TheChrystie Street Connection is a set ofNew York City Subway tunnels running the length ofChrystie Street on theLower East Side ofManhattan. It is one of the few track connections between lines of the formerBrooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) andIndependent Subway System (IND) divisions, which together constitute the system'sB Division. A major branch of theIND Sixth Avenue Line, it connects the Sixth Avenue Line to theBMT Brighton Line andBMT Fourth Avenue Line via the north side of theManhattan Bridge and to theBMT Jamaica Line over theWilliamsburg Bridge. The project, opened in 1967 and 1968, also includes the Sixth Avenue Line'sGrand Street and57th Street stations, the latter of which is not part of the connection itself.

The connection was originally conceived as part of the long delayedSecond Avenue Subway, and, along with the three stations added with the opening of phase 1, is one of the few completed sections of the project.^[1]

v t e Chrystie Street Connection
Legend
Broadway Line Lexington Avenue Line Sixth Avenue Line Bleecker Street Broadway–Lafayette Street Second Avenue Prince Street East River Spring Street Williamsburg Bridge Bowery Jamaica Line Grand Street Delancey Street–Essex Street East Broadway Culver Line Rutgers Street Tunnel Canal Street Manhattan Bridge formerNassau Street Loop Broadway Line Lexington Avenue Line Nassau Street Line
Legend
Chrystie Street Connection other lines (underground/elevated)

The two tracks that run the full length of the connection begin as a continuation of theIND Sixth Avenue Line express tracks east of Broadway–Lafayette Street. These tracks include the line's only station,Grand Street, and connections to the two northern tracks over the Manhattan Bridge.^[2][3][4] The IND Sixth Avenue Line express tracks formerly continued east, ending slightly east of theSecond Avenue station, and were planned to extend intoBrooklyn and beyond as part of a never-built major system expansion called theIND Second System.^[5][6] Those tracks still exist at Second Avenue station, but now connect to the local tracks west of the station.^[7]

The two tracks on the north side of the Manhattan Bridge formerly carried trains to theBMT Broadway Line, which now connects to the tracks on the south side of the bridge.^[8]: 151 The south side tracks had been connected to theBMT Nassau Street Line, carrying theNassau Street Loop service viaChambers Street from 1915.^[9] The northern tracks of the bridge saw heavier traffic loads because it led to Midtown Manhattan, compared to the southern tracks, which made three stops in Lower Manhattan before returning to Brooklyn. As a result of the uneven traffic distribution, the Manhattan Bridge started tilting to its north side.^[10][8] The connection to the Nassau Street Line was cut north of Chambers Street before the Manhattan Bridge and is used for storage from the Nassau Street side.

The opening of the Chrystie Street Connection to the Manhattan Bridge allowed the integration of four major routes of the combined system. TheBB service of the IND was through-routed with theTBMT West End Line service as theB, and theD service of the IND was through-routed with theQBMT Brighton Line service as the D.^{[8]: 152 [11][12]} In 2004, the Brooklyn routes and terminals of the B and D trains were swapped as part of the Manhattan Bridge reconstruction from 1986 to 2004.^{[13][14][15][16]}

The two tracks that connect to the Williamsburg Bridge split from the Sixth Avenue Line local tracks east of Broadway – Lafayette Street and feed into theBMT Nassau Street Line west ofEssex Street.^[2][3] The purpose of this portion of the connector was to allow trains originating in northern and easternBrooklyn and southern and easternQueens to operate intoMidtown Manhattan via the Sixth Avenue Line, rather than having to turn south along Nassau Street. TheKK (later renamed theK) service, which used these tracks, proved unpopular; as such, it only operated from July 1, 1968, to August 29, 1976, when it was cut as part of an ongoing retrenchment of service during New York City's fiscal crisis.^[17]

The connection was used for a time to move equipment to and from theBMT Eastern Division, but was not used in regular service again until budget cuts forced a reroute of theM along the connection starting on June 27, 2010. The M had been rerouted to replace the discontinuedV route on theIND Sixth Avenue Line and theIND Queens Boulevard Line toForest Hills–71st Avenue.^{[18][19][20][21]}

A plan similar to the Chrystie Street Connection wasproposed as part of theSecond Avenue Subway (SAS) under the Board of Transportation's 1944–1948 Capital Program, with connections from the 2nd Avenue line to theBMT Nassau Street Line, the Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges, as well as a new station at Grand and Chrystie Streets. This plan would have allowed service from Grand Street to run south to Chambers and Broad Streets on theBMT Nassau Street Line, providing an additional East River crossing via theMontague Street Tunnel.^[1][22]

TheNew York City Board of Estimate voted in September 1951 to construct the Second Avenue Subway and several related lines for $500 million.^[23][24] The next year, theNew York City Board of Transportation (BOT) indicated that it would award contracts for the construction of an 890-foot-long (270 m) section of tunnel between Hester and Delancey Streets, including a station at Grand Street, as part of the SAS project.^[25] Work had been expected to begin in mid-1952 but was delayed because of engineering difficulties.^[26]

By 1954, the BOT's successor, theNew York City Transit Authority, had asked the city for $37.3 million to begin constructing the Chrystie Street Connection.^[27] In 1955, the TA recommended that the Board of Estimate approve a contract to reconstruct a junction near theDeKalb Avenue station, on the Brooklyn side of the Manhattan Bridge, to eliminate abottleneck there.^[28] This was the first step in a larger plan to improve transit service between Brooklyn and Manhattan.^[28][29] The Chrystie Street Connection would utilize the additional capacity created by reconstructing the tracks around DeKalb Avenue.^[29]

In mid-1957, the New York City government solicited bids from contractors to construct the various parts of the connection.^[30][31] That October, the Board of Estimate approved an initial $10.2 million for the connection.^[32][33] This initial funding would be used to construct the connection to the Williamsburg Bridge, as well as the section of the Manhattan Bridge connection fromDelancey toStanton Street.^[33] A groundbreaking ceremony was held on November 25, 1957, with MayorRobert F. Wagner, Jr. and TA officials in attendance.^[22][34] The project was constructed in conjunction with the addition of express tracks on the Sixth Avenue Line between 34th Street and West 4th Street, adding capacity to the line.^[29][1][3] It was expected that the project would be finished in three years.^[1][3][11] Workers were constructing the segment of the Manhattan Street connection beneath the existing Nassau Street Line by 1959. Concrete workers went on strike while the connection was under construction, raising concerns that the BMT tunnel could be undermined; to prevent the tunnel from collapsing, the concrete workers' union made an exception allowing workers to pour concrete for the tunnel.^[35]

In 1962, the construction of an extension of the Sixth Avenue Line to a new terminal at 57th Street was announced. This would be the final major component of the plan to increase Brooklyn to Manhattan capacity.^[22] In February 1963, construction of the tunnel for the Chrystie Street Connection was 95 percent complete. It was expected that contracts for track work would be put out for bidding in about a month, after which contracts would be let for ventilation, drainage, lighting, and signals. In addition, the contract for the construction of an extension of the Sixth Avenue Line from 52nd Street to 58th Street for the new 57th Street terminal was expected to be put out for bidding in May.^[36] In August 1963, the project was expected to be completed in 1966.^[37] On January 23, 1964, the entire seven-block length of Chrystie Street was fully reopened to traffic. It had been subjected to different closures for six years for the construction of the line.^[38] Later that year, the tracks in the new connection were laid.^[39] In contrast to subway tracks on existing lines, which contained woodencross ties, the new tracks were installed on rubber pads attached to the concrete track bed, thereby dampening noise from trains.^[40]

In 1965, the connection was projected to cost $100 million (equivalent to $997,782,471 in 2024), and provide capacity for 52,000 additional riders per hour between Brooklyn and Manhattan.^[41] This included 14,000 additional riders on theBMT West End Line, 9,000 on theBMT Sea Beach Line, 17,000 on theBMT Brighton Line, and 12,000 on theBMT Fourth Avenue Line.^[36] By January of that year, lighting, power, and signal equipment had been installed on the connection. In June 1965, completion of the section including the Grand Street station was expected in 1966, with the entire project's completion planned for 1967.^[41] To allow the Sixth Avenue Line express tracks to be connected, from July 11 to August 30, 1966, F trains terminated atSecond Avenue instead of at the center tracks atBroadway–Lafayette Street.^[42]

The Manhattan Bridge connection and the Grand Street station opened on November 26, 1967, almost exactly 10 years after the project began. The Williamsburg Bridge connection and 57th Street station opened on July 1, 1968.^[11][22][43] The opening of the connection allowed greater flexibility in routings along BMT lines in Brooklyn. The Manhattan Bridge connection eliminated a bottleneck where trains using three of the four BMT Southern Division lines fromConey Island–Stillwell Avenue, were forced to use the Manhattan Bridge or theMontague Street Tunnel before going onto the BMT Broadway Line to Midtown Manhattan (or onto the Nassau Street Loop). The new connection thus permittedIND Sixth Avenue Line trains from Midtown to use the BMT lines toward Coney Island, while preserving Nassau Street service via the Montague Street Tunnel.^[8]: 152 Trains from the BMT Jamaica Line and otherBMT Eastern Division lines also gained a direct connection to Midtown Manhattan via the Sixth Avenue Line by using the Williamsburg Bridge connection.^[8]: 153

The Chrystie Street Connection was the first actual integration of BMT and IND lines after the unification of all major lines underNew York City municipal ownership in 1940.^[11][22] Prior to that, the nearest integration of the two previous systems was the operation of BMT trains over part of theIND Queens Boulevard Line via theBMT60th Street Tunnel Connection connectingLexington Avenue/59th Street on theBMT Broadway Line toQueens Plaza on theIND Queens Boulevard Line in 1955. In that case, however, BMT trains operated on the IND bytrackage rights, using BMT equipment and crews.^[22]

Two major service changes were inaugurated with the opening of the connection. The first went into effect on Sunday, November 26, 1967, when the Manhattan Bridge connection opened. The second occurred on Monday, July 1, 1968, when the Williamsburg Bridge connection opened. Additionally, for the 1967 opening, everyservice in the system was labeled with a letter or number and a color.^[22]

On November 15, 1967, the TA published a subway map showing which routes would be changed when the Manhattan Bridge connection opened.^[11] After 940 new signs had already been installed across the New York City Subway system, mayorJohn Lindsay wrote a letter to the TA in an attempt to delay the planned route changes.^[44] Lindsay dropped his objection on November 22, just hours before workers started installing heavy equipment to reroute the tracks.^[45] Two days later, a New York state judge dismissed a lawsuit against the route changes.^[46]

The opening of the Manhattan Bridge connection on November 26, 1967, was concurrent with the opening of the new express tracks on the Sixth Avenue Line betweenWest Fourth Street–Washington Square and34th Street, providing additional capacity for the extra trains on the IND via the connection. The following service changes were made,^{[11][12][22][47]} affecting about 200,000 passengers:^[48]

• The rush-hour onlyBB, which had run betweenWashington Heights–168th Street on theIND Eighth Avenue Line and 34th Street, was relabeled theB. It was extended via the new Sixth Avenue Line express tracks and the Chrystie Street Connection, then express on theBMT Fourth Avenue Line and local on theBMT West End Line, terminating atConey Island–Stillwell Avenue. This latter segment replaced theT (express via Bridge) andTT (local via Tunnel) services, leaving only the TT West End Shuttle from theBMT Fourth Avenue Line running to Coney Island during late evenings, late nights and all day Sundays. B service was added during middays, early evenings, and the same time on Saturdays, but only south of West Fourth Street – Washington Square.
• TheQ (BMT Brighton Line express) service was "absorbed" by a reroutedD, which used the Sixth Avenue Line local tracks (except rush hours, when it ran express). It used the Chrystie Street Connection to theBMT Brighton Line to Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue (running express in Brooklyn from morning rush hours through early evenings). Formerly, the Q had run local in Brooklyn (except during morning rush hours and early evenings) and express on theBMT Broadway Line in Manhattan, terminating at57th Street. The pre-1967 Q ran only weekdays until the mid-evening. TheD had previously used the Sixth Avenue Line andIND Culver Line to Coney Island; this service was replaced by theF (see below).
• TheEE service was added, running weekday rush hours, middays and early evenings, as a local train betweenForest Hills–71st Avenue on theIND Queens Boulevard Line andWhitehall Street–South Ferry on theBroadway Line via theBMT 60th Street Tunnel Connection and the Broadway Line in Manhattan. This replaced theRR, which had formerly used the 60th Street connection during the same times (and was cut back to57th Street in Manhattan other times). The RR was rerouted toAstoria – Ditmars Boulevard full-time. TheQT (Q via Tunnel) andQB (Q via Bridge) had served Astoria from theBMT Brighton Line; the QT was partly replaced with theQJ (Q viaJamaica; see below), and theQB was truncated to57th Street for rush hour-only service. The D (see above) now served the Brighton Line.
• In a major rerouting affecting Queens riders, theF train was considerably extended from its original terminal stops,Broadway–Lafayette Street (morning rush hour to early evening) and 34th Street-Herald Square on the Sixth Avenue Line (other times), into Brooklyn to Stillwell Avenue along the Culver Line (previously serviced by the D). It continued to run express east of Forest Hills–71st Avenue only during rush hours. For the first time, riders from central Queens had a one-seat ride to southern Brooklyn destinations and Coney Island.
• The QJ was added as a rerouting of the old QT, combined with an extension of the oldJ Jamaica Express, entering Manhattan via the tunnel and extending via theBMT Jamaica Line to 168th Street. Its service hours remained the same, running from morning rush hours through early evening. It continued to run express in western Brooklyn and skip-stop in morning rush hours only in eastern Brooklyn.
• TheRJ (R via Jamaica) service was added as an extension of formerRR special service on the Nassau Street line, continuing local along the Jamaica Line to 168th Street. It operated only during rush hours.

• TheNX was added for a "super-express" service fromBrighton Beach through the Stillwell Avenue terminal (the only service to do so) and along theBMT Sea Beach Line's middle express tracks and Fourth Avenue Line to57th Street in Manhattan.
• Afree transfer was established between theAtlantic Avenue on theIRT Eastern Parkway Line andAtlantic Avenue on theBMT Brighton Line. While these two stations were both adjacent to the LIRRAtlantic Terminal and each other, their respective fare-control zones were separated at the time.

These changes were reportedly so confusing to somemotormen that on November 28, 1967, a motorman intending to operate a train along the new D route viaGrand Street accidentally took his train toCanal Street, necessitating the discharge of 800 passengers from the train during a busy rush hour.^[49] Reaction among passengers was mixed, with one passenger hugging a conductor after the opening of the new Grand Street station in Manhattan, while another passenger complained about having to take a slow local train in Brooklyn.^[48]

The following changes went into effect on July 1, 1968, concurrent with the opening of the57th Street station at Sixth Avenue and the bridge connection:^[43]

• TheKK service commenced between the new 57th Street station at Sixth Avenue and 168th Street inJamaica. It operated only during rush hours, runningskip-stop with the QJ on the BMT Jamaica Line east ofBroadway Junction and then local into Manhattan. In Brooklyn, the KK (rush hours) and QJ (other times) replaced theJJ service, which was discontinued. The KK served "A" stops on theskip-stop portion of the BMT Jamaica Line, and the QJ served "B" stops. This skip-stop pattern, which had operated only in morning rush hours, was extended into afternoon rush hours, but still ran only in the peak direction.
• The B service was extended during non-rush hours from its former terminus atWest Fourth Street–Washington Square to the new 57th Street station, using the local tracks of theIND Sixth Avenue Line. Rush hour trains continued on the established route toWashington Heights–168th Street via the express tracks (and the local tracks of theIND Eighth Avenue Line). The TT shuttle on theBMT West End Line in late evenings, late nights and all day Sunday, was discontinued and replaced by additional B service.
• The D service now bypassed14th Street and23rd Street via the express tracks of theIND Sixth Avenue Line at all times. It had previously done this only during rush hours. This service is taken over by the B and KK.
• TheM (rush hour service) was extended fromChambers Street toBroad Street due to the additional capacity available from the rerouting of the JJ (as the KK).
• Afree transfer was added between42nd Street–Bryant Park on theIND Sixth Avenue Line andFifth Avenue on theIRT Flushing Line from 5 AM to 10 PM weekdays. A passageway connecting the stations directly was built later on, and opened in 1972.

The following adjustments to the new service were put into effect on August 18, 1968:

• The D service was truncated toBrighton Beach when it ran express on theBMT Brighton Line (morning rush hours through early evenings). The QB (rush-hour peak direction only) and QJ (morning rush hours through early evenings) were extended from Brighton Beach toConey Island–Stillwell Avenue.
• The F ran express on theIND Culver Line during rush hours north ofChurch Avenue. Several peak-direction rush hour trains were truncated toKings Highway; the rest provide express service north of Kings Highway. TheGG train was extended to Church Avenue during rush hours to replace F local service, but was cut back toSmith–Ninth Streets on January 18, 1976.^[17][50]

These new services began to unravel in response to commuter complaints about the various routings. Many of the new extensions like the NX and RJ quickly disappeared (April 12, 1968, and June 28, 1968, respectively), although the RJ was replaced with a shorter rush hour R service between Chambers Street and 95th Street-4th Avenue in Brooklyn.^[51] The KK (since renamed theK) was discontinued in 1976 as a money-saving measure,^[52][53] ending service via the Williamsburg Bridge connection.^[17] Reconstruction of theManhattan Bridge occurred from 1986 to 1988, in 1995, and from 2001 to 2004. At times, this made the Chrystie Street Connection unavailable for through trains, and made the Grand Street station a terminal forGrand Street Shuttle service toBroadway–Lafayette Street. The Manhattan Bridge reopened fully in 2004.^[1][54][55]

The Chrystie Street Connection returned to full revenue service on June 28, 2010.^[20] The Manhattan Bridge connection continues to be used by the B and D services. The Williamsburg Bridge connection is now used by the M, which had formerly traveled down theBMT Nassau Street Line. In June 2010, as part of a round of service cuts, the M was rerouted via Chrystie Street onto theIND Sixth Avenue Line, continuing along the discontinuedV service's former routing north ofBroadway–Lafayette Street.^[20]

As a road,Chrystie Street extends northward beyondHouston Street to becomeManhattan'sSecond Avenue, and the Chrystie Street Connection was the first part of the long-plannedSecond Avenue Subway to be opened to service. The connection is one of several vestiges of early efforts to build the Second Avenue Subway, and before the connection was built, the originalIND construction for the line included a recession in the ceiling atSecond Avenue station and a short tunnel underBowery.^[1][2][22]

The Chrystie Street Connection comprises two of the six parts of the Second Avenue Subway that were built in the 1960s and 1970s—the other four parts being theBMT 63rd Street Line, two unused subway segments under Second Avenue inEast Harlem (one of which was connected to the 63rd Street line for Phase 1 of the Second Avenue line, which opened in 2017^[56]), and an unused subway segment underConfucius Plaza just to the south.^{[1][2][57][58]} The Chrystie Street Connection would have facilitated cross-platform and track interchanges between the Second and Sixth Avenue lines atGrand Street.^[1][22] Under current plans, Phase 4 of the future Second Avenue Subway will be built below the existing Sixth Avenue tracks.^[1]

Station service legend
	Stops 24 hours a day
	Stops during weekday daytime hours only
Time period details
	Station is compliant with theAmericans with Disabilities Act
↑	Station is compliant with theAmericans with Disabilities Act in the indicated direction only
↓
	Elevator access to mezzanine only

	Station	Tracks	Services	Opened	Notes
Williamsburg Bridge Connection: begins as a split from theIND Sixth Avenue Line local tracks south ofBroadway–Lafayette Street
	(no stations)	local	M	July 1, 1968	unused in revenue service 1976–2010
connects with theBMT Nassau Street Line railroad north (compass west) ofEssex Street, and then over theWilliamsburg Bridge
Manhattan Bridge Connection: begins as a ramp from theIND Sixth Avenue Line express tracks south ofBroadway–Lafayette Street
	Grand Street	express	B  ​D	November 26, 1967
continues over theManhattan Bridge, north tracks

• NYCsubway.org – Historical Maps
• Rapid Transit Service Changes, TA brochure, 1968

• Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation
• New York City Subway lines

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