D (New York City Subway service)

Sixth Avenue Express
Manhattan and Bronx-bound D train of R68s at Bay Parkway
Northern end	Norwood–205th Street
Southern end	Bay 50th Street (temporary terminal) Bay Parkway (some trips)
Stations	35 29 (rush hour service) 40 (late night service)
Rolling stock	224 to 232 R68s (28 to 29 trains)[1] (Rolling stock assignments subject to change)
Depot	Concourse Yard
Started service	December 15, 1940; 80 years ago (1940-12-15)
show Route map Legend  D  Norwood–205th Street  B  (rush hours) Bedford Park Boulevard Bronx express during rush peak local at all other times Kingsbridge Road Fordham Road 182nd–183rd Streets Tremont Avenue 174th–175th Streets 170th Street 167th Street 161st Street–Yankee Stadium The Bronx Manhattan 155th Street ​ 168th Street or 207th Street via 8th Avenue  B  (weekdays) 145th Street Bronx express during rush peak local at all other times bypassed local section show 135th Street 125th Street bypassed local section show 116th Street Cathedral Parkway–110th Street 103rd Street 96th Street 86th Street 81st Street–Museum of Natural History 72nd Street 59th Street–Columbus Circle ​​ Downtown & Brooklyn via 8th Avenue 7th Avenue–53rd Street ​ East Side & Queens via 53rd Street ​ Uptown & Queens via 63rd Street 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center 42nd Street–Bryant Park 34th Street–Herald Square bypassed local section show 23rd Street 14th Street West Fourth Street–Washington Square Broadway–Lafayette Street ​ Downtown & Brooklyn via 6th Avenue Grand Street ​ Uptown & Queens via Broadway Manhattan Brooklyn Manhattan & Queens via Broadway switches to local during late nights Myrtle Avenue DeKalb Avenue ​ Brighton Beach & Coney Island via Brighton Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center Union Street Ninth Street Prospect Avenue 25th Street 36th Street switches to local during late nights ​​ Bay Ridge & Coney Island via 4th Avenue Ninth Avenue Fort Hamilton Parkway 50th Street 55th Street 62nd Street 71st Street 79th Street 18th Avenue 20th Avenue Bay Parkway 25th Avenue Bay 50th Street ​ Manhattan & Queens via Sea Beach ​​ Manhattan & Queens via Culver & Brighton Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue  D   F   <F>   N   Q  Legend Lines used by the Other services sharing tracks with the Unused lines, connections, or service patterns  D  Termini of services Cross-platform interchange Platforms on different levels This diagram: view talk

The D Sixth Avenue Express^[2] is a rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored orange, since it uses the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan.^[3]

The D operates at all times between 205th Street in Norwood, Bronx, and Stillwell Avenue in Coney Island, Brooklyn via Grand Concourse in the Bronx, Central Park West and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, the north side of the Manhattan Bridge, and Fourth Avenue and West End in Brooklyn.

During daytime hours, the D runs express between 145th Street in Manhattan and 36th Street–Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn and local elsewhere. During rush hours in the peak direction, the D also runs express between Fordham Road in the Bronx and 145th Street in Manhattan. Overnight D service is only express in Manhattan and local elsewhere.

In its early years, the D ran to World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan via the lower IND Eighth Avenue Line. From 1954 to 1967, the D ran via the IND Culver Line to Coney Island. With the completion of the Chrystie Street Connection, service was rerouted via the BMT Brighton Line, running there from 1967 to 2001. A short-lived yellow D service ran via the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan to the Brighton Line in Brooklyn, while orange D service used the Sixth Avenue, Central Park West, and Concourse Lines in Manhattan and the Bronx.

History[]

Sixth Avenue Subway Will Be Opened to the Public at 12:01 A.M. Sunday, Dec. 15, 1940

Early history[]

A poster showing the temporary DD service that resulted from a water main break

D service began on December 15, 1940 when the IND Sixth Avenue Line opened. It ran from 205th Street, the Bronx to World Trade Center (at that time called Hudson Terminal) on the IND Eighth Avenue Line at all times, switching between the IND Sixth Avenue to the Eighth Avenue Lines just south of West Fourth Street–Washington Square.^[4] Service ran express via the Concourse Line during rush hours.^[5]

D service was increased on October 24, 1949 in order to offset the discontinuation of C service, which ran express via the Concourse Line and the Eighth Avenue Line.^[6] On December 29, 1951, Saturday peak direction express service in the Bronx was discontinued.^[7]

On October 30, 1954, the Culver Ramp, a connection between the IND South Brooklyn Line and BMT Culver Line opened. D service was rerouted via these two lines to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue with additional trains to Church Avenue on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.^[8] On Saturdays, four round trips ran between 205th Street and Kings Highway.^[9][10] D trains replaced F service on the South Brooklyn Line, and were sent over the new connection as the first IND service to reach Coney Island. The service was announced as Concourse–Culver and advertised as direct Bronx–Coney Island service.^[11][12]

Between October 7, 1957 and 1959, limited rush hour trains ran express to Euclid Avenue via the IND Fulton Street Line when the D started being inspected at Pitkin Yard.^[7] Four trains left 205th Street between 7:20 and 8:10 a.m., and one left Bedford Park Boulevard at 8:53 a.m. These five trains returned between 3 and 5 p.m. During the morning rush hour, several northbound trains ended at Bedford Park Boulevard.^[9][10]

From December 4 to 27, 1962, a special service labeled DD was provided due to a water main break. It ran local from 205th Street, Bronx to 59th Street–Columbus Circle, then continued as a local down the Eighth Avenue Line to West Fourth Street, where it switched to the Sixth Avenue Line and continued on its normal route to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue via the Culver Line.^[13]

Chrystie Street[]

1967–1979 and 1989–present bullet

On November 26, 1967, the Chrystie Street Connection opened, connecting the Sixth Avenue Line with the north tracks of the Manhattan Bridge and the BMT Southern Division lines in Brooklyn. In conjunction with this project, the new express tracks on the Sixth Avenue Line between West Fourth Street–Washington Square and 34th Street were opened, providing additional capacity for the extra trains on the IND via the connection.^[14] On this date, D service was switched over to BMT Brighton Line via this new connector, running express on weekdays to Brighton Beach and local to Stillwell Avenue at all other times. The D replaced Q service, which had run local in Brooklyn (except during morning rush hours and early evenings) and express on the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan, terminating at 57th Street. In Manhattan, it ran express from West 4th Street to 34th Street rush hours only, with the B using the express tracks to relay when it terminated at West 4th Street at other times. Service on the Culver Line to Coney Island was replaced by extended F service.^[11][15][16] On July 1, 1968, it would become the full-time Sixth Avenue Express when non-rush hours B service and new KK service was extended to the new 57th Street–Sixth Avenue station.^[17]

On August 19, 1968, to reduce conflicts at the Brighton Beach terminal, D service was truncated to Brighton Beach when it ran express on the BMT Brighton Line (morning rush hours through early evenings, and QB (rush-hour peak direction only) and QJ (morning rush hours through early evenings) were extended from Brighton Beach to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue. In addition, the span of Manhattan-bound D express service was increased by two hours, with the last express leaving Brighton Beach at 7:37 p.m.^[18] Effective January 2, 1973, the daytime QJ was truncated to Broad Street as the J, and the M was extended beyond Broad Street during the day along the QJ's former route to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue, via the Montague Street Tunnel and Brighton Line local tracks.^[19]

On January 2, 1978, changes were made to D and M service on the Brighton Line. Northbound weekday M train service originating at Kings Highway would begin at 5:46 a.m., while northbound service from Coney Island would begin at 6:34 a.m. From 5:40 to 6:34 a.m. northbound D trains would run local from Brighton Beach to Kings Highway, and then run express to Prospect Park. Late morning and early afternoon D trains would from then on run express from Brighton Beach to Kings Highway. The span of D express service to Brighton Beach was extended by 45 minutes to 9:05 p.m. from Prospect Park, and the span of M service from Broad Street to Coney Island was extended by 45 minutes to cover local stops.^[20]

Rehabilitation work[]

1986–1988 Yellow D bullet, serving the BMT Broadway Line

D service was divided and ran in two sections when the north tracks of the Manhattan Bridge closed on April 26, 1986, due to construction, with regular service expected to resume on October 26, 1986. The northern section ran between Norwood–205th Street in the Bronx and 34th Street–Herald Square (the orange D) while the southern section ran from 57th Street–Seventh Avenue on the BMT Broadway Line, then express along the Broadway Line to Canal Street, then over the south tracks of the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn, and then along the Brighton Line to Stillwell Avenue (the yellow D). Service to Grand Street was replaced by the S shuttle, which ran via the Sixth Avenue local to 57th Street–Sixth Avenue.^[21]

At this time, the local tracks on the BMT Brighton Line also underwent reconstruction, necessitating the suspension of express service. As a substitute, the D and Q ran skip-stop service between Newkirk Avenue and Sheepshead Bay on weekdays. D trains served Neck Road, Avenue M and Avenue H; the Q skipped those stops, serving Avenue U and Avenue J, while both trains served Kings Highway.^[22] The first skip-stop train left Brighton Beach at about 6:30 a.m. while the last one left 57th Street–Seventh Avenue at about 7:30 p.m. On weekday evenings, between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m., D trains made all local stops, except Parkside Avenue and Beverley Road where service was only available in one direction. During late nights and weekends, D trains ran express between Prospect Park and Kings Highway depending on which tracks were being worked on.^[23] By 1987, as reconstruction on the Brighton Line progressed, the weekday skip-stop pattern expanded to Prospect Park, with D trains serving Beverley Road while Q trains served Cortelyou Road and Parkside Avenue, with Church Avenue as a mutual station.^[24]

On December 11, 1988, the north tracks of the Manhattan Bridge reopened and the two sections of the D joined together running via Sixth Avenue Express. The D now ran as the full-time Brighton Local to Stillwell Avenue.^[25][26]

From April 30 to November 12, 1995,^[27] the Bridge's north tracks closed during middays and weekends and during these hours, D service was cut south of 34th Street-Herald Square. In its place, the Q ran local in Brooklyn to Stillwell Avenue.^[28] On July 22, 2001, the north tracks were closed at all times and the southern (Broadway Line) tracks reopened. D service was again cut below 34th Street–Herald Square. In Brooklyn, D service was replaced by Q local service.^[29][30][31]

After September 11, 2001, C service was suspended. On weekends, the D ran local on Central Park West north of 59th Street to fill in the gap in service caused by the suspension until September 21.^{[citation needed]}

On February 22, 2004, full service on the Manhattan Bridge was restored and D trains were extended via the north tracks of the bridge to Brooklyn, replacing the W as the Fourth Avenue Express (late nights local) and West End Local to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue.^[32][33] The D was moved to the West End Line instead of returning to the Brighton Line, which it had run on since 1967, to provide 24-hour service to both the Concourse Line and West End Line and avoid running two separate (B and D) shortened services outside of weekdays. This eliminated the need to run late-night and weekend shuttles on the West End Line as was done prior to 2002.^[34] Due to ongoing construction work at Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue, the D was the only line that serviced the station until May 23, 2004.

From May 24, 2004 to fall 2004, signal modernization on the IND Concourse Line required the suspension of D express service in the Bronx.^[35]

In popular culture[]

• Bob Dylan's 1966 song "Visions of Johanna" includes the lyric "In the empty lot where the ladies play blindman's bluff with the keychain/And the all-night girls, they whisper of escapades out on the D train." At the time, the D used the IND Culver Line to Coney Island.
• Biz Markie's song "Pickin' Boogers" from his debut album Goin' Off features the line "I was chillin one day/with my partner Kane/headed up to the rooftop/ridin' the D train."
• The opening track on Yoko Ono's 2009 album Between My Head and the Sky is titled "Waiting for the D Train". The D passes through 72nd Street (opposite her apartment in the Dakota Building) but never stops there, as it is a local station.
• In the late 1980s and early 1990s, numerous Top 10 Lists on Late Night with David Letterman contained references to the D train.
• The service is mentioned in the song "Boogie Down "by Man Parrish Ft. Freeze Force (MC John Ski) raps the following line: "You take the D to 205th Then go see me 'cause I got the gift And I'm the cool MC with the vicious sounds I'm not from the Bronx, but I still Boogie Down".
• The service is mentioned in the song "3 The Hard Way" by Beastie Boys. Adam Yauch raps the following line: "Used to ride the D to beat the morning bell at Edward R. Murrow out on Avenue L..." (Referring to Edward R. Murrow High School, where the D served the station closest to the school, Avenue M, until 2001, when it was replaced by the Q).
• The service is mentioned twice in the song "Stop That Train" by the Beastie Boys. Mike D and Adrock rap the following line: "Same faces every day, but you don't know their names, party people going places on the D train". Adam Yauch raps the following line: "Groggy-eyed and fried, and I'm headed for the station, D train ride to Coney Island vacation."
• The eponymous character of Seinfeld uses the D train to go to Coney Island in the episode "The Subway".
• The 1980s folk-pop trio The Washington Squares includes a song titled "D Train" on their eponymous 1987 debut album.
• Type O Negative refer to the D train as the chosen transport to Brighton Beach, where lead singer Peter Steele will kill his girlfriend in their songs "Xero Tolerance," "Hey Pete", and "Kill You Tonight".
• It is also mentioned in an episode of The Penguins of Madagascar called "Gone In A Flash" where the penguins go to rescue Maurice and have to travel through the subway system. Also, in episode "Dr. Blowhole's Revenge", when Julien is kidnapped by the lobsters, Mort starts his travel to save him by using the metro until Coney Island.
• The D train is the setting of the Amazon Prime series .
• Man Against Crime episode "Third Rail" (S4E19) starring Ralph Bellamy was filmed on the D train and at the 207th Street Yard in 1953.
• Jean-Michel Basquiat generated much interest in his graffiti art, which took the form of spray-painted aphorisms that were targeted at the D train.^[36]

Route[]

Service pattern[]

The following table shows the lines used by the D, with shaded boxes indicating the route at the specified times:^[37]

Stations[]

For a more detailed station listing, see the articles on the lines listed above.^[2]

hideStation service legend
	Stops all times
	Stops all times except late nights
	Stops late nights only
	Stops weekdays only
	Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction
	Stops rush hours only
	Station closed
	Stops weekdays in the peak direction 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

hide	Stations		Subway transfers	Connections
The Bronx
Concourse Line
	Norwood–205th Street
	Bedford Park Boulevard		B	Some a.m. rush hour trips to and from Brooklyn begin or end their runs at this station[a]
	Kingsbridge Road		B
	Fordham Road		B	Bx12 Select Bus Service
	182nd–183rd Streets		B
	Tremont Avenue		B
	174th–175th Streets		B
	170th Street		B
	167th Street		B
	161st Street–Yankee Stadium		B  4  (IRT Jerome Avenue Line)	Bx6 Select Bus Service
Manhattan
	155th Street		B
	145th Street		B  A  ​C  (IND Eighth Avenue Line)
Eighth Avenue Line
	125th Street		A  ​B  ​C  ​	M60 Select Bus Service to LaGuardia Airport
	59th Street–Columbus Circle		A  ​B  ​C  ​ 1  ​2  (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)
Sixth Avenue Line
	Seventh Avenue		B  E  (IND Queens Boulevard Line)
	47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center		B  ​​F  <F> ​M
	42nd Street–Bryant Park		B  ​​F  <F> ​M  7  <7> ​ (IRT Flushing Line at Fifth Avenue) 1  ​2  ​3  (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line at Times Square–42nd Street, daytime only) N  ​Q  ​R  ​W  (BMT Broadway Line at Times Square–42nd Street, daytime only) S  (42nd Street Shuttle at Times Square–42nd Street, daytime only) A  ​C  ​E  (IND Eighth Avenue Line at 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal, daytime only)
	34th Street–Herald Square		B  ​​F  <F> ​M  N  ​Q  ​R  ​W  (BMT Broadway Line)	M34 / M34A Select Bus Service PATH at 33rd Street Amtrak, LIRR, NJ Transit at Pennsylvania Station
	West Fourth Street–Washington Square		B  ​​F  <F> ​M  A  ​C  ​E  (IND Eighth Avenue Line)	PATH at 9th Street
	Broadway–Lafayette Street		B  ​​F  <F> ​M  4  ​6  <6> (IRT Lexington Avenue Line at Bleecker Street)
Chrystie Street Branch
	Grand Street		B
Brooklyn
Fourth Avenue Line
	DeKalb Avenue		​N  ​Q  ​R
	Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center		N  Q  ​R  W  B  ​Q  (BMT Brighton Line) 2  ​3  ​4  ​5  (IRT Eastern Parkway Line)	LIRR Atlantic Branch at Atlantic Terminal
	Union Street		​N  ​R
	Ninth Street		​N  ​R  F  ​G  (IND Culver Line at Fourth Avenue)
	Prospect Avenue		​N  ​R
	25th Street		​N  ​R
	36th Street		N  Q  ​R  W
West End Line
	Ninth Avenue
	Fort Hamilton Parkway
	50th Street
	55th Street
	62nd Street		N  ​Q  ​W  (BMT Sea Beach Line at New Utrecht Avenue)
	71st Street
	79th Street
	18th Avenue
	20th Avenue
	Bay Parkway			B82 Select Bus Service
	25th Avenue
	Bay 50th Street
	Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue		F  <F> ​ (IND Culver Line) N  ​Q  (BMT Sea Beach Line) Q  (BMT Brighton Line)	*Closed due to flood protection work.

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to D (New York City Subway service).

• MTA NYC Transit – D Sixth Avenue Express
• MTA Subway Time – D Train
• "D Subway Timetable, Effective November 8, 2020". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 9, 2020.