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m14a, m14d
14th Street Crosstown
A 2019 Nova Bus LFS Articulated (5590) on the M14A SBS and a 2017 XD60 (6106) on the M14D SBS at East 14th Street/Broadway (Union Square) in October 2019
Overview
System	MTA Regional Bus Operations
Operator	New York City Transit Authority
Garage	Michael J. Quill Depot
Vehicle	Nova Bus LFS articulated New Flyer Xcelsior XD60 New Flyer Xcelsior XE60 (main vehicles) New Flyer Xcelsior XD40 New Flyer Xcelsior XE40 Nova Bus LFS HEV (supplemental service)
Livery	Select Bus Service
Began service	1899 (streetcar) 1936 (bus) 2019 (SBS)
Route
Locale	Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Start	M14A-SBS: West Side – Abingdon Square M14D-SBS: Chelsea Piers – 11th Avenue
Via	14th Street, Avenue A, Avenue D
End	M14A-SBS: Lower East Side – Grand Street M14D-SBS: Lower East Side – Delancey Street
Length	M14A-SBS EB: 3.3 miles (5.3 km) M14D-SBS EB: 3.6 miles (5.8 km)
Service
Operates	24 hours
Annual patronage	4,465,036 (2023)
Transfers	Yes
Timetable	M14A/D SBS
Route map Legend Chelsea Piers – 11th Avenue (18th Street)  M14D  17th Street 15th Street Hudson Street–13th Street Washington Street  M14A  West Village –Abingdon Square   Hudson Street–9th Avenue Bleecker Street 8th Avenue ​​​ 7th Avenue ​​ 6th Avenue ​ 5th Avenue University Place ​​​ Irving Place ​​ 3rd Avenue 2nd Avenue 1st Avenue Avenue A 11th Street Avenue B 5th Street Avenue C Houston Street 11th–12th Streets ​​​ Delancey Street 10th Street Grand Street–Essex Street 5th–6th Streets Clinton Street 3rd Street Pitt Street East Broadway-Columbia Street Houston Street-Columbia Street Houston Street-Mangin Street Jackson Street 555 FDR Drive Lower East Side – FDR Drive (Grand Street)    M14A  Lower East Side – FDR Drive (Delancey Street)    M14D  Rivington Street Legend Two-way stop One-way stop  M14  Terminal Subway connection PATH connection ← M12 ← Bx41 SBS (by borough) ← Bx12 SBS (by route number)  {{{system_nav}}}  M15 SBS →

The 14th Street Crosstown Line is a public transit line in Manhattan, New York City, running primarily along 14th Street from Chelsea or the West Village to the Lower East Side. Originally a streetcar line, it is now the M14 bus route, operated by the New York City Transit Authority. The line's two variants, the M14A SBS and M14D SBS, use Avenue A and Avenue D respectively from 14th Street south into the Lower East Side.

Route description and service

Both M14 services share the 14th Street Crosstown corridor between 9th Avenue on the West Side and Avenue A on the Lower East Side. The "A" and "D" designations refer to the north–south streets used by each service within the Lower East Side (Avenue A and Avenue D respectively).

West of 9th Avenue, the M14A SBS turns south along Hudson Street, terminating at Bleecker Street at Abingdon Square Park. The M14D SBS meanwhile, travels north to Chelsea Piers, serving Hudson River Park and the Chelsea Market. Until Select Bus Service was implemented, the M14A SBS followed this route during the overnight hours. This was changed to operate to Abingdon Square at all times. At the east end of the corridor, the M14A SBS turns south at Avenue A (which becomes Essex Street south of Houston Street), then east along Grand Street to the FDR Drive on the East River coastline. The M14D SBS travels along Avenue B, Avenue C, East 10th Street, then south along Avenue D (becoming Columbia Street) to Delancey Street at the Baruch Houses.

During weekday rush hours, some M14 SBS buses make short turn runs, resulting in some westbound M14 buses terminating at either Union Square or Eighth Avenue, and some eastbound M14 buses terminating at First Avenue. These trips may be signed as just the M14, without any letter suffix.

The M14A/D SBS routes supplement the 14th Street Line (L train), which runs from Eighth Avenue and continues into Brooklyn.

Stops

History

The tracks were built by several companies and pieced together by the Metropolitan Street Railway by 1899. The Bleecker Street and Fulton Ferry Railroad built the 14th Street tracks west of 9th Avenue, the Central Crosstown Railroad built from 9th Avenue to Union Square, and the Forty-Second Street and Grand Street Ferry Railroad built from Union Square to Avenue A and south on Avenue A. The Metropolitan Crosstown built a short connection at Union Square to connect the two halves, and tracks north on 11th Avenue to the West 23rd Street Ferry.

When the Williamsburg Bridge opened in 1904, 14th Street cars were rerouted to use the bridge (running east on Delancey Street from the one-way pair of Clinton Street northbound and Essex Street southbound), running as the 14th Street-Williamsburg Bridge Line until 1911. Buses were substituted for streetcars by the New York City Omnibus Corporation on April 20, 1936.

Avenue D service was added on January 28, 1951, initially running from Broadway along 14th Street, Avenue D and Columbia Street to Stanton Street, and returning on Cannon Street and Houston Street.

In 1956, New York City Omnibus Corporation became Fifth Avenue Coach Lines; the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MaBSTOA) subsidiary of the New York City Transit Authority took over operations in 1962.

The route was once operated by the now defunct Hudson Pier Depot and was known only as the M14. When the depot was taken over by the Quill depot, it was separated into three lines, the M14A, M14C and M14D. Following the September 11 attacks, security measures at the Consolidated Edison power plant were tightened, and the block of East 14th Street between Avenue C and Avenue D was closed to the public. Service was consolidated on the Avenue C and Avenue D branches of the M14, with bus service running along Avenue C, East 10th Street, and Avenue D. In May 2002, the MTA announced plans to consolidate the two routes to improve service, and make operations simpler. Eventually it was decided since the route ran primarily on Avenue D the route would be renamed M14D.

From 2004 to 2006, the M14C briefly returned running down Avenue C to Houston Street, then turning east towards Avenue D/Columbia Street and resuming the normal route. This new route began running late and caused confusion with the M21 on Avenue C and eventually service returned to its current state as the M14A and M14D. Afterward, Avenue C was temporarily served by the M21 bus, but since 2010, it has been served by the M9 bus.

Select Bus Service

In April 2019, a Select Bus Service line was planned to run along 14th Street to provide alternate service during the original L train shutdown plan. Service was expected to operate from Ninth Avenue to Avenue C, then turn north along Avenue C to 20th Street, where there would be a ferry transfer. This route was to be another branch supplementing the existing M14A/D designation, but the existing lines would not be converted to Select Bus Service. To facilitate bus trips on the M14 corridor, the 14th Street busway would be implemented, turning parts of 14th Street into a bus-only street during rush hours. The Select Bus Service route was to be implemented by January 6, 2019, three months before the tunnel was set to shut down. It was to initially run with five stops in each direction between First Avenue/14th Street and 10th Avenue/14th Street. Local service on the M14A and M14D would be retained with minor modifications. One or two weeks before the tunnel would originally close, the M14 SBS was to be extended to Stuyvesant Cove. The M14A/D local and the M14 SBS would be able to serve a combined 84,000 passengers every hour, with a bus every two minutes during rush hours. During late night hours, the M14 SBS would be replaced by the L14 SBS route to the Bedford Avenue station in Brooklyn. After the 14th Street Tunnel work was completed, some version of M14 SBS service would continue operating.

On January 4, 2019, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the L train shutdown would be modified. An alternate plan of weekend and late-night construction would be executed instead, therefore putting the initial M14 SBS plan in limbo. New York City Transit later announced that it still planned to implement SBS along the corridor, and continued to work with the DOT on a plan for permanent service. The preliminary plan was to convert both the M14A and M14D routes into SBS routes. On March 6, 2019, the NYCDOT met with elected officials and revealed plans to implement Select Bus Service on both the M14A and the M14D in June 2019, with an accelerated timeline to provide an alternative to L service. The implementation of bus lanes on the branches in the Lower East Side was to be implemented later on. Bus stops on each branch would be spaced out to speed up service. The M14A's terminal loop through Abingdon Square was to be implemented on a 9-month trial due to difficulty of bus operations there, as well as complaints of buses laying over in the Abingdon Square area. If the terminal was eliminated during or after the trial, service would be extended to Tenth Avenue. As of May 2022, the M14A continues to serve Abingdon Square at all times. Bus lanes would either make use of the busway layout intended for the Tunnel shutdown or would consist of standard bus lanes.

In April 2019, the busway was added back to the plan. SBS was later pushed back to July 1, 2019. However, due to a lawsuit, the busway was not implemented as scheduled, and after another delay that August, went into effect on October 3, 2019. The busway was so successful on its first day that M14 buses had to be slowed down in order to keep from running ahead of their posted schedules. In December 2019, the M14A/D SBS were the launch routes for the MTA's new battery-electric New Flyer Xcelsior XE60 buses.

References

1. "M14A-SBS" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
2. "M14D-SBS" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
3. ^ MTA Regional Bus Operations. "M14 SBS bus schedule" (PDF).
4. "Subway and bus ridership for 2023". mta.info. April 29, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
5. ^ "Manhattan Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
6. ^ "M14 SBS Bus Schedule" (PDF).
7. "New Bus Service Sunday". The New York Times. January 26, 1951. p. 23.
8. Jackson, Kenneth T.; Keller, Lisa; Flood, Nancy (December 1, 2010). The Encyclopedia of New York City: Second Edition. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-18257-6.
9. May 2002 NYC Transit Committee Agenda. New York City Transit. May 29, 2002. pp. 94, 95, https://www.flickr.com/photos/unionturnpike/48482438452/in/album-72157710163565677/ 96], 97.
10. Rivoli, Dan (May 7, 2016). "Looming L train shutdown forces riders to consider future". NY Daily News. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
11. Nir, Sarah Maslin (April 3, 2018). "With L Train Shutdown a Year Off, Lower Manhattan Braces for Upheaval". The New York Times. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
12. "14th Street Corridor Traffic Analysis Overview" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. February 22, 2018. p. 2. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
13. "Transit & Bus Committee Meeting" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 23, 2018. pp. 201–205. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
14. Mascali, Nikki M. (July 24, 2018). "City launching M14 SBS bus ahead of L train shutdown". Metro US. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
15. Barone, Vincent (July 23, 2018). "MTA sets rollout date for L train shutdown busway". am New York. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
16. "MTA, DOT to Launch M14 SBS Ahead of L Train Tunnel Reconstruction Project". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 23, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
17. Baird-Remba, Rebecca (January 3, 2019). "Cuomo Cancels Full L Train Shutdown in Favor of Part-Time Closures". Commercial Observer. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
18. "Some Transit Alternatives Already in the Works for the L Train Shutdown". www.ny1.com. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
19. "L Project Weekly #10: This week's news, that Court Sq moving walkway, Select Bus Service coming to 14th Street". us18.campaign-archive.com. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
20. "M14A/D Select Bus Service Elected Officials Briefing March 6, 2019". New York City Department of Transportation. March 6, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
21. "Select Bus Service Package of improvements working together to keep buses moving" (PDF). new.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
22. Berger, Paul (April 24, 2019). "New York City to Ban Private Cars From Manhattan Corridor for L Train Repairs". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
23. "NYC Pilot Program Will Limit Cars Along 14th Street". NBC New York. April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
24. Plitt, Amy (April 24, 2019). "NYC will limit private cars on 14th Street during L train 'slowdown'". Curbed NY. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
25. Barone, Vincent (April 24, 2019). "Advocates hail 14th Street plan while locals rail". am New York. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
26. "Commuter Alert: Most Of 14th Street Will Be Closed To Cars Most Of The Time Starting July 1". CBS New York. June 11, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
27. Spivack, Caroline (June 11, 2019). "Dedicated busway on 14th Street will roll out on July 1". Curbed NY. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
28. Barone, Vincent (July 1, 2019). "14th Street busway supporters slam lawsuit as classist". am New York. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
29. Spivack, Caroline (June 28, 2019). "14th Street busway blocked by judge". Curbed NY. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
30. Lee, Vivian (August 10, 2019). "Ban on Most Cars on 14th Street Delayed Amid Last-Minute Appeal". Spectrum News NY1 | New York City. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
31. Spivack, Caroline (August 9, 2019). "Judge hits brakes on 14th Street busway—again". Curbed NY. Archived from the original on August 11, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
32. "Busway plan banning most cars from 14th Street kicks off Thursday". Crain's New York Business. Bloomberg. September 30, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
33. Plitt, Amy (September 27, 2019). "14th Street busway gets the green light from judges". Curbed NY. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
34. Berger, Paul (October 3, 2019). "Buses Cruise Through Manhattan Corridor as Traffic Change Takes Effect". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
35. "MTA deploys first all-electric articulated bus fleet to 14th Street busway". Mass Transit Magazine. December 16, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2022.

External links

• Media related to M14 (New York City bus) at Wikimedia Commons
• Select Bus Service − mta.info
• M14 SBS: Keeping Buses Moving on 14 St and the Lower East Side − mta.info
• 14th Street Select Bus Service with Transit & Truck Priority Pilot Project − NYCDOT

v t e Bus routes in Manhattan
Current routes	M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M7 M8 M9 M10 M11 M12 M14A M14D M15 M20 M21 M22 M23 M31 M34 M34A M35 M42 M50 M55 M57 M60 M66 M72 M79 M86 M96 M98 M100 M101 M102 M103 M104 M106 M116 M125
Former local routes	M6 M18 M27 M30 M41 M58
Former express routes	X25 X26 X90 X92

v t e New York metropolitan area streetcar transit
Former streetcar operators	New York BRT/BQT LICEC LIRR IRT Second Avenue Railroad Third Avenue Railway Sixth Avenue Railroad Broadway and Seventh Avenue Railway Eighth and Ninth Avenues Railway 14th Street Central Crosstown (17th & 18th Street Lines) 23rd Street 34th Street Crosstown 42nd Street & Grand Street Ferry 86th Street Babylon Railroad Bleecker Street & Fulton Ferry Bridge Operating Company BHRR NYR Brooklyn & North River Brooklyn, Queens County & Suburban Danbury & Harlem Fort George & Eleventh Avenue Grand Street and Newtown Greenpoint and Williamsburgh Hudson Avenue Houston, West Street & Pavonia Ferry Huntington Railroad/Traction Company Jamaica Central Railways Lenox Avenue Long Island Electric Railway Long Island Traction Company Manhattan Bridge 3¢ Manhattan & Queens Traction Nassau Railroad Nassau Electric Railroad New York Railways Company New York & Harlem Railroad New York & Long Island Traction New York & North Shore Traction New York and Queens County Railway New York and Queens Transit Corporation New York Interborough (IRT) Northport Traction Company Ocean Electric Railway Oscar City Railway Ossining Electric Railway Peekskill Lighting and Railroad Pelham Park and City Island Railway Putnam & Westchester Queensboro Bridge Richmond Light & Railroad Staten Island Electric Railroad Staten Island Horse Railroad Staten Island Midland Railway/Railroad Staten Island Traction Company Steinway Railway Suffolk Traction Union Railway (Bronx) Union Railroad (Brooklyn) West Farms & Westchester Westchester Electric Westchester Street Yonkers Railroad New Jersey North Hudson County Railway Public Service Coordinated Transport/Transport of New Jersey Connecticut Connecticut Company Consolidated Railway Bridgeport Traction Connecticut Railway & Lighting Danbury and Bethel Street Railway Greenwich Tramway Company New York and Stamford Railway
Current operations	New Jersey Hudson–Bergen Light Rail Newark Light Rail River Line
Proposed operations	New York Red Hook Staten Island 42nd Street Brooklyn–Queens Waterfront Lower Montauk New Jersey HBLR Northern Branch Connecticut New Haven
Streetcar lists	New York Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Long Island Westchester Nearby states New Jersey (PSR lines) Connecticut
Other	Carhouses New York City Bus garages MTA Bus garages Long Island Bus garages Other Other New York City transit

v t e Select Bus Service
Current routes	B44 B46 B82 Bx6 Bx12 Bx41 M14 M15 M23 M34 M34A M60 M79 M86 Q44 Q52 Q53 Q70 S79
Future routes	B41 B55 Q25

• Streetcar lines in Manhattan
• Railway lines opened in 1899
• 1899 establishments in New York City
• MTA Regional Bus routes
• Bus routes in Manhattan
• 14th Street (Manhattan)