The proposed IBX route.
Image courtesy of the MTA
amNewYork, in conjunction with the MTA, present “Ask the MTA,” a column where MTA officials answer your questions about transit service in New York City. If you have a question for the MTA about subways, buses, commuter rails and more, email askthemta@amny.com.
Q: What’s going on with the Interborough Express? – Bryce C., Bushwick
A: The IBX is in active development, and we’re looking for customer feedback as we proceed with the engineering and design phase. Pop-up workshops are running through September where riders living along the proposed route can take part in several activities meant to help us gauge their priorities for the new service.
The full schedule of upcoming events is available on the MTA website:
- Wednesday, July 29, 4-7 p.m.: Canarsie-Rockaway Pkwy (L), Brooklyn
- Thursday, July 30, 4-7 p.m.: Avenue H (Q), Brooklyn
- Wednesday, August 5, 8-10 a.m.: Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue (M), Queens
- Thursday, August 6, 4-7 p.m.: Bus stop at Eliot Ave/74 St (Q14, QM24, QM25, and QM34), Queens
- Tuesday, August 11, 8-10 a.m.: Junius St (3), Brooklyn
- Thursday, August 13, 4-7 p.m.: 62 St (D), Brooklyn
- Tuesday, August 18, 4-7 p.m.: 18 Av (F), Brooklyn
- Wednesday, August 19, 8-10 a.m.: New Lots Av (L), Brooklyn
- Tuesday, August 25, 4-7 p.m.: Bus stop at Remsen Avenue/Ditmas Av or Remsen Ave/Ave D (B17), Brooklyn
- Wednesday, August 26, 4-7 p.m.: Bus stop at Utica/Farragut Rd or Kings Hwy/Foster Av (B46), Brooklyn
- Tuesday, September 1, 4-7 p.m.: Bus stop at Grand Av and 74 St (Q58,Q59, Q98), Queens
- Thursday, September 3, 4-7 p.m.: 59 St (N/R), Brooklyn
– Charlie Gans, Senior Vice President and Project Executive for the Interborough Express
Q: Who decided which colors were assigned to each subway line? – Brianna B., Astoria
A: The way subway lines are identified, known as nomenclature, has evolved considerably since the system opened in 1904. Because New York’s subway was built as three separate systems, early maps typically used different colors to distinguish among the operators. After the systems were unified under city control in 1940, efforts began to simplify and clarify information for riders. Various proposals emerged over the next two decades, including one based on the Munsell color system.
It wasn’t until the 1960s that the New York City Transit Authority hired Unimark International, led by designers Massimo Vignelli and Bob Noorda, to redesign the subway’s visual identity. Their system assigned 22 different colors to individual services. In 1979, the color scheme was simplified by grouping routes that share major stretches of track in Manhattan, known as trunk lines. John Tauranac and Michael Hertz were among those responsible for developing that system, which reduced the palette to eight colors and two shades of gray. That color palette lives on in the new subway map the MTA debuted last year. – Jodi Shapiro, Curator, New York Transit Museum