Number 9 . . . Number 9 . . .

The “9” part of the 1/9 Subway will be discontinued in May, the 9 being the quasi-express “skip-stop” version of the 1 as it travels uptown:

The number of trains running will not change, and riders at the seven skip-stop stations will see more service, TA President Lawrence Reuter said in a statement. Those stations are 145th, 157th, Dyckman, 207th and 215th Sts. in Manhattan, and 225th and 238th Sts. in the Bronx.

Having rarely taken the 1/9 up there during rush hour, I have to admit that I never understood how the skip-stop thing worked. I suppose there’s still time . . .

Of course, in case you ever wondered, the 1/9 Subway Schedule (.pdf) (you knew that subways had schedules, right?) explains it:

As an added benefit to customers, during the morning and evening rush hours, skip-stop service (1/9) operates on the line between the 242 St and 137 St Stations. 1 trains skip 145 St, 207 St and 225 St; 9 trains skip 157 St, Dyckman St, 215 St and 238 St.

So it is, in fact, never too late to know!