6 (New York City Subway service)

Lexington Avenue Local Pelham Local and Express
A train made of R62A cars in <6> service, leaving Buhre Avenue, heading towards Pelham Bay Park.
Northern end	Pelham Bay Park (all times) Parkchester (rush hours and middays)
Southern end	Brooklyn Bridge – City Hall
Stations	38 (local service) 29 (express service)
Rolling stock	R62A, R142A
Depot	Westchester Yard

The 6 Lexington Avenue/Pelham Local and <6> Lexington Avenue Local/Pelham Express are two rapid transit services in the A Division of the New York City Subway. Their route emblems, or "bullets", are colored apple green since they use the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan.^[1] Local service is denoted by a (6) in a circular bullet, and express service is denoted by a <6> in a diamond-shaped bullet. 6 trains normally operate local entirely between Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx and Brooklyn Bridge – City Hall in Lower Manhattan. During rush hours and middays in the peak direction, <6> Bronx express trains replace 6 local ones north of Parkchester, and run express between that station and Third Avenue – 138th Street. During this time, 6 Bronx local trains short turn at Parkchester. Weekdays from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., some Manhattan-bound <6> trains run local from Parkchester to Hunts Point Avenue while some Parkchester-bound 6 trains run express in that section.

History

A train made of R142A cars in (6) service, arriving at Buhre Avenue, bound for Pelham Bay Park.

6 (New York City Subway service)
Legend
Pelham Bay Park Buhre Avenue Middletown Road Westchester Square – East Tremont Avenue Zerega Avenue Castle Hill Avenue Parkchester St. Lawrence Avenue Morrison Avenue – Soundview Elder Avenue Whitlock Avenue Hunts Point Avenue Longwood Avenue East 149th Street East 143rd Street – St. Mary's Street Cypress Avenue Brook Avenue Third Avenue – 138th Street IRT Jerome Avenue Line The Bronx Manhattan  Lexington Avenue Tunnel under Harlem River 125th Street 116th Street 110th Street 103rd Street 96th Street 86th Street 77th Street 68th Street – Hunter College IND 63rd Street Line 59th Street Roosevelt Island Tramway BMT Broadway Line IND Queens Boulevard Line 51st Street 42nd Street Shuttle Grand Central – 42nd Street IRT Flushing Line 33rd Street 28th Street 23rd Street BMT Broadway Line 18th Street(closed) 14th Street – Union Square BMT Canarsie Line Astor Place BMT Broadway Line Bleecker Street IND Sixth Avenue Line Spring Street BMT Broadway Line Canal Street Worth Street(closed) BMT Broadway Line Brooklyn Bridge – City Hall IRT Lexington Avenue Line

On October 27, 1904, local and express service opened on the original subway in Manhattan, following the route of the present IRT Lexington Avenue Line from City Hall to Grand Central – 42nd Street. From there, the service traveled west on 42nd Street on the route of the present 42nd Street Shuttle, and then north on the present IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line to 145th Street.

The current "H" configuration—with separate services along Lexington Avenue and Broadway – Seventh Avenue—was introduced in 1917.^[2] Full Lexington Avenue local service from City Hall to 125th Street opened on July 17, 1918. On August 1, 1918, Third Avenue – 138th Street opened with trains running between there and City Hall, making all stops.^[3]

On January 17, 1919 trains were extended from 138th Street to Hunts Point Avenue, and on May 30, 1920, 6 service was extended to East 177th Street.^[3] On October 24, 1920, 6 service was extended again to Westchester Square.^[3] On December 20, 1920, 6 service was extended to Pelham Bay Park.^[3] From that point on, the current 6 service was formed. All trains ran local between Pelham Bay Park and Brooklyn Bridge, with some trains terminating at the City Hall loop.

By 1934, service south of the City Hall station had been discontinued, and late-night service ran from Pelham Bay Park to 125th Street only.

Effective December 31, 1945, City Hall station closed with the former Brooklyn Bridge station (renamed to Brooklyn Bridge – City Hall) being the permanent southern terminal. However, the 6 train still uses the loop to get from the southbound to the northbound local track at Brooklyn Bridge - City Hall.^[4]

On May 10, 1946, late-night service resumed to Brooklyn Bridge when late night express service on the 4 was restored.^[3] Beginning October 14, 1946, weekday rush and Saturday morning rush peak direction express service started, with Pelham Bay trains using the middle track between East 177th Street and Third Avenue – 138th Street.^[3] During this time, 6 trains that ran local in the Bronx when express trains operated began to terminate at East 177 Street to make room for express trains to Pelham Bay Park.

From December 15 to 22, 1950, the weekday rush trains from Pelham Bay Park were extended to South Ferry.^[3] On June 23, 1956, Saturday morning express service began operating local on the 6 train.^[3] Starting April 8, 1960, late night and weekday evening trains were extended to South Ferry, followed by weekend evening service starting October 17, 1965; however, all trains were again cut back to Brooklyn Bridge by May 23, 1976 when the inner loop platform of South Ferry closed.^[3]

From March 1, 1960 to October 17, 1965, the 4 and 6 trains also ran local together in Manhattan late nights when late night express service on the 4 was discontinued for a time.

Beginning in January 13, 1980, late night service terminated at 125th Street in Manhattan with the 4 again making all stops south of there. On the same day, Bronx express service was expanded to operate weekdays, with Pelham Bay trains running express in the peak direction to Brooklyn Bridge in the morning, then to Pelham Bay Park in the afternoon.^[3]

From March 4 to Summer 1985, there was a 6 train that left 138th Street at 7:20 AM, then turned at Atlantic Avenue, and left at 8:18 AM returning to Pelham Bay Park. It became the only time the 6 was scheduled to operate to Brooklyn.^[3]

From January 21 to October 5, 1990, late night service was extended back to Brooklyn Bridge when late night express service on the 4 was restored again. But the 6 was then cut back to 125th Street for the last time when late-night express service on the 4 in Manhattan was permanently discontinued.^[3]

Effective October 3, 1999, the 4 and 6 trains once again began to operate local together in Manhattan late nights when the 6 train was permanently extended back to Brooklyn Bridge.^[3]

Route

Service pattern

The following table shows the lines used by 6 and <6>, with shaded boxes indicating the route at the specified times:

Line	From	To	Tracks	Times
				weekday peak dir.		all others
IRT Pelham Line (full line)	Pelham Bay Park	Castle Hill Avenue	local
	Parkchester	Third Avenue – 138th Street	express
			local
IRT Lexington Avenue Line	125th Street	Brooklyn Bridge – City Hall

Stations

For a more detailed station listing, see the articles on the lines listed above.

Station 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 all times except weekdays in the peak direction
	Stops rush hours in the peak direction only
Time period details

		Stations		Subway transfers	Connections/Other Notes
The Bronx
Pelham Line
		Pelham Bay Park			Bx12 Select Bus Service
		Buhre Avenue
		Middletown Road
		Westchester Square – East Tremont Avenue
		Zerega Avenue
		Castle Hill Avenue
		Parkchester			Q44 Select Bus Service Northern terminal for peak-direction local trains
		St. Lawrence Avenue
		Morrison Avenue – Soundview
		Elder Avenue
		Whitlock Avenue
		Hunts Point Avenue
		Longwood Avenue
		East 149th Street
		East 143rd Street – St. Mary's Street
		Cypress Avenue
		Brook Avenue
		Third Avenue – 138th Street
Manhattan
Lexington Avenue Line
		125th Street		4  5	Metro-North Railroad at Harlem – 125th Street M60 Select Bus Service to LaGuardia Airport Elevators are out of service until October 3rd, 2016.
		116th Street		4
		110th Street		4
		103rd Street		4	Bronx bound 4 and 6 trains skip 103rd Street until June.
		96th Street		4
		86th Street		4  5	M86 Select Bus Service
		77th Street		4
		68th Street – Hunter College		4
		59th Street		4  5  N  Q  R  (BMT Broadway Line at Lexington Avenue / 59th Street) Out-of-system transfer with MetroCard: F  (IND 63rd Street Line at Lexington Avenue – 63rd Street)	Roosevelt Island Tramway
		51st Street		4  E  M  (IND Queens Boulevard Line at Lexington Avenue – 53rd Street)
		Grand Central – 42nd Street		4  5  7  <7> (IRT Flushing Line) S  (42nd Street Shuttle)	Metro-North Railroad at Grand Central Terminal
		33rd Street		4	M34 / M34A Select Bus Service
		28th Street		4
		23rd Street		4
		14th Street – Union Square		4  5  L  (BMT Canarsie Line) N  Q  R  (BMT Broadway Line)
		Astor Place		4
		Bleecker Street		4  B  D  F  M  (IND Sixth Avenue Line at Broadway – Lafayette Street)
		Spring Street		4
		Canal Street		4  N  Q  R  (BMT Broadway Line) J  Z  (BMT Nassau Street Line)
		Brooklyn Bridge – City Hall		4  5  J  Z  (BMT Nassau Street Line at Chambers Street)

In popular culture

• Justin Townes Earle's "Working for the MTA" describes the 6 train from the perspective of the driver.
• In the 1973 novel The Taking of Pelham One Two Three and the films based on it, a 6 train that originated in Pelham Bay Park was hijacked, and hostages were held inside a subway car.
• In the 74th episode of Seinfeld, The Cigar Store Indian, aired in 1993, the characters are riding the 6 from George's parents house in Queens. It stops at Queensboro Plaza where they jump out to get famous Gyros. The 6 however, does not run though Queens; additionally, Queensboro Plaza is in reality an elevated station, instead of a subway station as depicted on Seinfeld.
• After his first visit to the city in 1969, Rubén Blades wrote the song "El número seis" about waiting for the 6 train. He never recorded it, but it was recorded in 1975 by Bobby Rodríguez y la Compañía in 1975, Los Soneros del Barrio in 1999, and Jimmy Sabater with Son Boricua in 2002.
• In the 1984 film The Pope of Greenwich Village, the bar and tow truck scenes take place beneath the 6 train's elevated structure at Castle Hill Avenue station.
• A scene in the 1995 film Kids takes place on the 6 train, including shots of a legless panhandler on a skateboard.
• While growing up, Jennifer Lopez regularly rode the 6 train into Manhattan to go to her dance studio. Her debut 1999 album, referring to the subway service, is called On the 6.
• Mark Wahlberg rides the 6 (on a train consisting of R29/36 cars) in the 2000 movie The Yards.
• In the 2000 movie Boiler Room, the main character, Seth, mentions that the brokers at his firm act like they "just got off the 6 train to Fulton Street." The 6 train, however, does not stop at Fulton Street.
• On January 22, 2006, eight members of the Improv Everywhere comedy troupe were arrested on a 6 train after participating in a city-wide prank dubbed "No Pants". They have before and since performed several other pranks on the 6 train.
• In the 2007 How I Met Your Mother episode "Lucky Penny", Barney Stinson gets stuck on a 6 train when he becomes unable to move his legs.

References

1. http://web.mta.info/developers/resources/line_colors.htm
2. "New Subways For New York: The Dual System of Rapid Transit - Interborough Routes and Stations". NYCSubway.org. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
3. http://www.erictb.info/linehistory.html
4. The Abandoned City Hall Subway Stop Now Visible To Tourists (PHOTOS)

External links

• MTA NYC Transit – 6 Lexington Avenue Local
• MTA NYC Transit – 6 Lexington Avenue Local / Pelham Express
• "6 Subway Timetable, Effective December 6, 2015" (PDF). New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2016-03-07.