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108-845: The Steinway Tunnel (officially known as the Steinway Tube ) is a pair of tubes carrying the IRT Flushing Line ( 7 and <7> ​ trains) of the New York City Subway under the East River between 42nd Street in Manhattan and 51st Avenue in Long Island City, Queens , in New York City . It was originally designed and built as an interurban trolley tunnel (with

216-571: A Flushing extension. Since then, several New York City Transit Authority proposals for an eastward extension have all failed. Second Avenue Line service, including the connection across the Queensboro Bridge, ended June 13, 1942, and free transfers to the IRT Third Avenue Line were offered at Grand Central . These transfers were valid until May 12, 1955, when Third Avenue Line service ended. On October 17, 1949,

324-406: A low bid of $ 3,867,138, below the estimated cost of over $ 4 million. This low bid was the narrowest margin ever recorded for any large city contract, beating out the next highest bidder by 0.7 percent. While the contractor was provided four years to complete work, engineers expected to reduce the time needed to do so to as little as three years. Since work on the project had to be completed underneath

432-626: A major landowner in Astoria, Queens , started to fund the tunnel. He became a major shareholder and became the new chairman of the company, so the tunnel was named after him. Steinway advised the company to utilize electricity to power the tunnel, believing that the construction of the tunnel would increase real-estate values within the vicinity. The route was finalized in the City of New York in 1890 and in Long Island City by 1891. Construction

540-624: A monopoly on the city's rapid transit services. In February 1902, the IRT bought the New York & Long Island Railroad and tram operators New York and Queens County Railway for a similar monopoly in Queens. The IRT prepared surveys and plans from scratch. For the proposed tram service under the East River, the plans for the tunnel were modified for dedicated tram operation. The tunnel's trackbed

648-400: A narrow loading gauge and height), with stations near the current Hunters Point Avenue and Grand Central stations. Planning for the tunnel began in 1885 but construction did not start until 1892 due to a lack of funds. The Steinway Tunnel was named for William Steinway , who provided the funding to start the initial construction. Steinway died in 1896 before the tunnel was completed, and

756-542: A newly designated formation could not be named the Kaibab Formation, since the Kaibab Limestone is already established as a formation name. The first use of a name has precedence over all others, as does the first name applied to a particular formation. As with other stratigraphic units, the formal designation of a formation includes a stratotype which is usually a type section . A type section

864-617: A permanent natural or artificial feature of the geographic area in which they were first described. The name consists of the geographic name plus either "Formation" or a descriptive name. Examples include the Morrison Formation , named for the town of Morrison, Colorado , and the Kaibab Limestone , named after the Kaibab Plateau of Arizona. The names must not duplicate previous formation names, so, for example,

972-579: A possible further extension to Little Neck Bay in Bayside. There was consensus that the line should not abruptly end in Corona, but even with the 5.5-mile-long (8.9 km) extension to Bayside, the borough would still have fewer Dual Contracts route mileage than either Brooklyn or the Bronx. The New York Times wrote that compared to the Bronx, Queens would have far less subway mileage per capita even with

1080-470: A proposed extension to New Jersey, were futile. Work resumed in 1905, and test runs with streetcars began in 1907. Though the streetcar tests were successful, the tunnel remained closed to passengers. The tunnel opened for subway use on June 22, 1915, with service running between Grand Central and Vernon–Jackson Avenues . The Flushing Line was extended one stop from Vernon–Jackson Avenues to Hunters Point Avenue on February 15, 1916. On November 5, 1916,

1188-501: A provision would be made to permit the installation of an escalator to the east of Seventh Avenue. There would be two entrances at street level at each of the western corners of 41st Street and Broadway, and two entrances at the northeastern corner of 41st Street and Seventh Avenue. On November 22, 1921, the Powers-Kennedy Contracting Corporation was awarded a contract to construct the extension on

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1296-493: A removable round circular disc type radio antenna assembly, slide-mounted on the small mounting brackets that were attached on the front of R12 , R14 , R15 , and R17 cars that were assigned to the 7 route, which had been used on the line since 1948. Similar to the use of radio transponders in the CBTC installation, the system used the antennas to determine whether a train was running local or express, and then accordingly switched

1404-412: A report showing how much they had petitioned for Flushing subway extensions to that point, compared to how little progress they had made in doing so. Negotiations continued to be stalled in 1917. Despite the line not having been extended past Corona yet, the idea of a subway extension to Little Neck encouraged development there. The Whitestone Branch would have had to be rebuilt if it were leased to

1512-424: A track crossover between the tubes. The first IRT Steinway test train between Grand Central and Vernon Avenue (today's Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue station ) ran June 13, 1915, with a regularly scheduled shuttle service beginning June 22. The planned metro route was to go from Times Square through the tunnel over to Long Island City and from there continue towards Flushing . The IRT was to operate this line, with

1620-498: A train in the tunnel in 1973, killing one passenger and trapping over a thousand in the middle of the tunnel, after the collapse of an archway. In 1991, the tubes were flooded to 8 feet (2.4 m) after a water main broke on the Manhattan side. The next year, an electrical fire in the tunnel melted several feet of steel rail, although the tunnel's exhaust fans were working properly. After Hurricane Sandy-related storm surges flooded

1728-449: Is not a valid lithological basis for defining a formation. The contrast in lithology between formations required to justify their establishment varies with the complexity of the geology of a region. Formations must be able to be delineated at the scale of geologic mapping normally practiced in the region; the thickness of formations may range from less than a meter to several thousand meters. Geologic formations are typically named after

1836-560: Is central to the geologic discipline of stratigraphy , and the formation is the fundamental unit of stratigraphy. Formations may be combined into groups of strata or divided into members . Members differ from formations in that they need not be mappable at the same scale as formations, though they must be lithologically distinctive where present. The definition and recognition of formations allow geologists to correlate geologic strata across wide distances between outcrops and exposures of rock strata . Formations were at first described as

1944-616: Is directly under 41st Street. West of Times Square, the tracks curve sharply downward before turning under 11th Avenue . The tracks end at 24th Street, even though the last station is at 34th Street . This segment was built as part of the extension of the Flushing Line west to Manhattan's Far West Side (see § Extension westward ). A decommissioned lower level at the IND Eighth Avenue Line 's 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal station formerly blocked

2052-455: Is ideally a good exposure of the formation that shows its entire thickness. If the formation is nowhere entirely exposed, or if it shows considerably lateral variation, additional reference sections may be defined. Long-established formations dating to before the modern codification of stratigraphy, or which lack tabular form (such as volcanic formations), may substitute a type locality for a type section as their stratotype. The geologist defining

2160-497: Is in an Italianate style; Grand Central–42nd Street , which is a single round tube similar to a London Underground station; and 34th Street–Hudson Yards , which, with its deep vault and spacious interior, resembles a Washington Metro station. Services that use the Flushing Line are colored purple. The following services use part or all of the IRT Flushing Line: The line has two distinct sections, split by

2268-650: Is the BMT Astoria Line . East of this point, both the Flushing Line and the Astoria Line were formerly operated by the IRT and the BMT . Connections still exist between the eastbound tracks just east of the platforms, but cannot be used for revenue service as BMT trains are wider than IRT trains. This is the only track connection between the Flushing Line and the rest of the subway system. West of Queensboro Plaza,

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2376-540: The Corona Yard from the local tracks. At 48th Street in Sunnyside , the line switches to Queens Boulevard and an ornate concrete viaduct begins. The express track ends between 33rd Street–Rawson Street and Queensboro Plaza. At Queensboro Plaza, the eastbound track ( railroad north ) is above the westbound track, with both tracks on the south side of the island platforms. On the north side of these platforms

2484-460: The East River . In Long Island City, the tunnel portals were to be between 5th Street (now 49th Avenue) and 4th Street (now 50th Avenue). It would go under Jackson Avenue and finally Thomson Avenue, intersecting LIRR tracks at Hunterspoint Avenue . The total cost of the 5.6-mile (9.0 km) tunnel was to be US$ 11.7 million. The estimated total cost exceeded the financial capabilities of the company by far. In July 1891, piano maker William Steinway ,

2592-819: The East River Tunnel Railroad . The railroad would construct the Steinway Tunnel under the East River, connecting the Long Island Rail Road in Queens with the New York Central Railroad in Manhattan. However, the East River Tunnel Railroad Company went out of business. On July 22, 1887, Walter S. Gurnee and Malcolm W. Niven founded the New York and Long Island Railroad Company (NY&LIRR). They soon began planning for

2700-477: The IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line to walk a long distance. The Times Square station would be designed at a lower level than the two existing stations at Times Square. It would have two upper mezzanines connected by passageways: a mezzanine east of Seventh Avenue extending to Broadway, and one west of Seventh Avenue. Escalators would connect these upper mezzanines with the lower mezzanine, and

2808-633: The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)'s tracks in Long Island City and the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad 's tracks in the City of New York in the same tunnel. At that time period, movement through the New York metropolitan area was hampered by many large bodies of water such as the East River; there were no crossings across these water bodies, except for ferry service, which was not always possible or practical. In addition, plans to build

2916-819: The Long Island Star Journal in 1957, rush-hour headways ranged from 6 to 15 minutes between local trains, and 2 to 6 minutes between express trains. In 1953, with increased ridership on the line, a "super-express" service was instituted on the line. The next year, the trains were lengthened to nine cars each. Subsequently, the trains were extended to ten cars on November 1, 1962. With the 1964–1965 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in April 1964, trains were lengthened to eleven cars. The Flushing Line received 430 new R33S and R36 cars for this enhanced service. Rolling stock along

3024-616: The Queensboro Plaza station. It begins as a three-track subway, with the center track used for express service, at Flushing–Main Street . It quickly leaves the ground onto a steel elevated structure above Roosevelt Avenue, passing Citi Field and the United States Tennis Association 's National Tennis Center . A flying junction between Mets–Willets Point and 111th Street provides access to

3132-543: The Steinway Tunnel as part of the new Flushing subway line. The route, traveling under 41st and 42nd Streets in Manhattan, was to go from Times Square through the tunnel over to Long Island City and from there continue toward Flushing . At Queensboro Plaza, the line met the BMT's 60th Street Tunnel , as well as a spur from the elevated IRT Second Avenue Line on the Queensboro Bridge . From this point east,

3240-439: The thickness of their rock strata, which can vary widely. They are usually, but not universally, tabular in form. They may consist of a single lithology (rock type), or of alternating beds of two or more lithologies, or even a heterogeneous mixture of lithologies, so long as this distinguishes them from adjacent bodies of rock. The concept of a geologic formation goes back to the beginnings of modern scientific geology. The term

3348-405: The Astoria Line platforms extended to 9 BMT car lengths. The project, to start in 1950, would cost $ 3.85 million. Identification of Trains and Routing Automatically (IDENTRA) was implemented on the line in the 1957 and used until 1997, when a route selector punch box with B1 Astoria, local/express buttons was installed at the 10/11 car marker on the upper level of Queensboro Plaza. IDENTRA used

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3456-636: The Blackwell's Island Bridge (later the Queensboro Bridge ) were stagnant at the time. The East River Tunnel Railroad Company soon dissolved, and on July 22, 1887, Walter S. Gurnee and Malcolm W. Niven founded the New York and Long Island Railroad Company (NY&LIRR), which began planning for the tunnel shortly afterward. The tunnel was to begin on the New York side near the Hudson River docks in Manhattan, from there it would go east along 42nd Street to Grand Central and carry straight on under

3564-488: The East River that was expanded and renamed Belmont Island . Four workers were killed in a 1906 shaft accident under Belmont Island. The tunnel was holed through on May 16, 1907, and was completed in September of that year, after 26 months of construction. Buildings for the tunnel's construction had been erected on Belmont Island; these stayed up until at least 1918. Fifty tramcars were made available for operation through

3672-601: The Fifth Avenue station required underpinning the New York Public Library Main Branch and extending the library's foundation downward. The subway tunnel ran 35 feet (11 m) below ground level. During construction, workers took precautions to avoid interrupting the flow of traffic above ground and interfering with preexisting tunnels. The contractors had completed the tunnels to Fifth Avenue by May 1923. Local civic groups advocated for

3780-500: The Fifth Avenue station to be used as a temporary terminal while the permanent terminus at Times Square was being completed. By the end of 1923, the Transit Commission had allocated $ 50,000 for the construction of a temporary crossover east of the Fifth Avenue station. The temporary terminal at Fifth Avenue was nearly complete by February 1926. The station had two entrances on the south side of 42nd Street (one next to

3888-510: The Flushing Line received "strip maps" in 1965, the first such installation in the system. The strip maps showed only the stations on the Flushing Line, as opposed to for the entire system, but the transfers available at each station were listed. As with much of the rest of the subway system, the IRT Flushing Line was allowed to deteriorate throughout the 1970s to the late 1980s. Structural defects that required immediate attention at

3996-473: The Flushing Line two stops west to Times Square, with an intermediate station under Bryant Park. The western end of the Bryant Park station would be 300 feet (91 m) east of Sixth Avenue, while the eastern end would be about 100 feet (30 m) west of Fifth Avenue. The 42nd Street Association, a local civic group, regarded the station as very important. In May 1921, it was expected that contracts for

4104-605: The Flushing Line was extended two more stops to the east to the Queensboro Plaza station. At this point, the Flushing Line between Grand Central and Queensboro Plaza was called the Queensboro Line . The Dual Contracts were formalized in March 1913, specifying new lines or expansions to be built by the IRT and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT). The Dual Contracts involved opening

4212-682: The Flushing and Astoria Lines were built by the City of New York as part of the Dual Contracts . They were officially IRT lines on which the BMT held irrevocable and equal trackage rights . Because BMT trains were wider, and the platforms had been built for the IRT, normal BMT trains ran only to Queensboro Plaza , with a transfer to shuttles , using elevated cars, that alternated between the Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard and Flushing–Main Street terminals. IRT trains simply continued from

4320-656: The Flushing extension. The Bayside extension was tentatively approved in June 1913, but only after the construction of the initial extension to Flushing. Under the revised subway expansion plan put forth in December 1913, the Flushing Line would be extended past Main Street, along and/or parallel to the right-of-way of the nearby Port Washington Branch of the LIRR towards Bell Boulevard in Bayside. A spur line would branch off north along 149th Street towards College Point. In 1914,

4428-532: The Flushing line's construction if there was not going to be an extension to Whitestone. In January 1913, groups representing communities in south Flushing collaborated to push for an elevated along what was then the LIRR's Central Branch , in the current right-of-way of Kissena Corridor Park . Shortly after, the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) announced its intent to extend the line as an el from Corona to Flushing, with

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4536-738: The IRT Flushing Line commenced. It forced single-tracking on much of the line during weekends, and the elimination of express service for the duration of the project. The MTA advertised this change by putting leaflets in the New York Times , the Staten Island Advance , the Daily News , and Newsday . The project laid new track, replaced or repaired concrete and steel structures, replaced wooden station canopies with aluminum, improved lighting, improved signage, and installed new ventilation and pumping equipment. Expanded service

4644-654: The IRT Flushing Line one stop to the west from the line's previous terminus at Grand Central. In fall 1926, it was announced that the line would be completed by January 1, 1927. On February 8, 1927, the New York City Board of Transportation informed the New York State Transit Commission that work on the Times Square station was sufficiently completed to enable the start of train service beginning on February 19, 1927 with

4752-492: The IRT did not accept the offer since this would entail upgrading railroad crossings and the single-tracked line. Subsequently, the LIRR abandoned the branch in 1932. As part of the 1929 IND Second System plan, the Flushing Line would have had branches to College Point and Bayside east of Main Street. That plan was revived in 1939. The BOT kept proposing an extension of the Flushing Line past Main Street until 1945, when World War II ended and new budgets did not allow for

4860-474: The IRT land would not actually overlap with any LIRR land. The LIRR president at the time, Ralph Peters , offered to lease the Port Washington and Whitestone Branches to the IRT for rapid transit use for $ 250,000 annually (equivalent to $ 7,530,000 in 2023), excluding other maintenance costs. The lease would last for ten years, with an option to extend the lease by ten more years. The PSC favored

4968-465: The IRT was assigned exclusive operation of the line. In subsequent years, the tubes of the Steinway Tunnel were difficult to maintain: they were prone to flooding, and the tube walls were much narrower than other tunnels in the subway system, with almost no clearance on each side of the train. After a train got stuck in the tunnel in 1971, a passenger died of a heart attack. A fire broke out on

5076-475: The Manhattan-bound track. The line to Main Street had been practically completed at this point, but had to be rebuilt in part due to the sinking of the foundations of the structure in the vicinity of Flushing Creek. Once the structure was deemed to be safe for operation, the line was extended to Willets Point Boulevard on May 7, 1927. This extension was served by shuttle trains until through service

5184-611: The PSC chairman and the commissioner committed to building the line toward Bayside. However, at the time, the LIRR and IRT were administered separately, and the IRT plan would require rebuilding a section of the Port Washington branch between the Broadway and Auburndale stations. The LIRR moved to block the IRT extension past Flushing since it would compete with the Port Washington Branch service in Bayside. One member of

5292-598: The PSC largely ignored the lease plan since it was still focused on building the first phase of the Dual Contracts. The Flushing Business Men's Association kept advocating for the Amity Street subway, causing a schism between them and the rest of the groups that supported the LIRR lease. Through the summer of 1915, the PSC and the LIRR negotiated the planned lease to $ 125,000 a first year, equivalent to $ 3,760,000 in 2023, with an eight percent increase each year;

5400-615: The Queensboro Line and Queensboro Bridge onto the lines to Astoria and Flushing. The line to Flushing was originally called the Corona Line or Woodside and Corona Line before it was completed to Flushing. The segment of the viaduct above Queens Boulevard, from 33rd to 48th streets, was made of concrete rather than steel because it was intended to serve as a gateway to Queens. The line was opened from Queensboro Plaza to Alburtis Avenue on April 21, 1917. The Flushing Line

5508-435: The Steinway Tunnel was scheduled for September 20, 1907, but was postponed due to a power failure. Shortly afterward, trolley cars ran through the tunnel as part of a demonstration run. On September 29, 1907, a short circuit on the overhead wires caused a small fire, and the tunnel was shut down. Belmont did not have a franchise to operate a transit line. The concession to operate the tunnel had expired on January 1, 1907, and

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5616-493: The United Civic Association submitted a proposal to the LIRR to let the IRT use the Port Washington Branch to serve Flushing and Bayside, using a connection between the two lines in Corona. The PSC supported the connection as an interim measure, and on March 11, 1915, it voted to let the Bayside connection be built. Subsequently, engineers surveying the planned intersection of the LIRR and IRT lines found that

5724-419: The amount of work that remained to be completed. The opening of the line was about a year behind the April 29, 1926 date specified in the contract. The delay was the result of surprisingly difficult construction. The Board of Transportation had withheld retained percentages, as allowed in the contract, penalizing the contractor, and trying to incentivize it to speed up work. No retained percentages were provided to

5832-461: The city of New York was unwilling to renew the contract. For the next five years, the tunnel, with trolley loops on both the Manhattan and Queens sides, remained unused. In 1913, Belmont sold the tunnel to the city government after the IRT signed the Dual Contracts , which incorporated the Steinway Tunnel as part of the new Flushing subway line . Initially, the IRT intended to use the tunnel for trolleys; however, it subsequently decided instead to use

5940-477: The completion of work to a point between Eighth Avenue and Seventh Avenue. Plans for the construction of an extension of the line to between Eighth Avenue and Ninth Avenue to provide a physical connection with the IND Eighth Avenue Line were underway. On March 1, 1927, the opening of the line was set for March 15, the third time an opening date was set for the line. Work had been postponed given

6048-486: The contractor until February 1927. The Flushing Line was extended to Times Square on March 14, 1927. The eastern extension to Flushing–Main Street opened on January 21, 1928. At this time, Corona Yard opened, with the inspection shed and some yard tracks available for use. The remaining tracks opened on April 16, 1928. For the 1939 New York World's Fair , the Willets Point Boulevard station

6156-408: The corner of Vernon Boulevard, Jackson Avenue and 50th Avenue. An uncontrolled explosion killed five and injured fifty, and heavily damaged numerous surrounding houses. Due to high compensation claims, the company was financially ruined, and attempts to raise additional funds failed because of the stock market crash of 1893 . Work was stopped as a result, and it was boarded up. Investors refused to fund

6264-451: The discontinuance on the Flushing express was because the MTA felt it took too long to transfer between locals and expresses. The service was also due to fears of delays on the line when locals and expresses merged after 33rd Street–Rawson Street. The change was supposed to enable local trains to stop at 61st Street every four minutes (15 trains per hour) during rush hours, but according to riders,

6372-406: The duct banks in the tunnel were replaced. The platforms could be easily extended, and it was also found that the tunnel's width corresponded to the width specifications of the existing IRT subway's car fleet. Work began in 1913, and the tubes were modified to accommodate IRT subway cars in 1914. The work included removing part of the tunnel walls on the Manhattan side and building a cavern to create

6480-550: The essential geologic time markers, based on their relative ages and the law of superposition . The divisions of the geological time scale were described and put in chronological order by the geologists and stratigraphers of the 18th and 19th centuries. Geologic formations can be usefully defined for sedimentary rock layers, low-grade metamorphic rocks , and volcanic rocks . Intrusive igneous rocks and highly metamorphosed rocks are generally not considered to be formations, but are described instead as lithodemes . "Formation"

6588-428: The express track in the four intermediate stations. The work began on April 5, 1993. When the viaduct reconstruction finished on March 31, 1997, full <7> express service was reinstated. Throughout this entire period, ridership grew steadily. Formation (stratigraphy) A formation must be large enough that it can be mapped at the surface or traced in the subsurface. Formations are otherwise not defined by

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6696-409: The extension would be advertised shortly. On November 9, 1921, the New York State Transit Commission opened up the contract for the extension for bidding. The extension would take a slightly different route than the one specified in the Dual Contracts. The original proposal had the line constructed under 42nd Street to a point just to the east of Broadway, which would have forced riders transferring to

6804-522: The formation is expected to describe the stratotype in sufficient detail that other geologists can unequivocally recognize the formation. Although formations should not be defined by any criteria other than primary lithology, it is often useful to define biostratigraphic units on paleontological criteria, chronostratigraphic units on the age of the rocks, and chemostratigraphic units on geochemical criteria, and these are included in stratigraphic codes. The concept of formally defined layers or strata

6912-568: The foundations of several large buildings, such as theatres, and the north end of the New York Public Library, the contractor had to provide a $ 1 million bond. The project was expected to reduce crowding on the 42nd Street Shuttle by enabling riders to use the Queensboro Subway to directly access Times Square. 24,000 of the estimated 100,000 daily shuttle riders transferred to and from the Queensboro Subway. The line

7020-494: The idea of the IRT being a lessee along these lines, but did not know where to put the Corona connection. Even the majority of groups in eastern Queens supported the lease plan. The only group who opposed the lease agreement was the Flushing Association, who preferred a previous plan to build the Corona Line extension as a subway under Amity Street (currently Roosevelt Avenue), ending at Main Street. Afterward,

7128-661: The introduction of the R12 rolling stock in 1948. The BMT assigned the number 9 to its service, used on maps but not signed on trains. The Main Street station was not intended to be the Flushing Line's terminus. While the controversy over an elevated line in Flushing was ongoing in January 1913, the Whitestone Improvement Association pushed for an elevated to Whitestone , College Point , and Bayside. However, some members of that group wanted to oppose

7236-537: The ironwork at the station. During the joint service period, the elevated stations on the Astoria and Flushing Lines were only able to fit nine 51-foot-long BMT elevated or IRT cars, the rough equivalent of seven 67-foot-long BMT subway cars. After the BMT/IRT dual services ended in 1949, the New York City Board of Transportation announced that the Flushing Line platforms would be lengthened to 11 IRT car lengths, and

7344-443: The joint BMT/IRT service arrangement ended. The Flushing Line became the responsibility of IRT. The Astoria Line had its platforms shaved back, and became BMT-only. Because of this, routes through the then eight-track Queensboro Plaza station were consolidated and the northern half of the structure was later torn down. Evidence of where the torn-down platforms were, as well as the trackways that approached this area, can still be seen in

7452-549: The library and the other next to the park). A third entrance was placed within the Stern Brothers building on the north side. Stern's funded the construction of the entrance inside its building, which also included storefront windows. These entrances connected with a mezzanine above the platform. The platform was to be 480 feet (150 m) long, though only a 300-foot (91 m) section would be used initially. The Fifth Avenue station opened on March 22, 1926, extending

7560-496: The line sharply turns south onto an elevated structure over 23rd Street. It heads into the west end of Amtrak 's Sunnyside Yard , and passes through two underground stations before entering Manhattan via the Steinway Tunnel under the East River . In Manhattan, the line runs under 42nd Street , with part directly underneath the 42nd Street Shuttle ( S train), before angling towards 41st Street. The Times Square–42nd Street station, with no track connections to other lines,

7668-641: The line was opened all the way to Flushing in 1928, it was known as the Corona Line or Woodside and Corona Line . Prior to the discontinuation of BMT services in 1949, the portion of the IRT Flushing Line between Times Square and Queensboro Plaza was known as the Queensboro Line . Since the mid-2010s, the line's signal system has been converted to an automated system . The Flushing Line has various styles of architecture, which range from steel girder elevated structures to European-style concrete viaducts . The underground stations have some unique designs as well. The designs include Hunters Point Avenue , which

7776-400: The longest by total length, however. An IND/BMT train of ten 60-foot (18 m)-long cars or eight 75-foot (23 m)-long cars, which is 600 feet (180 m) long, is still 35 feet (11 m) longer than an IRT train of eleven 51.4-foot (15.7 m)-long cars, which is 565 feet (172 m) long. The earliest origins of the Flushing Line emerged on February 22, 1885, with the founding of

7884-470: The mid-1990s, the MTA discovered that the Queens Boulevard viaduct structure was unstable, as rocks that were used to support the tracks as ballast became loose due to poor drainage, which, in turn, affected the integrity of the concrete structure overall. <7> express service was suspended again between 61st Street–Woodside and Queensboro Plaza ; temporary platforms were installed to access

7992-537: The negotiations then stalled in 1916. The Whitestone Improvement Association, impatient with the pace of negotiations, approved of the subway under Amity Street even though it would not serve them directly. The PSC's chief engineer wrote in a report that a combined 20,600 riders would use the Whitestone and Bayside lines each day in either direction, and that by 1927, there would be 34,000 riders per day per direction. The Third Ward Rapid Transit Association wrote

8100-703: The other is the BMT Canarsie Line , carrying the L train. Because of this, the MTA is automating the line with new trains using communication-based train control (CBTC), similar to the Canarsie Line (see § Automation of the line ). The IRT Flushing Line's 7 service has the distinction of running trains with the largest number of cars in the New York City Subway. 7 trains are eleven cars long; most other New York City Subway services run ten or eight-car trains. The trains are not

8208-498: The project sat dormant for several years, before the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) acquired the tunnel. The IRT resumed work in 1905 and completed the tubes in 1907 and was briefly opened for trolley service that September. Due to legal disputes, the tubes closed within a week and did not reopen for another eight years. After the Dual Contracts were signed in 1913, the IRT began converting

8316-442: The route, another 126 cars were added to the fleet. The 50 "World's Fair"-type cars , used for the 1939 New York World's Fair , used the same type of gear boxes. With the 1948 introduction of four-motor subway cars of types R12 and R14 , the need for a special drive was gone, as the Steinway Tunnel could now be driven by conventional railcars. In 1949, BMT services stopped operating on the Flushing Line east of Queensboro Plaza, and

8424-444: The same year, it was extended to Queensboro Plaza. Because the line did not have track connections to the rest of the IRT network, a provisional maintenance workshop was operated at the tunnel ramp until 1928. To the west, construction began in 1922. The tunnel was extended to Fifth Avenue on March 23, 1926, and Times Square on March 14, 1927. When Belmont modified the IRT Flushing Line to extend to Times Square and to Flushing , it

8532-401: The subway, with railroad crossings removed and the single track doubled. The PSC located 14 places where crossings needed to be eliminated. However, by early 1917, there was barely enough money to build the subway to Flushing, let alone a link to Whitestone and Bayside. A lease agreement was announced on October 16, 1917, but the IRT withdrew from the agreement a month later, citing that it

8640-546: The tectonic history of a region or predict likely locations for buried mineral resources. The boundaries of a formation are chosen to give it the greatest practical lithological consistency. Formations should not be defined by any criteria other than lithology. The lithology of a formation includes characteristics such as chemical and mineralogical composition, texture, color, primary depositional structures , fossils regarded as rock-forming particles, or other organic materials such as coal or kerogen . The taxonomy of fossils

8748-501: The time were labeled as "Code Red" defects or "Red Tag" areas, and were numerous on the Flushing Line. Some columns that supported elevated structures on the Flushing Line were so shaky that trains did not run when the wind speed exceeded 65 miles per hour (105 km/h). This was particularly widespread on the Flushing and the BMT Jamaica Lines . On May 13, 1985, a 4 1 ⁄ 2 -year-long, $ 70 million project to overhaul

8856-544: The track at interlockings near the Queensboro Plaza and Flushing–Main Street stations. This move reduced the number of signal towers on the line from 9 to 2 and theoretically allowed to operate 37 eleven-car trains instead of only 30 nine-car trains per hour. The consolidated signal system was in use by 1956 while the selector system was in service by 1958. However, in practice, train frequencies were not necessarily increased. According to an experiment performed by

8964-738: The trackage east of Queensboro Plaza to be shared by the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (later the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation , or BMT). Meanwhile, the construction work continued on the planned route. To the east of the tunnel, the Hunters Point Avenue subway station went up to the level of the Hunterspoint Avenue LIRR station. Immediately east of it was a ramp up to the elevated subway towards Queensboro Plaza . Hunters Point Avenue opened on February 15, 1916, and on November 5 of

9072-520: The trains arrived every 8–10 minutes. The community opposition led to service changes, and expresses began stopping at Woodside again a few months later. On weekends between January 19 and March 11, 7 service was partially shutdown so that switches at the Fisk Interlocking could be replaced. The $ 5 million project was not done in conjunction with the work between 1985 and 1989 because the 23-year old switches were not due for replacement. In

9180-455: The tubes for a heavy-rail rapid transit line, a concept that later became known as premetro . After the IRT measured the tubes, the company found that third rail installation could be possible with small modifications. Regular subway cars could not use the loops and the ramp because of the tight 50-foot (15 m) radius of the loops and the steep 6% incline. The roadbed and the rail were determined to be usable for subway service, but even so,

9288-406: The tubes to subway use, and the tubes opened as part of the Flushing Line in 1915. In subsequent years, specific rolling stock were ordered to navigate the narrow dimensions of the tubes, and the tunnel suffered from numerous floods and fires. The East River Tunnel Railroad Company was founded on February 22, 1885, to construct a railroad tunnel crossing the East River . Its objective was to connect

9396-408: The tunnel because they feared that it was unsafe. Attempts to resume construction were occasionally made until Steinway died in 1896. In 1900, the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), headed by August Belmont Jr. , was awarded the contract for construction and operation of the city's subway line and a few years later the IRT engineered a takeover of Manhattan's elevated railways, thus gaining

9504-457: The tunnel in 2012, the tubes were rebuilt in a $ 29 million project that took place between 2013 and April 2016. To protect the tunnel from future flooding, two retaining walls will be installed on either side of the tunnel portal in Queens, and flex gates would be installed to prevent water from entering the tunnel. The project is estimated to cost $ 15 million, work was scheduled to begin in May 2021 and

9612-476: The tunnel project multiple times and after several disasters nearly stopped it. The westernmost of the four shafts for the tunnel was in Manhattan and was numbered #1, while the easternmost shaft, in Queens, was numbered #4. Construction began on July 14, 1905, when shaft #4 was sunk; shaft #2 on the opposite shore was sunk by September 1. Shaft #3 was sunk in the Man-O-War Reef, a granite outcrop in

9720-430: The tunnel ramps towards Queens were significantly steeper than normal IRT specifications, with a gradient of 4%, special rolling stock had to be procured for the Steinway Tunnel line. The "Steinway"-type subway car had the same dimensions as an ordinary subway cars of the IRT, but included modified gear boxes. Initially, twelve single-car consists were approved for the original shuttle. Because of additional construction to

9828-410: The tunnel. To run from West 42nd Street and Tenth Avenue to Van Alst Avenue after crossing under the East River, the builders planned for the remainder of the line to be constructed on private lands, and numerous alterations were made to the proposal. In 1890, William Steinway advised the company to utilize electricity to power the tunnels, believing that the construction of the tunnel would increase

9936-421: The tunnel. They possessed a 42-foot-5-inch (12.93 m)-long and 8-foot-11-inch (2.72 m)-wide all-steel superstructure with double-sided semi-open entrances at the ends. Power was drawn from an iron rail on the ceiling, to which the car roof's 11 + 3 ⁄ 8 -inch (290 mm)-high pantograph would attach. The cars were also fitted with rod pantographs for street operation. The first trolley trip in

10044-441: The value of his properties in the vicinity. On June 3, 1892, construction of the tunnel commenced near the intersection of 50th Avenue and Vernon and Jackson Avenues. However, several failures and hindrances, which included an underground spring preventing the extraction of rubble, resulted in the termination of the project on February 2, 1893. Several calls for the resumption of the project between 1893 and 1896, in addition to

10152-518: The way. Although London ultimately received the bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics , New York City pursued the extension anyway, albeit as a means to enable the redevelopment of the far West Side under the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project . The Flushing Line is one of only two New York City non- shuttle subway lines that hosts only a single service and does not share operating trackage with any other line or service;

10260-442: Was exceeding expectations, with 363,726 passengers using the Corona Line that month, 126,100 using the Queensboro Plaza station, and 363,508 using the Queensboro Subway. BMT shuttles began to use the Flushing and Astoria Lines on April 8, 1923. Service to 111th Street was inaugurated on October 13, 1925, with shuttle service running between 111th Street and the previous terminal at Alburtis Avenue (now 103rd Street–Corona Plaza) on

10368-406: Was found that the loops could not be used for the extensions. The loops on the Queens side of the tunnel were obliterated in the wake of new construction. The loop on the Manhattan side, however, is intact and occupied by maintenance rooms, although the ceiling third rail still exists in the loop. The line from Times Square to Flushing was completed in 1928, when the station at Flushing opened. Since

10476-530: Was inappropriate to enter such an agreement at that time. Thereafter, the PSC instead turned its attention back to the Main Street subway extension. Even after the Main Street station opened in 1928, efforts to extend the line past Flushing persisted. In 1928, the New York City Board of Transportation (BOT) proposed allowing IRT trains to build a connection to use the Whitestone Branch, but

10584-611: Was inaugurated on May 14. On that date, the opening of the station was formally celebrated; it coincided with the opening of the Roosevelt Avenue Bridge for cars and buses. Wooden elevated rolling stock had to be used by the BMT, as the Flushing Line was built to IRT clearances, and standard steel BMT subway rolling stock were not compatible. In July 1920, the New York State Public Service Commission announced it would extend

10692-406: Was initially derided by opponents, as it passed through agricultural areas rather than connecting populated places, as previous lines had. Rapid development quickly followed once the Flushing Line was operational, with six-story apartment buildings being erected directly on the former fields, and several major firms building housing for their workers along the route. By June 1917 ridership on the line

10800-482: Was opened to Hudson Yards in western Manhattan in 2015, and the line now stretches from Flushing to Chelsea, Manhattan . It carries trains of the 7 local service, as well as the express <7> during rush hours in the peak direction. It is the only currently operational IRT line to serve Queens. It is shown in the color purple on station signs, the official subway map, and internal route maps in R188 cars. Before

10908-683: Was provided when the Mets played home games or when there were sporting events in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park . Paradoxically, Flushing local trains had better on-time performance during the construction than before it started. The $ 70 million rehabilitation project on the Queens Boulevard concrete viaduct was completed six months early, and <7> express service was restored on August 21, 1989, without stopping at 61st Street–Woodside . This led to protests by community members to get express service back at 61st Street station. The reason for

11016-456: Was raised, the gradient increased, and the route shortened. The tunnel was to turn at a loop at the corner of 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan and go as far as Vernon Boulevard in Queens. There, a ramp was to connect to the New York and Queens County Railway . These three underground stations were Lexington Avenue in Manhattan and Jackson Avenue and Van Alst Avenue in Queens. The total cost amounted to $ 8 million. The city objected to

11124-458: Was rebuilt and centered on 123rd Street, just west of where the station originally lay. Some remnants of the old station are still visible; ironwork tends to indicate where the older outside-platform stations were, and the remains of the fare entry area can be seen east of the current station. The original Willets Point Boulevard station was a "minor" stop on the Flushing Line; it had only two stairways and short station canopies at platform level. It

11232-527: Was rebuilt into the much larger station in use today, and the ramp used during two World's Fairs still exists, but is only used during special events, such as the US Open for tennis . Express service to the World's Fair began on the Flushing Line on April 24, 1939. Currently and historically, the IRT assigned the number 7 to its Flushing Line subway service, though this did not appear on any equipment until

11340-488: Was started on June 7, 1892, as a NY&LIRR project, and the bottom of the tunnel shaft was reached in December of the same year. However, soon after the start of construction, there were many complications. The project was difficult due to complex geological formations beneath the river, and there were frequent blowouts and floods. Construction was curtailed following an accident on December 28, 1892, during an attempt to heat frozen dynamite from an 85-foot (26 m) shaft at

11448-517: Was still ongoing in 2024. IRT Flushing Line The IRT Flushing Line is a rapid transit route of the New York City Subway system , named for its eastern terminal in Flushing, Queens . It is operated as part of the A Division . The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), a private operator, had constructed the section of the line from Flushing , Queens , to Times Square , Manhattan between 1915 and 1928. A western extension

11556-438: Was to extend as far as Eighth Avenue to connect with the proposed IND Eighth Avenue Line . Powers-Kennedy started excavating the line westward from Grand Central in May 1922. The Flushing Line extension was to run beneath the original line from Vanderbilt to Fifth Avenue, running as little as 4 inches (100 mm) under the original line. The tunnel also had to pass under a sewage line at Madison Avenue . The construction of

11664-620: Was used by Abraham Gottlob Werner in his theory of the origin of the Earth, which was developed over the period from 1774 to his death in 1817. The concept became increasingly formalized over time and is now codified in such works as the North American Stratigraphic Code and its counterparts in other regions. Geologic maps showing where various formations are exposed at the surface are fundamental to such fields as structural geology , allowing geologists to infer

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