IND Rockaway Line

The IND Rockaway Line is a rapid transit line of the IND Division of the New York City Subway. It branches off of the IND Fulton Street Line at Rockaway Boulevard, extending over the Jamaica Bay, into the Rockaways.

History

The line dates back to 1892, when it first saw service by the Long Island Rail Road. In the late 1890s, the Brooklyn Elevated Railway (later BRT) got permission to use Brooklyn el trains on the line for beach access. The city soon began eying the line as popularity soared.

In 1950 a serious track fire destroyed the trestle across Jamaica Bay, and as a result the line was deemed useless. Instead of repairing it, the LIRR decided to abandon the line in favor of their "land route" to Far Rockaway via Nassau County. The city bought the line for $8.5 million and spent an additional $47.5 million to convert it for subway use.

The line was incorporated into the Independent Subway System, and all of the stations except Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue, opened on June 28, 1956, with the Far Rockaway station opening January 16, 1958.

The line charged a double fare which entailed the deposit of two tokens at the entry point and one token at the exit point. The unpopular double fare was abolished in 1975.

In the late 1990s, outer tracks were installed to the north of Broad Channel. The track to the west of the original tracks extends slightly less than two miles, and is used for testing of equipment. The track to the east of the original tracks is used for reversing trains on the Rockaway Park shuttle, and is approximately as long as a standard full length train. This track allows the shuttle to turn around significantly faster than it had been able to do before, when it was forced to relay at Howard Beach–JFK Airport or Euclid Avenue.

tation listing

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