2 (New York City Subway service)

The 2 Seventh Avenue Express is a rapid transit service in the A Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored since it uses the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line through most of Manhattan.

The 2 operates 24 hours daily between 241st Street in Wakefield, Bronx, and Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College in Flatbush, Brooklyn; limited rush hour service in the reverse-peak direction originates and terminates at New Lots Avenue in East New York, Brooklyn instead of Flatbush Avenue. Daytime service makes express stops in Manhattan (between 96th and Chambers Streets) and all stops elsewhere; overnight service makes all stops along the full route.

Historically, 2 trains have also run to Crown Heights–Utica Avenue or New Lots Avenue. They ran exclusively on the IRT New Lots Line until 1983, when the 2 was routed to Flatbush Avenue. This is still the case with some rush-hour trains, albeit just to New Lots Avenue.

Service history

Early history

The first section of what became the current 2 entered service on November 26, 1904, from the temporary 180th Street–Bronx Park terminal via the West Farms El to 149th Street–3rd Avenue. On July 10, 1905, the connection between the IRT Lenox Avenue Line and IRT White Plains Road Line (which was previously served by the Third Avenue El) opened, allowing subway service from Manhattan to the Bronx.

On January 9, 1908, the Joralemon Street Tunnel opened, connecting the current IRT Lexington Avenue Line to Brooklyn. At this time, trains ran from East 180th Street to Borough Hall. On May 1, 1908, trains were extended to Nevins Street and Atlantic Avenue.

The IRT White Plains Road Line was extended to 219th Street on March 3, 1917, to 238th Street–Nereid Avenue on March 31, 1917, and to Wakefield–241st Street on December 13, 1920. On August 1, 1918, the entire IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line was completed. On April 15, 1919, the Clark Street Tunnel opened, connecting the line to Brooklyn as well.

Beginning on December 19, 1919, trains ran to South Ferry with some rush hour trains to Atlantic Avenue.

As of 1934, 2 trains ran from 180th Street-Bronx Park to Flatbush Avenue weekdays and Saturday during daytime and to South Ferry evenings and Sundays, running express in Manhattan. Late-night service was from 241st St to South Ferry, making all stops. There were occasional lay-up/put-ins from New Lots Avenue, and four weekday evening trains turned at Atlantic Avenue.

The IRT routes were given numbered designations with the introduction of "R-type" rolling stock, which contained rollsign curtains with numbered designations for each service. The first such fleet, the R12, was put into service in 1948. The Seventh Avenue–Bronx route became known as the 2.

Sunday service was extended to Flatbush Avenue on March 5, 1950.

Beginning on December 26, 1950, alternate weekday rush trains were extended to 241st Street in the peak direction, but PM rush service to 241st Street was discontinued on June 26, 1952. Beginning on August 4, 1952, the 180th Street–Bronx Park station was closed, with trains rerouted to East 180th Street.

Under the New York City Transit Authority

Morning rush hour service to 241st Street was cut back to Gun Hill Road on October 2, 1953. On March 19, 1954, weekend service was rerouted to New Lots Avenue at all times except late nights. On May 4, 1957, a track connection to the IRT Dyre Avenue Line was completed and daytime 2 trains were rerouted to Dyre Avenue.

In Spring 1995, rush hour 5 service to 241st Street was cut back to Nereid Avenue. 241st Street had insufficient capacity to terminate all 2 and 5 trains during rush hours, requiring some 2 and 5 trips to terminate at Nereid Avenue. To ease passenger confusion regarding which trips terminate where and to provide more reliable service, it was decided to have all 2 trips terminate at 241st Street and have all 5 trains terminate at Nereid Avenue. This recommendation was made in response to comments made as part of the Northeast Bronx Comprehensive Study.

Recent history

From March 2 to October 12, 1998, the IRT Lenox Avenue Line was rehabilitated. On weekdays, 2 trains ran via the IRT Lexington Avenue Line between 149th Street–Grand Concourse and Nevins Street uptown from 5:00 a.m. to midnight and downtown from midnight to 5:00 a.m. On October 3, 1999, the 2 began running local in Manhattan during late night hours so local stations would receive service every ten minutes.

On December 9, 1999, New York City Transit released a proposal revising 2 and 5 service in the Bronx to eliminate a merge north of the East 180th Street station, increasing capacity and reducing delays, to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board. Dyre Avenue-bound 5 trains would start running local along the White Plains Road Line while 2 trains would run express. Nereid Avenue-bound 5 trains would continue to run express in the Bronx. As part of the change, the frequency of service at White Plains Road Line local stations would decrease from 12 trains per hour to 7 trains per hour. Market research showed that riders at these stations preferred Lexington Avenue Line service. In addition, riders on the line north of East 180th Street would gain express service. This change would have been revenue neutral.

Shortly after the proposal was more widely announced in April 2000, Assemblyman Jeffrey Klein collected 2,000 signatures for a petition opposing the change. The MTA delayed the change's planned implementation by a month after receiving the petition. Opponents of the change also argued that it would have increased subway crowding on the 2 train, especially at the 72nd Street station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. The change was also opposed by State Senator Eric Schneiderman, Assemblyman Scott Stringer, and Public Advocate Mark Green. New York City Transit expected the passenger volume of downtown 2 trains in the morning rush hour to increase from 92% of capacity to 108% at 72nd Street. After Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver put pressure on the MTA, the change was pushed back for an additional three months in May 2000. On September 24, 2000, a spokesperson for New York City Transit said that MTA Chairman E. Virgil Conway told planners to drop the change until service on the 5 was increased with the arrival of new R142 subway cars by early 2002; the swap proposal was canceled the next day.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, 2 service was briefly split into two sections, with the northern section operating between 241st Street and 96th Street and the southern section operating between Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue. Service between 96th Street and 34th Street was quickly restored on the evening of September 12. On September 17, 2 service was restored along the full route and made all stops in Manhattan, with trains skipping Franklin Street, Chambers Street and Park Place. Franklin Street reopened on September 18, Chambers Street reopened on September 26, and Park Place reopened on October 28. Normal 2 service was restored on September 15, 2002.

Due to repairs to Hurricane Sandy-related damage on the Clark Street Tube, on weekends between June 17, 2017, and June 24, 2018, the 2 ran between Eastchester–Dyre Avenue in the Bronx and South Ferry in Lower Manhattan, with 5 trains replacing it in Brooklyn and the Bronx north of East 180th Street. Trains ran express only between 96th Street and Times Square–42nd Street during the daytime.

Route

Signage history

File:R12 IRT 2.gif|Pre-1967 bullet used on the R12s to R36s

File:2 (1967-1979 New York City Subway bullet).svg|1967–1979 bullet

File:NYCS-bull-trans-2.svg|The current bullet used since 1979

</gallery>

Service pattern

The following table shows the lines used by the 2, with shaded boxes indicating the route at the specified times:

| align=center |

| (IRT Jerome Avenue Line)

| style="font-weight:bold" align=center colspan="7" | Manhattan

| style="font-weight:bold" align=center colspan="7" | Lenox Avenue Line

| align=center |

| M60 Select Bus Service to LaGuardia Airport

| align=center |

| style="font-weight:bold" align=center colspan="7" | Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line

| align=center |

| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>

| M86 Select Bus Service

| align=center |

| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>

| M79 Select Bus Service

| align=center |

| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>

| align=center |

| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>

| align=center |

| (IND Eighth Avenue Line)

| align=center |

| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>

| align=center |

| (IRT Flushing Line) (IND Eighth Avenue Line at 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal) (BMT Broadway Line) (42nd Street Shuttle) (IND Sixth Avenue Line at 42nd Street–Bryant Park, daytime only)

| Port Authority Bus Terminal M34A Select Bus Service

| align=center |

| M34 / M34A Select Bus Service Amtrak, LIRR and NJ Transit at Pennsylvania Station

| align=center |

| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>

| align=center |

| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>

| M23 Select Bus Service

| align=center |

| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>

| align=center |

| Out-of-system transfers with MetroCard/OMNY: (IND Sixth Avenue Line at 14th Street) (BMT Canarsie Line at Sixth Avenue)

| PATH at M14A/D Select Bus Service

| align=center |

| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>

| PATH at

| align=center |

| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>

| align=center |

| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>

| align=center |

| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>

| align=center |

| style="font-weight:bold" align=center colspan=6 | Brooklyn Branch

| align=center |

| align=center | 20px|alt=Elevator access to mezzanine only

| (IND Eighth Avenue Line at Chambers Street) (IND Eighth Avenue Line at World Trade Center) (BMT Broadway Line at Cortlandt Street)

| PATH at

| align=center |

| (IRT Lexington Avenue Line) (IND Eighth Avenue Line) (BMT Nassau Street Line)

| PATH at

| align=center |

| M15 Select Bus Service Staten Island Ferry at Whitehall Terminal

| style="font-weight:bold" align=center colspan=6 | Brooklyn

| align=center |

| align=center | 20px|alt=Elevator access to mezzanine only

| NYC Ferry: East River and South Brooklyn routes (at Old Fulton Street and Furman Street)

| align=center |

| (IRT Eastern Parkway Line) (BMT Fourth Avenue Line at Court Street)

| style="font-weight:bold" align=center colspan=6 | Eastern Parkway Line

| align=center |

| align=center |  ↓

| Station is ADA-accessible in the southbound direction only.

| align=center |

| (BMT Brighton Line) (BMT Fourth Avenue Line)

| LIRR Atlantic Branch at Atlantic Terminal

| align=center |

| (BMT Franklin Avenue Line at )

| style="font-weight:bold" align=center colspan=6 | Services to Flatbush Avenue and New Lots Avenue split

| bgcolor=#808080 colspan=6 |

| style="font-weight:bold" align=center colspan=6 | Nostrand Avenue Line

| align=center |

| rowspan=7

| align=center |

| B44 Select Bus Service

| align=center |

| B44 Select Bus Service

| align=center |

| B44 Select Bus Service

| align=center |

| B44 Select Bus Service

| align=center |

| B44 Select Bus Service

| bgcolor=#808080 colspan=6 |

| align=center colspan=6 | Eastern Parkway Line (limited rush hour service only)

| rowspan=3

| align=center |

| B46 Select Bus Service

| align=center colspan=6 | New Lots Line (limited rush hour service only)

| rowspan=7

| align=center |

| B15 bus to JFK Int'l Airport

| align=center |

| Out-of-system transfer with MetroCard: (BMT Canarsie Line at )

| align=center |

| B15 bus to JFK Int'l Airport

Notes

References

External links

MTA NYC Transit – 2 Seventh Avenue Express