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

[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

* Brooklyn and Queens Transit Corporation, the main company after 1929
* Brooklyn City Railroad
* Brooklyn Heights Railroad
* Brooklyn, Queens County and Suburban Railroad
* Coney Island and Brooklyn Railroad
* Coney Island and Gravesend Railway
* Nassau Electric Railroad

Companies not owned by the BRT/BMT or jointly owned

* Brooklyn and North River Railroad
* Bush Terminal Railroad
* Coney Island, Sheepshead Bay and Ocean Avenue Railroad
* Manhattan Bridge Three Cent Line
* Marine Railway
* Maspeth Railroad and Bridge Company
* Van Brunt Street and Erie Basin Railroad

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

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## 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

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### 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  | 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  | May 27, 1951  | now the B60 bus
Cypress Hills Cemetery Line | Ridgewood, Queens | Cypress Hills Cemetery, Queens  | Cypress Avenue  | 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  | 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

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Name  | From  | To  | Major streets  | Abandoned  | Notes

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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]

* Trolley dodger
* List of streetcar lines in the Bronx
* List of streetcar lines in Manhattan
* List of streetcar lines in Queens
* List of streetcar lines in Staten Island
* List of streetcar lines on Long Island
* List of town tramway systems in the United States

## Maps

[edit]

* BMT map
* Google Map of New York City streetcar lines as of 1932
* Animated timeline of NYC streetcar abandonment 1932–1957

## 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

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New York metropolitan area streetcar transit

Former streetcar
operators|

| New York|

* BRT/BQT
* LICEC
* LIRR
* IRT
* Second Avenue Railroad
* Third Avenue Railway
* Sixth Avenue Railroad
* Broadway and Seventh Avenue Railway
* Eighth and Ninth Avenues Railway
* 14th Street
* Central Crosstown (17th & 18th Street Lines)
* 23rd Street
* 34th Street Crosstown
* 42nd Street & Grand Street Ferry
* 86th Street
* Babylon Railroad
* Bleecker Street & Fulton Ferry
* Bridge Operating Company
* BHRR
* NYR
* Brooklyn & North River
* Brooklyn, Queens County & Suburban
* Danbury & Harlem
* Fort George & Eleventh Avenue
* Grand Street and Newtown
* Greenpoint and Williamsburgh
* Hudson Avenue
* Houston, West Street & Pavonia Ferry
* Huntington Railroad/Traction Company
* Jamaica Central Railways
* Lenox Avenue
* Long Island Electric Railway
* Long Island Traction Company
* Manhattan Bridge 3¢
* Manhattan & Queens Traction
* Nassau Railroad
* Nassau Electric Railroad
* New York Railways Company
* New York & Harlem Railroad
* New York & Long Island Traction
* New York & North Shore Traction
* New York and Queens County Railway
* New York and Queens Transit Corporation
* New York Interborough (IRT)
* Northport Traction Company
* Ocean Electric Railway
* Oscar City Railway
* Ossining Electric Railway
* Peekskill Lighting and Railroad
* Pelham Park and City Island Railway
* Putnam & Westchester
* Queensboro Bridge
* Richmond Light & Railroad
* Staten Island Electric Railroad
* Staten Island Horse Railroad
* Staten Island Midland Railway/Railroad
* Staten Island Traction Company
* Steinway Railway
* Suffolk Traction
* Union Railway (Bronx)
* Union Railroad (Brooklyn)
* West Farms & Westchester
* Westchester Electric
* Westchester Street
* Yonkers Railroad

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New Jersey|

* North Hudson County Railway
* Public Service Coordinated Transport/Transport of New Jersey

Connecticut|

* Connecticut Company
* Consolidated Railway
* Bridgeport Traction
* Connecticut Railway & Lighting
* Danbury and Bethel Street Railway
* Greenwich Tramway Company
* New York and Stamford Railway

Current operations|

| New Jersey|

* Hudson–Bergen Light Rail
* Newark Light Rail
* River Line

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Proposed operations|

| New York|

* Red Hook
* Staten Island
* 42nd Street
* Brooklyn–Queens Waterfront
* Lower Montauk

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New Jersey|

* HBLR Northern Branch

Connecticut|

* New Haven

Streetcar lists|

| New York|

* Bronx
* Brooklyn
* Manhattan
* Queens
* Staten Island
* Long Island
* Westchester

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Nearby states|

* New Jersey (PSR lines)
* Connecticut

Other|

| Carhouses|

* New York City Bus garages
* MTA Bus garages
* Long Island Bus garages

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Other|

* Other New York City transit

* v
* t
* e

Companies and predecessors of the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation

Elevated railroads
and subways|

* Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation
* Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company
* Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad
* Brooklyn Elevated Railroad
* Union Elevated Railroad
* Brooklyn, Flatbush and Coney Island Railway
* Brooklyn and Rockaway Beach Railroad/Canarsie Railroad
* Kings County Elevated Railway
* Brooklyn, Bath and West End Railroad
* New York and Sea Beach Railway
* New York Consolidated Railroad
* New York Rapid Transit Corporation
* Sea View Railroad

Streetcars and
cable cars|

* Atlantic Avenue Railroad
* BQT
* Brooklyn City Railroad
* Brooklyn City, Hunterspoint & Prospect Park
* Brooklyn City & Newtown
* Brooklyn Heights Railroad
* Bridge Operating Company (BRT \- NYR)
* Broadway Ferry & Metropolitan Avenue
* Brooklyn & North River (3rd Ave \- NYR \- BRT)
* Brooklyn, Queens & Suburban
* Bushwick Railroad
* Coney Island & Brooklyn
* Coney Island, Fort Hamilton & Brooklyn
* Coney Island & Gravesend
* DeKalb Avenue & North Brooklyn
* East River & Atlantic Ocean
* Grand Street, Prospect Park & Flatbush
* Grand Street & Newtown
* Greenpoint & Williamsburgh
* Hunter's Point & Prospect Park
* Jamaica & Brooklyn
* Kings County Central
* Long Island Traction Company
* Nassau Railroad
* Nassau Electric Railroad
* New York & Brooklyn Bridge
* Park Avenue
* Prospect Park & Coney Island
* Prospect Park & South Brooklyn
* Red Hook light rail
* South Brooklyn Railway
* South Brooklyn Street Railway
* Union Railroad
* Williamsburgh & Flatbush
* Yates Avenue & Flatbush

Buses|

* BQT
* Brooklyn Bus

Streetcar lists|

* Brooklyn
* Manhattan
* Queens

Other|

| Carhouses|

* New York City Bus garages
* MTA Bus garages

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Financing, advertising,
real estate, etc.|

* Broadway Subway and Home Borough Car Advertising Company
* Transit Development Company

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