Sumner Avenue Line and New Lots Avenue Line
Encyclopedia
The Sumner Avenue Line and New Lots Avenue Line were two streetcar
lines in Brooklyn
, New York City
, running mainly along Marcus Garvey Boulevard (formerly Sumner Avenue), East 98th Street, and New Lots Avenue between northern Bedford-Stuyvesant
and New Lots
. Originally streetcar lines, the two lines were combined as a bus route in 1947. That bus route became the present B15 Marcus Garvey Boulevard/New Lots Avenue, operated by MTA New York City Bus'
East New York Depot in East New York
. The B15 continues east from New Lots to JFK Airport in Queens
. The Brooklyn General Mail Facility in Spring Creek is also served by the route with buses going through there at night and select buses from Bedford-Stuyvesant using it as a terminal during the day.
, continuing south on Yates to Fulton Street
, then east on Fulton, where it ran over the Brooklyn City Rail Road's Fulton Street Line
, to Troy Avenue, where it continued south on Troy to end at Bergen Street. The Broadway Railroad leased the line on December 31, 1881. The Brooklyn, Queens County and Suburban Railroad
, owned by the Long Island Traction Company
(later the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company), leased the Broadway Railroad in early 1894, and the line was electrified in late October. After the Nassau Electric Railroad
, which owned the Bergen Street Line, was leased to the Brooklyn Heights Railroad
(another BRT property) in 1899, Sumner Avenue cars were extended south/east along the Bergen Street, Saint Johns Place
, and Ralph Avenue
lines to Brownsville
and west along the Bergen Street Line to Hamilton Ferry in Red Hook
.
Buses were substituted for most streetcar service on July 20, 1947 with direct Bedford-Stuyvesant-Red Hook service unreplaced.
Depot at Rockaway Avenue and Hegeman Avenue continuing east along Hegeman Avenue and Linden Boulevard
to Atkins Avenue in East New York
. Buses replaced Sumner Avenue Line trolleys in 1947, and the route was cut back from Williamsburg Bridge Plaza to its current terminal at Marcus Garvey Boulevard (Sumner Avenue) and Broadway, and became part of the B10. In 1991, the route was extended to the Brooklyn General Mail Facility in Spring Creek and, in 1993, to its current terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport's
Terminal 4 in Jamaica, Queens
. When the route was extended to Kennedy Airport it was redesignated as the B15 to avoid confusion with the Q10, an existing route serving the airport, at the time operated by Green Bus Lines
(now part of MTA Bus Company
).
and Flushing Avenue
subway station in Bedford-Stuyvesant
and the Brooklyn General Mail Facility in Spring Creek or John F. Kennedy International Airport's
Terminal 4 in Queens
with the two branches combined during the overnight hours.
The B15 bus route heads south through Bedford-Stuyvesant
along Marcus Garvey Boulevard (southbound) and Lewis Avenue (northbound). After crossing Fulton Street
, buses use a number of streets through Crown Heights
and Ocean Hill
, eventually turning south on Ralph Avenue and southeast on East 98th Street. In Brownsville
and East New York
, buses head east on Hegeman Avenue and New Lots Avenue, jogging south to Linden Boulevard
and merging onto Conduit Avenue after entering Queens
. B15 buses then serve several areas of JFK Airport and end at Terminal 4. Along the way, transfers can be made to the subway at Kingston-Throop Avenues (IND Fulton Street Line)
, Sutter Avenue–Rutland Road (IRT New Lots Line), New Lots Avenue (BMT Canarsie Line)
, and New Lots Avenue (IRT New Lots Line). Outside of JFK Airport property, B15 buses run non-stop in Queens.
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...
lines in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, 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...
, running mainly along Marcus Garvey Boulevard (formerly Sumner Avenue), East 98th Street, and New Lots Avenue between northern Bedford-Stuyvesant
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Bedford-Stuyvesant is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Formed in 1930, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3, Brooklyn Community Board 8 and Brooklyn Community Board 16. The neighborhood is patrolled by the NYPD's 79th and 81st...
and New Lots
New Lots, Brooklyn
New Lots is a sub-section of the East New York neighborhood in the eastern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It was known as the Town of New Lots from 1852 when the area seceded from the Town of Flatbush until it was annexed in 1886 as the 26th Ward of Brooklyn. The population is...
. Originally streetcar lines, the two lines were combined as a bus route in 1947. That bus route became the present B15 Marcus Garvey Boulevard/New Lots Avenue, operated by MTA 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...
East New York Depot in East New York
East New York, Brooklyn
East New York is a residential neighborhood located in the Eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 5...
. The B15 continues east from New Lots to JFK Airport in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. The Brooklyn General Mail Facility in Spring Creek is also served by the route with buses going through there at night and select buses from Bedford-Stuyvesant using it as a terminal during the day.
History of the Sumner Avenue Line
The Yates Avenue and Flatbush Railroad was organized in 1881 to build a branch of the Broadway Railroad, beginning at Broadway and Yates Avenue (present-day Marcus Garvey Boulevard) in Bedford-StuyvesantBedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Bedford-Stuyvesant is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Formed in 1930, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3, Brooklyn Community Board 8 and Brooklyn Community Board 16. The neighborhood is patrolled by the NYPD's 79th and 81st...
, continuing south on Yates to Fulton Street
Fulton Street (Brooklyn)
Fulton Street, named after engineer Robert Fulton, exists mainly in two parts in what are today two boroughs of New York City which Fulton linked by his steam ferries, and each segment has its own distinct identity. This entry deals with Fulton Street in Brooklyn, which now begins at the...
, then east on Fulton, where it ran over the Brooklyn City Rail Road's Fulton Street Line
Fulton Street Line (Brooklyn surface)
The Fulton Street Line or East New York Line is a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York City, United States along Fulton Street between Fulton Ferry and East New York...
, to Troy Avenue, where it continued south on Troy to end at Bergen Street. The Broadway Railroad leased the line on December 31, 1881. The Brooklyn, Queens County and Suburban Railroad
Brooklyn, Queens County and Suburban Railroad
The Brooklyn, Queens County and Suburban Railroad was a street railway company in Brooklyn and Queens, New York, United States. It originated as a horsecar line and was electrified in 1894....
, owned by the Long Island Traction Company
Long Island Traction Company
The Long Island Traction Company was a street railway holding company in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States.In order to get around anti-stock watering statutes, the owners of the Brooklyn City Rail Road, capitalized at $6 million, incorporated the Long Island Traction Company in West...
(later the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company), leased the Broadway Railroad in early 1894, and the line was electrified in late October. After the Nassau Electric Railroad
Nassau Electric Railroad
The Nassau Electric Railroad was an electric street railway company in the U.S. state of New York. The company operated throughout the borough of Brooklyn, as well as over the Brooklyn Bridge and Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan....
, which owned the Bergen Street Line, was leased to the Brooklyn Heights Railroad
Brooklyn Heights Railroad
The Brooklyn Heights Railroad was a street railway company in the U.S. state of New York. It leased and operated the streetcar lines of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, but started out with the Montague Street Line, a short cable car line connecting the Wall Street Ferry with downtown Brooklyn...
(another BRT property) in 1899, Sumner Avenue cars were extended south/east along the Bergen Street, Saint Johns Place
St. Johns Place Line
The St. Johns Place Line is a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York, mainly along Atlantic Avenue, Washington Avenue, Sterling Place, and St. Johns Place between Downtown Brooklyn and Crown Heights...
, and Ralph Avenue
Ralph Avenue Line
The Ralph Avenue Line is a surface transit line on Ralph Avenue in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Once a streetcar line, it is now part of the B47 bus route, operated by the New York City Transit Authority, and prior to 1995, it was the B78 route; the northern part of the route was part of...
lines to Brownsville
Brownsville, Brooklyn
Brownsville is a residential neighborhood located in eastern Brooklyn, New York City.The total land area is one square mile, and the ZIP code for the neighborhood is 11212....
and west along the Bergen Street Line to Hamilton Ferry in Red Hook
Red Hook, Brooklyn
Red Hook is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 6. It is also the location where the transatlantic liner, the , docks in New York City.- History :...
.
Buses were substituted for most streetcar service on July 20, 1947 with direct Bedford-Stuyvesant-Red Hook service unreplaced.
B15 bus route
When the New Lots Avenue Line was converted to buses in 1941, it was assigned the B10 designation, running from the CanarsieCanarsie, Brooklyn
Canarsie is a neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City, United States. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 18....
Depot at Rockaway Avenue and Hegeman Avenue continuing east along Hegeman Avenue and Linden Boulevard
Linden Boulevard
Linden Boulevard is a boulevard in New York City. It starts off at Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn and stretches through both Brooklyn and Queens. This boulevard, especially the area of Cambria Heights between Springfield Boulevard and the Nassau County line represents a smaller version of shopping...
to Atkins Avenue in East New York
East New York, Brooklyn
East New York is a residential neighborhood located in the Eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 5...
. Buses replaced Sumner Avenue Line trolleys in 1947, and the route was cut back from Williamsburg Bridge Plaza to its current terminal at Marcus Garvey Boulevard (Sumner Avenue) and Broadway, and became part of the B10. In 1991, the route was extended to the Brooklyn General Mail Facility in Spring Creek and, in 1993, to its current terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport's
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
Terminal 4 in Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...
. When the route was extended to Kennedy Airport it was redesignated as the B15 to avoid confusion with the Q10, an existing route serving the airport, at the time operated by Green Bus Lines
Green Bus Lines
Green Bus Lines was a bus company in New York City, United States, managed most recently by Jerome Cooper , operating local service in Queens and express service to Manhattan until January 9, 2006, when the MTA Bus Company took over its routes.The company was incorporated on April 3, 1925 to...
(now part of MTA Bus Company
MTA Bus Company
MTA Bus Company is a service of MTA Regional Bus Operations used on routes previously controlled by the New York City Department of Transportation , and operated by private operators that provided service under contract to the NYCDOT...
).
Route description
The B15 bus route runs between the Woodhull Medical and Mental Health CenterWoodhull Medical and Mental Health Center
Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center is a health care system located in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Its focus is on preventing disease and promoting healthy lifestyles in the community of North Brooklyn through its fifteen centers. Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center is...
and Flushing Avenue
Flushing Avenue (BMT Jamaica Line)
Flushing Avenue is a local station on the BMT Jamaica Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Flushing Avenue and Broadway in Brooklyn, it is served by the J train at all times except rush hours and middays in the peak direction and the M at all times except weekends and...
subway station in Bedford-Stuyvesant
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Bedford-Stuyvesant is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Formed in 1930, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3, Brooklyn Community Board 8 and Brooklyn Community Board 16. The neighborhood is patrolled by the NYPD's 79th and 81st...
and the Brooklyn General Mail Facility in Spring Creek or John F. Kennedy International Airport's
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
Terminal 4 in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
with the two branches combined during the overnight hours.
The B15 bus route heads south through Bedford-Stuyvesant
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Bedford-Stuyvesant is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Formed in 1930, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3, Brooklyn Community Board 8 and Brooklyn Community Board 16. The neighborhood is patrolled by the NYPD's 79th and 81st...
along Marcus Garvey Boulevard (southbound) and Lewis Avenue (northbound). After crossing Fulton Street
Fulton Street (Brooklyn)
Fulton Street, named after engineer Robert Fulton, exists mainly in two parts in what are today two boroughs of New York City which Fulton linked by his steam ferries, and each segment has its own distinct identity. This entry deals with Fulton Street in Brooklyn, which now begins at the...
, buses use a number of streets through Crown Heights
Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway, a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted extending two miles east-west.Originally, the area was known as Crow Hill....
and Ocean Hill
Ocean Hill, Brooklyn
Ocean Hill is a subsection of Bedford-Stuyvesant in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Founded in 1890, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3 and Brooklyn Community Board 16. The ZIP code for the neighborhood is 11233...
, eventually turning south on Ralph Avenue and southeast on East 98th Street. In Brownsville
Brownsville, Brooklyn
Brownsville is a residential neighborhood located in eastern Brooklyn, New York City.The total land area is one square mile, and the ZIP code for the neighborhood is 11212....
and East New York
East New York, Brooklyn
East New York is a residential neighborhood located in the Eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 5...
, buses head east on Hegeman Avenue and New Lots Avenue, jogging south to Linden Boulevard
Linden Boulevard
Linden Boulevard is a boulevard in New York City. It starts off at Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn and stretches through both Brooklyn and Queens. This boulevard, especially the area of Cambria Heights between Springfield Boulevard and the Nassau County line represents a smaller version of shopping...
and merging onto Conduit Avenue after entering Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. B15 buses then serve several areas of JFK Airport and end at Terminal 4. Along the way, transfers can be made to the subway at Kingston-Throop Avenues (IND Fulton Street Line)
Kingston-Throop Avenues (IND Fulton Street Line)
Kingston–Throop Avenues is a local station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway. Located on Fulton Street between Kingston and Throop Avenues in the Weeksville, Brooklyn, it is served by the C train at all times except late nights, when it is replaced by the A train.This...
, Sutter Avenue–Rutland Road (IRT New Lots Line), New Lots Avenue (BMT Canarsie Line)
New Lots Avenue (BMT Canarsie Line)
New Lots Avenue is a station on the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of New Lots and Van Sinderen Avenues in East New York, it is served by the L train at all times....
, and New Lots Avenue (IRT New Lots Line). Outside of JFK Airport property, B15 buses run non-stop in Queens.