A (New York City Subway service)
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The A Eighth Avenue Express<ref name="timetable">Template:NYCS const</ref> is a rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored Template:NYCS const since it is a part of the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The A operates 24 hours daily between 207th Street in Inwood, Manhattan and Mott Avenue in Far Rockaway, Queens. During daytime hours, alternate service operates to and from Lefferts Boulevard in South Ozone Park, Queens. During rush hours, five scheduled trips in the peak direction operate from Beach 116th Street in Rockaway Park, Queens to Manhattan in the morning and back from Manhattan in the afternoon. Daytime service makes express stops in Manhattan and Brooklyn and all stops in Queens. Overnight service operates only between 207th Street and Far Rockaway, making all stops along the full route; during this time, a shuttle train (the Lefferts Boulevard Shuttle) operates between Euclid Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard.Template:Efn<ref>Template:NYCS const</ref>
The A provides the longest one-seat ride in the system—at Template:Convert, between 207th Street and Far Rockaway—and a 2015 study indicated that it had a weekday ridership of 600,000.<ref name="MTA-ReviewAC-2015">Template:Cite web</ref>
History
Early history
The A and AA were the first services on the IND Eighth Avenue Line when it opened on September 10, 1932. The Independent Subway System (IND) used single letters to refer to express services and double letters for local services. The A ran express between 207th Street and Chambers Street, and the AA ran local between 168th Street and Chambers Street, known at the time as Hudson Terminal. During late-night hours (from 1:45 a.m. to 5:45 a.m.) and on Sundays, the A did not run and the AA made all stops along the line.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Cunningham1993">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp
The A was extended to Jay Street–Borough Hall when the Cranberry Street Tunnel to Brooklyn opened on February 1, 1933,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and to Bergen Street, when the extension opened on March 20.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On July 1, the A began running express at all times, stopping at 155th Street and 163rd Street during late nights.<ref name="Cunningham1993" />Template:Rp The A was extended to Church Avenue on October 7.<ref name="erictb.info">Template:Cite web</ref>
On April 9, 1936, the IND Fulton Street Line was opened to Rockaway Avenue.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The 1936 extension played an integral part in the establishment of Bedford-Stuyvesant as Brooklyn's central African American community. The A train connected Harlem, Manhattan's central African American community, to areas of Bedford-Stuyvesant that provided residential opportunities for African Americans not found throughout the rest of New York City.<ref name="urbanology">Echanove, Matias. "Bed-Stuy on the Move" Template:Webarchive. Master thesis. Urban Planning Program. Columbia University. Urbanology.org. 2003.</ref>
On December 30, 1946, and November 28, 1948, the line was extended to Broadway–East New York (now Broadway Junction) and Euclid Avenue, respectively.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Cunningham1993" />Template:Rp On October 24, 1949, express service in Brooklyn to Broadway–East New York began with the A running express during rush hours, with the Template:NYCS extended to provide local service.<ref name="erictb.info" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Extensions to Ozone Park and the Rockaways
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1967-1979 A bullet
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On April 29, 1956, Grant Avenue was opened and the line was extended over the BMT Fulton Street Line to Lefferts Boulevard.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On weekdays except midnights, alternate trains terminated at Lefferts Boulevard and at Euclid Avenue. During weekends, they terminated at Euclid Avenue with a shuttle to Lefferts Boulevard.<ref name="erictb.info" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Two months later, on June 28, 1956, the former Long Island Rail Road Rockaway Beach Branch, having been rebuilt to subway specifications,<ref>Template:Cite web Template:Small, December 2004 Edition</ref> began service to Rockaway Park<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Wavecrest (Beach 25th Street).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At this time, rush hour express service on the Fulton Street Line with the E train began.
On September 16, 1956, the A was extended to the Rockaways, replacing the E. At the time, alternate trains continued running to Lefferts Boulevard.<ref name="erictb.info"/> On January 27, 1957, non-rush hour through service to the Rockaways was discontinued and was replaced by a shuttle running between Euclid Avenue and Wavecrest (now Beach 25th Street). Non-rush hour A train service was now to Lefferts Boulevard.
On June 18, 1957, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) announced plans to have Rockaway-bound A trains skip Grant Avenue, Hudson Street, and Boyd Street during rush hours on a one-month pilot, to take effect July 1. The change was made to determine whether ten minutes could be reduced off of travel times to the Rockaways; the NYCTA only believed it would save three minutes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the face of community opposition, the NYCTA announced that it would take more time to review the change, meaning that it ultimately did not take effect on July 1.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On January 16, 1958, with the opening of the new terminal Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue, rush hour A service was extended. On September 8, 1958, the A train replaced the E train in the Rockaways again, and A trains resumed alternating between Euclid Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard. "Round-robin" service from Euclid Avenue to both Rockaway terminals began during non-rush hours, while through A service ran to Lefferts Boulevard.<ref name="Linder1968">Template:Cite journal</ref> On September 8, 1959, the A began to run local in Brooklyn during rush hours, making it local at all times in Brooklyn, as the E became express in Brooklyn during rush hours. On July 9, 1967, the A trains running to Euclid Avenue were extended to Far Rockaway middays, evenings, and weekends, replacing the HH shuttle on that branch.<ref name="Chiasson2012">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Simplifying service patterns
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1979-1987 A bullet
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As part of systemwide changes in bus and subway service, major changes were made to A service in Brooklyn and Queens on January 2, 1973. The A train became the express service along Fulton Street and the E train became the local during rush hours.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Express service would be provided for a longer period during rush hours as the span of E service to Brooklyn, which would cover local stops, was also increased.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition, the A trips that terminated at Euclid Avenue during rush hours were extended to Far Rockaway, replacing E service. Service would now run to Far Rockaway between 5:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Chiasson2012" /> A trains would alternate between Lefferts Boulevard and Far Rockaway. These changes were initially supposed to take effect on September 11, 1972.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On August 30, 1976, the CC became the Fulton Street Local during rush hours, replacing E service.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On August 27, 1977, the A began making local stops in Manhattan during late nights, when the AA was not running.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On December 11, 1988, A trains began running local between 145th Street and 168th Street on weekends to replace the discontinued K (formerly AA) service, and express on the IND Fulton Street Line in Brooklyn during middays and rush hours, with the C providing local service during those times.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On September 30, 1990, A trains began operating local between 145th Street and 168th Street during weekday evenings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In January 1991, a reduction of service along the Central Park West corridor to remove excess capacity was proposed. Initially, A service would operate local between 168th Street and Euclid Avenue during weekday rush hours and middays, with weekday evening and weekend daytime service extended beyond 168th Street to operate to and from Inwood–207th Street, and daily late night service extended beyond Euclid Avenue to operate to and from Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue in Queens. Express service between 168th Street and 59th Street–Columbus Circle would be replaced by Template:NYCS and rerouted Template:NYCS trains, the latter of which would serve 207th Street during weekday rush hours and middays; express service below 34th Street–Penn Station in Manhattan and in Brooklyn would have been replaced by an expanded Template:NYCS service. A new shuttle would serve Lefferts Boulevard during late nights. The service change was later amended to retain the A as an express service in place of the altered Template:NYCS service pattern and would be re-designated as an orange A, as it would be rerouted via the Sixth Avenue Line and its southern terminal moved to Brighton Beach, operating weekday rush hours and middays only. This service change would have been implemented in October 1991, pending approval from the MTA board.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1991, at a series of meetings, the NYCTA presented proposed changes to A, C, and H service that would shorten the length of the C, simplify the service pattern during late nights to most efficiently serve the majority of riders, provide direct express service to Rockaway Park during rush hours in the peak direction, and provide shuttle connections during non-peak periods between Rockaway Park and through A train service. The service pattern devised was designed to improve operations by reducing route length and complexity, making service more attractive, simplifying confusing service patterns, and reducing transfers for passengers traveling during late nights.<ref name="1992changes" /> At the time, A service ran to Lefferts Boulevard and Far Rockaway during the day while the C ran to Rockaway Park during rush hours. During late nights, A service ran to Lefferts Boulevard, while service to both branches in the Rockaways was provided by round-robin H shuttle service to Euclid Avenue. As part of the changes proposed, round-robin shuttle service would be discontinued; late-night A service would run from Manhattan through to Far Rockaway; and service to Lefferts Boulevard and Rockaway Park would be provided by separate shuttle services with timed transfers to through A service. Rush hour local C service to Rockaway Park would be replaced by through A express service that ran every 20 minutes in the peak direction for a period of one hour and twenty minutes in rush hours to and from 59th Street–Columbus Circle. The initial proposal had these trips terminate at 34th Street, but this was changed to 59th Street following public comments. These five rush hour express trips were marketed as a "commuter rail style service", and special efforts were to be made to follow the arrival and departure times listed in the route's timetable, which was publicly distributed to riders. In addition, H service to Rockaway Park would be replaced by the Rockaway Park Shuttle, which would run between Broad Channel and Rockaway Park, and C service would be truncated to Euclid Avenue.<ref name="1992changes" />
In April 1992, the MTA Board approved the proposed change to service in the Rockaways, which were expected to encourage ridership growth in the long term, and reduced NYCTA's annual operating budget by $20,000.<ref name="1992changes">*Template:Cite book
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- Template:Cite book</ref> The changes took effect on October 25, 1992,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> with modification: Overnight shuttle service to Lefferts Boulevard would terminate at Euclid Avenue, not Rockaway Boulevard.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition, the Rockaway Park trips would end at Dyckman Street during the morning rush hour and begin at 59th Street–Columbus Circle during the evening rush hour.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Later on, the Rockaway Park trips were extended from 59th Street to Dyckman Street and 207th Street.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On May 29, 1994, A trains began running express on weekends from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. between 168th Street and 145th Street, with C trains being extended from 145th Street to 168th Street to cover local stops.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A corresponding change was made to weekday midday A service on April 30, 1995, though this change was discontinued on November 12, 1995. On March 1, 1998, A trains began running express between 168th Street and 145th Street during middays and early evenings, with local service provided by extended C service.
On May 1, 1999, the A became the express on the Fulton Street Line every day during daytime hours, and C service was extended from World Trade Center to Euclid Avenue during late weekday evenings and weekends to provide local service along the line.<ref name="Chiasson2012" /><ref name="MTA-ReviewAC-2015" /> This service change was made due to construction taking place on the Williamsburg Bridge, which prohibited the Template:NYCS, Template:NYCS and Template:NYCS from entering Manhattan; as a result, service on the A, as well as the C and Template:NYCS, were increased. This service change to the A was made permanent after the Williamsburg Bridge reopened to J, M and Z trains.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
21st century
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1992-2015 Rush hour A express bullet.
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Template:NYCS 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 Template:NYCS trains. As a result, A trains made all stops between 168th and 145th Streets during weekday daytime hours, and made all stops between 145th and 59th Streets during weekday evening hours.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, A service was rerouted between West Fourth and Jay Streets, making Template:NYCS stops and operating via the Rutgers Street Tunnel. On September 17, normal A service was restored, but trains bypassed Chambers Street until October 5.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
On January 23, 2005, a fire at the Chambers Street signal room crippled A and C service. Initial assessments suggested that it would take several years to restore normal service, but the damaged equipment was replaced with available spare parts, and normal service resumed on April 21.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A service was affected by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, due to extreme damage to the IND Rockaway Line. Trains that normally traveled to Far Rockaway or Rockaway Park terminated at Howard Beach–JFK Airport. Service to the Rockaways resumed on May 30, 2013.<ref name="asandy">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Far Rockaway part of the route was served by the temporary free H shuttle that ran between Far Rockaway and Beach 90th Street via the connecting track at Hammels Wye.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
As a result of a two-phase program of flood mitigation work along the Hammels Wye, between April 9 and May 18, 2018, limited rush hour A service to/from Rockaway Park was suspended.Template:Efn The second phase, from July 1 to September 3, diverted all Far Rockaway-bound A trips to Rockaway Park, with Rockaway Park Shuttle trains being rerouted to the Far Rockaway branch through the southern leg of Hammels Wye.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
From midday on March 29, 2020<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> to April 28, 2020,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> due to the suspension of C train service caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, A trains to Lefferts Boulevard ran local,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> while A trains to the Rockaways ran express.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As part of a program to repair the South Channel Bridge, service between Howard Beach and the peninsula was suspended for 17 weeks starting on January 17, 2025, and the Rockaway branches were instead served by a rerouted Rockaway Park Shuttle.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="McFadden2024">Template:Cite web</ref> Regular service resumed on May 19, 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Route
Service pattern
The following table shows the lines used by the A, with shaded boxes indicating the route at the specified times:Template:Efn<ref>Template:NYCS const</ref>
| Line | From | To | Tracks | Times | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lefferts Template:Abbr service |
Rockaway Line service | |||||||
| all Template:Abbr nights |
late nights |
all Template:Abbr nights |
late nights |
rush peak | ||||
| IND Eighth Avenue Line (full line) | Inwood–207th Street | 168th Street | all | |||||
| 163rd Street–Amsterdam Avenue | Canal Street | express | ||||||
| local | ||||||||
| Chambers Street | High Street | all | ||||||
| IND Fulton Street Line (full line) | Jay Street–MetroTech | Shepherd Avenue | express | |||||
| local | ||||||||
| Euclid Avenue | all | |||||||
| Grant Avenue | Rockaway Boulevard | local | ||||||
| 104th Street | Ozone Park–Lefferts Boulevard | |||||||
| IND Rockaway Line (full line) | Aqueduct Racetrack | Howard Beach–JFK Airport | ||||||
| Broad Channel | all | |||||||
| Beach 67th Street | Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue | Most trains | ||||||
| Beach 90th Street | Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street | Limited service | ||||||
Stations
For a more detailed station listing, see the articles on the lines listed above.<ref name="timetable"/>
For clarity, the ATemplate:'s branches are shown separately in the following table. The leftmost column shows the Lefferts Boulevard service; the second column shows the Far Rockaway service; and the third column shows the Rockaway Park service.
In popular culture
"Take the 'A' Train" is a jazz standard by Billy Strayhorn, referring to the A train, going at that time from eastern Brooklyn up into Harlem and northern Manhattan. It became the signature tune of Duke Ellington and often opened the shows of Ella Fitzgerald.<ref name="NYTimes-NextStopATrain- 2008">Template:Cite web</ref> The A train is mentioned by Azealia Banks in her song "212".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>