IND Sixth Avenue Line

The Sixth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the division of the New York City Subway system, running mostly under Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. It was the last IND trunk line to open.

Extent and service

The Sixth Avenue Line begins at its north end as a two-track line splitting from the IND Eighth Avenue Line south of 59th Street-Columbus Circle at a flying junction, with connections to the local and express tracks. It immediately turns east under 53rd Street and crosses the IND Queens Boulevard Line, which parallels it just to the north. At the Seventh Avenue station, the southbound track is above the northbound track; the same is true on the Queens Boulevard Line (though north is the opposite direction from the Sixth Avenue Line).

The line then turns south to go under Sixth Avenue, merging with the IND 63rd Street Line and a connection to the IND Queens Boulevard Line to become a four-track line. The southbound track becomes the westernmost track, and the northbound track becomes the second track from the east; the other lines merge to become the second track from the west and the easternmost track, with connections only between the 63rd Street Line and the two main tracks. After passing through 47th-50th Streets-Rockefeller Center, the two southbound tracks cross; the main tracks have become two center express tracks and the tracks from the other lines are the two outside local tracks.

South of 42nd Street is a large interlocking with many crossover tracks. The original express tracks ended just to the south at 34th Street-Herald Square, and some services switched to the local tracks at the interlocking. This was done because the subway already existed under Sixth Avenue south of 33rd Street; the Sixth Avenue Line local tracks were built on each side of PATH. Deeper express tracks were later built.

At West Fourth Street-Washington Square, the express tracks return to the same level as the local tracks. A flying junction just to the south connects the local tracks of the Eighth Avenue Line. The Sixth Avenue Line then turns east under Houston Street. After Broadway-Lafayette Street, the express tracks turn south to become the Chrystie Street Connection main tracks (to the Manhattan Bridge), and tracks split from the local tracks to become the other part of the connection (to the Williamsburg Bridge).

Just south (compass east) of the connection, the express tracks begin again; they had formerly gone straight through. The express tracks end past Lower East Side-Second Avenue, and are used to relay trains; they were once planned to extend east towards the Rockaways as part of the IND Second System.

The local tracks then turn south under Essex Street and Rutgers Street before crossing under the East River via the Rutgers Street Tunnel to become the IND Culver Line.

History