Culver Shuttle
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The Culver Shuttle was a
New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...
shuttle, running along a remnant of the
BMT Culver Line The IND Culver Line (formerly BMT Culver Line) is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, extending from Downtown Brooklyn south to Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, United States. The local tracks of the Culv ...
, most of which is now the
IND Culver Line The IND Culver Line (formerly BMT Culver Line) is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, extending from Downtown Brooklyn south to Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, United States. The local tracks of the Culv ...
. The shuttle was originally part of the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT)'s 5 service, providing through service on the Culver Line between
Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...
and
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. The F train is the current successor to Culver Line service. The line had 1,000 riders during its final month of service in 1975.


History

The number 5 was assigned in 1924. At the time, all BMT Culver Line trains used the
elevated An elevated railway or elevated train (also known as an el train for short) is a rapid transit railway with the Track (rail transport), tracks above street level on a viaduct or other elevated structure (usually constructed from steel, cast i ...
BMT Fifth Avenue Line The Fifth Avenue Line, also called the Fifth Avenue Elevated or Fifth Avenue–Bay Ridge Line, was an elevated rail line in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. It ran above Hudson Avenue, Flatbush Avenue, Fifth Avenue, 38th Street, and Thi ...
, running over the
Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/ suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River ...
to Park Row. Rush-hour trains made no stops between 36th Street and Atlantic Avenue (both directions in morning rush hour, southbound only in afternoon rush hour). Subway trains started to run on the Culver Line on May 30, 1931, when the
Nassau Street Loop The Nassau Street Loop, also called the Nassau Loop, was a service pattern of the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) inaugurated in 1931 when the BMT Nassau Street Line was completed, providing a physical link that allowed a train to o ...
was completed. These trains used the south half of the Nassau Loop, ending at Chambers Street. These subway trains ran on the underground
BMT Fourth Avenue Line The BMT Fourth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the New York City Subway, mainly running under Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. The line is served by the D, N, and R at all times; the R typically runs local, while the D and N run express duri ...
, running on a now-demolished segment of the Culver Line between Ninth Avenue on the
BMT West End Line The BMT West End Line is a line of the New York City Subway, serving the Brooklyn communities of Sunset Park, Borough Park, New Utrecht, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Coney Island. The D train operates local on the entire line at all times. A ...
and Ditmas Avenue. During rush hours and Saturday mornings, they used the full loop, entering Manhattan via the
Manhattan Bridge The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan at Canal Street with Downtown Brooklyn at the Flatbush Avenue Extension. The main span is long, with the suspension cables be ...
and leaving via the
Montague Street Tunnel The Montague Street Tunnel is a rail tunnel of the New York City Subway under the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, connecting the BMT Broadway Line and BMT Fourth Avenue Line. The R uses the tunnel at all times, the N us ...
. These trains only ran to Kings Highway on the Brooklyn end. Rush hour trains ran express on the BMT Fourth Avenue Line; trains operating in the reverse-peak direction ran express between Ninth Avenue and Kings Highway. Elevated service was cut back to Ninth Avenue, except during rush hours, when it was extended to Coney Island (and continued to run express on the Fifth Avenue Line, though both directions during both rush hours). The
BMT Fifth Avenue Line The Fifth Avenue Line, also called the Fifth Avenue Elevated or Fifth Avenue–Bay Ridge Line, was an elevated rail line in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. It ran above Hudson Avenue, Flatbush Avenue, Fifth Avenue, 38th Street, and Thi ...
was closed on May 31, 1940, and from that time all Culver trains used the Fourth Avenue Line subway. Saturday morning rush hour Culver-Nassau Street Express and Culver Shuttles were discontinued on June 24, 1950. On October 30, 1954, a connection opened between the BMT Culver Line and the
Independent Subway System The Independent Subway System (IND or ISS), formerly known as the Independent City-Owned Subway System (ICOSS) or the Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad (ICORTR), was a rapid transit rail system in New York City that is now part of th ...
(IND's) South Brooklyn Line at Ditmas Avenue. BMT Culver Line trains were truncated to Ditmas Avenue, while the D train, a formerly-IND service, now ran on the Culver Line between Coney Island and Ditmas Avenue, continuing to
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. Since 1967, service on the Culver Line to Manhattan has been provided by the F train. After 1954, some Culver Line trains continued to run to Chambers Street in Manhattan until May 28, 1959, when they were all truncated to a shuttle between Ninth Avenue and Ditmas Avenue. The change facilitated increased service on the other services on the Fourth Avenue Line. This Culver Shuttle, assigned the label SS in 1960, last ran on May 10, 1975. The elevated trestle between Ninth Avenue and Ditmas Avenue, along with the 13th Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway stations stood abandoned until finally being demolished in the mid-1980s. The only remnants of the Culver Shuttle are the lower platforms and tracks at Ninth Avenue and a section of the trestle attached to the Coney Island-bound platform at Ditmas Avenue. The right of way has been sold, as houses have been built on the old right of way near the Ditmas Avenue station. As a replacement, the transit authority offered free transfers to the parallel B35 bus route.


References


External links


CulverShuttle.com - Photos and history of the Culver ShuttleCULVER’S TRAVELS. The demolition of a Brooklyn elevated link (Forgotten New York)
{{DEFAULTSORT:S Culver 1959 establishments in New York City 1975 disestablishments in New York (state) Defunct New York City Subway services S Culver