G (New York City Subway service)
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Brooklyn–Queens Crosstown Local |
dashed line shows off-peak service
The G Brooklyn–Queens Crosstown Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is the only full-time non-shuttle service that does not enter Manhattan. It is colored light green on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the IND Crosstown Line.
The G operates between Court Square in Long Island City, Queens and Smith–Ninth Streets in Red Hook, Brooklyn, at all times. During evenings, nights, and weekends, the G is extended north along the IND Queens Boulevard Line local tracks to 71st Avenue in Forest Hills, Queens. It runs local at all times.
The MTA has announced a three-year rehabilitation of the Culver Viaduct from 2009–2012. As part of that project, the G service, which currently terminates at Smith–Ninth Streets, will be permanently be extended to Church Avenue.[1][2]
The G fleet consists of R46s.
The following lines are used by the G:
| Line | Tracks | When |
|---|---|---|
| IND Queens Boulevard Line from Forest Hills–71st Avenue to Queens Plaza | local | evenings and late nights [3] |
| IND Crosstown Line north of Court Square | N/A | |
| IND Crosstown Line south of Court Square | N/A | always |
| IND Culver Line from Bergen Street to Smith–Ninth Streets | local |
Contents |
[edit] History
The original portion of the Brooklyn–Queens Crosstown Local service officially began on August 19, 1933 as a shuttle between Queens Plaza and Nassau Avenue using the rollsign GG. The entire IND Crosstown Line was completed on July 1, 1937 and GG service ran at all times between Forest Hills–71st Avenue and Smith–Ninth Streets.
In July 1968, service was extended to Church Avenue, and the F train operated as an express service on the IND Culver Line. This service pattern ended in August 1976 because many customers at local stations on the Culver Line wanted direct access to Manhattan. In 1986, use of double letters to indicate local service was discontinued. GG was relabeled G. On May 24, 1987, the N and R lines switched terminals in Queens. As part of the reroute plan, Queens Plaza became the northern terminal for the G train on evenings, nights, and weekends. Beginning on September 30, 1990, G service was extended to 179th Street during late nights to replace the F, which terminated at 21st Street–Queensbridge. In May 1997, due to construction on the connector between the IND 63rd Street Line and the Queens Boulevard Line, G trains terminated at Court Square on evenings, nights, and weekends.
On December 16, 2001, the 63rd Street Connector opened, and Court Square became the permanent northern terminal during midday and rush hours, being replaced along Queens Boulevard by the V train. Service is extended to Forest Hills–71st Avenue other times.
[edit] Controversy
When the connector to the IND 63rd Street Line from the IND Queens Boulevard Line was completed in December 2001, it not only introduced the new V service, but allowed up to nine additional trains on the Queens Boulevard Line during peak hours.[4] However, to make room for the V train on Queens Boulevard, the G had to terminate Court Square on weekdays.
The service plan was designed to redistribute Queens-bound passenger loads in the heavily-used IND 53rd Street Line and better service and transfer opportunities as the V allows direct access to the 53rd Street and IND Sixth Avenue Line for Queens Boulevard local customers. The New York Times described the service plan as "complex and heavily criticized;" several years experience with the service running, however, has shown its value. V trains, while by no means consistently full, have taken some load off the F train, though many riders have complained that the passenger load on the E train has worsened as it is now the only express train that runs along 53rd Street. In response to complaints from G riders at public hearings about losing a major transfer point to Manhattan-bound trains at Queens Plaza, the MTA agreed to a number of compromises, including installing an horizontal escalator in the passageway between Court Square and 23rd Street–Ely Avenue (E V) on the Queens Boulevard Line. In addition, a free out-of-system MetroCard transfer to 45th Road–Court House Square on the IRT Flushing Line was created at those two stations—one of only two such transfers in the system.
The MTA also agreed to extend the G to 71st Avenue during evenings and weekends (when the V is not running), and run more trains on that route at a time. Although, the V stops running at 10:00 and, the G is extended to 71st Continental at 8:00. During this time, there is a two hour period where the G, R, and V are all supposedly running, all at once. The authority "had spent several hundred thousand dollars on tests, trying to figure out a way to keep the G train running past the Court Square Station and farther into Queens on weekdays. But because of the addition of the V train, which will share space along the Queens Boulevard lines with the trains already there—the E, F, G, and R trains could not fit during the daytime, when service is heaviest."[5]
To increase service and reduce waiting time, the G would need more trains, but there were not enough, so the solution was to reduce the length of trains from six R46 cars to four, sticking all the leftover cars together to make the extra trains. This, however, means there would be more riders packed into smaller trains. Some passengers also missed trains because they were standing at the wrong part of the platform as the trains are only about half their length, although there are signs indicated where the train stops at some stations such as the 4 and 6 markers on the tracks.
A community group, Save the G!, has regularly lobbied the MTA for more G train service since the original cutbacks when the V train was introduced in 2001. They made the restoration of service to the Queens Boulevard Line at all times an issue in the 2002 New York gubernatorial race, but the transit authority said, "Unfortunately, putting the G back to full service is just not an option, given our track capacity—and that's not likely to change."[6]
They have also lobbied for the creation of another free out-of-system transfer between the Broadway station and Hewes Street on the BMT Jamaica Line, which is only two blocks away. However, the MTA said, "We have no intention of making that a permanent free transfer."[7]
Most of the stations along the G train's route were built with multiple exits to the street. Over the years, many of the lower-use exits were closed (as they were in other parts of the subway system), as the city was concerned that they were a magnet for criminals, and there was insufficient traffic to justify staffing them full-time. But in July 2005, in response to community pressure, the MTA agreed to re-open the South Portland Avenue exit of the Fulton Street station. The New York Times described it as a "minor victory" for "a maligned line."[8] This minor win is truly minor as one must still use the underpass at Fulton St in order to exit one the other side nearby Brooklyn Technical High School.
During construction on the Queens Boulevard Line, the G train frequently terminates at Court Square, even at times when the published timetable says that it runs to 71st Avenue. Some riders "are suspicious that the service disruptions are simply a de facto way to implement the original plan of halving G train service." The original plans called for the G terminate at Court Square at all times. The plan was shelved in 2001 in the face of community opposition, but could possibly be implemented in 2008. [9] However, an MTA spokesman says that "It's not personal…. If you want to keep the system up to date, you need to make sure the track and switching are all in good repair."[10]. Since Spring 2007, weekend G service has been cut back to Court Square on weekends "until further notice". This cut back was lifted during the 2007 Thanksgiving weekend and Christmas week, when weekend & holiday G service returned to 71st Avenue, as part of a system-wide service increase for the holiday season. However, after the end of the holiday season, the cut back resumed.
[edit] Stations
For a more detailed station listing, see the articles on the lines listed above.
| Station service legend | |
|---|---|
 |
Stops all times |
 |
Stops all times except late nights |
 |
Stops late nights only |
 |
Stops late nights and weekends only |
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Stops weekdays only |
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Stops rush hours in the peak direction only |
| Time period details | |
[edit] References
- ^ Maldonado, Charles. "MTA Gives Brooklyn Board Bad News About Smith–9th St. Closure, F-Train Express", Brooklyn Daily Eagle, November 16, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
- ^ McLaughlin, Mike. "Fix for Fourth Avenue station looks F’ing great", The Brooklyn Paper, November 24, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
- ^ http://mta.info/nyct/service/pdf_f/42_gno1.pdf
- ^ Kershaw, Sarah. "Proposed Line Would Lighten Subway Crush", The New York Times, 2000-12-02.
- ^ Kennedy, Randy. "Panel Approves New V Train but Shortens G Line to Make Room", The New York Times, 2001-05-25.
- ^ Hays, Elizabeth. "Riders Rail at G Switch", The New York Daily News, 2002-10-24. Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
- ^ Miller, Shane. "Let Us Take a Free Swipe", Greenpoint Star, 2004-07-01. Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
- ^ Mooney, Jake. "For a Maligned Line, a Minor Victory", The New York Times, 2005-07-03. Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
- ^ G train may give Brooklyn riders faster service, Queens riders more legwork
- ^ Ilel, Neille. "'G' is For Gone–G Train Loses Nearly Half its Weekend Stops", Queens Chronicle, 2005-07-21. Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
[edit] External links
- MTA NYC Transit — G Brooklyn-Queens Crosstown Local
- MTA NYC Transit — G timetablePDF (247 KB)
- Line By Line History
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