Independent Subway System
The Independent Subway System (IND; formerly the ISS) was a rapid transit rail system in New York City that is now part of the New York City Subway. It was first constructed as the Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan in 1932. It was originally also known as the Independent City-Owned Subway System (ICOSS) or the Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad (ICORTR).
| Independent Subway System | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Status | Incorporated into the New York City Subway | ||
| Owner | City of New York | ||
| Service | |||
| Operator(s) | New York City Transit Authority | ||
| Depot(s) | Concourse Yard, Jamaica Yard, Pitkin Yard, 207th Street Yard | ||
| Rolling stock | R46, R68, R68A, R160, R179, R211 | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 1932 | ||
| Closed | 1940 (acquisition by the NYC Board of Transportation) | ||
| Technical | |||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | ||
| Minimum radius | (?) | ||
| |||
One of three subway networks that became part of the modern New York City Subway, the IND was intended to be fully owned and operated by the municipal government, in contrast to the privately operated or jointly funded Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) companies. It was merged with these two networks when the subway system was unified in 1940.
The original IND services are the modern subway's A, B, C, D, E, F, and G services. In addition, the BMT's M and R use trackage that was originally built for the IND, while the Q uses the IND Second Avenue Line, which was built after the unification of the three systems. The Rockaway Park Shuttle supplements the A service. For operational purposes, the IND and BMT lines and services are referred to jointly as the B Division.