Rockaway Park Shuttle
TheRockaway Park Shuttle[3]is aNew York City Subwayshuttletrain that operates inQueens.It connects with theAtrain atBroad Channel stationand is the latest iteration of the Rockaway Shuttle services that have been running on theRockawaypeninsula since 1956. This shuttle train provides service to the western part of the peninsula, with a terminus atRockaway Park–Beach 116th Street.The fully above-ground route operates on trackage that was originally part of theLong Island Rail Road'sRockaway Beach Branchuntil the mid-1950s. During summer weekends, to eliminate an additional transfer and thus ease beach access, the Rockaway Park Shuttle is typically extended four stations north toRockaway Boulevard,the easternmost station shared by Rockaway-bound andLefferts Boulevard-bound A trains.
Like the other two shuttles,42nd StreetinManhattanandFranklin AvenueinBrooklyn,it is marked with the letter "S" and its route bullet is colored dark gray on route signs, station signs, rolling stock, and the official subway map. The internal designator for this service isH,though the MTA does not show this on any maps, train rollsigns, or schedules; the designationSRis also sometimes used on public documents.[4]
Prior to 1993, the Rockaway Park Shuttle used multiple different designations, including the E, CC, and H, which had an emblem colored blue. The H formerly ran north toEuclid AvenueinBrooklynvia theIND Fulton Street Line,as well as toFar Rockaway–Mott Avenueto the east. In 2012–13, afterHurricane Sandydestroyed the IND Rockaway Line's connection to the rest of the system, the blue H shuttle provided service from Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue toBeach 90th Street.
Service history
[edit]1950s to 1980s
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Subway_Goes_To_Rockaway.gif/220px-Subway_Goes_To_Rockaway.gif)
The Rockaway Shuttle started operating on June 28, 1956. During its early years, it essentially provided non-rush hour and weekend service betweenEuclid Avenueand eitherFar Rockaway–Mott AvenueorRockaway Park–Beach 116th Street.At first, the route did not have an official assigned letter code on maps, although sometimes trains displayed either theAorEroute on theirrollsignboxes.[citation needed]
Beginning on February 1, 1962, the Rockaway Shuttle was officially lettered on maps and trains as HH (which had last been used for theCourt Street Shuttle,discontinued 16 years earlier) to make it easier to distinguish E trains from shuttle trains.[5][6]From November 26, 1967, to September 10, 1972, it was colored red, with daytime non-rush hour and weekend service usually available between Rockaway Park and Euclid Avenue orBroad Channel,plus some weekday mid-afternoon service provided between Far Rockaway and Euclid Avenue.[citation needed]
During the late night-early morning hours, service operating to and fromEuclid Avenueon theIND Fulton Street LineinBrooklynwas extended between roughly midnight and 6:00 a.m., which were the hours when theAdid not run to and fromFar Rockaway.At those times, the HH would operate from Euclid Avenue to Rockaway Park, then to Far Rockaway viaHammels Wye,and finally back to Euclid Avenue, thus earning thisnight owlservice the unofficial nickname ofRockaway Round-Robin.[citation needed]
Between September 11, 1972, and August 29, 1976, the shuttle's identifier was known as theE(colored aqua blue), although during rush hours this train was extended all the way toJamaica–179th Streeton theIND Queens Boulevard LineinQueens.[7]Afterward, the designationCC(colored green) was used for the shuttle, running to Broad Channel, although during rush hours this train was extended all the way toBedford Park Boulevardon theIND Concourse Linein theBronx.[8]In 1979, the MTA released a newcoloring schemefor subway routes based on trunk line; CC service was assigned the color blue, because in Manhattan it used theIND Eighth Avenue Line.[9][10]
On May 6, 1985, the shuttle's identifier was changed to H (still colored blue) instead of reverting to HH, as the New York City Subway system had abolished two-letter designations by then.[11]
1990s changes
[edit]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. At the time, A service ran toLefferts BoulevardandFar Rockawayduring the day while the C ran toRockaway Parkduring rush hours. During late nights, A service ran to Lefferts Boulevard, while service to both branches in the Rockaways was provided by the round-robin H shuttle service to Euclid Avenue.[12]
As part of the changes proposed, round-robin shuttle service would be discontinued; late-night A service would operate from Manhattan 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. 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.[12]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.[12]The changes took effect on October 23, 1992.[13]
2000s to present
[edit]Formerly, some maps and trains[14]had shown the current S service in blue. Since May 2004, the official system map shows the Rockaway Park Shuttle as carrying a grey bullet. Recent prints, however, depicted the service itself in blue, but has been changed back to grey, as of January 2013.[15]In order to distinguish it from the other shuttles, NYCT Rapid Transit operations still refers to it internally as the H.
The Rockaway Park Shuttle was suspended following the aftermath ofHurricane Sandy,due to track being washed out between Broad Channel andHoward Beach.On November 20, 2012, a free shuttle designated as H replaced the Rockaway portion of the A service betweenFar Rockaway–Mott AvenueandBeach 90th Streetvia the Hammels Wye. Additionally, the remainder of the Rockaway Line from Beach 90th Street toRockaway Parkwas damaged and awaited repair. With the emergency implementation of this service, the H rollsign designation returned to public usage for the first time since 1993.[16]Despite the service's free status, few riders used the signed H service,[16]partly due to the extremely low ridership at Rockaway stations to begin with; this ridership had been lowered further since Hurricane Sandy.[17]In addition, the service did not run during late nights, and the service was only connected to the rest of the subway via a shuttle bus to Howard Beach.[16]On May 30, 2013, full service to the Rockaways was restored, and the free H service was discontinued.[18][19]
In late May 2016, the MTA announced that the Rockaway Park Shuttle would be extended from Broad Channel toRockaway Boulevardon weekends from mid-June untilLabor Day2016.[20][21]This allowed passengers on bothLefferts Boulevardand Far Rockaway-bound trains to transfer to the shuttle, and for shuttle passengers to transfer to more frequent A train service at Rockaway Boulevard. This summer weekend extension was implemented again starting in 2017 between Memorial and Labor Days.[22]However, the extension for 2018 ended on July 1 and was replaced by rerouted A trains to Rockaway Park due to construction on Hammels Wye.[23]In 2019, the summer extension was reinstated for the whole season,[24][25]while in 2020, the summer extension was reinstated in July. Since then, the seasonal extension has occurred on an annual basis.[26]
From April 9 to May 18, 2018, and again from July 2 to September 3, 2018, the shuttle ran between Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street and Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue due to a planned two-phase program of flood mitigation work along the Hammels Wye.[27]
Stations
[edit]For a more detailed station listing, seeIND Rockaway Line.[3][28]
Station service legend | |
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Stops all times |
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Stops rush hours in the peak direction only |
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Stops summer weekends only |
Time period details | |
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Station is compliant with theAmericans with Disabilities Act |
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Station is compliant with theAmericans with Disabilities Act in the indicated direction only |
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Elevator access to mezzanine only |
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Stations | ![]() |
Subway transfers | Connections/Other Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Summer Seasonal extension(Weekends) | ||||
Fulton Street Line | ||||
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Rockaway Boulevard | A![]() |
Northern terminus of seasonal extension Q52/Q53 Select Bus Service | |
Rockaway Line | ||||
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Aqueduct Racetrack | ![]() |
A![]() |
Station serves northbound trains only |
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Aqueduct–North Conduit Avenue | A![]() |
||
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Howard Beach–JFK Airport | ![]() |
A![]() |
AirTrain JFK |
Regular service | ||||
Rockaway Line (Rockaway Park Branch) | ||||
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Broad Channel | A![]() |
Northern terminus of regular service Q52/Q53 Select Bus Service | |
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Beach 90th Street | A![]() |
Q52 Select Bus Service | |
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Beach 98th Street | A![]() |
Q53 Select Bus Service | |
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Beach 105th Street | A![]() |
||
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Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street | ![]() |
A![]() |
Southern terminus Q53 Select Bus Service |
References
[edit]- ^'Subdivision 'B' Car Assignment Effective December 19, 2021'.New York City Transit, Operations Planning.December 17, 2021.
- ^"Subdivision 'B' Car Assignments: Cars Required November 1, 2021"(PDF).The Bulletin.64(12). Electric Railroaders' Association: 3. December 2021.RetrievedDecember 3,2021.
- ^ab"S Subway Timetable, Rockaway Park Shuttle, Effective December 17, 2023".Metropolitan Transportation Authority.RetrievedJune 28,2024.
- ^"Sub-Division B Train Operator/Conductor Road & Non-Road Work Programs in Effect: November 6, 2016"(PDF).progressiveaction.info.New York City Transit. July 29, 2016.RetrievedAugust 19,2016.
- ^"For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 30, 1962 #228"(PDF).New York City Transit Authority. January 30, 1962.RetrievedMarch 6,2019.
- ^"Route Signs On Rockaway Trains or" HH "Line Is Born Again"(PDF).New York Division Bulletin.5(1). Electric Railroaders' Association: 2. February 1962.
- ^"Subway Schedules In Queens Changing Amid Some Protest".The New York Times.January 2, 1973. p. 46.RetrievedMarch 20,2010.
- ^"Service Adjustment on BMT and IND Lines Effective 1 A.M. Monday, Aug. 30".Flickr.New York City Transit Authority. August 1976.RetrievedOctober 23,2016.
- ^Hogarty, Dave (August 3, 2007)."Michael Hertz, Designer of the NYC Subway Map".Gothamist.Archived fromthe originalon August 18, 2009.RetrievedJuly 4,2009.
- ^Grynbaum, Michael M. (May 10, 2010)."Take the Tomato 2 Stops to the Sunflower".The New York Times.RetrievedOctober 30,2016.
- ^"Hey, What's a" K "Train? 1985 Brochure".Flickr.June 17, 2016.RetrievedJune 17,2016.
- ^abc*Transit Authority Committee Agenda April 1992.New York City Transit Authority. April 16, 1992. pp. E.1.Archivedfrom the original on January 2, 2024.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
- Transit Authority Committee Agenda April 1992.New York City Transit Authority. April 16, 1992. pp. E.2.Archivedfrom the original on January 2, 2024.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
- Transit Authority Committee Agenda April 1992.New York City Transit Authority. April 16, 1992. pp. E.3.Archivedfrom the original on January 2, 2024.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
- Transit Authority Committee Agenda April 1992.New York City Transit Authority. April 16, 1992. pp. E.4.Archivedfrom the original on January 2, 2024.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
- Transit Authority Committee Agenda April 1992.New York City Transit Authority. April 16, 1992. pp. E.5.
- Transit Authority Committee Agenda April 1992.New York City Transit Authority. April 16, 1992. pp. E.6.Archivedfrom the original on January 2, 2024.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
- Transit Authority Committee Agenda April 1992.New York City Transit Authority. April 16, 1992. pp. E.7.Archivedfrom the original on January 2, 2024.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
- Transit Authority Committee Agenda April 1992.New York City Transit Authority. April 16, 1992. pp. E.8.Archivedfrom the original on January 2, 2024.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
- Transit Authority Committee Agenda April 1992.New York City Transit Authority. April 16, 1992. pp. E.9.Archivedfrom the original on April 2, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
- Transit Authority Committee Agenda April 1992.New York City Transit Authority. April 16, 1992. pp. E.10.Archivedfrom the original on January 2, 2024.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
- Transit Authority Committee Agenda April 1992.New York City Transit Authority. April 16, 1992. pp. E.11.Archivedfrom the original on January 2, 2024.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
- Transit Authority Committee Agenda April 1992.New York City Transit Authority. April 16, 1992. pp. E.12.Archivedfrom the original on January 2, 2024.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
- ^"October 1992 New York City Subway Map".Flickr.New York City Transit Authority. October 1992.Archivedfrom the original on February 4, 2017.RetrievedOctober 7,2018.
- ^Henderson, Christopher (May 30, 2012)."Image 134078".nycsubway.org.RetrievedFebruary 16,2020.
- ^"Subway Map"(PDF).Metropolitan Transportation Authority.September 2021.RetrievedSeptember 17,2021.
- ^abcFlegenheimer, Matt (December 2, 2012)."Shuttle Train Points to Progress in the Rockaways".The New York Times.RetrievedJuly 16,2016.
- ^"mta.info – Facts and Figures".mta.info.Archived fromthe originalon May 28, 2013.RetrievedJuly 16,2016.
- ^"MTA on Twitter".Twitter.
- ^"MTA – News – A Train Service Restored to Rockaways".mta.info.Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived fromthe originalon June 7, 2013.
- ^"MTA – News – MTA Adds Service to Area Beaches to Kick Off the Summer Season".mta.info.Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 26, 2016. Archived fromthe originalon May 27, 2016.RetrievedDecember 17,2016.
- ^"MTA Extends Rockaway Park Shuttle to Accommodate Beachgoers".The Forum Newsgroup.June 3, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 5,2023.
- ^"A S Customers It's Easier to Reach Rockaway Beach".web.mta.info.May 2017. Archived fromthe originalon May 31, 2017.RetrievedJuly 2,2017.
- ^"A S Customers Rockaway Beach 2018 Weekend Service".
- ^Alexa, Alexandra (May 30, 2019)."Extended Rockaway shuttle and LIRR service will make getting to the beach easier this summer".6sqft.RetrievedFebruary 5,2023.
- ^"It's Easier to Reach Rockaway Beach on Weekends".Archived fromthe originalon July 3, 2019.
- ^"How to get to Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk on public transit".MTA.July 2, 2021.RetrievedFebruary 5,2023.
- ^"Train Change: A/ Shuttle Service to Be Impacted Starting in April".THE ROCKAWAY TIMES – First and Free.March 8, 2018. Archived fromthe originalon March 24, 2018.RetrievedMarch 30,2018.
- ^"Subway Service Guide"(PDF).Metropolitan Transportation Authority.September 2019.RetrievedSeptember 22,2019.
External links
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- MTA NYC Transit – Rockaway Park Shuttle
- MTA Subway Time—Shuttle
- "S Subway Timetable, Rockaway Park Shuttle, Effective December 17, 2023".Metropolitan Transportation Authority.RetrievedJune 28,2024.
- Archived atGhostarchiveand theWayback Machine:thesubwaynut2 (August 16, 2014)."Backfanning on the Rockaway Park Shuttle".Youtube.RetrievedAugust 16,2014.
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