New York Elevated Railway Company

IRT Third Avenue Line

Company type	Elevated railway line
Industry	Public transportation
Predecessor	New York Elevated Railway
Founded	1878
Fate	Line closed and demolished
Headquarters	New York City , United States
Area served	Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City
Owner	Interborough Rapid Transit Company (later)
Parent	New York City Subway (later)

The IRT Third Avenue Line, frequently referred to as the Third Avenue Elevated or the Bronx El, was an elevated railway that operated through Manhattan and the Bronx in New York City. Originally managed by the New York Elevated Railway, it was subsequently acquired by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and later became part of the New York City Subway system.

The inaugural section of this line commenced operations on August 26, 1878, running from South Ferry to Grand Central Depot. Service was extended northward to Harlem by December 30 of the same year. By 1881, the line provided continuous 24-hour service. Manhattan operations were gradually discontinued during the early 1950s, culminating in a full shutdown on May 12, 1955. The segment serving the Bronx persisted as part of the 8 route until its termination on April 29, 1973.

As Manhattan’s final elevated railway—apart from elevated portions of the on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line—the Third Avenue El held a unique place in transit history and frequently appeared in cinematic works. Other elevated lines such as the Second, Sixth, and Ninth Avenue lines ceased operations in 1942, 1938, and 1940 respectively.

Operation

In 1875, the Rapid Transit Commission authorized the New York Elevated Railway Company to construct a railway stretching from Battery Park to the Harlem River, following the corridors of the Bowery and Third Avenue. This company had previously taken over the operation of the Ninth Avenue Elevated in 1871 after acquiring it from the bankrupt West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway. The Third Avenue El officially opened in 1878, linking South Ferry with 129th Street. Control of this line was assumed by the Manhattan Railway Company in 1879.

In 1886, the Suburban Rapid Transit Company introduced a route crossing the Harlem River via a double-deck swing bridge, connecting Manhattan’s terminal at 129th Street to 133rd Street in the Bronx. The Manhattan Railway took over operations of this extension in 1891, incorporating it into the Third Avenue Line and establishing through service between Manhattan and the Bronx by 1896. In 1902, under a lease agreement spanning 999 years, the Interborough Rapid Transit Company assumed control of the Manhattan Railway, thereby integrating Bronx rapid transit lines including the Third Avenue Line into its expanding subway network. It was during this era that electrification of the line was implemented.

The line underwent significant upgrades under the Dual Contracts, including triple-tracking to support express services during weekday peak periods and to enhance overall capacity. This engineering feat was considered a landmark project for New York City's transit infrastructure. The center express track opened first in the Bronx on January 17, 1916, followed by its inauguration in Manhattan on July 9, 1917.

By 1934, service patterns included:

• The 3rd Avenue Local running between South Ferry and 129th Street on weekdays and Saturdays; extending to Bronx Park on Sundays; with peak hour variations operating from City Hall to Bronx Park.
• The 3rd Avenue Thru-Express operating from City Hall to 241st Street via the White Plains Road Line during weekday and Saturday peak hours.
• The 3rd Avenue Local-Express covering City Hall to Bronx Park with express service south of 129th Street during peak directions.

In December 1937, multiple local-express routes were extended to reach 241st Street, effectively replacing shuttle services except during certain peak directional flows.

Throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s, service modifications continued: Sunday evening local trains were rerouted to terminate at City Hall; service to Freeman Street ceased in 1946; Saturday schedules were reduced in 1947; adjustments were made to local-express services; and sections south of Chatham Square were progressively closed by December 1953. Peak-hour express services were systematically reduced or eliminated between 1950 and 1952 due to shifting operational requirements and ridership trends.

Following cessation of Manhattan service in 1955, transit options on the East Side east of Fifth Avenue were limited solely to the heavily congested IRT Lexington Avenue Line.

Closures

During the 1930s and 1940s, as New York City unified its subway systems—the IRT, BMT, and Independent Subway System (IND)—the Third Avenue elevated line, along with its counterparts on the Second, Sixth, and Ninth Avenues, came under scrutiny from Mayor Fiorello La Guardia and his successors. These elevated railways were criticized as eyesores to neighborhoods and considered outdated in light of the expanding subway network.

The introduction of the IND Sixth Avenue Line and IND Eighth Avenue Line rendered the Sixth and Ninth Avenue elevated lines redundant; both ceased operations by 1940 and were dismantled by 1941. The Second Avenue elevated line was gradually taken down between 1940 and 1942. Upon its closure in June 1942, weekday services were redirected to the Third Avenue Line, which remained operational pending the future development of the Second Avenue Subway. Real estate stakeholders exerted pressure for its removal, leading to the establishment of the Third Avenue Elevated Noise Abatement Committee in 1941 aimed at mitigating noise pollution.

Between 1950 and 1973, the system was closed in phases. The South Ferry branch terminated service in December 1950, marking the end of elevated train stops at South Ferry, which had previously served all four Manhattan IRT elevated lines. To offset this loss, free transfers to the M13 bus route were provided.

The Bronx Park terminal shut down in November 1951; peak-hour local trains then ended their routes at Gun Hill Road or Fordham Road. Evening and weekend service south of 149th Street was discontinued in March 1952.

The City Hall spur closed in 1953, followed by the main line segment between Chatham Square and East 149th Street in May 1955, concluding elevated service in Manhattan. This removal sparked a surge in construction activity and property values on the East Side but contributed to accelerated decline in certain Bronx neighborhoods. Reflecting this transformation, the Real Estate Board of New York suggested renaming Third Avenue as "the Bouwerie."

In 1967, remaining Bronx operations were officially designated as the 8 route, although train cars displayed "SHUTTLE" signage.

As part of the MTA's 1968 Program for Action, there were plans to dismantle all remaining elevated lines, including the Third Avenue El, replacing them with a parallel route along Metro-North’s Harlem Line integrated into the Second Avenue Subway project. Local merchants expected a revitalization akin to that experienced after Manhattan’s elevated closures. However, following the rejection of a $2.5-billion transportation bond issue in 1971, these proposals were abandoned. The Bronx section from East 149th Street to Gun Hill Road ceased operation on April 29, 1973; demolition commenced in March 1977 and was completed by year’s end alongside parts of the Jamaica Line.

Work on the Second Avenue Subway was halted during the financial crisis of the 1970s. Service on the Bronx portion of the Third Avenue El was replaced by the Bx55 bus route following a similar path and offering free transfers at major subway stations—an early example of integrated fare systems. With systemwide free bus-subway transfers introduced during the 1990s, these special transfer provisions became less critical. The Bx55 route was discontinued in 2013 following the launch of the Bx41 Select Bus Service, which partially replaced it along with the Bx15 Limited; these new routes serve West Harlem but do not extend beyond Fordham Plaza towards Gun Hill Road.

Station listing

Station	Tracks	Inaugurated	Ceased operation	Connections and remarks
Gun Hill Road	Express	October 4, 1920	April 29, 1973	White Plains Road Line
Williamsbridge–210th Street	Local	October 4, 1920	April 29, 1973
204th Street	Local	October 4, 1920	April 29, 1973
200th Street	Local	October 4, 1920	April 29, 1973
Bronx Park Terminal	Spur	May 21, 1902	November 14, 1951	Served as the terminal until October 4, 1920
Fordham Road–190th Street	Express	July 1, 1901	April 29, 1973	NYC Harlem Line; initially known as Pelham Avenue
183rd Street	Local	July 1, 1901	April 29, 1973
180th Street	Local	July 1, 1901	April 29, 1973
Tremont Avenue–177th Street	Express	July 20, 1891	April 29, 1973	Formerly named 177th Street; provided service to Bronx Borough Hall
174th Street	Local	July 20, 1891	April 29, 1973
Claremont Parkway	Local	September 19, 1888	April 29, 1973	Originally called Wendover Avenue
169th Street	Local	September 2, 1888	April 29, 1973
166th Street	Local	December 25, 1887	April 29, 1973
161st Street	Local	August 7, 1887	April 29, 1973
156th Street	Local	July 1, 1887	April 29, 1973
149th Street	Express	June 16, 1887	April 29, 1973	Connected to IRT White Plains Road Line
143rd Street	Express	May 23, 1886	May 12, 1955
138th Street	Express	January 1, 1887	May 12, 1955
133rd Street	Express	May 17, 1886	May 12, 1955	Served by New York, Westchester and Boston Railway (1924–1937); and the Harlem River Line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (1924–1931)
Willis Avenue	Spur	November 25, 1886	April 14, 1924	NYWB and NYNHH Harlem River Branch connections
129th Street	Local	December 30, 1878	July 1, 1950	Linked to the IRT Second Avenue Line
125th Street	Express	December 30, 1878	May 12, 1955
116th Street	Local	December 30, 1878	May 12, 1955
106th Street	Express	December 30, 1878	May 12, 1955
99th Street	Local	December 30, 1878	May 12, 1955
89th Street	Local	December 9, 1878	May 12, 1955
84th Street	Local	December 9, 1878	May 12, 1955

References

• "Crossings on Elevated Roads", The New York Times, March 14, 1879, p. 8.
• 3rd AVE. EL An ARDEE FILMS production (circa 1950s Public Domain) Associate Producer HELENA SAND; Directed and Produced by CARSON DAVIDSON - footage captured before the South Ferry spur closed on December 22, 1950.

Further reading

• Stelter, Lawrence, and Lother Stelter (1995). By the El: Third Avenue and Its El at Mid-Century. Flushing, NY: H&M Productions. .

External links

• Remembering the Third Avenue El, MTA.info
• archive.org - The Third Avenue El (circa 1950s)
• - Bronx 3rd Avenue El (1900–1973)
• Gotham Center - The Rise and Decline of New York City's Third Avenue Elevated Train Line
• 1953 Vivian Maier photograph near 59th St station, looking south towards Chrysler Building
• Warner Pathé Newsreel: "The End of the El"