A diamond marks the New York City Subway’s 7 Express service on route maps and trains.
The regular 7 service is shown inside a circular bullet, while the rush-hour express version uses a diamond-shaped bullet. This distinction helps riders tell whether a train makes local stops or skips some stations in Queens and Manhattan. The express service is commonly written as <7> in text descriptions.
The 7 route operates along the IRT Flushing Line between Queens and Manhattan. Its express pattern has varied by time and direction, so passengers must check the signs and service announcements rather than relying only on the train’s destination.
Route symbols are a recurring source of confusion in the subway system. A diamond does not indicate a separate numbered route; it identifies a special service pattern of an existing route. The same general circle-versus-diamond convention is also used for other IRT express variants, including the <6>.