For years, the only way to reach the island was by ferry or railroad, but in 1925, the North Channel Bridge opened, connecting the island to Howard Beach. The Cross Bay Parkway Bridge opened in 1939, connecting to the Rockaways. The railroad trestle across Jamaica Bay experienced around 30 fires between 1942 and 1950. One such fire, between The Raunt and Broad Channel stations on May 7, 1950, cut service on the middle section of the railroad line. The LIRR, then bankrupt, could not afford to repair the trestle, and the city of New York purchased the line in 1952, and it reopened as the New York City Subway's IND Rockaway Line in 1956.