"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
.li...
Indeed. Perhaps the confusion in NYC could be avoided simply by changing
the names of the lines!

Well, the problem is that the express service trains usually only run
express in Manhattan, with exceptions during rush hour service. Example:

The 3 Lexington Ave. lines, #'s 4,5, and 6. The #6 train is a local train
during non-rush hour times, except for certain places in the Bronx, where it
runs express until it reaches 125th Street in Manhattan during rush hour.
(At which time, it switches back to local service, until its terminus at
Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall) At 125th Street, one can then switch to either
the #4 or #5 (which run on the same track in Manhattan. They run different
routes in the Bronx., and then the same route again when they pass into
Brooklyn from Manhattan.

Still with me?

Now, you have trains like the #1 Broadway local which ALWAYS run local
service the whole time, as far as I remember. ( This train starts in the far
northwest Bronx and runs to South Ferry in Manhattan.) The express service
trains on this Broadway route are the #'s 2 and 3, but I forget how their
service runs, other than they too go to Brooklyn and terminate somewhere
there. This may have changed in recent years, but I am not completely sure,
as I have not lived in the city for 6 years, but do keep up on things when I
can.

Confused yet?

Now you see the problem, as it goes beyond simply changing the line
designations. It is a matter of knowing the train timetables, and
understanding what constitutes rush hour, which usually means between 7-10
AM, and 4-7 PM, generally.

Now comes the fun of knowing which side of the platform to stand on for
which train............provided they didn't switch the express train to the
local track for whatever reason.........;-)