List of streetcar lines in Brooklyn

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Brooklyn, New York streetcar network

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

Long Island Traction Company And Brooklyn Traction Company c. 1894

History

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

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 Established Abandoned Notes

East-west lines

Sea Gate Line Sea Gate Sheepshead Bay Surf Avenue, Neptune Avenue, and Emmons Avenue 1890 December 1, 1946 now the B36 bus
Norton's Point Line Sea Gate Coney Island private right-of-way 1879 November 7, 1948 now the B74 bus
Norton's Point Shuttle Sea Gate West 37th St. private right-of-way 1910 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 1894 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 22, 1891 May 15, 1949 now the B64 bus (part)
Bergen Beach Line Flatbush Bergen Beach Flatbush Avenue and Avenue N May 1896 August 6, 1930 (east end); March 5, 1951 (whole line) now the B41 bus
Cortelyou Road Line Kensington Flatbush Cortelyou Road and 16th Avenue 1898 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 September 1883 April 1, 1951
Church Avenue Line Greenwood Heights Brownsville 39th Street and Church Avenue 1897 October 31, 1956 now the B35 bus
Gravesend and Church Avenues Line Kensington Brownsville Gravesend Avenue (McDonald Avenue) and Church Avenue 1895 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 1881 September 1, 1947 now the B15 bus
Fifteenth Street Line Red Hook Windsor Terrace Hamilton Avenue and 15th Street 1890s December 1, 1945 now the B61 and B67 buses (parts)
Union Street Line Red Hook Windsor Terrace Union Street and Prospect Park West 1894 December 1, 1945 then replaced by the B71 bus until 2010
St. Johns Place Line Downtown Brownsville Atlantic Avenue, Sterling Place, St. Johns Place, and Rockaway Avenue 1877 August 24, 1947 now the B45 bus
Bergen Street Line Red Hook Ozone Park, Queens Sackett Street, Bergen Street, and Liberty Avenue 1894 July 20, 1947 now the B65 bus
Fulton Street Line Downtown East New York Fulton Street July 3, 1854 August 10, 1941 now the B25 bus
Putnam Avenue Line Downtown Ridgewood, Queens Fulton Street, Putnam Avenue, and Halsey Street 1885 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 1874 October 5, 1941 now the B52 bus
DeKalb Avenue Line Brooklyn Bridge Ridgewood, Queens DeKalb Avenue and Seneca Avenue 1862 January 30, 1949 now the B38 bus
Montague Street Line Downtown Montague Street July 20, 1891 1924
Myrtle Avenue and Court Street Line Red Hook Ridgewood, Queens Court Street and Myrtle Avenue April 3, 1938 July 17, 1949 now the B54 and B57 buses
Park Avenue Line Brooklyn Bridge Trinity Cemetery Park Avenue and Wilson Avenue 1871 June 19, 1930
Flushing Avenue Line Brooklyn Bridge Maspeth, Queens Flushing Avenue July 3, 1854 November 21, 1948 now the B57 bus
Broadway Line Williamsburg Bridge Cypress Hills Broadway and Fulton Street March 22, 1859 January 15, 1950 now the Q24 (ex-B22) bus
Williamsburg Bridge Local Williamsburg Bridge Williamsburg Bridge December 1, 1923 December 4, 1948 now the B39 bus
Jamaica Line Ocean Hill Jamaica, Queens Fulton Street and Jamaica Avenue May 7, 1863 November 30, 1947 now the Q56 (ex-B56) bus
Bushwick Avenue Line Williamsburg Bridge Ridgewood, Queens Meserole Street, Bushwick Avenue, and Myrtle Avenue May 26, 1878 September 1, 1947 Originally ran to Cypress Hills Cemetery (see below), route split May 1, 1946
Wilson Avenue Line Williamsburg Bridge Canarsie Johnson Avenue, Wilson Avenue, and Rockaway Avenue 1895 May 27, 1951 now the B60 bus
Cypress Hills Cemetery Line Ridgewood, Queens Cypress Hills Cemetery, Queens Cypress Avenue 1878 September 1, 1947 Route split from the Bushwick Avenue Line (see above) on May 1, 1946, then replaced by the B18 bus until 2002, now the B13 bus
Richmond Hill Line Ridgewood, Queens Jamaica, Queens Myrtle Avenue late 1890s April 26, 1950 now the Q55 (ex-B55) bus
Metropolitan Avenue Line Williamsburg Bridge Jamaica, Queens Grand Street and Metropolitan Avenue 1895 June 12, 1949 now the Q54 (ex-B53) bus
Metropolitan Avenue Shuttle Williamsburg East Williamsburg Metropolitan Avenue Unknown 1920
Flushing-Ridgewood Line Ridgewood, Queens Flushing, Queens Fresh Pond Road, Grand Avenue, and Corona Avenue November 1899 July 17, 1949 now the Q58 (ex-B58) bus
Grand Street Line Williamsburg Maspeth, Queens Grand Street and Grand Avenue October 15, 1860 December 11, 1949 now the Q59 (ex-B59) bus
Calvary Cemetery Line Greenpoint Calvary Cemetery, Queens Greenpoint Avenue 1889 January 26, 1930 now the B24 bus

North-south lines

Furman Street Line Red Hook Downtown Columbia Street and Furman Street 1860 1930
Hicks Street Line Red Hook Cobble Hill Hicks Street 1889 January 24, 1920
Erie Basin Line Red Hook Brooklyn Bridge Columbia Street late 1890s 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 May 28, 1855 January 27, 1951 now the B61 and B62 bus
65th Street-Fort Hamilton Line Fort Hamilton Sunset Park 3rd Avenue and 2nd Avenue 1892 March 1, 1942
Hamilton Avenue Line Bay Ridge Red Hook 3rd Avenue and Hamilton Avenue 1868 November 1, 1943
Smith Street Line Windsor Terrace Brooklyn Bridge 9th Street and Smith Street 1866 February 11, 1951 now the B57 bus
Third Avenue Line Fort Hamilton Brooklyn Bridge 3rd Avenue July 3, 1854 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 1868 February 20, 1949 now the B63 bus
Seventh Avenue Line Windsor Terrace Brooklyn Bridge 7th Avenue and Flatbush Avenue late 1890s February 11, 1951 now the B67 bus
Eighth Avenue Line Bay Ridge Sunset Park 8th Avenue and 39th Street December 1, 1916 May 15, 1949 now the B70 bus
West End Line Coney Island Sunset Park New Utrecht Avenue 1864 June 28, 1947
Sixteenth Avenue Line New Utrecht Kensington 16th Avenue 1893 January 26, 1930 absorbed into Cortelyou Road trolley coach
McDonald Avenue Line Coney Island Windsor Terrace McDonald Avenue 1916 October 31, 1956 portion north of Cortelyou Road now the B67/B69 buses
Coney Island Avenue Line Coney Island Windsor Terrace Coney Island Avenue 1890 November 30, 1955 now the B68 bus
Greenpoint Line Downtown Greenpoint Myrtle Avenue, Kent Avenue, and Franklin Street October 1854 August 17, 1942
Flatbush Avenue Line Marine Park Downtown Flatbush Avenue July 14, 1860 March 5, 1951 now the B41 bus
Vanderbilt Avenue Line Windsor Terrace Downtown Vanderbilt Avenue and Flushing Avenue 1869 August 20, 1950 now the B69 bus
Franklin Avenue Line Prospect Park South Williamsburg Bridge Franklin Avenue and Wythe Avenue 1895 October 28, 1945 now the B48 bus
Ocean Avenue Line Sheepshead Bay Crown Heights Ocean Avenue and Rogers Avenue 1895 April 29, 1951 now the B49 bus
Nostrand Avenue Line Sheepshead Bay Williamsburg Bridge Nostrand Avenue and Lee Avenue 1895 April 1, 1951 now the B44 bus
Meeker and Marcy Avenues Line Stuyvesant Heights Greenpoint Marcy Avenue and Meeker Avenue 1912 April 17, 1939 now the B24 bus
Tompkins Avenue Line Prospect Park Williamsburg Bridge Empire Boulevard, Kingston Avenue, and Tompkins Avenue 1873 August 24, 1947 now the B43 bus
Union Avenue Line Ridgewood, Queens Greenpoint Knickerbocker Avenue, Flushing Avenue, and Union Avenue April 27, 1890 December 1, 1945
Lorimer Street Line Prospect Park South Greenpoint Franklin Avenue, Lorimer Street, and Nassau Avenue November 6, 1884 December 14, 1947 now the B48 bus
Graham Avenue Line Brooklyn Bridge Hunters Point, Queens Flushing Avenue, Graham Avenue, and Manhattan Avenue July 3, 1854 December 21, 1948 now the B43 bus
Sumner Avenue Line Brownsville Williamsburg Bridge 98th Street, Sumner Avenue (Marcus Garvey Boulevard), and Broadway 1866 July 20, 1947 now the B15 bus
Utica and Reid Avenues Line Flatlands Williamsburg Bridge Utica Avenue, Reid Avenue, and Broadway 1937 March 18, 1951 now the B46 bus
Ralph Avenue Line Brownsville Williamsburg Bridge 98th Street, Ralph Avenue, and Broadway late 1890s November 1, 1943 now the B47 bus
Ralph and Rockaway Avenues Line Brownsville Williamsburg Bridge Rockaway Avenue, Ralph Avenue, and Broadway 1905 May 27, 1951 now the B47 bus
Rockaway Parkway Line Canarsie Landing Canarsie Rockaway Parkway 1917 April 29, 1951 now the B42 bus
North Beach Line Elmhurst, Queens North Beach, Queens Junction Boulevard 1895 August 24, 1949 now the Q72 (ex-B72) bus

Other companies

Name From To Major streets Established Abandoned Notes
Manhattan Bridge Three Cent Line Downtown Brooklyn Chinatown, Manhattan Manhattan Bridge September 1912 November 13, 1929
Hudson Avenue Line Prospect Park Downtown Flatbush Avenue and Hudson Avenue late 1867 1871

See also

Maps

References

  • Brooklyn Trolleys James Clifford Greller Xplorer Press