L (New York City Subway service)

"L" train symbol
14th Street–Canarsie Local
Manhattan-bound L train of R143s entering Broadway Junction
Map of the "L" train
Western endEighth Avenue
Eastern endRockaway Parkway
Stations24
Rolling stockR143
R160[1][2]
(Rolling stock assignments subject to change)
DepotEast New York Yard
Started serviceJune 30, 1924; 100 years ago (1924-06-30)
Route map

Down arrow  L 
Eighth Avenue
Sixth Avenue Port Authority Trans-Hudson
Union Square
Third Avenue
First Avenue
Bedford Avenue
Lorimer Street
Graham Avenue
Grand Street
Montrose Avenue
Morgan Avenue
Jefferson Street
DeKalb Avenue
Myrtle–Wyckoff Avenues
Halsey Street
Wilson Avenue
(Disabled access northbound)
Bushwick Avenue–Aberdeen Street
Broadway Junction
no regular service via Jamaica
Atlantic Avenue
Sutter Avenue
Livonia Avenue
New Lots Avenue
East 105th Street
Canarsie–Rockaway Parkway
Up arrow  L 
Legend

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

Cross-platform interchange

Platforms on different levels

The L 14th Street–Canarsie Local[3] is a rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored medium gray since it serves the BMT Canarsie Line.[4]

The L operates at all times between Eighth Avenue in Chelsea, Manhattan, and Rockaway Parkway in Canarsie, Brooklyn. It also briefly enters Queens at Halsey Street, serving the neighborhood of Ridgewood.[5] It is the first New York City Subway service to be automated using communications-based train control.

The L commenced its current route and service pattern upon completion of the Canarsie Line in 1928. Express trains formerly ran along the L's trackage in central Brooklyn, running along the BMT Fulton Street Line in eastern Brooklyn, but were discontinued in 1956. Since then, the L has been entirely local.

The L was originally the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation's 16 service. The 16 became the LL in 1967 and then the L in 1985. In the early 2000s, the L saw a dramatic increase in ridership since many neighborhoods along the route have experienced gentrification. From April 2019 to April 2020, late-night and weekend L service between Manhattan and Brooklyn was temporarily reduced as part of the 14th Street Tunnel shutdown, which sought to repair damage to the 14th Street Tunnel incurred by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.[6]

  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. ^ "L Subway Timetable, Effective December 4, 2022". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  4. ^ "MTA Colors". MTA.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  5. ^ "Queens Bus Map" (PDF). MTA.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 16, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  6. ^ "Coronavirus Update: Hospitalizations Down, Deaths up Slightly to 437 in NY". ABC7 New York. March 6, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.