The W service returned to the New York City Subway map in 2016 after being discontinued in 2010.
The W originally operated as a local service between Astoria in Queens and Lower Manhattan, with service patterns changing over time. It was suspended during the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s budget-related service reductions in 2010, while the N and Q services covered parts of its former route.
The route was restored in November 2016 when the Q service was extended to the Second Avenue Subway’s first phase. The W once again served Astoria and ran through Manhattan, providing a local counterpart to the N on much of the Broadway corridor.
The W is easy to confuse with the V, another former lettered service eliminated in 2010. The V was replaced by the M’s rerouted service, while the W later returned under its original designation.