Steep grades on the subway

What is the steepest grade on the subway? Lines that go over bridges or the lines that have the underground junctions between lines? (EG west 4th st).

I don't know this for a fact, but I always thought the #7 climbing into daylight after Vernon-Jackson e/b, and becoming the el at CH Square was pretty steep.


Ocala Mike

Hi All,

How about the climb out of the tunnel from Utica avenue to the Sutter Ave. station on the New Lots line ? As I remember it, when a snowstorm hit and those rails froze over, the line had to be closed since the trains could not climb that hill on icy rails.

One pretty steep grade is the flyover track at the junction between the Dyre Ave line and #2. The train track clears the 2 line and returns to the same level in less than a 1/3 of mile.

I'd vote for the Astoria BMT where it comes up out of the 60th St. Tunnel to Queensboro Plaza Station. That's a l-o-n-g steep grade to climb.

Now that I think of it, I'd better take a front-window ride up that hill soon, while there's still time to do it, before they replace all the "corner-cab" trains on that route.

A similar topic was on another message board some time ago

I believe it is the climb from the Brooklyn side of the Manhattan Bridge when a northbound train is using the express tracks that cut through DeKalb.

Those tracks dip down under a few tracks and resume to climb up to the Manhattan Bridge

the steepest incline is the Manhatten bridge which is 5%, in the B div., the climb s/b on the 7 line leaving Willets Pt. on the express track on the A div.

Pc, I can easily believe that climb from Willets Pt. but are you sure the Manhattan Bridge is steeper than the ramp up to Queens Plaza?