Astoria/ Broadway Local
AWhitehall Street-bound W train ofR46s leaving30th Avenue
Note: Dashed pink line shows limitedrush hour service to/fromGravesend–86th Street.
Northern end	Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard
Southern end	Whitehall Street–South Ferry 86th Street(limited rush hour service) Bay Parkway(limited AM rush hour service in the southbound direction only)
Stations	23 44 (limited service to 86th Street) 32 (limited service to Bay Parkway)
Rolling stock	R46 R68 R68A (fleet shared with the)[1][2] (Rolling stock assignments subject to change)
Depot	Coney Island Yard
Started service	July 22, 2001; 24 years ago (2001-07-22)
Discontinued	June 25, 2010; 15 years ago (2010-06-25)
Reinstated	November 7, 2016; 9 years ago (2016-11-07)
Route map Legend  N  ​ W  Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard Astoria Boulevard 30th Avenue Broadway 36th Avenue 39th Avenue ​Main Street viaFlushing Queensboro Plaza ​Hudson Yards viaFlushing Forest Hills viaQueens Boulevard Queens Manhattan Lexington Avenue–59th Street Fifth Avenue–59th Street plannedSecond Avenue Subway  Q  ( N  R  limited rush) 96th Street 86th Street 72nd Street plannedSecond Avenue Subway ​Jamaica via63rd Street Lexington Avenue–63rd Street ​Downtown &Brooklyn via6th Avenue 57th Street–Seventh Avenue 49th Street ( northbound) Times Square–42nd Street switches to express tracks during weekdays 34th Street–Herald Square 28th Street 23rd Street 14th Street–Union Square Eighth Street–New York University Prince Street daytime viaManhattan Bridge late nights via Lower Manhattan Canal Street ​Uptown &the Bronx via6th Avenue City Hall Cortlandt Street Rector Street Whitehall Street–South Ferry  W  weekdays ( R  late nights) no regular service viaNassau Street Montague Tunnel Manhattan Brooklyn Court Street Jay Street–MetroTech Myrtle Avenue DeKalb Avenue ​Brighton Beach &Coney Island viaBrighton Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center Union Street Ninth Street Prospect Avenue 25th Street 36th Street Ninth Avenue bypassed local section Fort Hamilton Parkway 50th Street 55th Street 62nd Street bypassed local section 71st Street 79th Street 18th Avenue 20th Avenue Bay Parkway  R  W  (limited rush hours) Coney Island viaWest End 45th Street 53rd Street 59th Street Bay Ridge via4th Avenue Eighth Avenue Fort Hamilton Parkway New Utrecht Avenue 18th Avenue 20th Avenue Bay Parkway Kings Highway Avenue U 86th Street  W  (limited rush hours) Manhattan &the Bronx viaWest End ​ Manhattan &Queens viaCulver orBrighton Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue  N   D  F   <F>  Q  Legend Lines used by the and Other services sharing tracks with the and Unused lines, connections, or service patterns  N  Termini of services Cross-platform interchange Platforms on different levels This diagram: view talk edit

TheW Astoria/Broadway Local^[3] is arapid transit service of theNew York City Subway'sB Division. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored yellow since it uses theBMT Broadway Line inManhattan.^[4]

The W operates weekdays during daytime hours only betweenDitmars Boulevard inAstoria, Queens andWhitehall Street inLower Manhattan, making all stops along the full route; limited rush hour service is extended beyond Whitehall Street to and fromBay Parkway inBensonhurst, Brooklyn, or86th Street inGravesend, Brooklyn.^[a][5][6] The W is internally staffed and scheduled as part of theN.^[7][8]

Introduced on July 22, 2001, the W originally ran at all times on theBMT West End Line andBMT Fourth Avenue Line in Brooklyn toConey Island–Stillwell Avenue across theManhattan Bridge, running express on the Broadway Line. It was truncated in 2004 to its current service pattern, running local on the Broadway Line toWhitehall Street until June 25, 2010, when it was eliminated due to theMetropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)'s financial crisis. The route was later restored on November 7, 2016, using its original emblem and 2004–2010 routing, as part of the updated service pattern related to theopening of theSecond Avenue Subway.^{[8][9][10][11][12]}

The W was originally devised as an extra Broadway service designation. This service was essentially a variant of theN route, which in the 1970s and 1980s made express stops on the Broadway Line betweenForest Hills–71st Avenue inQueens andConey Island–Stillwell Avenue inBrooklyn. At the time, some N trains (until 1976 designated asEE) were designated with a diamond N bullet as early as 1982 on trains, but beginning in 1979 on maps; these trains made all stops on the Broadway Line, and traveled only between 71st Avenue and Whitehall Street. It appeared as a diamond bullet onrollsign blinds ordered for the then-newR68,R68A andR110B subway cars which entered service between 1986 and 1993, as well as on replacement rollsign curtains ordered for theR30 throughR46B Division subway cars overhauled between 1985 and 1992.

TheManhattan Bridge, between Manhattan and Brooklyn, contains four subway tracks: a northern pair for theIND Sixth Avenue Line and a southern pair for theBMT Broadway Line.^[13] Repairs to the bridge forced the N, which normally ran express on the Broadway Line and via the bridge, to run local via theMontague Street Tunnel starting in 1986.^[14] The south tracks were closed completely for repairs from 1988 to 2001.^[13] This service change precluded W local service from running as envisioned.

The W label was first used in 2001, when the two tracks on the Manhattan Bridge's northern side, which connected to theIND Sixth Avenue Line, were closed for repairs; new rollsign curtains were ordered in 2001 to reflect the service changes being implemented at the time, with the W appearing on rollsigns as a circle bullet. This required the suspension of Sixth AvenueB service south of34th Street–Herald Square as it used those tracks to travel to and from Brooklyn.^[15] The W service replaced the B on theBMT West End Line andBMT Fourth Avenue Line in Brooklyn, ran on the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan and BMT Astoria Line in Queens. It replicated the route of theBrooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT)'s old3 route (later named the T) that operated from 1916 until 1967, when the Breplaced it. The W also replicated the route of the Broadway B service from April 1986 to December 1988 when the bridge's north tracks were first closed.^[16][17][18]

Plans for the W train were announced in late 2000, when theMetropolitan Transportation Authority announced that the Manhattan Bridge's south tracks would reopen and that the north tracks would be closed.^[19] W service began on July 22, 2001.^[20] The route initially operated 24 hours daily. Weekday rush hour and midday service operated between Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard in Queens and Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn; service bypassed all stations between Astoria Boulevard and Queensboro Plaza between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. (in the southbound direction between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m., and in the northbound direction from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.),^[21] operated via the60th Street Tunnel, made express stops in Manhattan via the Broadway Line (stopping at49th Street in both directions), operated via theManhattan Bridge south tracks, made express stops in Brooklyn via Fourth Avenue (bypassing DeKalb Avenue in both directions), and made all stops via theWest End Line. Weekday evening serviceshort-turned at57th Street–Seventh Avenue in Manhattan and did not operate to or from Ditmars Boulevard; evening service in Manhattan and Brooklyn was the same as weekday rush hour and midday service, except trains bypassed 49th Street in both directions. Weekend daytime and daily overnight service operated as a shuttle within Brooklyn only; weekend service operated betweenAtlantic Avenue–Pacific Street and Stillwell Avenue, making express stops via Fourth Avenue; daily overnight service operated between36th Street and Stillwell Avenue.^[22]

After theSeptember 11, 2001 attacks, W service initially operated as a shuttle between DeKalb and Stillwell Avenues before being restored to its normal route by the evening of September 12. On September 17, daytime W service operated between Ditmars Boulevard and Stillwell Avenue to replace the N, which got suspended; trains made all stops in Queens and Manhattan and express stops in Brooklyn and operated via theManhattan Bridge. Overnight service was split into two sections, with the northern section operating between Ditmars Boulevard and34th Street–Herald Square, and the southern section operating between 36th Street and Stillwell Avenue.^[23][24] Normal W service was restored on October 28.^[25] When the December 16, 2001 schedule went into effect, two weekday morning rush hour northbound trains terminated at 57th Street, and one evening rush hour southbound train originated at 57th Street.^[26]

Weekday peak direction express service in Queens was discontinued on January 7, 2002^[27] due to unpopularity among residents along the Astoria Line. This change was approved by the MTA Board in December 2001. Express service was implemented on the Astoria Line in order to improve operations at the Ditmars Boulevard terminal, and because 43% of the line's riders boarded at express stations. Instead, the change yielded no operational benefits, and made local N trains overcrowded, and express W trains underutilized. N trains carried 1.9 times as many passengers as W trains in the morning, and 2.6 times as many in the evening. W express service had been suspended after the September 11 attacks to replace N service. Even after normal service resumed in October 2001, local W service was kept until November 19 on a trial basis. Analysis of the operating pattern found that the terminal could handle the all-local service pattern and that the ridership split between the N and W was more balanced.^[28] Evening service was extended beyond 57th Street and originated and terminated at Ditmars Boulevard starting in July, matching the weekday rush hour and midday service pattern.^[29]

On September 8, 2002, as a result of ongoing reconstruction taking place at theStillwell Avenue Terminal, W service was revised to operate between Ditmars Boulevard and Stillwell Avenue 24 hours. Weekday daytime service prior this date remained the same, but weekend daytime and daily overnight service was rerouted to operate via theMontague Street Tunnel to replace theN; in addition, service during this time made all stops along the reroute.^[30][31][32] This change also gave the West End Line overnight service to Manhattan for the first time since 1977.

On April 27, 2003, early evening weekend service was increased from running every 12 minutes to every 8 minutes, and Sunday morning and early evening service were increased to run every 8 minutes instead of every 10 minutes.^[33]

When the Manhattan Bridge's north tracks were restored to service on February 22, 2004, the W was curtailed to its current service pattern, running weekdays only from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. as an entirely local service between Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard andWhitehall Street–South Ferry,Lower Manhattan. The Brooklyn portion was replaced by theD, which was extended over the north side of the bridge and down the West End Line.^[34] W service between Manhattan and Queens remained, because of increasing ridership on theBMT Astoria Line.^[35] The first three W trains of the day entered service at86th Street inGravesend, Brooklyn and the last three trains of the night continued in service toKings Highway. These trips ran local in Brooklyn via theMontague Street Tunnel,BMT Fourth Avenue andBMT Sea Beach lines.^[36] On July 27, 2008, the W was extended to run until 11:00 p.m. in response to growth in the subway system's ridership.^[37][38][39]

On March 24, 2010, theMTA announced the elimination of the W due to financial shortfalls. In its place, on weekdays, theN train ran local north ofCanal Street while theQ train was extended from57th Street–Seventh Avenue to Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard, running local north of34th Street–Herald Square. The W ceased operation on Friday, June 25, 2010, with the last train bound forAstoria–Ditmars Boulevard leavingWhitehall Street–South Ferry at 10:50 p.m.^[40][41]

In July 2015, theMTA announced it was considering restoring the W with its 2004–2010 service pattern following theopening of the first phase of theSecond Avenue Subway, which would reroute theQ from the Astoria Line to96th Street on Manhattan'sUpper East Side. The W would replace the Q on the Astoria Line to continue maintaining two services on the line on weekdays.^[42]

On May 23, 2016, the MTA announced it would restore the W.^[43] Service was restored on November 7, 2016,^[44][45] running between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.^[8] The Q was temporarily cut back to57th Street–Seventh Avenue, allowing for a seamless extension to the Second Avenue Line, which opened on January 1, 2017.^{[46][9][10][11]} Additionally, theN train once again became express inManhattan on weekdays between34th Street–Herald Square andCanal Street. The W's restoration meant there would be 20 fewer trips to and from Astoria per weekday as the W ran for a shorter time span each day than the Q did.^[47] In June 2018, the MTA added service between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., and between 11:00 p.m. and midnight in response to overcrowded N trains during those hours.^[48] As the N and W share the same fleet from theConey Island Yard, a small number of W trains originate or terminate at86th Street throughout the day.^[49][50] These trains operate via theMontague Street Tunnel and local along theBMT Fourth Avenue Line andBMT Sea Beach Line as they did prior to 2010.

In July 2019, the MTA introduced a proposal to end late evening service.^[51] Instead, W service would once again end at around 9:30 PM.^[52] In their proposal, the MTA noted that service often ended early on weeknights to accommodate planned work.^[51]

In March 2020, the W was temporarily suspended due to lack of ridership and train crew availability caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic,^[53][54] though full service was restored in June.^[55][56] On December 29, 2021, W service was again suspended due to a shortage of crew members exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic;^[57] service was again restored on January 24, 2022.^[58][59]

On July 7, 2025, two southbound AM rush hour W trips that previously terminated at86th Street were rerouted after36th Street to terminate atBay Parkway on the West End Line.^[60] This change was implemented to avoid delays in N service due to merging conflicts, and was briefly tested for evaluation in February 2025. These trips make express stops along the West End Line, stopping at Ninth Avenue and 62nd Street.^[61]

The following table shows the lines used by the W, with shaded boxes indicating the route at the specified times:^[62]

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

Station service legend
	Stops 24 hours a day
	Stops every day during daytime hours only
	Stops during weekday daytime hours only
	Stops during weekday rush hours in the peak direction only
	Station closed
	Stops rush hours only (limited service not noted on map)
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

BP	86th	Stations		Subway transfers	Connections and notes
Queens
Astoria Line
↓		Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard		N
↓		Astoria Boulevard		N	M60 Select Bus Service toLaGuardia Airport
↓		30th Avenue		N
↓		Broadway		N
↓		36th Avenue		N
↓		39th Avenue		N
↓		Queensboro Plaza		N  7  <7> ​ (IRT Flushing Line)
Manhattan
Broadway Line
↓		Lexington Avenue–59th Street		N  ​R  ​ 4  ​5  ​6  <6> (IRT Lexington Avenue Line at59th Street) Out-of-system transfer withMetroCard/OMNY: F  <F> ​​ N  ​Q  ​R  (63rd Street Lines atLexington Avenue–63rd Street)	Roosevelt Island Tramway
↓		Fifth Avenue–59th Street		N  ​R  ​
↓		57th Street–Seventh Avenue		N  ​Q  ​R  ​
↓		49th Street	↑	N  ​R  ​	Station isaccessible in the northbound direction only.
↓		Times Square–42nd Street		N  ​Q  ​R  ​ 1  ​2  ​3  (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line) 7  <7> ​ (IRT Flushing Line) A  ​C  ​E  (IND Eighth Avenue Line at42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal) S  (42nd Street Shuttle) B  ​D  ​F  <F> ​M  (IND Sixth Avenue Line at42nd Street–Bryant Park, daytime only)	Port Authority Bus Terminal M34A Select Bus Service
↓		34th Street–Herald Square		N  ​Q  ​R  ​ B  ​D  ​F  <F> ​M  (IND Sixth Avenue Line)	M34 / M34A Select Bus Service PATH at33rd Street Amtrak,LIRR,NJ Transit atPennsylvania Station
↓		28th Street		R
↓		23rd Street		R	M23 Select Bus Service
↓		14th Street–Union Square		N  ​Q  ​R  ​ L  (BMT Canarsie Line) 4  ​5  ​6  <6> (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)	M14A / M14D Select Bus Service
↓		Eighth Street–New York University		R
↓		Prince Street		R
↓		Canal Street		N  ​Q  ​R  ​ 6  <6> (IRT Lexington Avenue Line) J  ​Z  (BMT Nassau Street Line)	Some northbound rush hour trips begin at this station.
↓		City Hall		R
↓		Cortlandt Street		R  2  ​3  (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line atPark Place) A  ​C  (IND Eighth Avenue Line atChambers Street) E  (IND Eighth Avenue Line atWorld Trade Center)	PATH atWorld Trade Center
↓		Rector Street		R
↓		Whitehall Street–South Ferry		R  1  (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line atSouth Ferry)	M15 Select Bus Service Staten Island Ferry atWhitehall Terminal
Brooklyn
Montague Street branch (Limited rush hour service)
↓		Court Street		R  2  ​3  (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line atBorough Hall) 4  ​5  (IRT Eastern Parkway Line atBorough Hall)
↓		Jay Street–MetroTech		R  A  ​C F  <F> ​ (INDFulton Street andCulver Lines)
↓		DeKalb Avenue		B  ​N  ​Q  ​R  ​
Fourth Avenue Line
↓		Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center		D  N  ​R  B  ​Q  (BMT Brighton Line) 2  ​3  ​4  ​5  (IRT Eastern Parkway Line)	LIRRAtlantic Branch atAtlantic Terminal
↓		Union Street		N  ​R  ​
↓		Ninth Street		N  ​R  ​ F  ​G  (IND Culver Line atFourth Avenue)
↓		Prospect Avenue		N  ​R  ​
↓		25th Street		N  ​R  ​
↓		36th Street		D  N  ​R
West End Line (two southbound morning trains)
↓	—	Ninth Avenue		D  ​R  ​
↓		62nd Street		D  ​R  ​ N  ​W  (BMT Sea Beach Line atNew Utrecht Avenue)
↓		Bay Parkway		D  ​R  ​	B82 Select Bus Service
Fourth Avenue Line
—		45th Street		N  ​R  ​
		53rd Street		N  ​R  ​
		59th Street		N  ​R  ​
Sea Beach Line
—		Eighth Avenue		N
		Fort Hamilton Parkway		N
		New Utrecht Avenue		N  D  ​R  ​W  (BMT West End Line at62nd Street)
		18th Avenue		N
		20th Avenue		N
		Bay Parkway		N
		Kings Highway		N	B82 Select Bus Service
		Avenue U		N
		86th Street		N

Wikimedia Commons has media related toW (New York City Subway service).

• "MTA NYC Transit – W Broadway Local".
• MTA Subway Time—W Train
• "W Subway Timetable, Effective November 2, 2025".Metropolitan Transportation Authority. RetrievedNovember 10, 2025.

• New York City Subway services

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