Route bullets for theA,G,N, and7 services
(clockwise from top left) on rolling stock

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TheNew York City Subway system has 28 lettered or numbered route designations.^[1]

• The1,C,G,L,M,R, andW trains are fully local, making all stops.
• The2,3,4,5,A,B,D,E,N, andQ trains have portions ofexpress and local service.
• TheJ train normally operates local, but duringrush hours it is joined by theZ train in the peak direction. Both run local, express orskip-stop on different parts of their route.
• The6 and7 are fully local, but during rush hours, express variants of the routes, designated by diamond-shaped route markers, are operated alongside the locals in the peak direction.
• TheF has portions of express and local service, but during rush hours, an express variant of the route, designated by a diamond-shaped route marker, is operated alongside the local in Brooklyn in the peak direction.
• The letterS is used for three shuttle services: the42nd Street Shuttle,Franklin Avenue Shuttle, andRockaway Park Shuttle.

The subway normally operates24 hours a day withfive different service patterns: rush-hour, midday, evening, weekend and late-night. Each service has a table in its article to show what tracks are used and when. This article lists all the current services, along with their lines and terminals and a brief description; seeUnused New York City Subway service labels for unused and defunct services.

In theNew York City Subway nomenclature, numbered or lettered "services" use different segments of physical trackage, or "lines". The services that run on certain lines change depending on the time of day.

The New York City Subway is one of the few subways worldwide operating 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Theschedule is divided into different periods, with each containing different operation patterns and train intervals.

The MTA defines time periods as follows; these are used in articles (sometimes abbreviated by numbers in superscript or the symbol indicated):

• (1)rush hours – 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday–Friday
  • (1a) rush hours in the peak direction (towardManhattan in the morning, away from Manhattan in the afternoon)
• (2) middays – 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday–Friday
  • (2a) middays in the peak direction
  • (2b) middays in the non-peak direction
• (3) evenings – 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m., Monday–Friday
  • (3a) early evenings – 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
  • (3b) evenings in the peak direction
  • (3c) early evenings in the peak direction – 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
• (4) weekends – 6:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., Saturday and Sunday (weekends during the day)
• (5) late nights – 12:00 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., every day
  • (5a) weekday late nights
  • (5b) weekend late nights

Other symbols are derivatives and are defined based on the rules above:

• – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
  • 24 hours a day, except rush hours in the peak direction
  • 24 hours a day, except weekdays in the peak direction
• daily – criteria (1), (2), (3), and (4) above (all times except late nights)
  • daytime hours only, except rush hours in the peak direction
  • daily – criteria (1), (2), (3), (4), and (5b) above (all times except weekday late nights)
• weekdays – criteria (1), (2), and (3) above (weekdays during the day)
• weekdays and weekday nights – criteria (1), (2), (3), and (5a) above
• nights and weekends – criteria (4) and (5) above
  • weekends and weekend nights – criteria (4) and (5b) above
• limited service during rush hours – criterion (1) above, but only for selected trains
  • limited service during rush hours in the peak direction
• service during rush hours in the reverse peak direction – opposite of criteria (1) above
  • limited service during rush hours in the reverse peak direction

Lines with colors next to them are the primarytrunk line of the corresponding service; they determine the color of the service bullets and diamonds, exceptshuttles, which are dark gray.

	Route	Line(s)	North terminal	South terminal	Service pattern(s)
A Division (IRT)
	Broadway–Seventh Avenue Local[2]	IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line	Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street	South Ferry	Operates 24 hours a day. Makes all stops along the full route.
	Seventh Avenue Express[3]	IRT White Plains Road Line IRT Lenox Avenue Line   IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line IRT Eastern Parkway Line IRT Nostrand Avenue Line	Wakefield–241st Street	Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College New Lots Avenue (some rush hour trips)	Operates 24 hours a day; Makes express stops in Manhattan (between96th andChambers Streets) and all stops in the Bronx and Brooklyn during daytime hours; Makes all stops along the full route during overnight hours.
	Seventh Avenue Express[4]	IRT Lenox Avenue Line   IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line IRT Eastern Parkway Line IRT New Lots Line	Harlem–148th Street	New Lots Avenue 34th Street–Penn Station (late nights)	Operates 24 hours a day. Operates along the full route during daytime hours; makes express stops in Manhattan (between96th andChambers Streets) and all stops in Brooklyn. Short turns at34th Street-Penn Station during overnight hours and does not operate to or from New Lots Avenue.
	Lexington Avenue Express[5]	IRT Jerome Avenue Line   IRT Lexington Avenue Line IRT Eastern Parkway Line IRT New Lots Line	Woodlawn	Crown Heights–Utica Avenue New Lots Avenue (some rush hour trips and late nights)	Operates 24 hours a day; Makes express stops in Manhattan and Brooklyn and all stops in the Bronx during daytime hours (skips 138th Street during rush hours in the peak direction; Extended beyond Utica Avenue to and fromNew Lots Avenue and makes all stops during overnight hours (skips Hoyt Street in Brooklyn).
	Lexington Avenue Express[6]	IRT Dyre Avenue Line IRT White Plains Road Line IRT Jerome Avenue Line   IRT Lexington Avenue Line IRT Eastern Parkway Line IRT Nostrand Avenue Line	Eastchester–Dyre Avenue Nereid Avenue (some rush hour trips)	Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College (weekdays until 8:45 PM) Bowling Green (weekday evenings and all day weekends) East 180th Street (late nights)	Operates 24 hours a day. Operates along the full route (betweenDyre Avenue andFlatbush Avenue) during weekday rush hours, middays and early evenings; Makes express stops in Manhattan and Brooklyn (betweenBorough Hall andFranklin Avenue and all stops in the Bronx (makes express stops in the Bronx betweenEast 180th Street andThird Avenue–149th Street during rush hours in the peak direction; Additional service operates to and fromNereid Avenue during rush hours in the peak direction instead of Dyre Avenue. Short turns atBowling Green during weekday evenings and all day on weekends and does not operate to or from Flatbush Avenue; Operates as ashuttle between Dyre Avenue and East 180th Street during overnight hours.
	Lexington Avenue Local[7]	IRT Pelham Line   IRT Lexington Avenue Line	Pelham Bay Park Parkchester (weekday rush hours, middays and evenings)	Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall	Operates 24 hours a day. Makes all stops along the full route; When the<6> is operating, 6 Local trainsshort turn atParkchester in the Bronx during weekday rush hours, middays and evenings; peak direction service does not operate to or from Pelham Bay Park.
	Pelham Bay Park Express[7]	IRT Pelham Line   IRT Lexington Avenue Line	Pelham Bay Park	Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall	Operates weekday rush hours and middays in the peak direction only. Operates along the full route and makes express stops in the Bronx (betweenParkchester andThird Avenue–138th Street and all stops in the Bronx.
	Flushing Local[8]	IRT Flushing Line	Flushing–Main Street	34th Street–Hudson Yards	Operates 24 hours a day. Makes all stops along the full route.
	Flushing Express[8]	IRT Flushing Line	Flushing–Main Street	34th Street–Hudson Yards	Operates weekday rush hours and early evenings in the peak direction only. Makes express stops in Queens betweenMain Street and74th Street–Broadway and all stops in Manhattan.
	42nd Street Shuttle[9]	IRT 42nd Street Shuttle	Times Square	Grand Central	Operates during daytime hours only; no overnight service.
B Division (IND/BMT)
	Eighth Avenue Express[10]	IND Eighth Avenue Line IND Fulton Street Line IND Rockaway Line	Inwood–207th Street Euclid Avenue (late night Lefferts Boulevard Shuttle)	Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue orOzone Park–Lefferts Boulevard Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street (some peak direction rush hour trips)	Operates at all times, normally express between168th Street andEuclid Avenue and local elsewhere. Trains alternate between Lefferts Boulevard and Far Rockaway with limited peak service to Rockaway Park. Operates fully local late nights only toFar Rockaway withshuttle service betweenEuclid Avenue andLefferts Boulevard.
	Sixth Avenue Express[11]	IND Concourse Line IND Eighth Avenue Line   IND Sixth Avenue Line BMT Brighton Line	Bedford Park Boulevard (rush hours and limited middays) 145th Street (limited middays and evenings)	Brighton Beach	Operates weekdays only, until 10:00 PM Operates express in Brooklyn and on theIND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan; local on Central Park West/Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan and in the Bronx. Short turns at145th Street during limited middays and evenings.
	Eighth Avenue Local[12]	IND Eighth Avenue Line IND Fulton Street Line	168th Street	Euclid Avenue	Operates at all times except late nights, fully local.
	Sixth Avenue Express[13]	IND Concourse Line IND Eighth Avenue Line   IND Sixth Avenue Line BMT Fourth Avenue Line BMT West End Line	Norwood–205th Street	Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue	Operates at all times, express inManhattan at all times, normally express on theBMT Fourth Avenue Line in Brooklyn and local elsewhere in Brooklyn. Operates fully local in Brooklyn late nights. Express on theIND Concourse Line rush hours in the peak direction and local other times.
	Eighth Avenue Local[14]	IND Archer Avenue Line IND Queens Boulevard Line   IND Eighth Avenue Line	Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer Jamaica–179th Street (some rush hour trips)	World Trade Center	Operates at all times, normally express on theIND Queens Boulevard Line in Queens and local elsewhere. Operates local north of Forest Hills weekday evenings and weekends. Operates fully local late nights.
	Queens Boulevard Express/Sixth Avenue Local[15]	IND Queens Boulevard Line IND 63rd Street Line   IND Sixth Avenue Line IND Culver Line	Jamaica–179th Street	Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue Kings Highway (some rush hour trips)	Operates at all times. Operates express in Queens betweenForest Hills–71st Avenue and21st Street–Queensbridge and local elsewhere. Some rush hour trainsshort turn atKings Highway.
	Culver Express[15]	IND Queens Boulevard Line IND 63rd Street Line   IND Sixth Avenue Line IND Culver Line	Jamaica–179th Street	Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue	Operates rush hours, peak direction only. Operates express in Queens betweenForest Hills–71st Avenue and21st Street–Queensbridge and in Brooklyn betweenJay Street–MetroTech andChurch Avenue, and local elsewhere.
	Brooklyn–Queens Crosstown[16]	IND Crosstown Line IND Culver Line	Court Square	Church Avenue	Operates at all times, fully local.
	Nassau Street Local[17]	BMT Archer Avenue Line BMT Jamaica Line   BMT Nassau Street Line	Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer	Broad Street	Operates at all times, normally fully local. Operatesskip-stop with theZ train during rush hours in the peak direction. Runs express from Myrtle Avenue to Marcy Avenue rush hours and middays in the peak direction.
	14th Street–Canarsie Local[18]	BMT Canarsie Line	Eighth Avenue	Canarsie–Rockaway Parkway	Operates at all times, fully local. Some Canarsie-bound trains short-turn at Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues during the AM rush hour.
	Queens Boulevard/Sixth Avenue Local[19]	IND Queens Boulevard Line   IND Sixth Avenue Line BMT Nassau Street Line BMT Jamaica Line BMT Myrtle Avenue Line	Forest Hills–71st Avenue Essex Street (weekdays evenings and all day weekends) Myrtle Avenue (late nights)	Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue	Operates the full route weekdays, fully local. Short turns atEssex Street weekday evenings and all day weekends. Operates as ashuttle (Metropolitan Avenue toMyrtle Avenue) late nights.
	Broadway Express[20]	BMT Astoria Line   BMT Broadway Line BMT Fourth Avenue Line BMT Sea Beach Line	Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard	Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue	Operates at all times. Normally operates via theManhattan Bridge, express on the BMT Broadway Line south of Times Square weekdays, express on theBMT Fourth Avenue Line in Brooklyn, and local elsewhere. Local in Manhattan weekends Operates via theMontague Street Tunnel late nights, fully local.
	Second Avenue/Broadway Express/Brighton Local[21]	IND Second Avenue Line BMT 63rd Street Line   BMT Broadway Line BMT Brighton Line	96th Street	Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue	Operates at all times, normally express inManhattan and local in Brooklyn. Operates fully local late nights.
	Broadway Local[22]	IND Queens Boulevard Line   BMT Broadway Line BMT Fourth Avenue Line	Forest Hills–71st Avenue Whitehall Street–South Ferry (late nights)	Bay Ridge–95th Street	Operates the full route at all times except late nights, fully local. Short turns atWhitehall Street late nights.
	Franklin Avenue Shuttle[23]	BMT Franklin Avenue Line	Franklin Avenue	Prospect Park	Operates at all times.
	Rockaway Park Shuttle[24]	IND Rockaway Line IND Rockaway Park Branch	Broad Channel	Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street	Operates at all times.
	Broadway Local[25]	BMT Astoria Line   BMT Broadway Line	Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard	Whitehall Street–South Ferry	Operates during weekdays only until 10:00 PM, fully local, making all stops.
	Nassau Street Express[17]	BMT Archer Avenue Line BMT Jamaica Line   BMT Nassau Street Line	Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer	Broad Street	Skip-stop pair with J service duringrush hours in the peak direction only.

	Route	Line(s)	North terminal	South terminal	Service pattern(s)
	Second Avenue Local	IND Second Avenue Line	Harlem–125th Street	Houston Street (Phase 3) Hanover Square (Phase 4)	Will operate at all times, fully local, making all stops

• The6 service has a midday (2a) and rush hour (1a) diamond Bronx express service labeled<6>, in addition to6 local service.^[7]
• The7 service has a rush hour (1a), and evening (3c) diamond Queens express service labeled<7>, in addition to7 local service.^[8]
• Overnights (5), theA train between104th Street andOzone Park–Lefferts Boulevard is replaced by a shuttle which originates atEuclid Avenue.^[10] This service has been labeled on the late-night map as (gray A) and on trains as (blue S).
• TheF service has a rush hour (1a), diamond Brooklyn express service labeled<F>, in addition toF local service.^[15]

Several services operate shorter routes during lower ridership hours, but these are neither signed differently nor counted as separate services. Although service changes caused by General Orders for construction occur on most days during midday and overnight hours, and throughout most weekends, these changes are not counted as separate services.

Because of some terminal station capacity constraints, numerous services operate to a secondary terminal as well as their usual terminus during peak hours.

• Limited rush hour2 trains operate to and from a different southern terminal (New Lots Avenue).^[3]
• Limited rush hour4 trains are extended to and fromNew Lots Avenue.^[5]
• Limited rush hour5 trains operate to and from two different northern terminals (Nereid Avenue andGun Hill Road) and two different southern terminals (New Lots Avenue andUtica Avenue).^[6]
• Limited rush hourE trains operate to and from a different northern terminal (Jamaica–179th Street).^[14]
• Limited rush hourN trains operate from a different northern terminal (96th Street).^[20][26]
• One rush hourR train operates to a different northern terminal (96th Street).^[22][27]
• Limited rush hourW trains are extended to and from86th Street.^[25]

The following lines run in special service or after sporting and other events:

• The4 train has a downtown-only express from161st Street–Yankee Stadium toBowling Green after events atYankee Stadium.
• The7 train has a Manhattan-bound "Super Express" fromMets–Willets Point, operating express, and also bypassingJunction Boulevard,Hunters Point Avenue andVernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue afterNew York Mets games weeknights and weekends atCiti Field, as well as afterUS Open tennis matches.
• TheHoliday Nostalgia Train, which is made up of retired subway cars, runs on weekends during the Christmas holiday season. The pre-2022 version of the train, marked asS | Special, ran via IND trackage toSecond Avenue, with northern terminals at eitherQueens Plaza or145th Street and ran on Sunday mornings and mid-days from Thanksgiving until the Sunday before Christmas.^[28] For the 2022 holiday season, the train, signed as the1 train, traveled via IRT trackage between137th Street andChambers Street.^[29] During Saturdays in December 2023, the IND version was back in the daytime, with 145th Street being the northern terminal.

The schedule offers trains every 3 to 5 minutes on the most used sections during rush hours. During other traffic periods, intervals range usually from 4 to 12 minutes or up to 20 minutes on outer sections. During late nights, only selected express services are operated and all late-night services usually run every 20 minutes.

Train headways in minutes
Period	[2]	[3]	[4]	[5]	[6]	[7]	[8]	(42nd St.) [9]	[10]	[11]	[12]	[13]	[14]	[15]	[16]	[17]	[18]	[19]	[20]	[21]	[22]	[25]	(Fkln. Ave.) [23]	(Rock. Park) [24]
Rush hours	3-7	6-7	6-7	4-5	4-6	3-7	2-3	2-4	6	7-9	9-10	6-7	4-5	4-5	6-9	5-8	3-4	8-10	6-8	5-7	6-8	8-10	10	12-28
Middays	6	7-8	8-9	7-8	8-9	5-6	5	5	8	8	8	8	7-8	7-8	8	8	4-6	8	8	8	8	10	10	13-17
Evenings	10	8-12	12	10	10-12	10-12	5-8	5	7	10	12	10-12	6-10	8-10	8-12	12-15	7-12	12-15	10-12	8-12	12	10	12-15	15-20
Weekends	6-8	8-12	8-12	8-12	8-12	6-8	4-8	5	10	—	12	12	12	12	8	8-10	4-10	8-10	12	8-10	12	—	10-15	15-20
Late nights	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	—	20	—	—	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	—	20	20
The 3 train runs late nightsHarlem–148th Street ↔34th Street-Penn Station only. BetweenCrown Heights–Utica Avenue andNew Lots Avenue, 4 train operates during this time.[4] The 5 train runs late nightsEastchester-Dyre Avenue ↔East 180th Street only. During weekday rush hours, 5 train runs express betweenEast 180th Street andThird Avenue–149th Street in the peak direction; this is the reason for the different intervals shown in the table.[6] Every other 6 train runs express betweenThird Avenue–138th Street andParkchester weekdays from 06:30 until 12:30 only in inbound direction and from 12:30 until 21:00 only in outbound direction. Local trains terminate atParkchester while express trains continue as locals toPelham Bay Park during weekday p.m. rush hours.[7] Every other 7 train runs express weekdays from 06:30 until 10:00 only in inbound direction and from 14:30 until 22:00 only in outbound direction.[8] The A train, except overnights, serves both theOzone Park–Lefferts Boulevard andHoward Beach - JFK Airport termini approximately alternating; during rush hours, very limited service terminates atEuclid Avenue. Overnights, just theHoward Beach terminus serves the entire route, withOzone Park-Lefferts Boulevard being served by an A shuttle operating fromEuclid Avenue.[10] Two F trains in the weekday a.m. rush hour, and two in the p.m. rush hour, operate peak-direction express in Brooklyn betweenJay Street andChurch Avenue.[15] Every other J train is designated as a Z train during weekdays rush hours for one hour in the peak direction; both J & Z operateskip-stop betweenSutphin Boulevard andMyrtle Avenue during these times.[17] The M train operates as a shuttle betweenMiddle Village–Metropolitan Avenue andMyrtle Avenue from 23:00 until 06:30, and on weekends and evenings betweenMiddle Village–Metropolitan Avenue andEssex Street[19] The R train operates betweenWhitehall Street and95th Street during late nights.[22]

This is a list of average train frequencies during different times of the day, measured in trains per hour (tph). This chart shows frequencies based on the train intervals listed in timetables, with a margin of error of 2 tph.

Trains per hour
Period	[2]	[3]	[4]	[5]	[6]	[7]	[7]	[8]	[8]	(42nd St.) [9]	[10]	[11]	[12]	[13]	[14]	[15]	[15]	[16]	[17]	[17]	[18]	[19]	[20]	[21]	[22]	[25]	(Fkln. Ave.) [23]	(Rock. Pk.) [24]
Rush hours	8–18	9–10 [note 1]	9–10	14.5 [note 1]	14.5 [note 1] [note 2]	8	8–12	10–15	10–15	20	12 [note 3]	8	6–7	10	15 [note 4]	14.5	2 [note 5]	6–8	6	6	18–20	7–8	7.5	7.5-10	7.5	6-7	6	3-4
Middays, evenings, and weekends[note 6]	10	7.5	7.5	7.5	7.5	7.5	7.5	12	—	12	8 [note 7]	6-7.5	6-7.5	6-7.5	8	8	—	7.5	6-7.5	—	15	6-7.5	6	6	6	6	6	4
Late nights	3	3	3	3	3	3	—	3	—	—	6 [note 8]	—	—	3	3	3	—	3	3	—	3	3	3	3	3	—	3	3

SeeNew York City Subway nomenclature for a complete explanation; this is just a table of when each service has existed (and been signed for the public). Shuttles wereSS until 1985, when they becameS (which had been used for specials). Seehere for the colors used for shuttles in 1967; in 1968 all six became green, and in 1979 all shuttles became dark gray.

• List of New York City Subway lines
• New York City Subway nomenclature
• Unused New York City Subway service labels
• Staten Island Railway

• New York City Subway services
• History of the New York City Subway
• New York City Subway-related lists

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