IRT Jerome Avenue Line

IRT Jerome Avenue Line The 4 train serves the entire IRT Jerome Avenue Line at all times. One station is also served by the 5 train. Overview Type Rapid transit System New York City Subway Termini Woodlawn 138th Street – Grand Concourse Stations 14 Daily ridership 242,460[1] Operation Opened 1917–1918 Owner City of New York Operator(s) New York City Transit Authority Character Underground (South of Yankee Stadium) Elevated (Most of The Bronx) Technical No. of tracks 2-3 Track gauge 4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Electrification 600V DC third rail IRT Jerome Avenue Line Legend IND Concourse Line Woodlawn Mosholu Parkway Jerome Yard Concourse Yard Bedford Park Boulevard – Lehman College IND Concourse Line Kingsbridge Road Fordham Road 183rd Street Burnside Avenue 176th Street Mount Eden Avenue 170th Street 167th Street former IRT Ninth Avenue Line 161st Street – Yankee Stadium IND Concourse Line IRT White Plains Road Line 149th Street – Grand Concourse IRT White Plains Road Line 138th Street – Grand Concourse IRT Pelham Line Lexington Avenue Tunnel under Harlem River IRT Lexington Avenue Line

The IRT Jerome Avenue Line, also unofficially known as IRT Woodlawn Line, is an A Division New York City Subway line mostly along Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. It was opened on June 2, 1917 as a shuttle service between Kingsbridge Road and 149th Street. This was in advance of through service to the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, which began on July 17, 1918. The line was extended from Kingsbridge Road to Woodlawn on April 15, 1918.

In 1918, the Ninth Avenue elevated was extended from the Polo Grounds terminal, entering the Bronx via the Putnam Bridge, a now-demolished swing bridge immediately north of the Macombs Dam Bridge, to connect with the Jerome Avenue line between 161st Street and 167th Street. After the lower portion of the Ninth Avenue Line closed on June 12, 1940, a shuttle continued to operate to the Polo Grounds until after the New York Giants moved to San Francisco. The shuttle closed on August 31, 1958.

Extent and service

Service patterns

Service	Time period	Between
		Woodlawn 149 St – GC	North of 138 St North of 125 St
4	Rush hours	local	express
	Other times	local
5	All except nights	no service	local
	Late nights	no service

The Jerome Avenue Line is served locally by the 4 train at all times, except for the 138th Street – Grand Concourse station, which the 4 serves all times except rush hours in the peak direction, and the 5 at all times except late nights.

As part of a pilot program to evaluate express service on the line, from June 8, 2009 to June 26, 2009, the MTA operated four trains southbound on the express track between 7:15 AM and 8:00 AM. The trains stopped at Woodlawn, Mosholu Parkway, Burnside Avenue, and 149th Street – Grand Concourse, then continued down the normal route.^[2] From October 26, 2009, to December 11, 2009, another pilot program to run express service ran, this time adding Bedford Park Boulevard – Lehman College as an additional stop. A fifth train had also been added and trains now run every 20 minutes from 7:00am to 8:20am.^[3]

During evening rush hours, some northbound trains run express from 167th Street to short turn at Burnside Avenue.^[4]

Route description

Though named for Jerome Avenue, the southernmost portion of the line runs underground beneath the Grand Concourse. North of the 149th Street station around the vicinity of Franz Sigel Park, the line curves to the northwest and emerges from a tunnel under Gerard Avenue north of East 153rd Street, and becomes an elevated line over River Avenue just south of the intersection with East 157th Street. Just north of Yankee Stadium station, the line encounters the skeletal remains of the IRT Ninth Avenue elevated line between Gate Number 8 and the east end of the 164th Street Parking Garage, between the intersections of 162nd and 164th Streets. Almost a block after 167th Street station, the line finally runs over the eponymous road when River Avenue ends at Jerome Avenue across from the intersection of West 169th Street.

The line remains over Jerome Avenue for most of the rest of its journey. The north end of the Mount Eden Avenue station can be seen from the Cross Bronx Expressway. After the northwest entrance of the historic Concourse Yard and then north of 198th Street, the road briefly moves east of the line. North of Bedford Park Boulevard station, Jerome Avenue returns under the line and between the intersections with East 205th Street and West 205th Street, a spur for the Jerome Yard branches off to the northwest as well. The IRT Jerome Avenue Line finally ends at Woodlawn Station, while Jerome Avenue itself continues north towards the Major Deegan Expressway.

Station listing

Station service legend
	Stops all times
	Stops all times except late nights
	Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction
	Stops rush hours only
	Stops rush hours in the peak direction only
Time period details

Neighborhood (approximate)		Station	Tracks	Services	Opened	Transfers and notes
Bronx
Norwood		Woodlawn		4	April 15, 1918	Terminal
	Center Express track begins (No Regular Service to 149th Street – Grand Concourse)
		Mosholu Parkway	local	4	April 15, 1918
connecting tracks to Jerome Yard
Bedford Park		Bedford Park Boulevard – Lehman College	local	4	April 15, 1918
connecting track to Concourse Yard
Kingsbridge Heights		Kingsbridge Road	local	4	June 2, 1917[5]
University Heights		Fordham Road	local	4	June 2, 1917[5]	Bx12 Select Bus Service
		183rd Street	local	4	June 2, 1917[5]
Morris Heights		Burnside Avenue	all	4	June 2, 1917[5]
		176th Street	local	4	June 2, 1917[5]
Highbridge		Mount Eden Avenue	local	4	June 2, 1917[5]
		170th Street	local	4	June 2, 1917[5]
		167th Street	local	4	June 2, 1917[5]
		161st Street – Yankee Stadium	local	4	June 2, 1917[5]	B  D  (IND Concourse Line) Connection to Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line at Yankees – East 153rd Street
4  service switches to/from center express track
Mott Haven		149th Street – Grand Concourse	all	4	June 2, 1917[5]	2  5  (IRT White Plains Road Line)
	Branch from IRT White Plains Road Line joins (5 )
		138th Street – Grand Concourse	local	4  5	July 17, 1918	Originally named Mott Haven Avenue
	Center Express track ends
Continues as IRT Lexington Avenue Line (4  5 )

References

1. MTA. "Average weekday subway ridership". Retrieved 21 August 2011.
2. "MTA New York City Transit Pilots Bronx Express Service Along the Jerome Ave. Line" (Press release). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2009-06-04. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
3. "Second Pilot Program of Bronx Express Service Along the Jerome Ave. 4 Line Set to Begin" (Press release). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2009-10-22. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
4. http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/pdf/t4cur.pdf
5. "Three New Links of the Dual Subway System Opened" (PDF). The New York Times. 3 June 1917. p. 11. Retrieved 13 February 2009.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• nycsubway.org: IRT Woodlawn/Jerome Avenue Line