The E Queens Boulevard Express/Eighth Avenue Local[3] is a rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway.

The E's northern terminal was switched from 179th Street to Jamaica Center with the opening of the IND Archer Avenue Line in 1988.

[9] E trains were extended to East Broadway following the opening of the IND Sixth Avenue Line from West Fourth Street on January 1, 1936.

E trains no longer served stations on the Eighth Avenue Line south of West Fourth Street.

[11][6] The E service was again extended with the opening of the Queens Boulevard Line extension to Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike on December 31, 1936.

[6][20][21] The additional service allowed for a peak two-minute headway for twelve minutes in the morning rush hour southbound.

[27] On June 30, 1952, two morning rush hour trips on the E train were added, running between 71st Avenue and Jay Street.

[39] On October 11, 1958, round-robin service ceased operating on weekends, being by replaced by shuttles running from Euclid Avenue to either terminal in the Rockaways.

[34] In October 1969, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) performed a test over the course of a month to evaluate the impact that increasing the scheduled frequency of the E and F services along the Queens Boulevard Line in the southbound direction in the morning would have on running times and the number of trains that actually ran in service.

[46] As part of systemwide changes in bus and subway service on January 2, 1973, the E became the local in Brooklyn again, running alternatively to Euclid Avenue and Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street on weekdays from 6:15 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3:35 p.m. to 6:15 p.m..

A trains would run express instead in Brooklyn during rush hours, though for a longer period of time, and would take over service to Far Rockaway.

[52][53] On January 24, 1977, as part of a series of NYCTA service cuts to save $13 million, many subway lines began running shorter trains during middays.

A public hearing was held in December 1986, and it was determined that having the E and R, which would replace the N, run during late nights provided the best service.

[56] As part of the changes, on October 1, 1990, morning rush hour service from 179th Street was discontinued, and all E trains began running to Jamaica Center.

[67] The test started on October 26, 1992, and was implemented on a permanent basis six months later, eliminating express service along Hillside Avenue.

[7] During the early part of 2000, because of the replacement of track switches at the World Trade Center station, the E was extended to Euclid Avenue at all times except late nights, when it operated to Canal Street.

[73] Service on the E was again affected by the September 11 attacks in 2001, as its terminal station, World Trade Center, was located at the northeastern corner of the World Trade Center site, so for a time, the E again operated to Euclid Avenue in Brooklyn as the local on the IND Fulton Street Line at all times except late nights, replacing the temporarily suspended C service.

[7] On September 16, 2019, the three trips that terminated at Kew Gardens were extended to 179th Street, making express stops along Hillside Avenue.

[79] Between September 19 and November 2, 2020, E service was cut back to Jamaica–Van Wyck due to track replacement on the upper levels of the Jamaica Center and Sutphin Boulevard stations.

[80][81] During the second phase, which started on November 2, 2020, a limited number of E trains ran to Jamaica Center, running express east of 71st Avenue during the day on weekdays and making local stops at other times.

[83] On March 17, 2023, New York City Transit made adjustments to evening and late night E, F and R service to accommodate long-term CBTC installation on the Queens Boulevard Line between Union Turnpike and 179th Street.

[6] However, the EE reappeared on November 27, 1967, when it ran between 71st–Continental Avenues and Whitehall Street via the local tracks of the BMT Broadway Line, replacing the RR.

[101][102] In 2001, the 63rd Street Connection was completed, allowing for an increase of nine trains per hour on the line between Queens and Manhattan through the introduction of V service.

[104] To further increase capacity, as part of the MTA's 2010–2014 Capital Program the MTA is equipping the tracks from 50th Street/8th Avenue and 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center to Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike with communications-based train control,[105] which would allow for three more trains during peak hours on the Queens Boulevard express tracks (it currently runs 29 tph).

[108][109]: 23 In October 2017, twenty five-car train sets assigned to the E service had seats at the end of the cars removed to provide extra capacity.

[92] Subsequent surveys found that the removal of seats improved passenger flow on trains, helping reduce dwell times in stations.

[114][115] In addition, the route passes through major transit hubs that shelter the homeless, like Pennsylvania Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

The shared segment with the F, during rush hours, receives the most scheduled service of any track segment in the system with 30 trains per hour, 15 on the E, and 15 on the F. The route shares tracks with M trains between Queens Plaza and Fifth Avenue–53rd Street, and with C or late-night A service from 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal to Canal Street.

[3] The E is signed on trains, in stations, and on maps with a blue emblem, or "bullet" since it runs via the Eighth Avenue Line.

[129] The route was first color-coded in a light blue on November 26, 1967, when the NYCTA introduced its first set of colored service labels to coincide with the opening of the Chrystie Street Connection.