Northern end Woodlawn Stations 54 | Depot Jerome Avenue Yard | |
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Southern end Crown Heights–Utica Avenue orNew Lots Avenue (late nights & limited rush hour service) Rolling stock 220 R142s (22 trains)130 R142As (13 trains) Started service June 2, 1917; 99 years ago (1917-06-02) | ||
The 4 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service in the A Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored apple green since it uses the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan. 4 trains operate between Woodlawn in the Bronx and Utica Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn via Jerome Avenue Local in the Bronx and Eastern Parkway Express in Brooklyn at all times except nights. During nights, they serve all stops except Hoyt Street and are extended to/from New Lots Avenue in East New York, Brooklyn via Livonia Avenue as a replacement for the 3. During rush hours, 4 trains skip 138th Street–Grand Concourse in the peak direction, with some northbound 4 trains running express north of 167th Street and short turning at Burnside Avenue, as well as a limited number of them extending to/from New Lots Avenue for storage at Livonia Avenue Yard.
Contents
Service history
During the extension of the IRT Lexington Avenue Line north of 42nd Street–Grand Central Terminal, shuttle elevated trains served the IRT Jerome Avenue Line (which at the time was only between East 149th Street–Grand Concourse and Kingsbridge Road) starting June 2, 1917. On April 15, 1918, shuttles were extended to Woodlawn. A second shuttle, using subway cars, from 149th Street–Grand Concourse to Grand Central started on July 17, 1918.
On August 1, 1918, the entire Jerome and Lexington Avenue Lines were completed and the connection to the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line at 42nd Street was removed. Trains began running between Woodlawn and Bowling Green.
On December 11, 1921, Lexington Avenue–Jerome Avenue subway trains began running north of 167th Street at all times, replacing elevated trains, which ran to Woodlawn during rush hours, but from then on terminated at 167th Street during non-rush hours.
Beginning on November 4, 1925, rush hour 4 trains were extended from Atlantic Avenue to Crown Heights–Utica Avenue. Two years later, on December 5, 1927, weekday evening service was extended to Utica Avenue. The following year, midday 4 service also went to Utica Avenue.
As of 1934, 4 trains ran from Woodlawn to Utica Avenue weekday rush and Saturday morning peak and afternoon, to Atlantic Avenue weekday midday, Saturday morning after the peak, and late nights, and to South Ferry evenings and Sundays. Trains ran express in Manhattan except late nights, and in Brooklyn. This was the first time the 6 became the Pelham Shuttle between Pelham Bay Park and 125th Street–Lexington Avenue.
On August 20, 1938, Saturday morning after the peak service was extended to Utica Avenue.
Beginning on May 10, 1946, all 4 trains were made express during late nights running on 12 minute headways as the 6 went back to Brooklyn Bridge during that time. Previously 4 trains ran local from 12:30 to 5:30am. At this time 4 trains terminated at Atlantic Avenue.
Beginning on December 16, 1946, trains were extended from Atlantic Avenue to New Lots Avenue during late nights, running express between Atlantic and Franklin Avenues.
When the Board of Transportation began to replace the older subway cars starting with the R12 cars in 1948. With these cars, numbers were assigned to the IRT lines. The Lexington Avenue–Jerome Line trains were given the number 4. By 1964, all cars had the route numbers on them.
During 1950, Saturday morning service was cut back to South Ferry.
Starting on December 15, 1950, four 4 trains began operating during rush hours to Flatbush Avenue on the Nostrand Avenue Line. Also on that day, weekday midday service was cut back from Atlantic Avenue to South Ferry. Additionally, on January 18, 1952, 4 service to Atlantic Avenue during weekday middays was restored.
On March 19, 1954, late-night service in Brooklyn began making all stops, but resumed operating express between Atlantic Avenue and Franklin Avenue on June 29, 1956.
On May 3, 1957, the weekday rush trains to Flatbush Avenue were discontinued, while at the same time evening, Saturday and Sunday afternoon trains were extended to Utica Avenue, while Sunday morning trains were extended to Atlantic Avenue.
Starting on March 1, 1960, late-night 4 trains resumed making all stops in Manhattan; this was the first time the 4 and 6 ran local in Manhattan together late nights. This arrangement ended on October 17, 1965 when the 4 went back express in Manhattan late nights.
Beginning on April 8, 1960, nearly all AM rush hour 4 trains ran to Flatbush Avenue, and PM rush hour 4 trains alternated between Flatbush and Utica Avenues. During weekday evenings and late nights 4 trains also went to Flatbush Avenue, making all stops in Brooklyn.
By 1972, the 4 began to skip 138th Street weekdays during rush hours in the peak direction which it continues to do (AM to Manhattan and PM from there). At that time, the 4 went to Atlantic Avenue at all times, but was extended to Utica Avenue rush hours running express in Brooklyn along Eastern Parkway. Select 4 trains also ran to Flatbush Avenue rush hours as well running express between Atlantic and Franklin Avenues, and late night service was still all stops in Brooklyn to Flatbush Avenue.
On May 23, 1976, Sunday morning trains were extended to Utica Avenue, express in Brooklyn.
Beginning on January 13, 1980, all 4 trains resumed operating local in Manhattan during late night hours to replace the 6, which again became the Pelham Shuttle between 125th Street and Pelham Bay Park.
Starting on July 10, 1983, all 4 trains ran to Utica Avenue, but weekday midday trains ran only to Atlantic Avenue, and late-night trains ran local during late nights and Sunday morning operating to New Lots Avenue. On August 29, 1988, the current service pattern began with weekday midday 4 trains also going to Utica Avenue, and the 5 terminating at Bowling Green to make room for this (the 5 has since been extended to Flatbush Avenue with the 2 weekdays until 8:45pm).
For a short time in 1990 starting January 21, late-night express service in Manhattan was restored, as the 6 train was extended back to Brooklyn Bridge late nights, but then late-night express service was permanently discontinued on October 5, 1990 when the 6 for the last time was cut back as the Pelham Shuttle to 125th Street–Lexington Avenue.
Beginning on October 3, 1999, the 4 and 6 trains once again began to operate local together in Manhattan when the 6 permanently went back to Brooklyn Bridge late nights.
From June 8, 2009, to June 26, 2009, New York City Transit conducted a pilot program for express Jerome Avenue Line service. Four morning weekday rush hour trains from Woodlawn stopped at Mosholu Parkway, Burnside Avenue and 149th Street–Grand Concourse before they resumed regular service in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Beginning on July 6, 2009, select 4 trains from Utica Avenue began running express between 167th Street and Burnside Avenue to turn there rush hours. When it first started, the stop program for the Woodlawn or Bedford Park bound service on the R142/R142A (the current cars running on the 4) was used until 2011, when a new stop program was introduced on the cars specifically for the 4 to Burnside Avenue.
On October 26, 2009, another 4 express pilot program was implemented based on the success of the first and ran until December 11, 2009. This program was the same as the one in June except that express trains stopped at Bedford Park Boulevard–Lehman College.
Service pattern
The following table shows the lines used by the 4, with shaded boxes indicating the route at the specified times:
Stations
For a more detailed station listing, see the articles on the lines listed above.