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6 (New York City Subway service)

For the former BMT service, see 6 (BMT).

The 6 Lexington Avenue Local is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored green on station signs, the New York City Subway map and on most IRT rolling stock equipment since it uses the IRT Lexington Avenue Line through midtown Manhattan. 6 trains operate between Pelham Bay Park, the Bronx and Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall, Manhattan at all times and operate local in Manhattan. During middays and rush hours in the peak direction, 6 Bronx local trains are truncated to/from Parkchester during the peak period, and <6> Bronx express trains replace 6 local trains during the peak period to Pelham Bay Park. The <6> express operates express in the Bronx between Parkchester and Third Avenue–138th Street, while the local 6 serves local stations along the Pelham Line.

The 6 fleet consists entirely of R142As.

The following lines are used by the 6 service:

Service history

On October 27, 1904, local and express service opened on the original subway in Manhattan, following the route of the present IRT Lexington Avenue Line from City Hall to 42nd Street–Grand Central. From there, the service traveled west on 42nd Street on the route of the present 42nd Street Shuttle, and then north on the present Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line to 145th Street.

The current "H" configuration — with separate services along Lexington Avenue and Broadway–Seventh Avenues — was introduced in 1917. Full Lexington Avenue local service from City Hall to 125th Street opened on July 17, 1918.

On August 1, 1918, 138th Street-3rd Avenue opened. Over the next two years, the IRT Pelham Line was extended piece by piece to Pelham Bay Park.

From that point on, the current 6 service was formed. All trains ran local between Pelham Bay Park and Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall, with some trains terminating at the City Hall loop. On weekdays, there was peak direction express service between Parkchester-East 177th Street and 138th Street. During this time, local trains terminated at Parkchester instead.

On December 31, 1945, City Hall station closed, making the former Brooklyn Bridge station (renamed Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall) (IRT Lexington Avenue Line) the permanent southern terminal.

During the 1970s, rush hour trains were extended to the inner loop at South Ferry. Due to poor condition, lack of ridership, and little space, this was discontinued and a shuttle ran between Bowling Green and South Ferry until 1977.

Beginning in 1980, late night service terminated at 125th Street in Manhattan with the 4 running as a local in Manhattan.

During Spring and Summer 1985, there was one rush hour 6 train that ran to/from Atlantic Avenue. This was the only 6 service to run in Brooklyn.

In 1999, late night service returned to Brooklyn Bridge, but the 4 still runs local.

Cultural references

• In the 1974 film The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, a 6 train was hijacked, and hostages were held inside a subway car.

• After his first visit to NYC in 1969, Rubén Blades wrote the song "El numéro seis" about waiting for the 6 train. He never recorded it, but it was recorded in 1975 by Bobby Rodriguez y la Compañia in 1975, Los Soneros del Barrio in 1999, and Jimmy Sabater with Son Boricua in 2002.

• When she was growing up, Jennifer Lopez regularly rode a 6 train into Manhattan to go to her dance studio. Her debut 1999 album is called On the 6, a reference to the train.

• Mark Wahlberg rides the 6 (R29/36 cars) in the movie The Yards.

• On January 22, 2006, eight members of the Improv Everywhere comedy troupe were arrested on a 6 train after participating in a city-wide prank dubbed "No Pants".

• In the 2000 movie, Boiler Room, the main character, Seth, mentions that the brokers at his firm act like they "just got off the 6 train to Fulton Street." The 6 train, however, does not stop at Fulton St.

Stations

• Rush hours, mid-days and evenings, Bronx express trains begin/terminate at Pelham Bay Park; Bronx local trains begin/terminate at Parkchester.

References

• Line By Line History

External links

• MTA NYC Transit - 6 Lexington Avenue Local
• MTA NYC Transit - 6 Lexington Avenue Local / Pelham Express
• MTA NYC Transit - 6 schedule PDF (261 KB)