The N Broadway Express is a rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet," is colored , since it uses the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan.
The N operates 24 hours daily between Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, Queens, and Stillwell Avenue in Coney Island, Brooklyn; limited rush hour service originates and terminates at 96th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan instead of Ditmars Boulevard. Weekday daytime service makes express stops between 34th Street–Herald Square in Manhattan and 59th Street in Brooklyn and all stops elsewhere. Weekend daytime service is the same as weekday daytime service, except trains make all stops in Manhattan between 34th and Canal Street. Overnight service makes all stops along the full route, serves the Financial District of Lower Manhattan and uses the Montague Street Tunnel to travel between Manhattan and Brooklyn instead of the Manhattan Bridge.
The N was originally the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation's 4 service, running along the BMT Sea Beach Line to the Manhattan Bridge. The 4 used the BMT Nassau Street Line in Lower Manhattan from 1915 to 1917, after which it ran express on the BMT Broadway Line. The 4 became the N in 1961. The N ran local in Queens along the IND Queens Boulevard Line to Forest Hills–71st Avenue from 1976 until 1987, when it switched terminals with the R. From 1986 to 2004, reconstruction on the Manhattan Bridge forced the N to run local on the Broadway Line via the Montague Street Tunnel.
Service history
Before 1970
thumb|left|Poster advertising a new NX service
thumb|left|Poster advertising the NX service's discontinuation
The route that is now the N was originally BMT service 4, known as the Sea Beach Line or Sea Beach Express.
On June 22, 1915, the current BMT Sea Beach Line opened, replacing a street level "el" that branched off of the Fifth Avenue El with the former BMT West End Line. Originally, it used the south tracks of the Manhattan Bridge, which at that time connected to the BMT Nassau Street Line. Trains began running express between Pacific Street and 59th Street with the extension of the Fourth Avenue Line to 86th Street.
On September 4, 1917, the first part of the BMT Broadway Line and the north side tracks of the Manhattan Bridge opened. Trains ran from 14th Street–Union Square to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue, now using the bridge's northern tracks. On January 15, 1918, service was extended to Times Square–42nd Street. and ended April 12, 1968, due to low ridership. Starting on Monday, April 15, 1968, the five NX trips instead ran as N trips. these trains were noted with diamond N bullets from 1979. Trains stopped terminating at Kings Highway in the AM rush hour. On August 27, 1977, N service was cut back during late nights, only operating between 36th Street and Coney Island. Northbound trains ran express between 59th Street and 36th Street while southbound trains ran local.
Reconstruction of the Manhattan Bridge between 1986 and 2004 disrupted N service, usually rerouting it via the Montague Street Tunnel. On April 26, 1986, the north side tracks (leading to the IND Sixth Avenue Line) were closed and services that normally ran on them were moved to the south side, running via the BMT Broadway Line. Because of the large amount of train traffic now running on those tracks, rush hour and midday N service was rerouted via the Montague Street Tunnel, making local stops in Manhattan and Brooklyn, though evening, night and weekend trains continued to use the bridge and express tracks in Brooklyn. Starting on April 28, 1986, one Q train ran to Continental Avenue at 7:05 a.m., and returned in service as an N train, and an N train arriving at Continental Avenue at 3:25 p.m. began returning in service as a B train. These special B and Q trips no longer ran after May 23, 1987. The final service plan, which took effect on December 11, 1988, had the extension served by E trains, with R trains extended to 179th Street.
On May 24, 1987, the N swapped northern terminals with the . The N was switched to Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard, while the went to Forest Hills–71st Avenue. This was done to give the R direct access to Jamaica Yard; previously, the N had direct access to both Jamaica Yard and Coney Island Yard, and the R, running from Bay Ridge to Astoria, lacked direct access to any yard. This change was intended to improve the appearance and reliability of service on the R, since all trains on the Astoria and Broadway Lines were part of the graffiti-free program. to Ditmars Boulevard, additional N service was provided during rush hours. Trains continued to run express in Brooklyn between Pacific Street and 59th Street/Fourth Avenue evenings and weekends. On May 31, 1994, the N began running express in Brooklyn between Pacific Street and 59th Street–Fourth Avenue during weekday midday and rush hours, with the M running local during those times.
From 1994 to May 22, 1995, the southern terminal of the N was 86th Street due to rehabilitation work at Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue. On November 4, 2001, it was cut back again as the terminal's reconstruction project continued.
2001–2010
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, N service was initially rerouted between Canal Street and Atlantic Avenue–Pacific Street and operated via the Manhattan Bridge, making all stops along the full route, but was split on the evening of September 12, with the northern section operating between Ditmars Boulevard and 34th Street, and the southern section operating between Court Street and Stillwell Avenue; service in the northern section bypassed 49th Street in both directions. On September 17, N service was completely suspended and was replaced by W trains in Queens, by Q and W trains in Manhattan, and by trains in Brooklyn. Normal N service was restored on October 28.
On September 8, 2002, because of the ongoing reconstruction of Coney Island terminal, weekend and late night N service was reduced to a shuttle between 86th and Pacific Streets, running express on the BMT Fourth Avenue Line. In its place, the was extended to Manhattan and Astoria, Queens at all times; this was because the W was the only route still serving Stillwell Avenue during this part of the reconstruction.
On February 22, 2004, the Manhattan Bridge work was finally completed. The N returned to its full route in Manhattan and Queens at all times, and returned to using the Manhattan Bridge at all times except nights (via Fourth Avenue express, bypassing DeKalb Avenue). On weekdays, N trains ran express between 34th Street in Manhattan and 59th Street/Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn via the Manhattan Bridge, and local elsewhere; several trains ran express on the entire Broadway Line and short-turned at 57th Street–Seventh Avenue or Times Square during the morning rush hour. On weekends, it made local stops in Manhattan, but ran express in Brooklyn, using the Bridge. During late nights, it ran local along its entire route via the Montague Street Tunnel, replacing the train.
On May 29, 2005, the new Stillwell Avenue terminal was completed, and N service between 86th Street and Coney Island was restored.
On June 28, 2010, the N began running local in Manhattan north of Canal Street at all times, replacing the on weekdays which was discontinued due to budget problems, effectively adopting the weekend service pattern. However, the handful of short-turn N trains continued to run express in Manhattan.
2011–present
From August 2, 2013, to September 14, 2014, the Montague Street Tunnel was closed for Hurricane Sandy–related repairs. During this time, overnight N service was rerouted via the Manhattan Bridge, skipping six stations it normally served.
On November 7, 2016, the MTA restored the BMT Broadway Line services to their 2004–2010 service pattern in preparation for the rerouting of the train to the Second Avenue Subway. As a result, the N train once again became a weekday express between 34th Street–Herald Square and Canal Street, with local service replaced by the restored W train. The MTA approved the service change on May 23, 2016. All short-turn N trains that originally terminated at 57th Street–Seventh Avenue were extended to 96th Street–Second Avenue on January 3, 2017, following the opening of the Second Avenue Subway.
In January 2017, the MTA revealed plans to rehabilitate the tunnel structure above the BMT Fourth Avenue Line's express tracks between 36th Street and 59th Street. As a result, from July 30, 2018, to July 29, 2019, N trains ran local along that section at all times. Between October 21, 2019, and May 4, 2020, N trains terminated at 86th Street so work could be completed to protect Coney Island Yard from flooding. An out-of-system transfer was available between the N at 86th Street and the F at Avenue X station.
The N began running local in Manhattan in March 2020 after the W was temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic; regular N and W service was restored in June. In May 2020, the N began operating local along Fourth Avenue on most weekends to provide a transfer to the F at Fourth Avenue–Ninth Street, since the F was suspended south of Church Avenue due to construction on the IND Culver Line. In August 2023, midday headways on the N were reduced to eight minutes.
Route
Signage history
<gallery>
File:Bmt triplex no 4.png|The BMT 4 bullet used on the D Triplex
File:R1 BMT 4.gif|Pre-1967 BMT 4 bullet used on the R1s to R9s
File:N Train (1967-1979).svg|1967-1979 N bullet
File:NX Train (1967-1968).svg|1967-1968 NX bullet
File:NYCS-bull-trans-Nd-Std.svg|1979-1985 Rush hour bullet
File:NYCS-bull-trans-N-Std.svg|The current bullet used since 1979
</gallery>
Service pattern
The following table shows the lines used by the N, with shaded boxes indicating the route at the specified times:
| style="background:gray" |
|-
| bypass
| rowspan=2 style="background:#ddffdd" | Most trains
| rowspan=2 style="background:gray" |
| rowspan=2 style="background:gray" |
| rowspan=2 |
|-
| rowspan=2 | Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center
| rowspan=2 |59th Street/Fourth Avenue
| express
|-
| local
| style="background:yellow" | Limited service
|
|
| rowspan=2 style="background:gray" |
|-
| BMT Sea Beach Line (full line)
| Eighth Avenue
| Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue
| local
| style="background:gray" |
| style="background:gray" |
| style="background:gray" |
|}
Stations
thumb|right|To scale line map
For a more detailed station listing, see the articles on the lines listed above.
|-
| align=center rowspan=3 colspan=2
| align=center |
|
| align=center |
|
| M15 Select Bus Service
|-
| align=center |
|
| align=center |
|
| M15 Select Bus Service<br />M86 Select Bus Service
|-
| align=center |
|
| align=center |
|
| M15 Select Bus Service
|-
| align=center colspan=7 | 63rd Street Line (limited rush hour service only)
|-
| align=center colspan=2 |
|
|
|
|
|-
| style="font-weight:bold" align=center colspan=7 | Services to 96th Street (Manhattan) and Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard (Queens) split
|-
| bgcolor=#808080 colspan=7 |
|-
| style="text-align:center" colspan=7 | Broadway Line (Astoria and Second Avenue branches merge)
|-
| align=center colspan=2 |
| align=center |
|
| align=center |
|
|
|-
| align=center colspan=2 |
| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>
|
| align=center | ↑
|
| Station is ADA-accessible in the northbound direction only.
|-
| align=center colspan=2 |
| align=center |
|
| align=center |
| <br /> (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)<br /> (IRT Flushing Line)<br /> (IND Eighth Avenue Line at )<br /> (42nd Street Shuttle)<br /> (IND Sixth Avenue Line at , daytime only)
| Port Authority Bus Terminal<br />M34A Select Bus Service
|-
| align=center colspan=2 |
| align=center |
|
| align=center |
| <br /> (IND Sixth Avenue Line)
| M34 / M34A Select Bus Service<br />PATH at <br />Amtrak, LIRR, NJ Transit at Pennsylvania Station
|-
| align=center colspan=2 |
| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>
|
|
|
|
|-
| align=center colspan=2 |
| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>
|
|
|
| M23 Select Bus Service
|-
| align=center colspan=2 |
| align=center |
|
| align=center |
| <br /> (BMT Canarsie Line)<br /> (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)
| M14A / M14D Select Bus Service
|-
| align=center colspan=2 |
| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>
|
|
|
|
|-
| align=center colspan=2 |
| align=center | <nowiki>|</nowiki>
|
|
|
|
|-
| bgcolor=#808080 colspan=7 |
|-
| style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center" colspan=7 | Manhattan Bridge branch
|-
| align=center colspan=2 |
| align=center |
|
| align=center | 20px|alt=Elevator access to mezzanine only
| <br /> (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)<br /> (BMT Nassau Street Line)
| Stops on the lower level, under Canal Street.
|-
| bgcolor=#808080 colspan=7 |
|-
| align=center colspan=7 | Lower Manhattan branch (night service only)
|-
| align=center colspan=2 |
| align=center rowspan=5
|
| align=center | 20px|alt=Elevator access to mezzanine only
| <br /> (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)<br /> (BMT Nassau Street Line)
| Stops on the upper level, under Broadway.