B (New York City Subway service)

"B" train symbol
Sixth Avenue Express
A B train of R68s switches onto the BMT Brighton Line's express track
Map of the "B" train
Northern endBedford Park Boulevard or 145th Street (limited middays and all evenings)
Southern endBrighton Beach
Stations37
27 (limited midday and all evening service)
Rolling stockR68
R68A[1][2]
(Rolling stock assignments subject to change)
DepotConey Island Yard
Started serviceDecember 15, 1940; 83 years ago (1940-12-15)
Route map

Down arrow  B 
(weekdays)
Bedford Park Boulevard
Kingsbridge Road
Fordham Road
182nd–183rd Streets
Tremont Avenue
174th–175th Streets
170th Street
167th Street
161st Street–Yankee Stadium
155th Street
Down arrow  B 
(evenings)
145th Street
135th Street
125th Street
116th Street
Cathedral Parkway–110th Street
103rd Street
96th Street
86th Street
81st Street–Museum of Natural History
72nd Street
59th Street–Columbus Circle
Seventh Avenue
47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center
42nd Street–Bryant Park
34th Street–Herald Square Port Authority Trans-Hudson
bypassed local section
14th Street Port Authority Trans-Hudson
West Fourth Street–Washington Square
Broadway–Lafayette Street
Grand Street
Myrtle Avenue (closed)
DeKalb Avenue
"D" train​​"N" train​​"R" train
to Bay Ridge & Coney Island
via 4th Avenue
Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center
Seventh Avenue
Prospect Park
(Up arrow  S )
bypassed local section
Church Avenue
bypassed local section
Cortelyou Road
Newkirk Plaza
bypassed local section
Avenue J
Avenue M
Kings Highway
bypassed local section
Neck Road
Sheepshead Bay
Brighton Beach
Up arrow  B 
Legend

Lines used by the "B" train
Other services sharing tracks with the "B" train
Unused lines, connections, or service patterns
 B 
Termini of services

Cross-platform interchange

Platforms on different levels

The B Sixth Avenue Express[3] 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.[4]

The B operates only on weekdays between Brighton Beach in Brooklyn and Bedford Park Boulevard in the Bronx, making express stops in Brooklyn along the BMT Brighton Line and in Manhattan along Sixth Avenue, and making local stops along Central Park West in Manhattan and Grand Concourse in the Bronx. During middays, alternating trains short turn at 145th Street in Harlem, Manhattan. During evenings, all trains originate and terminate at 145th Street.

Prior to November 1967 (1967-11), the B ran almost exclusively in Manhattan, as the BB, from 168th Street in Washington Heights during rush hours to 34th Street–Herald Square in Midtown Manhattan. Upon the opening of the Chrystie Street Connection, the B started running via the BMT West End Line (local) and BMT Fourth Avenue Line (express) in Brooklyn. A short-lived B service marked with a yellow bullet ran via the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan and the BMT West End Line in Brooklyn from 1986 to 1988 due to Manhattan Bridge renovation, while orange B service traveled the pre-1967 route between 168th and 34th Streets. After 1989, the B north of 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center used the IND Eighth Avenue Line to 168th Street on weekdays, and the IND 63rd Street Line on evenings and weekends. Late night service ran as a shuttle on the West End Line. Weekday service was rerouted to the Concourse Line in 1998, while off-peak service along 63rd Street ceased in 2000. The B started using the Brighton Line in 2004 after work on the north side of the Manhattan Bridge was completed.

  1. ^ 'Subdivision 'B' Car Assignment Effective December 19, 2021'. New York City Transit, Operations Planning. December 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "Subdivision 'B' Car Assignments: Cars Required November 1, 2021" (PDF). The Bulletin. 64 (12). Electric Railroaders' Association: 3. December 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  3. ^ "B Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  4. ^ "Line Colors". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on October 16, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.