new transfer -- a first

 

Recently the subway system opened up a new free transfer between Times Square (N,Q,R,S,W,1,2,3,7) and 42 Street/Bryant Park (B,D,F,M). Essentially, this is a connection between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, along 42nd Street.

I note that the Times Square station is already connected by free transfer to 42 Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal (A,C,E) and the 42 Street/Bryant Park station is already connected by free transfer to the 5 Avenue station (7). This means that, without leaving the system you can go along 7th Avenue from 8th Avenue to 5th Avenue. Those are three long blocks. I doubt the system has any other transfers covering such a distance.

But what makes this really interesting to me (and the reason I am writing this post) is that you can now get a free transfer between the 7 train at Times Square and the 7 train at 5th Avenue. I am reasonably sure that this is the first ins-system transfer between two stops on the same line.