The A train has the longest route in the New York City Subway system.
The A service stretches from Inwood in northern Manhattan to Far Rockaway or Lefferts Boulevard in Queens and Brooklyn, depending on the branch and operating pattern. Its route crosses several boroughs and includes both local and express sections, making it one of the system’s most geographically extensive services.
The service is part of the IND Division, whose routes use letters rather than numbers. The A runs along the Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan and continues through Brooklyn before reaching its Queens branches. Far Rockaway trains use the former Long Island Rail Road Rockaway right-of-way.
A common mix-up is confusing the longest route with the longest subway line. A route is the path followed by a service, while a line is the physical railway infrastructure; several services can share one line.