J/Z (New York City Subway service)

Template:NYCS logo Template:NYCS logo The J Nassau Street Express and Z Nassau Street Express are two services of the New York City Subway. They are colored brown since they use the BMT Nassau Street Line in Manhattan. The Template:NYCS J runs all the time, from Jamaica Center-Parsons Boulevard to Broad Street (except on weekends, including weekend late nights, when it is cut back two stops to Chambers Street). The Template:NYCS Z is a rush hour-only skip-stop variant, running only in the peak direction. During rush hours and middays, the services run express in the peak direction in western Brooklyn (and the Template:NYCS M provides local service); at other times, they are fully local.

The following lines are used by the Template:NYCS J and Template:NYCS Z (the latter of which runs only during rush hours in the peak direction):

Line	Tracks	When
BMT Archer Avenue Line (full line)	N/A	always
BMT Jamaica Line east of Myrtle Avenue	local	always
BMT Jamaica Line west of Myrtle Avenue	local (express rush hours and middays in peak direction)	always
BMT Nassau Street Line north of Chambers Street	N/A	always
BMT Nassau Street Line from Chambers Street to Broad Street	N/A	all but weekends and weekend late nights

Service history

15

JAMAICA

R1 end rollsign

J

NASSAU ST

JJ

NASSAU ST

R27 end rollsigns

J

JJ

QJ

1967-1979 bullets (in a circle)

What would become the J was numbered 15 when the Template:BMT assigned numbers in 1924; this service was known as the Jamaica Line. The original service ran from the end of the line at 168th Street (which is where the BMT Jamaica Line ended until that part was torn down) to the other end at Chambers Street, making every stop except for peak direction rush hour trains, which operated express from Eastern Parkway to the Williamsburg Bridge. From 17:00 to about 18:30, these (outbound) trains made no stops between Canal Street and Eastern Parkway. 14 trains provided local service when the 15 ran express.

The BMT Nassau Street Line was completed on May 30, 1931, and 15 service was extended to Broad Street. The special evening trips were stopped; all peak direction rush hour and midday trains ran express from the bridge to Eastern Parkway.

Starting on June 18, 1959, skip-stop service was implemented on the Jamaica Line during morning rush hours. 15 trains ran express west of Eastern Parkway and stopped at "A" stations east of Eastern Parkway; 14 trains ran local and stopped at "B" stations. The stations were designated as follows:

AB 168th Street
B 160th Street
AB Sutphin Boulevard
B Queens Boulevard
B Metropolitan Avenue
A 121st Street
A 111th Street
B 102nd Street
A Woodhaven Boulevard
A Forest Parkway
AB Elderts Lane
B Cypress Hills
A Crescent Street
B Norwood Avenue
A Cleveland Street
B Van Siclen Avenue
B Alabama Avenue
AB Eastern Parkway

In 1960 the letters J and JJ were assigned to the express and local 15 trips, but it was several years before those letters appeared on trains. The 14 skip-stop service was assigned KK.

When the Chrystie Street Connection opened on November 26, 1967, rush hour 15 service was relabeled as QJ, a through-routing with the BMT Brighton Line (Q) ending at Brighton Beach.

JJ service was switched to the "B" stations during morning rush hours, running local west of Eastern Parkway. That label was also used for former 14 service to Rockaway Parkway on the BMT Canarsie Line.