The 42nd Street Crosstown Line is a public transit line in Manhattan, running primarily along 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan. Originally a streetcar line, it is now the M42 bus route, part of MTA Regional Bus Operations and operated by the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority under the New York City Transit brand.
Route description and service
Streetcar line
The 42nd Street Crosstown Line, operated by the Third Avenue Railway, ran along 42nd Street from Pier 83, located at the west end of 42nd Street to First Avenue and 42nd Street. The line ran under the designation X42, with X being used as a prefix for the Third Avenue Railway's crosstown routes.[2]
Current bus service
The M42 utilizes the same route as the streetcar, except that it loops around on its eastern end using the FDR Drive, 41st Street and First Avenue.[3][4] Some eastbound buses may terminate at Grand Central and some westbound buses may terminate at 8th Avenue.
History
Originally chartered in 1878, the Forty-Second Street, Manhattanville & St. Nicholas Railway started service with horsedrawn carriages in 1884, with the Third Avenue Railway acquiring the line in 1896, and alongside it, the streetcar line. The line underwent the process of electrification, and electric operation of street cars began on November 11, 1900.[5]
On November 17, 1946, the streetcar line was replaced by the Surface Transportation Corporation's, the bus-operating subsidiary of the Third Avenue Railway, M106 bus route.[6]
On March 30, 1986, the M106 was re-designated as the M42 and a branch to the Javits Center was added.[5]
On June 27, 2010, due to a budget crisis, service on the Javits Center branch was discontinued. This change was estimated to annually save $200,000.[7]
There was a time when the M42 used buses from Manhattanville Depot for the A.M. rush, but this was stopped between 2017 and 2019.
References
- ^ "Subway and bus ridership for 2023". mta.info. April 29, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ "NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, June 1946". tundria.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ "Manhattan Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
- ^ MTA Regional Bus Operations. "M42 bus schedule".
- ^ a b Linder, Bernard (September 2002). "42nd Street Crosstown Line" (PDF). The Bulletin. 45 (9). New York Division, Electric Railroaders' Association: 2–4. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
- ^ "Buses Will Replace Trolley Cars On 42d St. Crosstown Line Nov. 17; Those of Broadway Line Will Continue to Run East of Times Sq. a Few Weeks More --Other Routes to Be Modernized". The New York Times. November 4, 1946. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ "Evaluation of 2010 Service Reductions" (PDF). mta.info. MTA New York City Transit. September 23, 2011. pp. B85 – B86. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
External links
Media related to M42 (New York City bus) at Wikimedia Commons
