Lorimer Street Line

The Lorimer Street Line is a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, running along Lorimer Street, Franklin Avenue, and Classon Avenue between Bedford–Stuyvesant and Greenpoint. Originally a streetcar line, it is now the B48 bus route, operated by MTA New York City Bus' Grand Avenue Depot in Maspeth, Queens.

B48 bus route

The B48 bus route runs between Classon Avenue and Fulton Street near the Franklin Avenue subway station in Bedford–Stuyvesant and Meeker Avenue and Stewart Avenue in Greenpoint via Lorimer Street, Franklin Avenue, and Classon Avenue at all times.

The route serves The Quadrangles, Lafayette Gardens, the Pratt Institute, Willoughby Walk, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Lindsay Park Houses, McCarren Park, and McGolrick Park. It also connects with the B24, B25, B26, B38 Limited, B43, B44 Limited, B46 Limited, B49 Limited, B52, B54, B57, B60, B62, B65, Q54, and Q59 bus routes and the following subway stations:

• Franklin Avenue on the BMT Franklin Avenue Line and IND Fulton Street Line (A  C  S )
• Classon Avenue on the IND Crosstown Line (G )
• Bedford–Nostrand Avenues on the IND Crosstown Line (G )
• Lorimer Street on the BMT Jamaica Line (J ^{all times except weekdays 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., peak direction} M )
• Broadway on the IND Crosstown Line (G )
• Lorimer Street-Metropolitan Avenue on the BMT Canarsie Line and IND Crosstown Line (G  L )
• Nassau Avenue on the IND Crosstown Line (G )

History

The Greenpoint and Lorimer Street Railroad was incorporated on November 6, 1884 to operate along the New Williamsburgh and Flatbush Railroad (Nostrand Avenue Line) from the Broadway Ferry in Williamsburg southeast to Lorimer Street, and then north on Lorimer Street, east on Driggs Avenue, north on Manhattan Avenue, west on Meserole Avenue, north on Franklin Street, and west on Greenpoint Avenue to the Greenpoint Ferry; southbound cars would use Nassau Avenue to Lorimer Street. In addition to the NW&F, this route used the tracks of several other companies: the Brooklyn Crosstown Railroad's Crosstown Line on Driggs Avenue and Manhattan Avenue, the Brooklyn City Rail Road's Greenpoint Line on Franklin Street, and the Bushwick Railroad's Bushwick Avenue Line on Greenpoint Avenue. The franchise was approved on February 26, 1885, and the line was opened by August. The NW&F soon leased the G&LS, and Lorimer Street cars were sent south on the Nostrand Avenue Line to Prospect Park. In July 1889 the Brooklyn City Rail Road leased them both, and rerouted all cars but one per day (to preserve the charter) from Meserole Avenue to Greenpoint Avenue.

Beginning May 30, 1896, the Lorimer Street Line was extended southeast from Prospect Park along the Flatbush Avenue Line and new Bergen Beach Line to Bergen Beach during the summer season. At some point, the line was extended to Park Circle via Ocean Avenue and Parkside Avenue. When the Franklin Avenue Line was discontinued on October 28, 1945, Lorimer Street cars were rerouted to cut west on the Flushing Avenue Line and south on Franklin Avenue to Prospect Park. The north end was rerouted to absorb the Nassau Avenue Line east of Manhattan Avenue, ending near Newtown Creek, when that line was discontinued the same day. Buses replaced streetcars on December 14, 1947, and now run northbound on Classon Avenue rather than Franklin Avenue; the south end was truncated back to the east side of Prospect Park. From 2010 to 2013 it was further truncated to Atlantic Avenue.