the streetcar line was operated by the brooklyn and queens transit corporation, a subsidiary of the brooklyn rapid transit company (brt) and later brooklyn–manhattan transit corporation (bmt) which operated many streetcar lines, and several rapid transit lines including some of the city's first subway lines. the line began operation on june 20, 1896 as the fresh pond road line, running the same route except turning north at junction boulevard (then junction avenue) and corona avenue towards bowery bay (the current site of laguardia airport). in november 1899, the flushing–ridgewood routing began service. around this time, the junction boulevard portion of the line became a shuttle known as the north beach line, while the grand street line was truncated to the maspeth trolley depot at grand avenue and 69th street. on october 19, 1919, the line was extended from the fresh pond depot south to ridgewood terminal at the brooklyn-queens line. between 1939 and 1940, the line served passengers going to the 1939 new york world's fair in flushing meadows–corona park.