7 (New York City Subway service)
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The 7 Flushing Local is a service of the New York City Subway, running local service along the full length of the IRT Flushing Line, with express service (7 Flushing Express) denoted by a diamond-shaped 7 train logo rather than a circular one. The express service runs in the peak direction (to Times Square during mornings, to Main Street–Flushing during evenings) between 06:30 and 22:00 (6:30 am and 10:00 pm ET) on weekdays. The service is colored purple on official maps and signage and is the only route on the Flushing Line. This route is the only one in the system to run 11-car trains; these are the longest trains on the IRT. Odd train lengths are rare, as cars are typically produced and operated in pairs. The 7 is known as the International Express because the route travels through several different ethnic neighborhoods.
This line was the last stronghold for the Redbird series of subway cars. Until 2002, the entire fleet was dominated by the R33/36 World's Fair Version. As time passed, the Redbirds were being phased out and replaced by the Bombardier-built R62A cars. On November 3, 2003, the last Redbird train made its final trip on this line, making all stops between Times Square and Willets Point–Shea Stadium.
The 7 is the official train of the New York Mets since it serves Shea Stadium at Willets Point–Shea Stadium station. Several Redbird cars running on this line were decorated with the team's logos and colors during the 2000 "Subway Series" against the New York Yankees.
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[edit] Service history
The 7 designation has been assigned to its current route since the introduction of front rollsigns on the R12 in 1948. Rollsigns on current equipment (R62A) include the number 11 to substitute for the express 7 designation. At some point, the line will receive new cars which have digital rollsigns but are only able to display one digit. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has no plans to change its designation, however.
[edit] Future Plans
New York City and the MTA have proposed extending the line as part of the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project. The extension would add two new stations at Tenth Avenue and 41st Street, and at Eleventh Avenue and 34th Street. These two new stations will add service to the west side of Midtown and provide a more direct transit link to the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Although the project was originally tied to New York City's bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, both the City and the MTA have emphasized that the subway extension is vital to the redevelopment of Manhattan's Far West Side (where developers have already broken ground on thousands of new housing units) and will continue as one of the projects being managed by the MTA Capital Construction organisation.[1] See also 7 Subway Extension.
The project is funded by the issuance of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) bonds. There are both advantages and pitfalls to relying on TIF, and New York City's Independent Budget Office called for caution when deciding to use TIF financing on an unprecedently large scale.[2] New York City has sold $2.1 billion in TIF bonds in preparation for construction.[3] MTA and the City have become involved in a dispute over the total cost of the project, with the City claiming that MTA is responsible for any budget overruns, and the MTA counter-claiming that it is acting only to construct the subway and the City bears sole responsibility for its financing.[4][5] MTA Executive Director and incoming Chairman Lee Sander expressed optimism that a resolution would be achieved. The MTA has indicated that if it and the City can come to an agreement by May, construction can still proceed on schedule.
[edit] Stations
| Station service legend | |
|---|---|
 |
Stops all times |
| Time period details | |
- Express trains run from 06:30 to 22:00 (6:30 am and 10:00 pm ET), to Manhattan during a.m. hours, to Queens during p.m. hours.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- MTA New York City Transit - 7 Flushing Local
- MTA New York City Transit - 7 Flushing Express
- Fiscal Brief September 2002
- wcbstv story
- Newsday story
- NY1 story
- MTA NYC Transit - 7 schedulePDF (263 KiB)
