B42 (New York City bus)

This article is about the former surface trolley line. For the now-demolished parallel surface railroad, see BMT Canarsie Line.

The Rockaway Parkway Line is a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York City, running mostly along Rockaway Parkway between Canarsie Pier and the Canarsie–Rockaway Parkway terminal of the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway. Originally a streetcar line, it is now the B42 bus route, operated by the New York City Transit Authority.

b42
Rockaway Parkway Line
A B42 bus at Flatlands Avenue.
Overview
System	MTA New York City Bus
Operator	New York City Transit Authority
Garage	East New York Depot
Vehicle	New Flyer Xcelsior XD40 New Flyer Xcelsior XDE40 OBI Orion VII NG HEV
Began service	1917 (streetcar) 1951 (bus)
Route
Locale	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Start	Rockaway Parkway
Via	Rockaway Parkway
End	Canarsie Pier
Length	1.3 miles (2.1 km) (entire route)
Service
Operates	All times
Ridership	474,318 (2022)
Timetable	B42
Route map Rockaway Parkway Station  B42  Glenwood Road Flatlands Avenue Avenue J Avenue K Avenue L Avenue M Avenue N Seaview Avenue Skidmore Avenue Canarsie Pier (Belt Parkway)  B42  Legend Two-way stop One-way stop  B42  Terminal Subway connection ← B41  {{{system_nav}}}  B43 →

The Wilson Avenue Line (now the B60 bus) continues north on Rockaway Parkway from the end of the B42 to Williamsburg.

History

The line was originally operated as an electric streetcar by the Nassau Electric Railroad, a company that became part of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT) Company system, subsequently reorganized as the Brooklyn and Queens Transit Corporation in 1928 before passing to city ownership in 1940.

Initially cars were through-routed between Williamsburg and Canarsie Pier via the Wilson Avenue Line (then Hamburg Avenue) and Rockaway Parkway. It was later cut at the company's Canarsie Depot at the corner of Hegeman and Rockaway Avenues, running via Rockaway Avenue and Rockaway Parkway to the Canarsie Pier. At the Canarsie Line rapid transit station at Rockaway Parkway and Glenwood Road, the Rockaway Parkway Line crossed the rapid transit line's surface right-of-way. The rapid transit line then turned east on private-right-of-way to parallel the trolley line to the shore and ferry.

A Canarsie Pier bound B42 leaving the Rockaway Parkway station

Former private ROW

When the elevated train service was truncated at the Rockaway Parkway station after the 1917 summer season, the BRT operated a shuttle trolley on the former surface elevated line trackage, but did not discontinue the Rockaway Parkway Line.

Under city ownership, the trolley shuttle on the former elevated line's right-of-way was abandoned on November 21, 1942. On the same day, the terminals of the Wilson Avenue and Rockaway Parkway lines were changed from the Canarsie Depot to the Rockaway Parkway station, essentially turning the Rockaway Parkway Line into a replacement of the Canarsie Line shuttle. At the Canarsie Pier end of the line, the Rockaway Parkway trolleys were rerouted via St. Jude Place and Canarsie Road in order to access the former shuttle station at the shore.

In recognition of the fact that the Rockaway Parkway Line was replacing the survivor of a former rapid transit service, a free transfer between the Canarsie Line and the Rockaway Parkway trolley was instituted with trolleys entering the fare control of the Rockaway Parkway station. The free subway-streetcar (later subway-bus) transfer arrangement continues today, and is the only such transfer that can be made without having to use a MetroCard.

Buses designated B42 were substituted for streetcars on April 29, 1951.

On December 1, 2022, the MTA released a draft redesign of the Brooklyn bus network. As part of the redesign, the B42 would retain its route, but closely spaced stops would be eliminated. The B42 would be supplemented by the existing B60 route and the new B76 route, which would also run along Rockaway Parkway and Rockaway Avenue.