| Bmt Canarsie Line |
Article Index for Bmt |
Articles about Bmt Canarsie Line |
Website Links For Line |
Information AboutBmt Canarsie Line |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT BMT CANARSIE LINE | |
| brooklyn-manhattan transit corporation | |
| new york city subway lines | |
|
The Canarsie Line (sometimes referred to as the '''14th Street–Canarsie Line''') is a Rapid Transit line of the BMT Division of the New York City Subway system, named after its terminus in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn . It is used by the L service, which is shown in the color gray on the NYC Subway map and on station signs. It is also occasionally referred to as the ''Eastern District Line''. This refers to Williamsburg , which was described as Brooklyn's "Eastern District" when the City of Williamsburg was annexed by the former City of Brooklyn. This was the location where the original Brooklyn subway portions of the line were laid out. Only later was the line connected to the tracks leading to Canarsie. Eastern District High School preserves this Toponym . EXTENT AND SERVICE The Canarsie Line runs from Eighth Avenue and 14th Street in Manhattan to Rockaway Parkway in Canarsie, Brooklyn. It is double-tracked along its entire length, except for short stretches of layup track in Manhattan. The current line is a two-track subway from its Manhattan terminal to Broadway Junction in the East New York section of Brooklyn, with the exception of a short stretch at Wilson Avenue where it is a double-decked structure with the southbound track outdoors directly above the underground northbound track. Just before Broadway Junction, the line emerges onto an elevated structure, passing over the BMT Jamaica Line . Between Broadway Junction and Atlantic Avenue are the Canarsie Line's only track connections to the rest of the system, via ramps connecting the Canarsie-bound line to the Manhattan-bound Jamaica Line and East New York Yard (and, until 1956 , the BMT Fulton Street El ). The Canarsie Line used to share the structure at Atlantic Avenue with the connection from the Broadway and Fulton Street elevated lines to the Liberty Avenue Elevated (still extant further east as part of the IND Fulton Street Line ). East of Pitkin Avenue, the Canarsie Line enters the two-track elevated structure on which the line was originally grade-separated in 1906 , entering Sutter Avenue station. At the next station, Livonia Avenue, the Livonia Avenue Elevated of the IRT Eastern Parkway Line passes overhead, and just beyond this point is a single track connection to the Linden Shops , which is now a track and structures facility. Besides the connection at Broadway Junction, this non- Electrified yard connection is the only other connection to the rest of the subway system, as it is indirectly a connection to the Eastern Parkway Line. Division B revenue equipment cannot access this line, however, because of Division A width restrictions. Beyond the next station, New Lots Avenue, the elevated structure ends, and an incline brings the Canarsie down to the original 1865 surface Right-of-way , the second-oldest such right-of-way on the New York City Transit Authority system. The line operates on this ground-level route to the end of the line at Rockaway Parkway. AUTOMATION See Also: BMT Canarsie Line automation subway trains almost exclusively.]] The Canarsie 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; the other is the IRT Flushing Line , carrying the 7 . Because of this, it was chosen as the location of the first fully-automated line of the New York City Subway. In spring 2005 , the current automation-enabled R143 -class equipment was expected to run under full automation with a single operator (known as OPTO, or One Person Train Operation) acting as an attendant to monitor the train's operation and take over manual operation if necessary. However, technical mishaps including the test train rolling away by itself has delayed the start of Automation, also known as Communication Based Train Control (CBTC). The project has caused numerous service disruptions on the L line on nights and weekends. Frequently, service is shut down in separate sections of the line, usually from Eighth Avenue to Lorimer Street, Lorimer to Broadway Junction, or Broadway Junction to Rockaway Parkway. During this time, shuttle buses serve suspended areas. This project also requires the closing of some stations, either in one direction or both directions, and for the line to be operated in two sections. In June 2005, the Canarsie Line ran with a single operator on weekends. However, as this was a violation of contract, the MTA was ordered to resume two-person operation at all times. Currently, the system is active between Chelsea-Eighth Avenue and First Avenue in Manhattan and Broadway Junction and Canarsie-Rockaway Parkway in Brooklyn . BACKGROUND The history of the Canarsie Line has three distinct phases. It was first a steam railroad, then a BRT elevated line, and was then extended into Manhattan via subway. Steam and elevated era Before becoming a BRT elevated line in 1906 , the Canarsie Line operated as a Steam Dummy line. It was first owned by the Brooklyn and Rockaway Beach Railroad, chartered December 24 , 1863 and opened October 21 , 1865 , from the Long Island Rail Road in East New York to a pier at Canarsie Landing, very close to the current junction of Rockaway Parkway and the Belt Parkway , where ferries continued on to Rockaway . The line was single-tracked until 1894 . {Link without Title} The Canarsie Railroad was chartered on May 8 , 1906 as a BRT subsidiary (leased to the Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad ) and acquired the line on May 31 , 1906 . The line was partly elevated, and electrified with Third Rail on the elevated part and Trolley Wire on the rest, south of New Lots Avenue. The Long Island Rail Road, which had used the line north of New Lots to access their Bay Ridge Branch , built a new line just to the west. The East New York terminus was extended several blocks along a section of line formerly used for " East New York Loop " service to the Fulton Street Elevated and the Broadway Elevated (now the BMT Jamaica Line ), at a point known as Manhattan Junction (now Broadway Junction). Service, first run on July 28 , 1906 , ran from Canarsie Landing to the Broadway Ferry at the foot of Broadway in Williamsburg , at the East River . This route still exists as the BMT Jamaica Line, except for the last piece to the East River, where the Jamaica Line runs over the Williamsburg Bridge . The route was later extended over the bridge and along the BMT Nassau Street Line to Canal Street and then Chambers Street . Dual Contracts rebuilding The Dual Contracts subway expansion scheme around World War I saw the rebuilding of the complex train junction at Manhattan Junction into an even more complex flyover junction now known as Broadway Junction. The expansion extended south to the point at which the Canarsie and Fulton Street Elevated s diverged, including a six-track, three-platform station at Atlantic Avenue. The complex was rebuilt under traffic and opened in stages, reaching completion in 1919 . At the same time, the BRT moved to eliminate remaining operations that required elevated trains to operate under overhead wire. In most cases this meant using Third Rail on fully grade-separated lines. When third rail was extended on the Canarsie Line it was decided to extend this power mode only as far as the important station at Rockaway Parkway and Glenwood Road. Beyond that point, frequent grade crossings made third rail impractical. This portion of the line was converted to the Canarsie Shuttle using elevated cars in 1917 and converted to trolley cars in 1920 . | |||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|