E

History

Creation and extensions

E service began with the opening of the IND Queens Boulevard Line from 50th Street to Roosevelt Avenue on August 19, 1933, running between Roosevelt Avenue and Hudson Terminal (current World Trade Center station) on the IND Eighth Avenue Line. Because the IND Crosstown Line did not yet fully open, and as the IND Queens Boulevard Line had not yet opened to Jamaica, service ran via the Queens Boulevard Line's local tracks. The E also ran local in Manhattan. Initially, weekday service ran every four minutes during rush hours, every five minutes middays, every six or eight minutes evenings, and every twelve minutes overnights. Service ran every four or five minutes during the Saturday morning rush hour, every five minutes during the morning and afternoon, and every six or eight minutes in the evening. On Sunday, E trains ran every six or seven minutes in the morning, every five minutes in the afternoon, and every six or eight minutes in the evening. Service was provided by three-car trains during rush hours and two-car trains at other times. By January 16, 1934, rush hour service was operating with three- or four-car trains.

E trains were extended to East Broadway following the opening of the IND Sixth Avenue Line from West Fourth Street on January 1, 1936. E trains no longer served stations on the Eighth Avenue Line south of West Fourth Street. On April 9 of the same year, the Sixth Avenue Line was extended through the Rutgers Street Tunnel to Jay Street–Borough Hall, and E trains were extended via this line and the IND South Brooklyn Line to Church Avenue, replacing the A train, which was rerouted via the new IND Fulton Street Line to Rockaway Avenue. The E service was again extended with the opening of the Queens Boulevard Line extension to Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike on December 31, 1936.

Express service along Queens Boulevard began on April 24, 1937, coinciding with the extension of the line and E service to 169th Street. Express service was inaugurated during rush hours, with E trains making express stops from 71st–Continental Avenues to Queens Plaza. The express service operated between approximately 6:30 and 10:30 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Express service was also provided on Saturdays between 6:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. During rush hours, GG trains were extended to Continental Avenue from Queens Plaza, taking over the local service. During non-rush hours, when GG service terminated at Queens Plaza, local service was provided by EE trains, which operated between 169th Street and Church Avenue in Brooklyn. The initial headway for express service was between three and five minutes. With the completion of the Crosstown Line on July 1, 1937, non-rush hour GG service was extended to 71st Avenue, allowing E trains to run express along Queens Boulevard west of 71st Avenue at all times. EE service was discontinued at this time. In addition, three southbound E trains began service at 71st Avenue between 8:07 and 8:28 a.m. during the morning rush hour. The headway between trains during the peak of rush hour was reduced to three minutes at this time.

Changes in Brooklyn service

On June 28, 1956, the Long Island Rail Road's Rockaway Beach Branch reopened as the IND Rockaway Line after being converted for subway service, and E service was extended from East New York to Rockaway Park or Wavecrest (now Beach 25th Street) during weekday rush hours. During non-rush hours, service was provided by four-car shuttles between Euclid and Rockaway Park or Wavecrest. Three weekday E trains leaving 179th Street between 6:54 and 7:27 a.m. were cut at Euclid Avenue, with one half of the train running to Far Rockaway, and the other half going to Rockaway Park. After the end of the morning rush hour, several trains terminated at East New York, before going back into Manhattan-bound service before the afternoon rush hour.

On September 17, 1956, rush hour E service was cut back to Euclid Avenue when Rockaway service was replaced by the A train. The A and E later switched southern terminals again, and on September 8, 1958, the E began running to Far Rockaway and Rockaway Park during rush hours, with some trips terminating at Euclid Avenue. During weekday off-peak hours, separate shuttles operated from Euclid Avenue to Far Rockaway and Rockaway Park. At the same time, round-robin service began during weekend and late night service, because of the low ridership at these times. These trains would run from Euclid Avenue to Rockaway Park, and then reverse and run to Far Rockaway, before returning to Euclid Avenue.

The operation of eleven-car trains ended on September 8, 1958. While the schedule had included the continued operation of 11-car trains, with two conductors, that was cancelled after a labor arbitrator ruled that all trains could run with a single conductor. Operational difficulties were also a factor in the elimination of 11-car trains. The signal blocks, especially in Manhattan, were too short to accommodate the longer trains, and the train operators had a very small margin of error to properly platform the train. It was found that operating ten-car trains allowed for two additional trains per hour to be scheduled. To make up for the loss of eleven-car trains, two short-run trains from 71st Avenue were added on the E and F during rush hours.

On October 11, 1958, round-robin service ceased operating on weekends, being by replaced by shuttles running from Euclid Avenue to either terminal in the Rockaways. Round-robin service continued to operate late evenings, late nights, and early mornings. From October to June, round-robin service started at 6:40 p.m. leaving Euclid Avenue, and from June to October the service began at 9:44 p.m. from Euclid Avenue.

Archer Avenue changes

On December 11, 1988, the Archer Avenue Lines opened, and E trains were rerouted via this branch, running to Jamaica Center via the Queens Boulevard Line's express tracks. E trains began running express east of 71st Avenue, skipping 75th Avenue and Van Wyck Boulevard at all times, with local service to 179th Street replaced by the R, which was extended to 179th Street from 71st Avenue. The R extension allowed F trains to continue running express to 179th Street. It was decided to serve Archer Avenue with the E as opposed to the F to minimize disruption to passengers who continued to use Hillside Avenue, to maximize Jamaica Avenue ridership and the length of the peak ridership period, which is longer on the F. It was found that most riders using buses diverted to Archer Avenue used the E, while passengers on buses to 179th Street used the F. Having E trains run local between 71st Avenue and Van Wyck Boulevard was dismissed in order to provide 24 hour express service to the Archer Avenue Line.

Two service plans were identified prior to a public hearing on February 25, 1988, concerning the service plan for the new extension. The first would have split rush-hour E service between the two branches, with late night service to 179th Street provided by the R, while the second would have had all E trains run via Archer Avenue, and would have extended R locals to 179th Street. A modified version of the second plan was decided upon. The change in the plan was the operation of alternate E trains from 179th Street as expresses during the morning rush hour between 7:07 and 8:19 a.m. to provide an appropriate level of E service to Archer during the morning rush, to maintain the same level of service to 179th Street while providing express service, and to provide greater choice for riders at the Parsons Boulevard and 179th Street stations on Hillside Avenue. It was decided not to divert some E trains to 179th Street during the afternoon rush hour so that Queens-bound riders would not be confused about where their E train was headed.

The 1988 changes angered some riders because they resulted in the loss of direct Queens Boulevard Express service at local stations east of 71st Avenue (169th Street, Sutphin Boulevard, Van Wyck Boulevard and 75th Avenue stations). Local elected officials pressured the MTA to eliminate all-local service at these stations. As part of service cuts on September 30, 1990, the R was cut back to 71st Avenue outside of rush hours. Local service to 179th Street was replaced by F trains, which provided Queens Boulevard Express service during middays, evenings, and weekends, and local G service during late nights.

63rd Street changes

On March 23, 1997, the E began stopping at 75th Avenue and Briarwood during evenings, nights and weekends. On August 30, 1997, E service began making all stops in Queens during overnight hours in order to ease connections, reduce the need for overnight transfers, and provide even service intervals. On the same date, overnight G service was permanently cut back from 179th Street to Court Square, replaced by F service making all stops east of Queens Plaza, doubling overnight service frequency at Queens Boulevard local stations. On September 8, 1998, E trains began running at a frequency of eight trains per hour middays, an increase from six trains per hour.

C service was suspended from January 29 to February 14, 2000 due to switch replacement work north of the World Trade Center station, preventing it from being used as a terminal for E trains. As a result, the E was extended to Euclid Avenue in Brooklyn every day during daytime hours to replace C trains; overnight E service terminated at Canal Street. Service on the E was again affected by the September 11 attacks in 2001, as its terminal station, World Trade Center, was located at the northeastern corner of the World Trade Center site. Service was initially cut back from the World Trade Center to West Fourth Street, but on September 17, the E again operated to and from Euclid Avenue in Brooklyn as the Fulton Street Local during daytime hours, replacing the temporarily suspended C service; overnight service short turned at Canal Street and did not operate to or from Euclid Avenue. The E began to terminate at Canal Street 24 hours beginning on September 24 when the C was restored. The World Trade Center station reopened as a terminal for E service on January 28, 2002.

On December 16, 2001, the connection from the IND 63rd Street Line to the Queens Boulevard Line opened, and F trains were rerouted via this connector to travel between Manhattan and Queens. E rush hour service was increased from 12 trains per hour to 15 trains per hour, and F service decreased from 18 trains per hour to 15 trains per hour to accommodate these trains. The additional E trains ran to 179th Street, running express along Hillside Avenue, due to a lack of capacity to handle additional trains at Jamaica Center. Four trains began at 179th Street in the morning rush hour, and three began there in the beginning of the evening rush hour, four rush hour E trains ran to 179th Street in the evening rush hour, and three morning rush hour reverse-peak trips terminated at Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike. In addition, the frequency of weekday evening service was increased, with trains running every ten minutes instead of every 12 minutes.

EE service

The EE originally ran as an Eighth Avenue local between 71st Avenue and Chambers Street during off-peak hours when the GG did not run. This service was discontinued on July 1, 1937. However, the EE reappeared on November 27, 1967, when it ran between 71st–Continental Avenues and Whitehall Street via the local tracks of the BMT Broadway Line, replacing the RR. This service was discontinued on August 30, 1976, and replaced by the N.

Issues

Overcrowding

The E and F, the two Queens Boulevard express services, have historically been some of the most overcrowded routes in the entire subway system, and have more ridership than can be accommodated by existing capacity. Multiple efforts have been made to deal with the problem. In 1968, as part of the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority (MCTA)'s Program for Action plan to drastically expand the region's transportation network, the 63rd Street–Southeast Queens line was proposed to increase capacity between Queens and Manhattan and reduce overcrowding on Queens Boulevard express trains. This line would have served as a "super-express" bypass of the Queens Boulevard Line, paralleling the line by running along the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line, and making stops at Northern Boulevard, where a transfer would be available to Queens Plaza, and Woodside, before merging with the Queens Boulevard Line at 71st Avenue. The line would have provided additional express service to stations east of 71st Avenue, and was intended to divert passengers from the overcrowded E and F to the new line, which would have connected to the BMT Broadway Line and IND Sixth Avenue Lines in Manhattan via the new 63rd Street Lines. Since funding for the entire line dried up because of the 1975–1976 New York City fiscal crisis, the plan was scaled back to the construction of the 63rd Street Lines to a dead-end station at 21st Street–Queensbridge in Queens.

In 1990, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) elected to connect the 63rd Street Lines to the Queens Boulevard Line at 36th Street, with connections to both the local and express Queens Boulevard tracks. In 2001, the 63rd Street Connection was completed, allowing for an increase of nine trains per hour on the line between Queens and Manhattan through the introduction of V service. Express F trains, which had run via 53rd Street, were rerouted via the new connection, and were replaced by new local V trains. To further increase capacity, as part of the MTA's 2010–2014 Capital Program the MTA is equipping the tracks from 50th Street/8th Avenue and 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center to Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike with communications-based train control, which would allow for three more trains during peak hours on the Queens Boulevard express tracks (it currently runs 29 tph). This would also increase capacity on the local tracks of the IND Queens Boulevard Line. With the installation of CBTC on the Eighth Avenue Line as part of the 2015–2019 Capital Program, and on the Archer Avenue Line as part of the 2020–2024 Capital Program, the E will become fully automated.

In October 2017, twenty five-car train sets assigned to the E service had seats at the end of the cars removed to provide extra capacity. The MTA expected that the removal of seats would allow each E train to carry up to 100 additional riders. Subsequent surveys found that the removal of seats improved passenger flow on trains, helping reduce dwell times in stations.

Homelessness

For several decades, the E has hosted a large population of homeless people and has been nicknamed the "Homeless Express", according to a conductor interviewed by WNBC. It is the subway route that most homeless people sleep on since the route runs fully underground, sheltering people from the cold, and since the route has some of the system's newer rolling stock. In addition, the route passes through major transit hubs that shelter the homeless, like Pennsylvania Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Route

Service pattern

E trains run between Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer on the Archer Avenue Line and World Trade Center on the Eighth Avenue Line at all times, running via the Queens Boulevard Line in Queens. E trains run local along the Eighth Avenue Line at all times. All trains run express in Queens between 71st Avenue and Queens Plaza at all times except late nights, when they make local stops. On weekends, weekday evenings, and late nights, E trains stop at 75th Avenue and Briarwood; limited AM-rush trains also make these stops in both directions. During rush hours, limited service runs to and from 179th Street, typically making express stops east of 71st Avenue, although select PM-rush trains to this terminal make local stops. Four E trips originate from 179th Street during the a.m. rush hour, three E trips originate from 179th Street during the p.m. rush hour, three E trips terminate at 179th Street during the a.m. rush hour, and four trips terminate at 179th Street during the p.m. rush hour.

E trains share tracks with F trains between the 75th Avenue and 36th Street interlockings during weekday rush hours and middays, and between the Van Wyck Boulevard and 36th Street interlockings on evenings, late nights and weekends. The shared segment with the F, during rush hours, receives the most scheduled service of any track segment in the system with 30 trains per hour, 15 on the E, and 15 on the F. The route shares tracks with F trains between Queens Plaza and Fifth Avenue–53rd Street, and with C or late-night A service from 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal to Canal Street.

The following table shows the lines used by the E service, 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.

Route bullet

The E is signed on trains, in stations, and on maps with a blue emblem, or "bullet" since it runs via the Eighth Avenue Line. The route was first color-coded in a light blue on November 26, 1967, when the NYCTA introduced its first set of colored service labels to coincide with the opening of the Chrystie Street Connection. In June 1979, the route was given a darker blue bullet as part of the introduction of a new color-coding scheme based on subway trunk lines in Manhattan, done in connection with a redesign of the subway map.