Flushing Local and Express
Northern end	Flushing – Main Street
Southern end	Times Square
Stations	21
Rolling stock	R188[1][2] (Rolling stock assignments subject to change)

The 7 Flushing Local and 7 Flushing Express are rapid transit services of the New York City Subway, providing local and express services along the full length of the IRT Flushing Line. The services are colored purple on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, with local service denoted by a 7 in a circular logo, and express service by a 7 in a diamond-shaped logo.

Local service operates at all times. Express service runs weekdays from 5:30 to 10:00 a.m. going to Times Square and 3:00 to 10:15 p.m. (15:00 to 22:15) going to Flushing – Main Street. "Super Express" service to Manhattan is also provided after New York Mets games weeknights and weekends at Citi Field and US Open (tennis) games: starting at Mets – Willets Point and operating express to Times Square, also bypassing Junction Boulevard, Hunters Point Avenue and Vernon Boulevard – Jackson Avenue.^[3] The 7 route is the only one in the system to run 11-car trains, more than any other New York City Subway route.

The 7 has been referred to in some^[which?] publications as the "International Express",^[4][5] because the route travels through several different ethnic neighborhoods populated by U.S. immigrants, especially along Roosevelt Avenue. This name is not official, nor is the title used in day to day operations.

The 7 was the last stronghold for the "Redbird" subway cars. Until 2002, the entire fleet was dominated by the R33/R36 World's Fair cars. In 2001, with the arrival of the R142/R142A cars, the Transit Authority announced the retirement of all Redbird cars. From 2002-03, the Bombardier-built R62A cars formerly used on the 3 and 6 trains gradually replaced the R33/36 WF's cars on the 7. On November 3, 2003, the last Redbird train made its final trip on this line, making all stops between Times Square and (the then-named) Willets Point – Shea Stadium.

Several Redbird cars running on this line were decorated with Mets logos and colors during the 2000 Subway Series against the New York Yankees, as the line runs adjacent to Citi Field and the former location of Shea Stadium. Some R33/R36 WFs remain in Corona Yard, adjacent to Flushing Meadow Corona Park and Citi Field.

Currently, all of the R62As on the 7 have been upgraded with LED lighted signs to distinguish between express and local trains. These signs are located on the rollsigns that are found on the side of each car. The local is a green circle around the 7 service bullet while the express is a red diamond. Previously, the rollsigns showed either a 7 within a circle or a 7 within a diamond with the word "Express" underneath it.

• 
  An R36 7 local northbound at 33rd Street–Rawson Street. The line consisted entirely of these cars before their retirement in 2003
• 
  Manhattan-bound 7 train of R62As, whichcomprise the current 7 train fleet, at Mets – Willets Point
• 
  Template:NYCS-bull-small Train with the upgraded side curtain LED displays to help ease confusion from the Local and Express train. Green circle denotes a local train.
• 
  Red diamond denotes an Template:NYCS-bull-small express train. These two pictures are from consecutive trains taken at Grand Central on May 4th, 2009.

On June 13, 1915, the first test train on the IRT Flushing Line ran between Grand Central and Vernon Boulevard – Jackson Avenue, followed by the start of revenue service on June 22. Over the next thirteen years, the line was extended piece by piece to its current form between Times Square and Flushing – Main Street.

The 7 designation has been assigned to its current route since the introduction of front rollsigns on the R12 in 1948.

From May 13, 1985 to August 21, 1989, the IRT Flushing Line was overhauled for improvements, including the installation of new track, repair of station structures and to improve line infrastructure. The major element was the replacement of rails on the Queens Boulevard viaduct. Express service was suspended for the duration of the project; however, extra service was provided for Mets games and Flushing Meadows Park events. Upon the completion of the project, express service was restored, but express trains bypassed the 61st Street – Woodside station because the Transit Authority was concerned about passengers transferring between local and express trains at that station. The stop was added a few months later after pressure from community opposition.^[6]

In the mid-1990s, the MTA discovered that the Queens Boulevard viaduct structure was unstable, as rocks that were used to support the tracks as ballast became loose due to poor drainage, which, in turn, affected the integrity of the concrete structure overall. Express service was suspended between 61st Street – Woodside and Queensboro Plaza; temporary platforms were installed to access the express track in the four intermediate stations.^[7] The work began in April 1993. When the viaduct reconstruction finished on March 31, 1997, full express service was reinstated. ^[8]

In 1999, express service was expanded from rush hours only to weekdays from 6:30 to 22:00 (6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. eastern standard time). However, this expansion was cut back in 2009 due to frequent midday construction.

An extension of the line to 11th Avenue – 34th Street, near the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is currently being constructed and is scheduled to be completed in 2013.^[9]

As of early 2008, service is being altered to accommodate construction for the conversion to Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) operation on the 7. In the MTA's Q&A pdf of the capital construction program for 2010-2014 are the possible future for the seven line. In November 2009, Possibly a contract will be awarded to begin construction of new system which MTA estimates which would be completed in 2016 alongside with the opening of the extension.^[10]

For a more detailed station listing, see IRT Flushing Line.

Station service legend
	Stops 24 hours a day
	Stops every day during daytime hours only
	Stops everyday during overnight hours and weekends during daytime hours only
	Stops during weekday daytime hours only
	Stops during weekday rush hours in the peak direction only
	Station closed
Time period details
	Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
↑	Station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act in the indicated direction only
↓
	Elevator access to mezzanine only

		Stations		Subway transfers	Connections
Queens
		Flushing – Main Street			LIRR Port Washington Branch at Flushing Main Street Q48 to LaGuardia Airport
		Mets – Willets Point	[11][12]		formerly Willets Point – Shea Stadium LIRR Port Washington Branch at Mets–Willets Point (special events only) Q48 to LaGuardia Airport
		111th Street			Q48 to LaGuardia Airport
		103rd Street – Corona Plaza
		Junction Boulevard			Q72 to LaGuardia Airport
		90th Street – Elmhurst Avenue
		82nd Street – Jackson Heights			Q33 to LaGuardia Airport
		74th Street – Broadway		E  ​F  <F> ​M  ​R  (IND Queens Boulevard Line)	Q33 to LaGuardia Airport Q47 to LaGuardia Airport Marine Air Terminal
		69th Street
		Woodside – 61st Street			LIRR City Terminal Zone at Woodside
		52nd Street
		46th Street – Bliss Street
		40th Street – Lowery Street
		33rd Street – Rawson Street
		Queensboro Plaza		N  ​W  (BMT Astoria Line)
		45th Road – Court House Square		G  (IND Crosstown Line at Long Island City – Court Square) E  ​F  <F> (IND Queens Boulevard Line at 23rd Street – Ely Avenue) Out-of-system transfers with MetroCard
		Hunters Point Avenue			LIRR City Terminal Zone at Hunterspoint Avenue (peak hours only)
		Vernon Boulevard – Jackson Avenue			LIRR City Terminal Zone at Long Island City (peak hours only)
Manhattan
		Grand Central		4  ​5  ​6  <6> (IRT Lexington Avenue Line) S  (42nd Street Shuttle)	Metro-North Railroad at Grand Central Terminal
		Fifth Avenue – Bryant Park		B  ​D  ​F  <F> ​M  (IND Sixth Avenue Line at 42nd Street – Bryant Park)
		Times Square		1  ​2  ​3  (IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line) A  ​C  ​E  (IND Eighth Avenue Line at 42nd Street – Port Authority Bus Terminal) N  ​Q  ​R  ​W  (BMT Broadway Line) S  (42nd Street Shuttle)	Port Authority Bus Terminal
Future stations
		10th Avenue			(Current plans are to optionally build a shell at 10th Avenue to be finished later)
		34th Street		Under Construction as part of the 7 Subway Extension

• Express service runs weekdays from 5:30 to 10:00 a.m. going to Times Square and 3:00 to 10:15 p.m. (15:00 to 22:15) going to Flushing – Main Street as well as after games at Citi Field.

• MTA New York City Transit - 7 Flushing Local
• MTA New York City Transit - 7 Flushing Express
• Template:PDFlink
• Safari 7 - Tour of Urban Wildlife along the 7 line
• Template:PDFlink
• City Raises $2 Billion In Bonds For No. 7 Line Extension - a NY1 local news channel from 12/07/2006
• Once Upon A Time In Queens: Number 7 Train Provides Real Connection To History - NY1 local news channel (retrieved on 05/25/2010)