View source for IRT Pelham Line

{{short description|New York City Subway line}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox rail line
| name = IRT Pelham Line
| image = {{rint|nycs|6|size=50}} {{rint|nycs|6x|size=50}}
| image_width = 150px
| caption = The '''6''' and '''<6>''' trains serve the entire IRT Pelham Line.
| type = [[Rapid transit]]
| system = [[New York City Subway]]
| start = [[Pelham Bay Park (IRT Pelham Line)|Pelham Bay Park]]
| end = [[Third Avenue–138th Street (IRT Pelham Line)|Third Avenue–138th Street]]
| stations = 18
| daily_ridership = 62,187 (2023) <ref name="ridership">{{NYCS const|riderref|weekday}}</ref>
| open = 1918–1920
| owner = [[New York City|City of New York]]
| operator = [[New York City Transit Authority]]
| character = Underground (<small>Hunts Point &amp; South</small>)<br/>Elevated (<small>North of Hunts Point</small>)
| linelength = 
| tracks = 2–3
| gauge = {{track gauge|ussg}}
| electrification = [[Direct current traction|600V DC third rail]]
| map = {{IRT Pelham Line|inline=1}}
| map_state   = collapsed
}}
The '''IRT Pelham Line''' is a [[rapid transit]] line on the [[New York City Subway]], operated as part of the [[A Division (New York City Subway)|A Division]] and served by the '''[[6 (New York City Subway service)|6]]''' and '''[[6d (New York City Subway service)|&lt;6&gt;]]''' trains.<ref name="NYCS6">{{NYCS const|timetable|6}}</ref> It was built as part of the [[Dual Contracts]] expansion and opened between 1918 and 1920. It is both elevated and underground with [[Whitlock Avenue (IRT Pelham Line)|Whitlock Avenue]] being the southernmost elevated station. It has three tracks from the beginning to just south of the [[Pelham Bay Park (IRT Pelham Line)|Pelham Bay Park]] terminal. The Pelham Line also has a connection to Westchester Yard, where '''6''' trains are stored, just north of [[Westchester Square–East Tremont Avenue (IRT Pelham Line)|Westchester Square–East Tremont Avenue]].

== History ==

=== Planning ===
On March 1, 1905, the Board of Rapid Transit Commissioners laid out its tentative plans for new subway routes to expand the city's [[Early history of the IRT subway|first subway]], which had opened on October 27, 1904. A preliminary report was released on March 9, and the final report was completed on March 30, before two further amendments were made on April 13 and May 12, 1905. On June 1, 1905, the Board adopted resolutions laying out multiple routes across the city, including Route 19, a line along Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue. The route was planned to begin at 138th Street and Third Avenue, with connections either with new subway lines to Manhattan, or to Route 17, a planned subway under Gerard Avenue. The three-track line would have then continued east under 138th Street to Southern Boulevard. It would then emerge as an elevated structure and continue via Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue to the "former village of Westchester." It was decided to have a portion of the line be constructed on an elevated structure due to the higher cost of building subways in the Bronx, whose soil was irregular and rocky. On July 14, 1905, the New York City Board of Estimate adopted resolutions approving the routes planned by the Rapid Transit Board, including for this route.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b2905836&view=1up&seq=43&q1=april|title=Report of the Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners for the City of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1905 Accompanied By Reports of the Chief Engineer and of the Auditor|publisher=Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners|year=1906|pages=9–20, 31–34}}</ref>

On March 19, 1913, New York City, the [[Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company]], and the [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company]] (IRT) reached an agreement, known as the [[Dual Contracts]], to drastically expand subway service across New York City. As part of Contract 3 of the agreement, between New York City and the IRT, the [[Early history of the IRT subway|original subway]] opened by the IRT in 1904 to [[City Hall station (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)|City Hall]], was to be extended north from [[Grand Central–42nd Street station|Grand Central]] along [[Lexington Avenue]] into the Bronx, with a branch running northeast via 138th Street, Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue to Pelham Bay Park.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Dual System of Rapid Transit (1912)|url=http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_Dual_System_of_Rapid_Transit_(1912)|access-date=March 25, 2014|publisher=www.nycsubway.org}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes-618Miles-1913">{{cite news|date=August 3, 1913|title=618 Miles of Track In The Dual System; City Will Have Invested $226,000,000 When Rapid Transit Project Is Completed.|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1913/08/03/archives/618-miles-of-track-in-the-dual-system-city-will-have-invested.html|access-date=April 25, 2018}}</ref>

=== Construction and opening ===
In November 1915, the [[New York Public Service Commission]] approved plans for the construction of Section 2 of the line, which would be its elevated section, and opened it up to bids on November 30. The contractor for the section was expected to complete work on it within eighteen months. As part of the construction of this section of the line, a new bridge would be built over the [[Bronx River]], which would be {{Convert|61|feet|meters|abbr=}} above high tide. Permission to construct a bridge over the river was obtained from the federal government after marked negotiations. At the time, work on Sections 1 and 1A, between 138th Street and Park Avenue and Southern Boulevard and Whitlock Avenue, was 75 percent complete.<ref>{{Cite news|date=November 14, 1915|title=Bids Called For Two New Subway Branches|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54752770/the-new-york-times/|access-date=July 5, 2020}}</ref>

The [[IRT Lexington Avenue Line]] opened on July 17, 1918, and the first section of the IRT Pelham Line opened to [[Third Avenue–138th Street (IRT Pelham Line)|Third Avenue–138th Street]] on August 1, 1918.<ref>{{Cite news|date=August 1, 1918|title=Opening New Subway ''H'' Shortens Distance to A. & S.|page=8|newspaper=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/55625816/?terms=subway%2Bextension|access-date=January 25, 2016}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last1=Cunningham|first1=Joseph|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fg4KAQAAMAAJ&q=177|title=A History of the New York City Subway System|last2=DeHart|first2=Leonard O.|date=1993|publisher=J. Schmidt, R. Giglio, and K. Lang|pages=48|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":32">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ob0JAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA372|title=Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac|date=1922|publisher=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|pages=372|language=en}}</ref> On August 1, 1918, a branch of the [[IRT Lexington Avenue Line]], the IRT Pelham Line was opened to [[Third Avenue–138th Street (IRT Pelham Line)|Third Avenue–138th Street]].<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/55625816/?terms=subway%2Bextension|title = Opening New Subway ''H'' Shortens Distance to A. & S.|date = August 1, 1918|access-date = January 25, 2016|newspaper = Brooklyn Daily Eagle|page = 8}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":32"/> On January 7, 1919, the Pelham Line was extended to [[Hunts Point Avenue (IRT Pelham Line)|Hunts Point Avenue]].<ref name=":32"/><ref>{{Cite news|date=January 9, 1919|title=New Bronx Subway Extension Is Opened: Interborough Now Operating Cars to Hunt's Point Station Above 138th Street|work=New-York Tribune|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35902326/|access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> The extension was originally supposed to be finished by the end of 1918, but due to the difficulty in acquiring materials, the opening was delayed. In January 1919, the Public Service Commission was acquiring property for a subway yard at Pelham Bay Park.<ref name="NYTimes Opening3">{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1919/01/05/102845664.pdf|title=New Lines In Bronx Coming This Year: Rays of Rapid Transit to be Let Into Dark Sections in the West and North|date=January 5, 1919|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 25, 2016}}</ref>

On May 30, 1920, the Pelham Line was extended to [[Parkchester station|East 177th Street]].<ref name="NYTIMES">{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/05/28/118322488.pdf|title=Bronx Subway Extension Opened|date=May 28, 1920|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 25, 2016}}</ref><ref name=":32"/><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xRzVAAAAMAAJ&q=may+30,+1920+pelham+line|title=Annual Report for the Year Ending June 30, 1920|date=1920|publisher=Interborough Rapid Transit Company|pages=5, 13|language=en}}</ref> Service between Hunts Point Avenue and East 177th Street was originally served by a shuttle service operating with elevated cars.<ref name=":1" /> On October 24, 1920, it was extended to [[Westchester Square (IRT Pelham Line)|Westchester Square]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B0CE2DB1630E433A25751C2A9669D946195D6CF&legacy=true|title=Subway Extension Opens Sunday|date=October 22, 1920|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 14, 2016}}</ref><ref name=":32"/><ref name=":4" /> and on December 20, it was extended to the western edge of [[Pelham Bay Park]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KO0rAQAAMAAJ&q=May+30|title=A Comprehensive General and Industrial Survey: The Bronx in the City of New York|last=York|first=Bronx Board of Trade, New|date=1931|publisher=Bronx Board of Trade|pages=27|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90126089/|date=December 19, 1920|work=New York Herald|access-date=December 6, 2021|title=Will Open Subway to Pelham Bay Park: Service Begins To-Morrow on Four Mile Extension}}</ref> Service to Pelham Bay Park was served by a mix of through and shuttle trains during the 1920s.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T1tLAQAAMAAJ&q=%22pelham+bay%22+%22shuttle%22&pg=PA73|title=State of New York Transit Commission First Annual Report (April 25, 1921—December 31, 1921)|date=1922|publisher=New York State Transit Commission|pages=73–74|language=en}}</ref>

A report, "Proposed Subway Plan for Subway Relief and Expansion" by Major Philip Mathews, published on December 24, 1926, proposed a connection from the Pelham Line to a newly proposed four-track Third Avenue subway that would run to City Hall and [[Downtown Brooklyn]].<ref name="nycsubway2">nycsubway.org—[http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/History_of_the_Independent_Subway History of the Independent Subway]</ref>

When the [[New York, Westchester and Boston Railway]] was abandoned in 1937, one proposal for the replacement [[IRT Dyre Avenue Line]] was to connect the line to the IRT Pelham Line at Whitlock Avenue, rather than its current terminus at [[East 180th Street (IRT White Plains Road Line)|East 180th Street]] on the [[IRT White Plains Road Line]].<ref name="nycsubway2"/>

=== Improvements ===
On June 6, 1946, the [[New York City Board of Transportation]] announced that a contract for the installation of signal equipment that would allow express service to run on the Pelham Line was jointly awarded to the Emerson–Garden Electric Company and L. K. Comstock & Company Incorporated for $129,516. The signals were to be installed between Third Avenue–138th Street and Parkchester.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1946/06/07/93124453.pdf|title = Awards Subway Contract|date = June 7, 1946|access-date = January 25, 2016|newspaper = New York Times}}</ref>

Beginning October 14, 1946, weekday rush and Saturday morning rush peak direction express service started, with Pelham Bay trains using the middle track between East 177th Street and Third Avenue–138th Street.<ref>{{Cite news|date=October 15, 1946|title=Pelham Bay Subway Service Is Increased|work=The Daily Times|location=Mamaroneck, New York|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90042596/the-daily-times/#|access-date=December 4, 2021}}</ref> This express service saved eight minutes between Third Avenue and East 177th Street. During this time, '''6''' trains that ran local in the Bronx when express trains operated began to terminate at [[Parkchester (IRT Pelham Line)|East 177 Street]] to make room for express trains to Pelham Bay Park.<ref name="BOT-1949">{{Cite book|title=Report for the three and one-half years ending June 30, 1949.|date=1949|publisher=New York City Board of Transportation|hdl = 2027/mdp.39015023094926}}</ref> Express service did not start until this date because of the increase in ridership from the huge Parkchester housing complex at East 177th Street.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://tramway-null.blogspot.com/2014/10/pelham-subway-line-track-plan-as-of-1988.html|title=Streetcars and Spatial Analysis: Pelham Subway Line: Track Plan as of 1988|last=Null(0)|first=Tramway|date=October 8, 2014|website=Streetcars and Spatial Analysis|access-date=September 1, 2016}}</ref>

On November 8, 1947, Union Switch and Signal Company was awarded a contract for $819,375 for block signaling on the Pelham Line. This would have allowed an extension of express service from Parkchester to Pelham Bay Park.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1947/11/09/104367455.pdf|title = Signals to Expedite Subway|date = November 9, 1947|access-date = January 25, 2016|newspaper = New York Times}}</ref>

The [[Westchester Yard]] was expanded between 1946 and 1949 and the scope of the project included a new signal tower, signal installations, and the elimination of the grade crossings between the yard and the Pelham Line north of the [[Westchester Square–East Tremont Avenue (IRT Pelham Line)|Westchester Square]] station. All of these projects would allow for quicker main line service and train movements in and out of the yard. The grade separation allowed trains to enter Westchester Yard without crossing the express track or the downtown local track and it allowed for the possibility of the extension of express service to Pelham Bay Park, which would save four more minutes.<ref name=":0" /> The increased capacity of the yard allowed for storage of 358 additional subway cars. With the additional space, it would no longer be required to lay up trains on the middle track of the line between East 177th Street and Pelham Bay Park, and it would allow for full day express service. The construction of substations would improve voltage conditions and allow for longer trains to be operated on the line. The work was projected to cost $6,387,000 and it was projected to be completed in 1950.<ref name="BOT-1949" />

On August 27, 1953, the [[New York City Transit Authority]] approved a plan to lengthen trains along the Pelham Line from seven cars to eight cars during rush hours. The change took place on September 8, 1953.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1953/08/28/83735052.pdf|title = 2 Subway Lines to Add Cars, Another to Speed Up Service|last = Ingalls|first = Leonard|date = August 28, 1953|access-date = January 25, 2016|newspaper = New York Times}}</ref>

The 2015–2019 [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] (MTA) Capital Program called for four of the Pelham Line's stations, along with 29 others, to undergo a complete overhaul as part of the [[Enhanced Station Initiative]]. The stations receiving renovations are [[Third Avenue–138th Street (IRT Pelham Line)|Third Avenue–138th Street]], [[Brook Avenue (IRT Pelham Line)|Brook Avenue]], [[Hunts Point Avenue (IRT Pelham Line)|Hunts Point Avenue]], and [[Westchester Square–East Tremont Avenue (IRT Pelham Line)|Westchester Square–East Tremont Avenue]]. Updates would include cellular service, Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, interactive service advisories and maps, improved signage, and improved station lighting.<ref>{{cite web|last=Whitford|first=Emma|date=January 8, 2016|url=http://gothamist.com/2016/01/08/subway_facelift_shutdown.php|title=MTA Will Completely Close 30 Subway Stations For Months-Long "Revamp"|publisher=Gothamist|access-date=July 18, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801200338/http://gothamist.com/2016/01/08/subway_facelift_shutdown.php|archive-date=August 1, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/MTAStations.pdf|title=MTAStations|website=governor.ny.gov|publisher=Government of the State of New York|access-date=July 18, 2016}}</ref> However, in April 2018, it was announced that cost overruns had forced the MTA to reduce the number of subway stations included in the program from 33 stations to 20. The stations to be renovated on the IRT Pelham Line were among the 13 stations without funding, which will be pushed back to the 2020–2024 Capital Program.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/mta-runs-low-on-funds-cuts-back-station-upgrade-program-1522747921|title=New York Subway Cuts Back Plans to Renovate Stations|last=Berger|first=Paul|date=2018-04-03|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=2018-04-03|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660}}</ref>

===Unrealized expansion plans===
As part of a 1951 plan by the New York City Board of Transportation, the capacity on the Pelham Line would have been increased.<ref name="joekorner 1951">{{cite web|url=http://www.thejoekorner.com/bdtrans-51/bd-trans-51-plan-indx.html|title=Board of Transportation - 1951|publisher=Thejoekorner.com|access-date=March 25, 2014|archive-date=February 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224152538/http://www.thejoekorner.com/bdtrans-51/bd-trans-51-plan-indx.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In March 1954, as part of a proposed $658 million construction program, the entire Pelham Line would have been connected to the [[Second Avenue Subway]], with service being tripled on the Pelham Line.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1954/03/24/92822044.pdf|title=Improvements That Are Planned for Subways|date=March 24, 1954|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 8, 2016}}</ref>

The IRT Pelham Line would be very easily converted to [[B Division (New York City Subway)|B Division]] standards, and connected to the Second Avenue Subway as Route 132–B of the 1968 [[Program for Action]]. Second Avenue Subway trains would run east under 138th Street, then along the right-of-way of [[Amtrak]]'s [[Northeast Corridor]] from 138th Street to a point near the [[Bruckner Expressway]] and Westchester Avenue as an express bypass of the Pelham line, after which the line would split into a Pelham branch and a Dyre Avenue branch.<ref name="NYTimes-Program4ActionHighlights-1968">{{cite web|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/02/29/77174777.pdf|title=Highlights of Program For Subway, Rail and Air|date=February 29, 1968|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=September 27, 2015}}</ref> The [[Brook Avenue (IRT Pelham Line)|Brook Avenue]] station just east of Third Avenue–138th Street on the IRT Pelham Line would be reconstructed to allow a [[cross-platform interchange]].<ref name="NYTimes-Program4ActionHighlights-1968" /><ref name="int-arch2">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/metropolitantran00newy/metropolitantran00newy_djvu.txt|title=Full text of "Metropolitan transportation, a program for action. Report to Nelson A. Rockefeller, Governor of New York."|date=November 7, 1967|website=Internet Archive|access-date=October 1, 2015}}</ref><ref name="nyc subway in the 1970s2">{{cite web|url=http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_New_York_Transit_Authority_in_the_1970s|title=The New York Transit Authority in the 1970s|website=nycsubway.org|last1=Feinman|first1=Mark|access-date=April 23, 2015}}</ref> Further north, there would be a connection with the IRT Pelham Line near Westchester Avenue at the [[Whitlock Avenue (IRT Pelham Line)|Whitlock Avenue]] station, and station platforms north to [[Pelham Bay Park (IRT Pelham Line)|Pelham Bay Park]] would be narrowed and lengthened to accommodate the longer and wider B Division trains from the Second Avenue Subway. IRT local service on the Pelham Line would terminate at [[Hunts Point Avenue (IRT Pelham Line)|Hunts Point Avenue]] one stop south.<ref name="NYTimes-Program4ActionHighlights-1968" /><ref name="int-arch2" /><ref name="nyc subway in the 1970s2" /> This project would have helped relieve overcrowding on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, which is the busiest line in the country.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Second Ave subway construction, 34th St to 126th St, Manhattan :environmental impact statement.|date=January 1, 1970|hdl = 2027/ien.35556030208045}}</ref>

Under Phase 2 of the [[Program for Action]], the Pelham Line would have been extended to a modern terminal in the Co-op City housing complex.<ref name="int-arch2" /><ref name="nyc subway in the 1970s2" /> Due to the 1975–1976 fiscal crisis that affected the city, most of the remaining projects did not have funding, so they were declined. Expected to be completed by the mid-1970s and early 1980s,<ref name="NYTimes-QBLExpansion-1971">{{cite web|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1971/02/21/91268536.pdf|title=New Line May Get Double Trackage: Transit Unit Shift on Queens Super-Express|date=February 21, 1971|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=September 26, 2015}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes-ArcherGrndbk-Oct1973">{{cite web|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1973/10/24/80809618.pdf|title=Work Begun on Queens Subway Extension|date=October 24, 1973|work=[[The New York Times]]|last1=Burks|first1=Edward C.|access-date=September 26, 2015}}</ref> lines for the Program for Action had to be reduced or canceled altogether due to the [[History of New York City (1946–77)#1970s|1970s fiscal crisis]].<ref name="Raskin-RoutesNotTaken-2013">{{Cite Routes Not Taken}}</ref>

==Extent and service==
The following services use part or all of the IRT Pelham Line:<ref>{{NYCS const|serviceguide}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!rowspan=3|Service
!colspan=3|Time period
|-
!colspan=2|Rush hours and middays, peak direction
!rowspan=2|Other times
|-
!South of [[Parkchester (IRT Pelham Line)|Parkchester]]
!North of Parkchester
|-
|{{rint|newyork|6}} Local
|align=center|Local
|align=center|No service
|align=center|Local
|-
|{{rint|newyork|6d}} Express
|align=center|Express
|align=center|Local
|align=center|No service
|}
Express service operates between [[Parkchester (IRT Pelham Line)|Parkchester]] and [[Third Avenue–138th Street (IRT Pelham Line)|Third Avenue–138th Street]] during weekdays from approximately 6:30&nbsp;a.m. to 8:45&nbsp;p.m. At those times, Pelham Bay Park cannot handle the large number of '''6''' and '''<6>''' trains in service. As a result, '''6''' trains run local on the Pelham Line south of [[Parkchester (IRT Pelham Line)|Parkchester]] and [[short turn]] there. '''&lt;6&gt;''' trains make all stops north of Parkchester, then run express using the center track between that station and Third Avenue–138th Street in the peak direction. At all other times, '''6''' trains run local on the entire line.<ref name="NYCS6" />

=== Route description ===
Beginning at a junction with the [[IRT Jerome Avenue Line]] north of the [[Lexington Avenue Tunnel]] at 135th Street,<ref name="NYTimes Opening3"/> the IRT Pelham Line runs beneath 138th Street for the first three stations in Mott Haven, then curves to the northeast along eastbound Bruckner Boulevard before shortly curving north again along [[Southern Boulevard (Bronx)|Southern Boulevard]]. After 145th Street at [[Samuel Gompers High School]], the line curves to the northeast continuing to run under Southern Boulevard. The line returns under eastbound Bruckner Boulevard again, only to leave at Whitlock Avenue and begins to emerge from underground at Aldus Street. The line is transformed into an elevated line over Whitlock Avenue at East 165th Street, but shortly after this encounters the [[Whitlock Avenue (IRT Pelham Line)|Whitlock Avenue Subway station]] and curves east over Westchester Avenue which runs over [[New York State Route&nbsp;895|Sheridan Boulevard]], the [[Harlem River and Port Chester Railroad]] line, and the [[Bronx River]]. The line remains over Westchester Avenue throughout the rest of its journey.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=plRNAAAAYAAJ&q=pelham+line+subway&pg=PA2389|title=Moodys Manual of Railroads and Corporation Securities|date=1922|publisher=Moody Manual Company|language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|2389}}

East of [[Morrison Avenue–Soundview (IRT Pelham Line)|Morrison Avenue station]], the road runs over the [[Bronx River Parkway]], and enters [[Parkchester, Bronx|Parkchester]]. The [[Parkchester (IRT Pelham Line)|station named after the neighborhood]] runs over the [[Hugh J. Grant#Legacy|Hugh J. Grant Circle]], which is also over the [[Cross Bronx Expressway]]. East of [[Castle Hill Avenue (IRT Pelham Line)|Castle Hill Avenue station]], Westchester Avenue branches off to the northeast at Waterbury Avenue (which runs in the same direction prior to that branching), and the line follows. After the [[Westchester Yard]] the line runs over the [[Hutchinson River Parkway]] interchange just west of [[Middletown Road (IRT Pelham Line)|Middletown Road station]]. The line finally ends at Pelham Bay Park station, which contains a pedestrian bridge across [[Bruckner Expressway]] leading to [[Pelham Bay Park|the eponymous park]].

==Depiction in fiction==
The train that is hijacked in the novel ''[[The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (novel)|The Taking of Pelham One Two Three]]'' by [[Morton Freedgood]] (writing as John Godey) departs from Pelham Bay Park at 1:23&nbsp;pm, hence the name "Pelham 123". After the release of the [[The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974 film)|1974 film adaptation]], the [[New York City Transit Authority]] banned any schedule of a train leaving this station at 1:23 am or 1:23 pm. Eventually this policy was rescinded, but due to the [[superstition]]s involved, dispatchers have continued to avoid scheduling a Manhattan-bound train to leave at 1:23.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dwyer |first=Jim |title=Subway lives : 24 hours in the life of the New York City subway |year=1991 |publisher=Crown |location=New York |isbn=0-517-58445-X |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/subwaylives24hou00dwye }}</ref>

==Station listing==
{{NYCS service legend
| alltimes        = show
| allexceptrush   = show
| rushpeak        = show
| closed          =
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Neighborhood<br />(approximate)
!{{Access icon}}
!Station
!Tracks
!Services
!Opened
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=4|[[Pelham Bay (neighborhood), Bronx|Pelham Bay]]
|{{Access icon}}
|{{stl|NYCS|Pelham Bay Park}}
|
|{{NYCS Pelham north|time=show}}
|style="white-space: nowrap;" | December 20, 1920<ref name=":32"/>
|[[Bx12 SBS (New York City bus)|Bx12 Select Bus Service]]
|-
! colspan="6" style="background:silver;"|Center Express track begins (No Regular Service to Parkchester)
|-
|
|{{stl|NYCS|Buhre Avenue}}
|local
|{{NYCS Pelham north local|time=show}}
|December 20, 1920<ref name=":32"/>
|
|-
|
|{{stl|NYCS|Middletown Road}}
|local
|{{NYCS Pelham north local|time=show}}
|December 20, 1920<ref name=":32"/>
|
|-
! colspan="7" style="background:silver;"|connecting tracks to [[Westchester Yard]]
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Westchester Square, Bronx|Westchester Square]]
|
|{{stl|NYCS|Westchester Square–East Tremont Avenue}}
|local
|{{NYCS Pelham north local|time=show}}
|October 24, 1920<ref name=":32"/>
|
|-
|
|{{stl|NYCS|Zerega Avenue}}
|local
|{{NYCS Pelham north local|time=show}}
|October 24, 1920<ref name=":32"/>
|
|-
|[[Castle Hill, Bronx|Unionport]]
|
|{{stl|NYCS|Castle Hill Avenue}}
|local
|{{NYCS Pelham north local|time=show}}
|October 24, 1920<ref name=":32"/>
|
|-
! colspan="7" style="background:silver;"|{{NYCS Pelham express|time=show}} service switches to/from center express track
|-
||[[Parkchester, Bronx|Parkchester]]
|
|{{stl|NYCS|Parkchester}}
|all
|{{NYCS Pelham|time=show}}
|May 30, 1920<ref name=":32"/>
|[[Q44 SBS (New York City bus)|Q44 Select Bus Service]]<br/>originally Parkchester–East 177th Street
|-
|rowspan=3|[[Soundview, Bronx|Soundview]]
|
|{{stl|NYCS|St. Lawrence Avenue}}
|local
|{{NYCS Pelham local|time=show}}
|May 30, 1920<ref name=":32"/>
|
|-
|
|{{stl|NYCS|Morrison Avenue–Soundview}}
|local
|{{NYCS Pelham local|time=show}}
|May 30, 1920<ref name=":32"/>
|originally Sound View Avenue, Morrison–Sound View Avenues
|-
|
|{{stl|NYCS|Elder Avenue}}
|local
|{{NYCS Pelham local|time=show}}
|May 30, 1920<ref name=":32"/>
|
|-
|rowspan=4|[[Longwood, Bronx|Longwood]]
|
|{{stl|NYCS|Whitlock Avenue}}
|local
|{{NYCS Pelham local|time=show}}
|May 30, 1920<ref name=":32"/>
|
|-
|{{Access icon}}
|{{stl|NYCS|Hunts Point Avenue}}
|all
|{{NYCS Pelham|time=show}}
|January 7, 1919<ref name=":32"/>
|[[Bx6 SBS (New York City bus)|Bx6 Select Bus Service]]
|-
|
|{{stl|NYCS|Longwood Avenue}}
|local
|{{NYCS Pelham local|time=show}}
|January 7, 1919<ref name=":32"/>
|
|-
|{{Access icon}}
|{{stl|NYCS|East 149th Street}}
|local
|{{NYCS Pelham local|time=show}}
|January 7, 1919<ref name=":1" />
|
|-
|rowspan=5|[[Mott Haven, Bronx|Mott Haven]]
|
|{{stl|NYCS|East 143rd Street–St. Mary's Street}}
|local
|{{NYCS Pelham local|time=show}}
|January 7, 1919<ref name=":32"/>
|
|-
|
|{{stl|NYCS|Cypress Avenue}}
|local
|{{NYCS Pelham local|time=show}}
|January 7, 1919<ref name=":32"/>
|
|-
|
|{{stl|NYCS|Brook Avenue}}
|local
|{{NYCS Pelham local|time=show}}
|January 7, 1919<ref name=":32"/>
|
|-
|
|{{stl|NYCS|Third Avenue–138th Street}}
|all
|{{NYCS Pelham|time=show}}
|August 1, 1918<ref name=":32"/>
|
|-
! colspan="6" style="background:silver;"|Center Express track ends
|-
! colspan="7" style="background:silver;"|Merges with [[IRT Lexington Avenue Line]] ({{NYCS Pelham|time=show}})
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{attached KML|display=inline,title}}
*{{Commons category-inline|IRT Pelham Line}}

{{NYCS lines navbox}}
{{NYCS navbox}}
{{NYCS stations navbox|pelham=yes}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irt Pelham Line}}
[[Category:Interborough Rapid Transit Company|Pelham]]
[[Category:New York City Subway lines|Pelham]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1918|Pelham]]