Their route emblems, or "bullets", are colored purple, since they serve the Flushing Line. The 7 route started running in when the Flushing Line opened.
Since , the 7 has held largely the same route, except for a one-stop western extension from Times Square to Hudson Yards on September 13, Express service to Manhattan operated in the morning rush between and a.
On March 12, , two 9-car super express trains began operating from FlushingβMain Street to Times Square in the morning rush hour. The running time was cut down to 23 minutes from 25 minutes. On November 1, , fifty R17s numbers β were transferred from the Mainline IRT to the 7, allowing for ten-car operation.
This was the first time that the IRT ran ten-car trains without a second conductor. From May 13, , to August 21, , the IRT Flushing Line was overhauled for improvements, including the installation of new track, repair of station structures and to improve line infrastructure.
The major element was the replacement of rails on the Queens Boulevard viaduct. During the project, delays of up to 10 minutes on weekdays, and 20 minutes on weekends were expected.
