List of streetcar lines in Brooklyn

Summary

The following streetcar lines once operated in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States.

Brooklyn, New York streetcar network
Long Island Traction Company And Brooklyn Traction Company c. 1894

History edit

The history of surface line operation in Brooklyn is long and very complicated, and is best presented under one of the following sub-articles which maintain the proper family tree for each of the lines listed below. These subsidiary articles are:

BRT/BMT subsidiaries
Companies not owned by the BRT/BMT or jointly owned

BMT edit

Almost every surface line in Brooklyn eventually came under control of the Brooklyn and Queens Transit Corporation, a subsidiary of the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation,[1] prior to the takeover of the lines by the New York City Board of Transportation on June 5, 1940. Many of the lines ended at the Brooklyn Bridge in downtown Brooklyn or Williamsburg Bridge in Williamsburg, with some going over to the Park Row or Essex Street terminals in Manhattan. The small number of BMT streetcar lines that operated only in Queens are also included here.

Name From To Major streets Abandoned Notes

East-west lines edit

Sea Gate Line Sea Gate Sheepshead Bay Surf Avenue, Neptune Avenue, and Emmons Avenue December 1, 1946 now the B36 bus
Norton's Point Line Sea Gate Coney Island private right-of-way November 7, 1948 now the B74 bus
Norton's Point Shuttle Sea Gate West 37th St. private right-of-way September 26, 1935; also ran June 1943 became B36 shuttle bus, now discontinued
86th Street Line Bay Ridge Coney Island 3rd Avenue, 5th Avenue, 86th Street, and Cropsey Avenue August 12, 1948 now the B1 bus (part)
Bay Ridge Avenue Line Bay Ridge Coney Island 3rd Avenue, Bay Ridge Avenue, 13th Avenue, 86th Street, and Cropsey Avenue May 15, 1949 now the B64 bus (part)
Bergen Beach Line Flatbush Bergen Beach Flatbush Avenue and Avenue N August 6, 1930 (east end); March 5, 1951 (whole line) now the B41 bus
Cortelyou Road Line Kensington Flatbush Cortelyou Road and 16th Avenue July 23, 1930 Converted to trolley coach on July 23, 1930, then to B23 bus on 10/31/1956. Discontinued on June 27, 2010 due to a budget crisis.
Holy Cross Cemetery Line Prospect Park South Holy Cross Cemetery Tilden Avenue April 1, 1951
Church Avenue Line Greenwood Heights Brownsville 39th Street and Church Avenue October 31, 1956 now the B35 bus
Gravesend and Church Avenues Line Kensington Brownsville Gravesend Avenue (McDonald Avenue) and Church Avenue June 1, 1949 same service continued as short run of Church Avenue Line until 10/31/1956; not replaced
New Lots Avenue Line Brownsville New Lots New Lots Avenue September 1, 1947 now the B15 bus
Fifteenth Street Line Red Hook Windsor Terrace Hamilton Avenue and 15th Street December 1, 1945
Union Street Line Red Hook Windsor Terrace Union Street and Prospect Park West December 1, 1945
St. Johns Place Line Downtown Brownsville Atlantic Avenue, Sterling Place, St. Johns Place, and Rockaway Avenue August 24, 1947 now the B45 bus
Bergen Street Line Red Hook Ozone Park, Queens Sackett Street, Bergen Street, and Liberty Avenue July 20, 1947 now the B65 bus
Fulton Street Line Downtown East New York Fulton Street August 10, 1941 now the B25 bus
Putnam Avenue Line Downtown Ridgewood, Queens Fulton Street, Putnam Avenue, and Halsey Street September 21, 1941; restored November 29, 1942 to February 5, 1950 now the B26 bus
Greene and Gates Avenues Line Downtown Ridgewood, Queens Fulton Street, Greene Avenue, and Gates Avenue October 5, 1941 now the B52 bus
DeKalb Avenue Line Brooklyn Bridge Ridgewood, Queens DeKalb Avenue and Seneca Avenue January 30, 1949 now the B38 bus
Montague Street Line Downtown Montague Street
Myrtle Avenue and Court Street Line Red Hook Ridgewood, Queens Court Street and Myrtle Avenue July 17, 1949 now the B54 and B57 buses
Park Avenue Line Brooklyn Bridge Trinity Cemetery Park Avenue and Wilson Avenue June 19, 1930
Flushing Avenue Line Brooklyn Bridge Maspeth, Queens Flushing Avenue November 21, 1948 now the B57 bus
Broadway Line Williamsburg Bridge Cypress Hills Broadway and Fulton Street January 15, 1950 now the Q24 (ex-B22) bus
Williamsburg Bridge Local Williamsburg Bridge Williamsburg Bridge December 4, 1948 now the B39 bus
Jamaica Line Ocean Hill Jamaica, Queens Fulton Street and Jamaica Avenue November 30, 1947 now the Q56 (ex-B56) bus
Bushwick Avenue Line Williamsburg Bridge Ridgewood, Queens Meserole Street, Bushwick Avenue, and Myrtle Avenue September 1, 1947
Wilson Avenue Line Williamsburg Bridge Canarsie Johnson Avenue, Wilson Avenue, and Rockaway Avenue May 27, 1951 now the B60 bus
Cypress Hills Cemetery Line Ridgewood, Queens Cypress Hills Cemetery, Queens Cypress Avenue September 1, 1947 now the B13 bus
Richmond Hill Line Ridgewood, Queens Jamaica, Queens Myrtle Avenue April 26, 1950 now the Q55 (ex-B55) bus
Metropolitan Avenue Line Williamsburg Bridge Jamaica, Queens Grand Street and Metropolitan Avenue June 12, 1949 now the Q54 (ex-B53) bus
Metropolitan Avenue Shuttle Williamsburg East Williamsburg Metropolitan Avenue 1920
Flushing-Ridgewood Line Ridgewood, Queens Flushing, Queens Fresh Pond Road, Grand Avenue, and Corona Avenue July 17, 1949 now the Q58 (ex-B58) bus
Grand Street Line Williamsburg Maspeth, Queens Grand Street and Grand Avenue December 11, 1949 now the Q59 (ex-B59) bus
Calvary Cemetery Line Greenpoint Calvary Cemetery, Queens Greenpoint Avenue January 26, 1930 now the B24 bus

North-south lines edit

Furman Street Line Red Hook Downtown Columbia Street and Furman Street
Hicks Street Line Red Hook Cobble Hill Hicks Street 1921
Erie Basin Line Red Hook Brooklyn Bridge Columbia Street March 5, 1944 now the B61 bus
Crosstown Line Red Hook Greenpoint Columbia Street, Flushing Avenue, Wythe Avenue, Driggs Avenue, Bedford Avenue, and Manhattan Avenue January 27, 1951 now the B61 & B62 bus
65th Street-Fort Hamilton Line Fort Hamilton Sunset Park 3rd Avenue and 2nd Avenue March 1, 1942
Hamilton Avenue Line Bay Ridge Red Hook 3rd Avenue and Hamilton Avenue March 29, 1942
Smith Street Line Windsor Terrace Brooklyn Bridge 9th Street and Smith Street February 11, 1951 now the B57 bus
Third Avenue Line Fort Hamilton Brooklyn Bridge 3rd Avenue March 1, 1942 B37 bus until June 2010, service restored June 29, 2014
Fifth Avenue Line Fort Hamilton Cobble Hill 5th Avenue and Atlantic Avenue February 20, 1949 now the B63 bus
Seventh Avenue Line Windsor Terrace Brooklyn Bridge 7th Avenue and Flatbush Avenue February 11, 1951 now the B67 bus
Eighth Avenue Line Bay Ridge Sunset Park 8th Avenue and 39th Street May 15, 1949 now the B70 bus
West End Line Coney Island Sunset Park New Utrecht Avenue June 28, 1947
Sixteenth Avenue Line New Utrecht Kensington 16th Avenue January 26, 1930 absorbed into Cortelyou Road trolley coach
McDonald Avenue Line Coney Island Windsor Terrace McDonald Avenue October 31, 1956 portion north of Cortelyou Road now the B67/B69 buses
Coney Island Avenue Line Coney Island Windsor Terrace Coney Island Avenue November 30, 1955 now the B68 bus
Greenpoint Line Downtown Greenpoint Myrtle Avenue, Kent Avenue, and Franklin Street November 19, 1945
Flatbush Avenue Line Marine Park Downtown Flatbush Avenue March 5, 1951 now the B41 bus
Vanderbilt Avenue Line Windsor Terrace Downtown Vanderbilt Avenue and Flushing Avenue August 20, 1950 now the B69 bus
Franklin Avenue Line Prospect Park South Williamsburg Bridge Franklin Avenue and Wythe Avenue October 28, 1945 now the B48 bus
Ocean Avenue Line Sheepshead Bay Crown Heights Ocean Avenue and Rogers Avenue April 29, 1951 now the B49 bus
Nostrand Avenue Line Sheepshead Bay Williamsburg Bridge Nostrand Avenue and Lee Avenue April 1, 1951 now the B44 bus
Meeker and Marcy Avenues Line Stuyvesant Heights Greenpoint Marcy Avenue and Meeker Avenue April 17, 1939 now the B24 bus
Tompkins Avenue Line Prospect Park Williamsburg Bridge Empire Boulevard, Kingston Avenue, and Tompkins Avenue August 24, 1947 now the B43 bus
Union Avenue Line Ridgewood, Queens Greenpoint Knickerbocker Avenue, Flushing Avenue, and Union Avenue December 1, 1945
Lorimer Street Line Prospect Park South Greenpoint Franklin Avenue, Lorimer Street, and Nassau Avenue December 14, 1947 now the B48 bus
Graham Avenue Line Brooklyn Bridge Hunters Point, Queens Flushing Avenue, Graham Avenue, and Manhattan Avenue December 21, 1948 now the B43 bus
Sumner Avenue Line Brownsville Williamsburg Bridge 98th Street, Sumner Avenue (Marcus Garvey Boulevard), and Broadway July 20, 1947 now the B15 bus
Utica and Reid Avenues Line Flatlands Williamsburg Bridge Utica Avenue, Reid Avenue, and Broadway March 18, 1951 now the B46 bus
Ralph Avenue Line Brownsville Williamsburg Bridge 98th Street, Ralph Avenue, and Broadway November 1, 1943 now the B47 bus
Ralph and Rockaway Avenues Line Brownsville Williamsburg Bridge Rockaway Avenue, Ralph Avenue, and Broadway May 27, 1951 now the B47 bus
Rockaway Parkway Line Canarsie Landing Canarsie Rockaway Parkway April 29, 1951 now the B42 bus
North Beach Line Elmhurst, Queens North Beach, Queens Junction Boulevard August 24, 1949 now the Q72 (ex-B72) bus

Other companies edit

Name From To Major streets Abandoned Notes
Manhattan Bridge Three Cent Line Downtown Brooklyn Chinatown, Manhattan Manhattan Bridge November 13, 1929
Hudson Avenue Line Prospect Park Downtown Flatbush Avenue and Hudson Avenue 1871

See also edit

Maps edit

  • Interactive map of New York streetcar network
  • BMT map

References edit

  • Williams Map and Guide Company, Map of the borough of Queens, 1923
  • Chicago Transit & Railfan Web Site: New York City Transit
  • The Don Harold and Francis J. Goldsmith, Jr. Brooklyn El and Trolley Pages (The JoeKorNer: Brooklyn Trolleys)
  • Brooklyn Streetcars, by the Branford Electric Railway Association, September 24, 2008
  1. ^ BMT Surface Division map, undated
  • Brooklyn Trolleys James Clifford Greller Xplorer Press