IRT Eastern Parkway Line facts for kids

This article is about Eastern Parkway (disambiguation). For other uses, see IRT Eastern Parkway Line (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids IRT Eastern Parkway Line
The 2, 3, 4 and 5 trains are the primary services at most IRT Eastern Parkway Line stations, and thus the only IRT services that travel to/from Brooklyn.
Overview
Status	Operating
Owner	City of New York
Locale	Brooklyn
Termini	Borough Hall Crown Heights–Utica Avenue
Stations	11
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	New York City Subway
Operator(s)	New York City Transit Authority
Daily ridership	214,906
History
Opened	1908–1920
Technical
Number of tracks	4
Character	Underground
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	600V DC third rail

The Eastern Parkway Line is a subway line in Brooklyn, New York City. It is part of the New York City Subway system, operated by the IRT division. This line runs from Downtown Brooklyn south along Flatbush Avenue and then east along Eastern Parkway to Crown Heights.

After the Utica Avenue station, the line goes above ground. It then becomes the IRT New Lots Line, which ends at New Lots Avenue in East New York, Brooklyn. The western end of the Eastern Parkway Line connects to Manhattan through the Joralemon Street Tunnel under the East River.

A part of the line, called the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line, branches off from the local tracks south of the Franklin Avenue station.

History of the Eastern Parkway Subway Line
Eastern Parkway Line: Routes and Services
- How the Route Works
Station Listing
See also

History of the Eastern Parkway Subway Line

The Eastern Parkway Line has a rich history, built in stages to connect more parts of Brooklyn to the subway system. It was a big project that helped shape how people travel in New York City.

Building the First Sections (Contract 2)

The first part of the Eastern Parkway Line, up to Atlantic Avenue, was built as "Contract 2." This was an extension of the very first subway line in New York City. The plan was approved in 1900, and construction began in 1903.

A major part of this project was building the Joralemon Street Tunnel. This was the first subway tunnel to connect Manhattan and Brooklyn under the East River. It opened on January 9, 1908, allowing trains to travel from Bowling Green in Manhattan to Borough Hall in Brooklyn.

On May 1, 1908, the subway line was extended further to Atlantic Avenue. This new connection made it much easier for people in Brooklyn to get to Manhattan. The builders made sure to include extra tracks and spaces for future subway expansions in Brooklyn.

Expanding the Subway with Dual Contracts

In 1913, New York City made an agreement called the "Dual Contracts." This plan aimed to greatly expand subway service across the city. As part of this, the Eastern Parkway Line was extended further into Brooklyn.

The line was planned to go along Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway as a four-track subway. Then, it would become a two-track elevated line to New Lots Avenue. A new branch line was also planned along Nostrand Avenue. The underground part became the Eastern Parkway Line, and the elevated part became the New Lots Line.

Another important part of this expansion was the Clark Street Tunnel. This tunnel, built using special equipment, opened on April 15, 1919. It allowed trains from both the East and West Sides of Manhattan to reach Brooklyn.

The Eastern Parkway Line was extended from Atlantic Avenue to Utica Avenue on August 23, 1920. At first, some stations like Bergen Street, Grand Army Plaza, and Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum were not ready. They opened a little later, on October 10, 1920.

Later Improvements to the Line

Over the years, the Eastern Parkway Line continued to be improved.

On February 2, 1948, the platforms at Hoyt Street were made longer. This allowed longer, 10-car express trains to use the station.
In 1961, a project was announced to fix a slow spot between Nevins Street and Atlantic Avenue. The goal was to straighten the tracks a bit and make platforms longer for 10-car trains. This would speed up travel time.
Between 1964 and 1965, platforms at several local stations were also lengthened. These included Bergen Street, Grand Army Plaza, Eastern Parkway, Nostrand Avenue, and Kingston Avenue. This allowed them to handle longer trains too.

Eastern Parkway Line: Routes and Services

The Eastern Parkway Line is used by several subway services, each with its own route and schedule. The table below shows which trains use the line and when.

Time period			Section of line
rush hours and middays	evenings and weekends	late nights	Section of line
local			north of Franklin Ave–Medgar Evers College
local		no service	full line
express		local skips Hoyt St	north of Utica Ave (all except nights) full line (nights)
express	no service		north of Franklin Ave–Medgar Evers College

How the Route Works

The IRT Eastern Parkway Line enters Brooklyn from Manhattan through the Joralemon Street Tunnel. It runs under Joralemon Street until after the Borough Hall station.

East of Borough Hall, the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line joins the Eastern Parkway Line. The combined line then runs under Fulton Street and turns southeast under Flatbush Avenue. The BMT Brighton Line also runs beneath Flatbush Avenue, but on a different level.

The first station on this part of the line is Nevins Street. It has a lower level that has never been used. Next is Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center, which was the end of the oldest section of the line. Between Bergen Street and Grand Army Plaza, the line splits around the BMT Brighton Line.

East of Grand Army Plaza, the line finally goes under its main street, Eastern Parkway. The first station here serves the Brooklyn Museum. The next station is a large complex near the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. This complex connects to the above-ground BMT Franklin Avenue Line. It is also where the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line branches off to the south.

The last three stations on the Eastern Parkway Line have a special design. They have two levels, with trains on each level. The line ends under Ralph Avenue. From there, the local tracks become the IRT New Lots Line. This line comes out of the ground near Buffalo Avenue at Lincoln Terrace Park. The Eastern Parkway Line was built with two levels (southbound trains on the upper level, northbound on the lower). This design helped protect the trees in the middle of Eastern Parkway.

Station Listing

Station service legend
	Stops all times
	Stops all times except late nights
	Stops late nights only
	Stops weekdays only
	Stops rush hours only
Time period details

	Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
↑	Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act in the indicated direction only
↓
	Elevator access to mezzanine only

Neighborhood (approximate)		Station	Tracks	Services	Opened	Transfers and notes
Express tracks continue from the IRT Lexington Avenue Line Express tracks via the Joralemon Street Tunnel (4 alltimes 5 weekdaysonly)
Downtown Brooklyn
	↑	Borough Hall	all	4 alltimes 5 weekdaysonly	January 9, 1908	2 alltimes 3 allexceptnights (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line) R alltimes (BMT Fourth Avenue Line at Court Street) Station is ADA-accessible in the northbound direction only
	Local tracks continue from the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line Brooklyn Branch (2 alltimes 3 allexceptnights)
		Hoyt Street	local	2 alltimes 3 allexceptnights	May 1, 1908
		Nevins Street	all	2 alltimes 3 allexceptnights 4 alltimes 5 weekdaysonly	May 1, 1908
		Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center	all	2 alltimes 3 allexceptnights 4 alltimes 5 weekdaysonly	May 1, 1908	B weekdaysonly Q alltimes (BMT Brighton Line) D alltimes N alltimes R alltimes W rushonly (BMT Fourth Avenue Line) Connection to LIRR at Atlantic Terminal
Prospect Heights		Bergen Street	local	2 alltimes 3 allexceptnights 4 nightsonly	October 10, 1920
		Grand Army Plaza	local	2 alltimes 3 allexceptnights 4 nightsonly	October 10, 1920
		Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum	local	2 alltimes 3 allexceptnights 4 nightsonly	October 10, 1920
Crown Heights		Franklin Avenue–Medgar Evers College	all	2 alltimes 3 allexceptnights 4 alltimes 5 weekdaysonly	August 23, 1920	S alltimes (BMT Franklin Avenue Line at Botanic Garden)
	IRT Nostrand Avenue Line splits from the local tracks (2 alltimes 5 weekdaysonly) at Nostrand Junction
		Nostrand Avenue	local	2 limitedrushpeak 3 allexceptnights 4 nightsonly 5 limitedrushpeak	August 23, 1920	B44 Select Bus Service
		Kingston Avenue	local	2 limitedrushpeak 3 allexceptnights 4 nightsonly 5 limitedrushpeak	August 23, 1920
		Crown Heights–Utica Avenue	all	2 rushpeak 3 allexceptnights 4 alltimes 5 limitedrush	August 23, 1920	B46 Select Bus Service
Express tracks end
Local tracks continue as the IRT New Lots Line (2 limitedrushpeak 3 allexceptnights 4 nightsonly 5 limitedrushpeak)