5 (New York City Subway service)

Early history

The section from East 180th Street to Dyre Avenue was once part of the mainline of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway, a standard gauge electric commuter railroad built by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Upon its closure in 1937, the entire property was put up for sale.

On December 21, 1925, the number of Manhattan-bound through trains in the morning rush hour from the White Plains Road Line was doubled with the addition of two more through trips, and service was considerably increased in the evening rush hour toward the Bronx, with through trains running every 11 minutes.^[7] In 1926, during the morning rush hour several northbound trains terminated at 86th Street.^[8]

Rush hour service was designated with a diamond bullet until May 27, 2005.

Saturday 5 service to Crown Heights–Utica Avenue began on April 28, 1930.

As of 1934, trains normally ran from Wakefield–241st Street or East 180th Street to Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center. During weekday rush hours and weekend afternoons they were extended to Utica Avenue.^[9] Late-night service was not operated.

From July 24, 1938 to September 18, 1938, there was Sunday daytime 5 service to New Lots Avenue. Sunday afternoon 5 service to New Lots began on July 10, 1939.^[9]

1940s through 1960s

Main service

On December 22, 1946, alternate Sunday morning 5 service to New Lots began.^[9] However, on March 5, 1950, 5 service was cut back to Utica Avenue all day on Sundays.^[9]

Express service on the IRT White Plains Road Line began on April 23, 1953 with alternate 5 trains using the middle track between East 180th Street and 149th Street during the weekday rush in the peak direction.^[10] Starting on October 2, 1953, the express 5 trains began running express between East 180th Street and Gun Hill Road - also using the middle track - and were branded as "Thru-Express" trains in order to encourage passengers who changed at Gun Hill Road for Third Avenue Elevated service to stay on subway trains.^[11][12][13] On June 7, 1954, to speed up service, thru-expresses began skipping 138th Street, allowing for one more train per hour.^[14] On June 16, 1958, these 5 trains resumed stopping at 138th Street, with 4 trains skipping the station during rush hours.

Beginning on May 3, 1957, limited rush hour 5 service ran to Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College replacing the 4 service. Evening, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday trains were cut back to South Ferry.

Beginning on March 1, 1960, evening trains began making all stops in Manhattan.^[9] Beginning on April 8, 1960, weekday evening service was discontinued, as was weekday rush service to Flatbush Avenue.^[9]

A brochure given out to passengers in anticipation of the April 18, 1965 changes to IRT service

Starting on April 18, 1965, most daytime service was rerouted to Eastchester–Dyre Avenue (see § Dyre Avenue Shuttle), replacing 2 daytime service to Dyre Avenue except evenings and late nights when shuttle service served Dyre Avenue. Some weekday rush peak-direction service to 241st Street was retained, while Saturday and Sunday evening trains were cut back from 241st Street to East 180th Street. Also, Saturday morning trains were cut back from Atlantic Avenue to South Ferry.^{[9][15][16][17]} Starting on May 3, 1965, trains to or from 241st Street began making all stops between Gun Hill Road and East 180th Street.^[9]

Dyre Avenue Shuttle

In 1940, the City of New York purchased the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway, and began integrating the line into the system.^{[18]: 59–60 } Plans were made for restoring the old line north into Westchester County, but ultimately failed,^[19] and the superfluous track and overhead catenary on the old NYW&B were scrapped by 1943.^[20] The section below East 180th Street to Greens Farm Junction was once used to interchange with the New Haven (and later Penn Central and Conrail) to bring subway cars and other equipment on and off the system. That section was removed in the 1970s, isolating this part of the subway from the interchange.^[20]

On May 15, 1941, the East 180th Street–Dyre Avenue Shuttle or Dyre Avenue Shuttle was established as a new subway service and full-time shuttle between the former East 180th Street station of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway and Eastchester–Dyre Avenue, the northernmost station on the NYW&B within New York City.^[19][21] There was a paper transfer to the IRT White Plains Road Line at East 180th Street, since there were no track connections between the lines.^[22] The shuttle was run with trains consisting of two cars, and there was no late night service when the line opened in 1941. The fares were collected in the stations during rush hours, and by conductors on the trains when ridership was light.^[21][22]

In 1957, a flyover connection opened between the East 180th Street station of the White Plains Road Line and the Dyre Avenue Line, enabling through service by trains from the 2 route from Manhattan to Dyre Avenue.^[23] At the same time, the former NYW&B station was closed and the off-hours Dyre Avenue Shuttle rerouted to the White Plains Road Line station. These shuttles were initially labeled 2 like the full-time service but were later signed as 9. Effective April 18, 1965, the Dyre Avenue Line was instead served by 5 trains at all times.^[15][16][17] The line is still operated as a shuttle late nights, labeled as part of the 5 route.^[3]

1970s and 1980s

Beginning on May 23, 1976, 5 service began starting late on Sunday mornings. As of May 24, 1976, weekday midday 5 service from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. was cut back to Bowling Green from Atlantic Avenue.^[9][24]

On October 26, 1978, the NYCTA presented a plan to Bronx Community Board 12 to have all rush hour peak-direction thru-expresses from the White Plains Road Line run express between Gun Hill Road and East 180th Street, and to have all trains from Dyre Avenue run express in the Bronx. The changes were expected to be implemented in 12 to 19 months.^[25]

In 1979, with the color coding of subway routes based on their trunk line in Manhattan, the 5 service's color was changed to forest green, as it goes via the Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan.^[26][27] On January 13, 1980, all 5 service to/from Dyre Avenue and Wakefield–241st Street during rush hours in the peak direction began running express in the Bronx.^[28] 5 service was re-extended to Atlantic Avenue on May 15, 1980.^[9]

On July 10, 1983 rush hour 5 trains were rerouted from Utica Avenue to Flatbush Avenue with limited service to/from Utica Avenue or New Lots Avenue.^[29][30] Beginning on January 18, 1988, all midday 5 service was cut back to Bowling Green, to allow 4 service to operate to Utica.^[9]

1990s

In Spring 1995, rush hour service to 241st Street was cut back to Nereid Avenue. 241st Street had insufficient capacity to terminate all 2 and 5 trains during rush hours, requiring some 2 and 5 trips to terminate at Nereid Avenue. To ease passenger confusion regarding which trips terminate where and to provide more reliable service, it was decided to have all 2 trips terminate at 241st Street and have all 5 trains terminate at 238th Street. In addition, the span of 5 peak period Bronx express service to Dyre Avenue was expanded by 45 minutes in each rush hour. These two recommendations were made in response to comments made as part of the Northeast Bronx Comprehensive Study. New York City Transit decided against operating all 5 trains via the Dyre Avenue Line because it would reduce the attractiveness of the White Plains Road Line as it would force passengers using the Lexington Avenue Line to transfer. However, this would have simplified operations.^[31]

On December 9, 1999, New York City Transit released a proposal revising 2 and 5 service in the Bronx to eliminate a merge north of the East 180th Street station, increasing capacity and reducing delays, to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board. Dyre Avenue-bound 5 trains would start running local along the White Plains Road Line, while 2 trains would run express. Nereid Avenue-bound 5 trains would continue to run express in the Bronx. As part of the change, the frequency of service at White Plains Road Line local station would decrease from 12 trains per hour to 7 trains per hour. Market research showed that riders at these stations preferred Lexington Avenue Line service. In addition, riders on the line north of East 180th Street would gain express service. This change would have been revenue neutral.^[32]

Shortly after the proposal was more widely announced in April 2000, Assemblyman Jeffrey Klein collected 2,000 signatures for a petition opposing the change.^[33] The MTA delayed the change's planned implementation by a month after receiving the petition.^[34] Opponents of the change also argued that it would have increased subway crowding on the 2 train, especially at the 72nd Street station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. The change was also opposed by State Senator Eric Schneiderman, Assemblyman Scott Stringer, and Public Advocate Mark Green. New York City Transit expected the passenger volume of downtown 2 trains in the morning rush hour to increase from 92% of capacity to 108% at 72nd Street.^[35] After Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver put pressure on the MTA, the change was pushed back for an additional three months in May 2000.^[36] On September 24, 2000, a spokesperson for New York City Transit said that MTA Chairman E. Virgil Conway told planners to drop the change until service on the 5 was increased with the arrival of new R142 subway cars by early 2002.^[37]

On May 28, 2000, the headway of Dyre Avenue shuttles between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. was decreased from 40 minutes to 20 minutes.^[38]

Recent history

On May 27, 2005, use of the 5 diamond to indicate peak direction service to Nereid Avenue was discontinued.

On June 29, 2009, 5 trains were extended from Bowling Green to Flatbush Avenue during midday hours, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., following a successful pilot run in fall 2008.^[39][40]

From March 29 to September 3, 2010, rush hour peak direction 5 express service was suspended due to rehabilitation of East 180th Street and signal replacements along the IRT White Plains Road Line. PM northbound express service was suspended again on March 28, 2011, to allow for the second phase of the signal replacement project. This time, service was restored on August 8.

Due to repairs to Hurricane Sandy-related damage in the Clark Street Tunnel, which carries the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line into Brooklyn, the 5 was extended to Flatbush Avenue on weekends between June 17, 2017 and June 23, 2018, running local in Brooklyn. In the Bronx, the 5 ran to 241st Street instead of Dyre Avenue in place of the 2.^[41][42]

On November 17, 2019, New York City Transit made adjustments to weekday evening 3, 4, and 5 service in order to accommodate planned subway work. 5 service between Dyre Avenue and Bowling Green was reduced by one hour, from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m., with Dyre Avenue Shuttle service beginning an hour earlier. This change, which was approved by the MTA Board on June 27, 2019, was expected to save the agency $900,000 annually.^[43][44] In addition, on this date, morning rush hour reverse-peak 5 trains that terminated at 241st Street began terminating at Gun Hill Road/White Plains Road, making express stops north of East 180th Street.

Discover more about Service history related topics

New York, Westchester and Boston Railway

New York, Westchester and Boston Railway

The New York, Westchester and Boston Railway Company, was an electric commuter railroad in the Bronx and Westchester County, New York from 1912 to 1937. It ran from the southernmost part of the South Bronx, near the Harlem River, to Mount Vernon with branches north to White Plains and east to Port Chester. From 1906, construction and operation was under the control of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (NH) until its bankruptcy in 1935.

New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad

New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad

The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of the New York and New Haven and Hartford and New Haven railroads, the company had near-total dominance of railroad traffic in Southern New England for the first half of the 20th century.

86th Street station (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)

86th Street station (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)

The 86th Street station is an express station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 86th Street on the Upper East Side, it is served by the 4 and 6 trains at all times, the 5 train at all times except late nights, and the <6> train during weekdays in peak direction.

Eastchester–Dyre Avenue station

Eastchester–Dyre Avenue station

The Eastchester–Dyre Avenue station is the northern terminal station of the IRT Dyre Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, at Dyre Avenue and Light Street in the Eastchester neighborhood of the Bronx. It is served by the 5 train at all times.

New York City

New York City

New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over 300.46 square miles (778.2 km2), New York City is the most densely populated major city in the United States and more than twice as populous as Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest city. New York City is located at the southern tip of New York State. It constitutes the geographical and demographic center of both the Northeast megalopolis and the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. by both population and urban area. With over 20.1 million people in its metropolitan statistical area and 23.5 million in its combined statistical area as of 2020, New York is one of the world's most populous megacities, and over 58 million people live within 250 mi (400 km) of the city. New York City is a global cultural, financial, entertainment, and media center with a significant influence on commerce, health care and life sciences, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, dining, art, fashion, and sports. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy, and is sometimes described as the capital of the world.

Westchester County, New York

Westchester County, New York

Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population of 1,004,456, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 55,344 (5.8%) from the 949,113 counted in 2010. Located in the Hudson Valley, Westchester covers an area of 450 square miles (1,200 km2), consisting of six cities, 19 towns, and 23 villages. Established in 1683, Westchester was named after the city of Chester, England. The county seat is the city of White Plains, while the most populous municipality in the county is the city of Yonkers, with 211,569 residents per the 2020 U.S. Census.

IRT White Plains Road Line

IRT White Plains Road Line

The White Plains Road Line is a rapid transit line of the A Division of the New York City Subway serving the central Bronx. It is mostly elevated and served both subway and elevated trains until 1952. The original part of the line, the part opened as part of the first subway was called the West Farms Division, and the extension north to 241st Street as part of the Dual Contracts was called the White Plains Road Line. Eventually, however, the two parts came to be known as the White Plains Road Line.

9 (New York City Subway service)

9 (New York City Subway service)

The 9 Broadway–Seventh Avenue Local was a rapid transit service in the A Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", was colored red, since it used the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT)'s Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line for its entire route.

Service pattern

The following table shows the lines used by the 5, with shaded boxes indicating the route at the specified times:^[45]

Stations

For a more detailed station listing, see the articles on the lines listed above.^[3]

Station service legend
	Stops all times
	Stops all times except late nights
	Stops weekdays only
	Stops daily except rush hours in the peak direction
	Stops rush hours only
	Stops rush hours in the reverse peak direction only
	Station closed
	Stops rush hours/weekdays in the peak direction only (including limited service)
Time period details
	Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
 ↑	Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act in the indicated direction only
 ↓
	Elevator access to mezzanine only

Dyre	Ner.	GHR	180th	Stations		Subway transfers	Connections
The Bronx
Dyre Avenue Line
	—	—	—	Eastchester–Dyre Avenue
				Baychester Avenue
				Gun Hill Road
				Pelham Parkway			Bx12 Select Bus Service
				Morris Park
White Plains Road Line (peak-direction rush hour trips and limited reverse-peak midday trips only)
—		—	—	Nereid Avenue		2Â	Northern terminal for most rush hour peak direction trips to/from Manhattan and Brooklyn
				233rd Street		2Â	Metro-North Railroad Harlem Line at Woodlawn
				225th Street		2Â
				219th Street		2Â
		↑		Gun Hill Road		2Â	Bx41 Select Bus Service Metro-North Railroad Harlem Line at Williams Bridge Northern terminal for limited a.m. rush hour service in the northbound direction only
		|		Burke Avenue		2Â
		|		Allerton Avenue		2Â
		|		Pelham Parkway		2Â	Bx12 Select Bus Service
		|		Bronx Park East		2Â
Services to Eastchester–Dyre Avenue and Nereid Avenue split
		↑	↑	East 180th Street		2Â	Some southbound rush hour trips begin at this station Some northbound a.m. rush hour trips terminate at this station Southern terminal for late night service
	|	|	|	West Farms Square–East Tremont Avenue		2Â	Q44 Select Bus Service
	|	|	|	174th Street		2Â
	|	|	|	Freeman Street		2Â
	|	|	|	Simpson Street		2Â
	|	|	|	Intervale Avenue		2Â	Bx6 Select Bus Service
	|	|	|	Prospect Avenue		2Â
	|	|	|	Jackson Avenue		2Â
		↑	↑	Third Avenue–149th Street		2Â	Bx41 Select Bus Service
		↑	↑	149th Street–Grand Concourse		2  4  (IRT Jerome Avenue Line)
Jerome Avenue Line
		↑	↑	138th Street–Grand Concourse		4Â
Manhattan
Lexington Avenue Line
		↑	↑	125th Street		4  ​​6Â	Metro-North Railroad at Harlem–125th Street M60 Select Bus Service to LaGuardia Airport
		↑	↑	86th Street	 ↑	4  ​​6Â	M86 Select Bus Service
		↑	↑	59th Street		4  ​​6  N  ​R  ​W  (BMT Broadway Line at Lexington Avenue/59th Street) Out-of-system transfer with MetroCard/OMNY: F  ​​ N  ​Q  ​R  (63rd Street Lines at Lexington Avenue–63rd Street)	Roosevelt Island Tramway
		↑	↑	Grand Central–42nd Street		4  ​​6  7  ​ (IRT Flushing Line) S  (42nd Street Shuttle)	Metro-North Railroad at Grand Central Terminal Long Island Rail Road at Grand Central Madison
		↑	↑	14th Street–Union Square		4  ​​6  L  (BMT Canarsie Line) N  ​Q  ​R  ​W  (BMT Broadway Line)	M14A / M14D Select Bus Service
		↑	↑	Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall		4  ​​6  J  ​Z  (BMT Nassau Street Line at Chambers Street)
		↑	↑	Fulton Street		4  2  ​3  (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line) A  ​C  (IND Eighth Avenue Line) J  ​Z  (BMT Nassau Street Line)	Connection to N  ​R  ​W  (BMT Broadway Line) at Cortlandt Street via Dey Street Passageway PATH at World Trade Center
		↑	↑	Wall Street		4Â
		↑	↑	Bowling Green		4Â	M15 Select Bus Service Staten Island Ferry at Whitehall Terminal Southern terminal for evening and weekend service, as well as some rush hour service
Brooklyn
Eastern Parkway Line
		—	↑	Borough Hall	 ↑	4  2  ​3  (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line) R  ​W  (BMT Fourth Avenue Line at Court Street)	Station is ADA-accessible in the northbound direction only
			↑	Nevins Street		2  ​3  ​4  ​
			↑	Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center		2  ​3  ​4  ​ B  ​Q  (BMT Brighton Line) D  ​N  ​Q  ​R  ​W  (BMT Fourth Avenue Line)	LIRR Atlantic Branch at Atlantic Terminal
			↑	Franklin Avenue–Medgar Evers College		2  ​3  ​4  ​ S  (BMT Franklin Avenue Line at Botanic Garden)
Services to Flatbush Avenue and New Lots Avenue split
Nostrand Avenue Line
		—	—	President Street–Medgar Evers College		2Â
				Sterling Street		2Â	B44 Select Bus Service
				Winthrop Street		2Â	B44 Select Bus Service
				Church Avenue		2Â	B44 Select Bus Service
				Beverly Road		2Â
				Newkirk Avenue–Little Haiti		2Â	B44 Select Bus Service
				Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College		2Â	B44 Select Bus Service
Eastern Parkway Line (limited rush hour service only)
 ↑	|	—	|	Nostrand Avenue		2  ​3  ​4  ​	One a.m. rush-hour train to the Bronx stops here[46]
 ↑	|		|	Kingston Avenue		2  ​3  ​4  ​	One a.m. rush-hour train to the Bronx stops here[46]
			 ↑	Crown Heights–Utica Avenue		2  ​3  ​4  ​	B46 Select Bus Service Southern terminal for some rush hour service
New Lots Line (limited rush hour service only)
 ↑	—	—	—	Sutter Avenue–Rutland Road		2  ​3  ​4  ​	B15 bus to JFK Int'l Airport
 ↑				Saratoga Avenue		2  ​3  ​4  ​
 ↑				Rockaway Avenue		2  ​3  ​4  ​
 ↑				Junius Street		2  ​3  ​4  ​ Out-of-system transfer with MetroCard/OMNY: L  (BMT Canarsie Line at Livonia Avenue)
 ↑				Pennsylvania Avenue		2  ​3  ​4  ​
 ↑				Van Siclen Avenue		2  ​3  ​4  ​
 ↑				New Lots Avenue		2  ​3  ​4  ​	B15 bus to JFK Int'l Airport Southern terminal for some northbound a.m. rush hour service

Discover more about Route related topics

IRT Dyre Avenue Line

IRT Dyre Avenue Line

The IRT Dyre Avenue Line is a New York City Subway rapid transit line, part of the A Division. It is a branch of the IRT White Plains Road Line in the northeastern section of the Bronx, north of East 180th Street. As of 2013, it has a daily ridership of 34,802.

IRT White Plains Road Line

IRT White Plains Road Line

The White Plains Road Line is a rapid transit line of the A Division of the New York City Subway serving the central Bronx. It is mostly elevated and served both subway and elevated trains until 1952. The original part of the line, the part opened as part of the first subway was called the West Farms Division, and the extension north to 241st Street as part of the Dual Contracts was called the White Plains Road Line. Eventually, however, the two parts came to be known as the White Plains Road Line.

Gun Hill Road station (IRT White Plains Road Line)

Gun Hill Road station (IRT White Plains Road Line)

The Gun Hill Road station is an express station on the IRT White Plains Road Line of the New York City Subway. Located in the Bronx at the intersection of Gun Hill and White Plains Roads, it is served by the 2 train at all times and by the 5 train during rush hours in the peak direction; limited a.m. rush hour 5 trains from Manhattan also terminate at this station in the northbound direction only.

Bronx Park East station

Bronx Park East station

The Bronx Park East station is a local station on the IRT White Plains Road Line of the New York City Subway. Located in the Bronx on Birchall Avenue at Sagamore Street, it is served by the 2 train at all times and by the 5 train during rush hours in the peak direction.

IRT Jerome Avenue Line

IRT Jerome Avenue Line

The IRT Jerome Avenue Line, also unofficially known as IRT Woodlawn Line and IRT Burnside Avenue Line is an A Division New York City Subway line mostly along Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. Originally an Interborough Rapid Transit Company-operated route, it was built as part of the Dual Contracts expansion and opened in 1917 and 1918. It is both elevated and underground, with 161st Street–Yankee Stadium being the southernmost elevated station. The line has three tracks from south of the Woodlawn station to the 138th Street–Grand Concourse station. The Woodlawn Line also has a connection to the Jerome Yard, where 4 trains are stored, just north of the Bedford Park Boulevard–Lehman College station.

IRT Lexington Avenue Line

IRT Lexington Avenue Line

The IRT Lexington Avenue Line is one of the lines of the A Division of the New York City Subway, stretching from Lower Manhattan north to 125th Street in East Harlem. The line is served by the 4, ​5, ​6, and <6> trains.