Second Avenue Line (Manhattan surface)
Encyclopedia
The Second Avenue Line is a bus
line in Manhattan
, New York City
, United States
, running mostly along Second Avenue
(and northbound on First Avenue
since 1951) from Lower Manhattan
to East Harlem
. Originally a streetcar line
, it is now the southbound direction of the M15 bus route, the second-busiest bus route in the U.S. with an annual ridership just shy of 16.5 million (the busiest bus route is currently the B46 Utica Avenue line). (However, the M15 is the only route on First and Second Avenues, while the one-way pair
of Madison
and Fifth Avenue
s has a higher frequency of local buses past Central Park
, split among four routes (M1/M2/M3/M4).) MTA Regional Bus Operations
, under the New York City Bus
and Select Bus Service brands, operates the route out of the 126th Street Bus Depot
.. Service is operated exclusively with articulated bus
es.
opened the line in 1853 and 1854, from Peck Slip on the East River
north along Pearl Street
, the Bowery (shared with the Third Avenue Line), Grand Street
, Chrystie Street
, and Second Avenue to East Harlem
. A short branch was later built along Stuyvesant Street
and Astor Place
to end at Broadway in NoHo
. The Metropolitan Street Railway
leased the line in January 1898, and on April 3 the line from Astor Place to Manhattan was electrified. The original line was later electrified to the Bowery, where streetcars used the Third Avenue Line to City Hall, and the line to Peck Slip was abandoned. Buses were substituted for streetcars by the East Side Omnibus Corporation on June 25, 1933. The New York City Board of Transportation took over operations in 1948, with the New York City Transit Authority
replacing it in 1953.
In late 2004, the New York City Department of Transportation
selected the route as one of the candidates for bus rapid transit service, along with Fordham Road (since implemented), Nostrand Avenue, Merrick Boulevard, and Hylan Boulevard. Six years later, on October 10, 2010, service began on the M15 Select Bus Service. By then, the MTA had discontinued service to City Hall due to budget cuts.
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
line in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, running mostly along Second Avenue
Second Avenue (Manhattan)
Second Avenue is an avenue on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan extending from Houston Street at its south end to the Harlem River Drive at 128th Street at its north end. A one-way street, vehicular traffic runs only downtown. A bicycle lane in the left hand portion from 55th...
(and northbound on First Avenue
First Avenue (Manhattan)
First Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from Houston Street northbound for over 125 blocks before terminating at the Willis Avenue Bridge into The Bronx at the Harlem River near East 127th Street. South of Houston Street, the...
since 1951) from Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
to East Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. Originally a streetcar line
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
, it is now the southbound direction of the M15 bus route, the second-busiest bus route in the U.S. with an annual ridership just shy of 16.5 million (the busiest bus route is currently the B46 Utica Avenue line). (However, the M15 is the only route on First and Second Avenues, while the one-way pair
One-way pair
A one-way pair, one-way couple, or just couplet is a pair of parallel, usually one-way streets that carry opposite directions of a signed route or major traffic flow, or sometimes opposite directions of a bus or streetcar route....
of Madison
Madison Avenue (Manhattan)
Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square to the Madison Avenue Bridge at 138th Street. In doing so, it passes through Midtown, the Upper East Side , Spanish Harlem, and...
and Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue (Manhattan)
Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the center of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The section of Fifth Avenue that crosses Midtown Manhattan, especially that between 49th Street and 60th Street, is lined with prestigious shops and is consistently ranked among...
s has a higher frequency of local buses past Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, split among four routes (M1/M2/M3/M4).) MTA Regional Bus Operations
MTA Regional Bus Operations
MTA Regional Bus Operations is the surface transit division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , created in 2008 to consolidate all bus operations operated by the MTA.-History:...
, under the New York City Bus
New York City Transit buses
New York City Transit buses, marked on the buses MTA New York City Bus, is a bus service that operates in all five boroughs of New York City, employing over 4300 buses on 219 routes within the five boroughs of New York City in the United States...
and Select Bus Service brands, operates the route out of the 126th Street Bus Depot
Bus depots of the New York City Transit Authority
The New York City Transit Authority and its subsidiary, the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority , operates local and express buses out of a number of bus depots in all five boroughs of New York City, United States...
.. Service is operated exclusively with articulated bus
Articulated bus
An articulated bus is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usually a single-deck design, and comprises two rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint...
es.
History
The Second Avenue RailroadSecond Avenue Railroad
The Second Avenue Railroad was a street railway company in Manhattan, New York City, United States. Its lines included the Second Avenue Line....
opened the line in 1853 and 1854, from Peck Slip on the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
north along Pearl Street
Pearl Street (Manhattan)
Pearl Street is a street in the Lower section of the New York City borough of Manhattan, running northeast from Battery Park to the Brooklyn Bridge, then turning west and terminating at Centre Street...
, the Bowery (shared with the Third Avenue Line), Grand Street
Grand Street (Manhattan)
Grand Street is a street in Manhattan, New York City. It runs east-west parallel to and south of Delancey Street, from SoHo through Chinatown, Little Italy, the Lower East Side to the East River....
, Chrystie Street
Chrystie Street
Chrystie Street is a street on Manhattan's Lower East Side. It runs for about seven blocks, from Canal Street to East Houston Street. Chrystie Street extends northward to become Second Avenue....
, and Second Avenue to East Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. A short branch was later built along Stuyvesant Street
Stuyvesant Street (Manhattan)
Stuyvesant Street is one of the oldest streets in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs diagonally from 9th Street at Third Avenue to 10th Street near Second Avenue, all within the East Village, Manhattan neighborhood. The majority of the street is included in the St...
and Astor Place
Astor Place (Manhattan)
__notoc__Astor Place is a short two-block street in lower Manhattan, New York City, which runs from Broadway just below East 8th Street, through Lafayette Street, past Cooper Square and Fourth Avenue, and ends at Third Avenue and St. Marks Place. The name is also used for the neighborhood around...
to end at Broadway in NoHo
NoHo
NoHo, for North of Houston Street is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, roughly bounded by Houston Street on the south, The Bowery on the east, Astor Place on the north, and Broadway on the west. NoHo is wedged between Greenwich Village, west of Broadway, and the East Village...
. The Metropolitan Street Railway
New York Railways
New York State Railways was a grouping of several large city streetcar and electric interurban systems in upstate New York. It included the city transit systems in Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Oneida and Rome, plus various interurban lines connecting those cities.The company was formed in 1909 when...
leased the line in January 1898, and on April 3 the line from Astor Place to Manhattan was electrified. The original line was later electrified to the Bowery, where streetcars used the Third Avenue Line to City Hall, and the line to Peck Slip was abandoned. Buses were substituted for streetcars by the East Side Omnibus Corporation on June 25, 1933. The New York City Board of Transportation took over operations in 1948, with the New York City Transit Authority
New York City Transit Authority
The New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...
replacing it in 1953.
In late 2004, the New York City Department of Transportation
New York City Department of Transportation
The New York City Department of Transportation is responsible for the management of much of New York City's transportation infrastructure...
selected the route as one of the candidates for bus rapid transit service, along with Fordham Road (since implemented), Nostrand Avenue, Merrick Boulevard, and Hylan Boulevard. Six years later, on October 10, 2010, service began on the M15 Select Bus Service. By then, the MTA had discontinued service to City Hall due to budget cuts.