IRT Dyre Avenue Line
Encyclopedia
The IRT Dyre Avenue Line (Sometimes referred to as the Dyre Avenue Branch) is a New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
rapid transit
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
line as part of the A Division
A Division (New York City Subway)
The A Division, also known as the IRT Division, is a division of the New York City Subway, consisting of the lines operated with services designated by numbers and the 42nd Street Shuttle. These lines and services were operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company before the 1940 city takeover...
(IRT
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company was the private operator of the original underground New York City Subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT was purchased by the City in June 1940...
). It is a branch of the IRT White Plains Road Line
IRT White Plains Road Line
The White Plains Road Line is a rapid transit line of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, serving the central Bronx. It is mostly elevated, and served both subway and elevated trains until 1952...
serving passengers in the northeastern section of the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. The line splits off the White Plains Road Line north of East 180th Street
East 180th Street (IRT White Plains Road Line)
For the previous 180th Street station on the IRT White Plains Road Line, see 180th Street – Bronx Park .East 180th Street is an express station on the IRT White Plains Road Line of the New York City Subway...
.
Extent and service
The Dyre Avenue Line is served only by the 55 (New York City Subway service)
The 5 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored green on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan....
train, which makes all stops.
For revenue purposes, the line is double-tracked. Two center "express" tracks exist in two places - between Eastchester – Dyre Avenue and Baychester Avenue
Baychester Avenue (IRT Dyre Avenue Line)
Baychester Avenue is a station on the IRT Dyre Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Baychester and Tillotson Avenues in the Bronx. It is served by the 5 train at all times....
, and from Pelham Parkway
Pelham Parkway (IRT Dyre Avenue Line)
Pelham Parkway is a station on the IRT Dyre Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Pelham Parkway and the Esplanade in the Bronx, it is served by the 5 train at all times.This station was originally opened on May 29, 1912, as an express station of the New York,...
to just south of the Morris Park Avenue station.
In the late 1990s the southbound express track was extended from south of Dyre Avenue and connected to the stub end track at Pelham Parkway for the purpose of testing new subway cars for the A division. The southbound track at Dyre Avenue is in the position of the southbound express track, as the southbound local track is no longer present. The current platform is built over the northbound express track. Small portions of the original side platforms remain on both sides of Dyre Avenue station. South of the Dyre Avenue station, the southbound track moves over to the local position and the southbound express track begins.
The northbound express track, now a stub end track at Pelham Parkway, has been used for storage but this use has largely been made redundant by the expansion of Unionport Yard. A small portion of this track also exists between Baychester and Dyre Avenue stations.
The north end of the line is a simple two-track stub, with crossover tracks south of the Dyre Avenue terminal station. The south end is a flying junction
Flying junction
A flying junction or flyover is a railway junction at which one or more diverging or converging tracks in a multiple-track route cross other tracks on the route by bridge to avoid conflict with other train movements. A more technical term is "grade-separated junction"...
aka the Dyre Avenue Flyover, into the local tracks of the IRT White Plains Road Line
IRT White Plains Road Line
The White Plains Road Line is a rapid transit line of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, serving the central Bronx. It is mostly elevated, and served both subway and elevated trains until 1952...
(with crossovers to the express track).
History
The Dyre Avenue Line was originally part of the four-track main line of the New York, Westchester and Boston RailwayNew York, Westchester and Boston Railway
The New York, Westchester and Boston Railway Company , known to its riders as "the Westchester" and colloquially as the "Boston-Westchester", operated as an electric commuter railroad in the Bronx and Westchester County, New York from 1912 to 1937...
, an electrified commuter rail system that connected White Plains and Port Chester to a station at the Harlem River
Harlem River
The Harlem River is a navigable tidal strait in New York City, USA that flows 8 miles between the Hudson River and the East River, separating the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx...
adjacent to the IRT Third Avenue Line
IRT Third Avenue Line
The IRT Third Avenue Line, commonly known as the Third Avenue El, was an elevated railway in Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City. Originally operated by an independent railway company, it was acquired by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and eventually became part of the New York subway...
. The NYW&B opened on May 29, 1912. Soon a transfer station opened at East 180th Street, with transfers to the IRT White Plains Road Line
IRT White Plains Road Line
The White Plains Road Line is a rapid transit line of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, serving the central Bronx. It is mostly elevated, and served both subway and elevated trains until 1952...
and various surface lines. Express trains stopped only at Pelham Parkway and East 180th Street, within the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. The NYW&B was abandoned on December 31, 1937 due to bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
.
Plans were made for a parallel subway line even before the NYW&B's abandonment; a 1929 expansion plan includes a line along Morris Park Avenue, Wilson Avenue and Boston Road to Baychester Avenue, being fed by the IND Second Avenue Line. In 1939, after abandonment, the plan was to integrate the former NYW&B to Dyre Avenue into the IRT
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company was the private operator of the original underground New York City Subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT was purchased by the City in June 1940...
system (as it has been), but to branch it off the IRT Pelham Line
IRT Pelham Line
The IRT Pelham Line is a rapid transit line on the New York City Subway, served by the 6 and <6> trains. It was built as part of the Dual Contracts expansion and opened in 1919. It is both elevated and underground, with Whitlock Avenue being the first elevated station...
as the Westchester and Boston Line.
The New York City Board of Transportation bought the NYW&B within the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
north of East 180th Street, and opened it for service on May 15, 1941 as a shuttle, with a transfer to the IRT White Plains Road Line
IRT White Plains Road Line
The White Plains Road Line is a rapid transit line of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, serving the central Bronx. It is mostly elevated, and served both subway and elevated trains until 1952...
at East 180th Street. Plans for restoring the old line north into Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
failed.
A direct track connection was opened on May 6, 1957, and the old NYW&B station was closed. At first, direct service used the express tracks of the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line, running during the day; the shuttle continued to run evenings, and the line did not run at nights. In the early 1960s, Dyre Avenue service was moved to the IRT Lexington Avenue Line
IRT Lexington Avenue Line
The Lexington Avenue Line is one of the lines of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, stretching from Downtown Brooklyn or Lower Manhattan north to 125th Street in East Harlem. The portion in Lower and Midtown Manhattan was part of the first subway line in New York...
in its current form. The line is still operated as a shuttle late nights; for more information on current and past services on the line see the articles for the , and services.
Station listing
| Station | Tracks | Services | Opened | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remainder of line in Westchester County abandoned | |||||
| Eastchester – Dyre Avenue | May 29, 1912 (NYW&B) May 15, 1941 (IRT) |
Originally a local station with 2 side platforms on the NYW&B. Converted to a center island platform by the NYCTA. | |||
| Baychester Avenue Baychester Avenue (IRT Dyre Avenue Line) Baychester Avenue is a station on the IRT Dyre Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Baychester and Tillotson Avenues in the Bronx. It is served by the 5 train at all times.... |
local | May 29, 1912 (NYW&B) May 15, 1941 (IRT) |
|||
| Gun Hill Road Gun Hill Road (IRT Dyre Avenue Line) Gun Hill Road is a station on the IRT Dyre Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Gun Hill Road and Seymour Avenue in the Baychester and Allerton sections of The Bronx... |
local | May 29, 1912 (NYW&B) May 15, 1941 (IRT) |
|||
| Pelham Parkway Pelham Parkway (IRT Dyre Avenue Line) Pelham Parkway is a station on the IRT Dyre Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Pelham Parkway and the Esplanade in the Bronx, it is served by the 5 train at all times.This station was originally opened on May 29, 1912, as an express station of the New York,... |
all | May 29, 1912 (NYW&B) May 15, 1941 (IRT) |
Bx12 Select Bus Service Was an express station on the NYW&B |
||
| Morris Park Morris Park (IRT Dyre Avenue Line) Morris Park is a station on the IRT Dyre Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Served by the 5 train, it is located at Paulding Avenue and the Esplanade in Morris Park, Bronx.... |
local | May 29, 1912 (NYW&B) May 15, 1941 (IRT) |
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| Connecting Track to Unionport Yard | |||||
| Merges with IRT White Plains Road Line IRT White Plains Road Line The White Plains Road Line is a rapid transit line of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, serving the central Bronx. It is mostly elevated, and served both subway and elevated trains until 1952... |
|||||
| Remainder of line demolished | |||||