner.com. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  16. ^ Brooke, James (April 29, 1986). "Subway Aides to Weigh Cuts on 11 Routes". The New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Gordy, Margaret (April 29, 1986). "MTA Studies Citywide Cuts in Subway Lines, Stations". Newsday. pp. 3, 27. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  18. ^ Finder, Alan; Connelly, Mary (May 4, 1986). "The Region; On Shrinking The Subways". The New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "Myrtle Avenue Line Infrastructure Projects". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  20. ^ "mta.info | Myrtle Av Line Infrastructure Projects". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  21. ^ Rivoli, Dan (March 17, 2016). "M line to be shut down next year for repairs". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  22. ^ Brown, Nicole (March 18, 2016). "MTA: M line will shut down for part of next year". am New York. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  23. ^ Kelley, Ryan (April 25, 2018). "M Train on track to return to full service on Myrtle Ave in Ridgewood next week". QNS.com. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  24. ^ a b "Lost the Second Game". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 21, 1889. p. 2.
  25. ^ "To Greenwood on Thursday". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 14, 1889. p. 1.
  26. ^ a b c d e f "Will Open on Saturday". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. April 25, 1889. p. 1.
  27. ^ a b c d e f "The Upper Myrtle Avenue Elevated". The Brooklyn Times Union. April 24, 1889. p. 1.
  28. ^ "Opening the Washington Avenue Station". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. December 4, 1888. p. 6.
  29. ^ "A Start Made". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. April 10, 1888. p. 6.
  30. ^ "To the Bridge". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. August 30, 1888. p. 4.
  31. ^ "Brooklyn Bridge Train Service Ends Today -- Trolley Cars Stay On". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 5, 1944. p. 11. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

Further reading

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  • "The New Road Opened", The New York Times, April 11, 1888, page 8
  • "City and Suburban News", The New York Times, April 28, 1889, page 6
  • "New of the Railroads", The New York Times, January 9, 1896, page 15
  • "Park Row to Sheepshead Bay", The New York Times, June 19, 1898, page 5
  • "1,200 on Last Trip on Myrtle Ave. El; Cars Are Stripped", The New York Times, October 4, 1969, page 23
  • "Brooklyn Elevated", James Clifford Greller, Xplorer Press, 2017
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