Wikipedia

Queens Plaza station

(Redirected fromQueens Plaza (IND Queens Boulevard Line))
Not to be confused withQueensboro Plaza station.

TheQueens Plaza stationis an expressstationon theIND Queens Boulevard Lineof theNew York City Subway.Located under the eastern edge ofQueens Plazaat the large Queens Plaza interchange, it is served by theEtrain at all times, by theRtrain at all times except late nights, and by theMtrain on weekdays during the day.

Queens Plaza
"E" train​"M" train​"R" train
New York City Subwaystation (rapid transit)
R160E train departing the northbound platform
Station statistics
AddressQueens Plaza,Jackson Avenue,Queens Boulevard&Northern Boulevard
Queens, New York
BoroughQueens
LocaleLong Island City
Coordinates40°44′56″N73°56′15″W/ 40.748915°N 73.937387°W/40.748915; -73.937387
DivisionB(IND)[1]
LineIND Queens Boulevard Line
ServicesEall times(all times)
​Mweekdays during the day(weekdays during the day)
​Rall hours except late nights(all hours except late nights)
TransitBus transportNYCT Bus:B62,Q32
Bus transportMTA Bus:Q39,Q60,Q67,Q69,Q100,Q101,Q102
StructureUnderground
Platforms2island platforms
cross-platform interchange
Tracks4
Other information
OpenedAugust 19, 1933;91 years ago(1933-08-19)
AccessibleThis station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990ADA-accessible
Opposite-
direction
transfer		Yes
Traffic
20233,645,653[2] Increase36.9%
Rank85 out of 423[2]
Services
Preceding station New York City SubwayNew York City Subway Following station
Court Square–23rd Street
Eall times​Mweekdays during the day
viaFifth Avenue/53rd Street
Express 		Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue
Eall except late nights
towardJamaica Center–Parsons/Archer

Local 		36th Street
Elate nights​Mweekdays during the day​Rall hours except late nights
towardForest Hills–71st Avenue
Lexington Avenue–59th Street
Rall except late nights
towardBay Ridge–95th Street
Local
Location
Queens Plaza station is located in New York City Subway
Queens Plaza station
Queens Plaza station is located in New York City
Queens Plaza station
Queens Plaza station is located in New York
Queens Plaza station
Track layout

Legend
toJackson Hts–Roosevelt Ave
to36th Street
toLexington Avenue–59th Street
fromLexington Avenue–59th Street
toCourt Square(Crosstown)
toCourt Square–23rd Street
Revenue tracks
Non-revenue tracks
Street map

Map

Station service legend
Symbol Description
Stops all times except late nights Stops all times except late nights
Stops all times Stops all times
Stops late nights only Stops late nights only
Stops weekdays during the day Stops weekdays during the day

While situated relatively close to the elevatedQueensboro Plazastation on theBMT Astoria LineandIRT Flushing Line,there is no free transfer between the two stations.

History

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Look Up Not Down,Glass Mosaic, Ellen Harvey (2005)

The Queens Boulevard Line was one of the first lines built by the city-ownedIndependent Subway System(IND),[3][4][5]and stretches between theIND Eighth Avenue Linein Manhattan and179th Street and Hillside AvenueinJamaica, Queens.[3][5][6]The Queens Boulevard Line was in part financed by aPublic Works Administration(PWA) loan and grant of $25 million.[7]One of the proposed stations would have been located at Steinway Street.

The first section of the line, west fromRoosevelt Avenueto50th Street,opened on August 19, 1933.Etrains ran local toHudson Terminal(today's World Trade Center) in Manhattan, while theGG(predecessor to current G service) ran as a shuttle service between Queens Plaza andNassau Avenueon theIND Crosstown Line.[8][9][10][11][12][13]It was the first stop in Queens after crossing the East River for six years until the 1939 opening of23rd Street–Ely Avenue.

Until the opening of the60th Street Tunnel Connectionin 1955 after the unification of the subway, only express trains in Queens ran to Manhattan; local trains were routed onto theIND Crosstown Line.[14]This service pattern is no longer in use due to the opening of the63rd Street track connectorin 2001, and Crosstown Line trains now terminate one stop earlier atCourt Square.[15]

In 1978, theNew York City Department of City Planningproposed making Queens Plaza into a large subway station complex. Queens Plaza would have been converted to a transfer station with the63rd Street Line,[16]which at that time was described as a "tunnel to nowhere" that did not connect with any other lines in Queens.[17]The complex would also have had a retail center above it,[18]as well as a transfer to the elevatedQueensboro Plaza station.[16]This was ultimately not constructed, and the 63rd Street connector was built instead, between the21st Street-Queensbridgeand36th Streetstations.[15]

To speed up passenger flow, dozens of platform conductors were assigned to direct crowds at the Queens Plaza station during the late 1980s.[19]In 2002, theMetropolitan Transportation Authorityannounced that elevators would be installed at the Queens Plaza station.[20]

Station layout

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Ground Street level Exits/entrances
Mezzanine Fare control, station agent
Elevator at southwest corner of Queens Plaza South and Jackson Avenue
Platform level Southbound local ←towardMiddle Village–Metropolitan Avenueweekdays(Court Square–23rd Street)
←towardBay Ridge–95th Street(Lexington Avenue–59th Street)
←towardWorld Trade Centerlate nights(Court Square–23rd Street)
←(No service:Court Square)
Island platform
Southbound express ←toward World Trade Center(Court Square–23rd Street)
Northbound express →towardJamaica Center–Parsons/Archer(36th Streetlate nights,Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenueother times)→
→towardForest Hills–71st Avenueweekdays(36th Street)→
Island platform
Northbound local →toward Forest Hills–71st Avenue(36th Street)→
New tile caption and trim line

Like most express stations in the subway, Queens Plaza has twoisland platformsand four tracks, allowingcross-platform interchangesbetween local and express trains.[21]TheEstops here at all times,[22]theRstops here except at night, and theMstops here only on weekdays during the day.[23][24]East of the station, the M and R always make local stops, while the E makes express stops during the day and local stops at night. The next stop to the east (railroad north) is36th Streetfor local trains andJackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenuefor express trains, while the next stop to the west (railroad south) isCourt Square–23rd Streetfor E and M trains andLexington Avenue/59th Streetfor R trains.[25]

Its tile band is of the darkest shade of thevioletfamily (Black Grape), three tiles high and black-bordered. Both trackside walls have a deep plum trim line with a black border and tile captions reading "QUEENS PLAZA" in white Helvetica on black. These replace the original, light-purple trim line and the tile captions in the original IND font.[citation needed]The tile band is part of a color-codedtile systemused throughout the IND.[26]The tile colors were designed to facilitate navigation for travelers going away fromLower Manhattan.As such, a different tile color is used atJackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue,the next express station to the east; the original purple tiles used at the Queens Plaza station were also used at all local stations between Queens Plaza and Roosevelt Avenue.[27][28]Slate purple I-beam columns run along both platforms at regular intervals, alternating ones having the standard black station name plate with white lettering.

Track layout

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West of the station, westbound M and nighttime E trains cross to the express track from the local track. R trains stay on the local tracks, which split to theBMT Broadway Linevia the60th Street TunneltoManhattanand theIND Crosstown LinetoBrooklyn.The connection to the Crosstown Line is not currently used in revenue service, while the60th Street Tunnel Connectionis used by R trains. The express tracks, used by E and M trains, continue toCourt Square–23rd StreetatLong Island Citybefore they travel through the53rd Street Tunnelto Manhattan.[21]

East of the station, eastbound M and nighttime E trains cross from the express track to the local track; after which, the tunnel widens to include a lay-up track that forms from the two express tracks and then merges with the northbound express track. This storage track was formerly used to turn aroundGtrains that terminated at Queens Plaza up to 1997; this track is now used to store R trains that get taken out of service at Queens Plaza during late evening hours. The tunnel then widens again to allow theIND 63rd Street Lineramps to rise and lead trains to merge with either the local or express tracks.[21]

Exits

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Station entrance at 41st Avenue and Northern Boulevard. Overhead is theBMT Astoria Line.Off to the right (although out of sight in this photo) isQueensboro Plazastation

The full-time booth is near the center of themezzanine.There are three staircases to the street on all corners of Queens Boulevard and Jackson Avenue except the northern one. There is an outside passageway to two more staircases near the southern and western corners of Jackson Avenue and Orchard Street at the south end near a former booth. The old-style change booth was in place until it was removed in 1998. Two of the outside entrances were redone to match the facade of theDOTindoor parking lot structure when it was constructed in 1975.[29]

Before the renovation, the station had a full length mezzanine (inside and outside offare control) with three booths. Since then, this area has balconies that allow views of local trains and platforms down below. There are three staircases to each platform from that end. Two staircases in between both fare control areas were removed during the renovation process. The space in between the two fare control areas was needed to build a signal relay room for the63rd Street Connection.The part-time booth has two stairs to the northwest and southeast corners of Northern Boulevard at 41st Avenue, and one to each platform.[29][30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Glossary".Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS)(PDF).Vol. 1. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 4, 2003. pp. 1–2. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on February 26, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 1,2021.
  2. ^ab"Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)".Metropolitan Transportation Authority.2023.RetrievedApril 20,2024.
  3. ^abDuffus, R.L. (September 22, 1929)."OUR GREAT SUBWAY NETWORK SPREADS WIDER; New Plans of Board of Transportation Involve the Building of More Than One Hundred Miles of Additional Rapid Transit Routes for New York".The New York Times.RetrievedAugust 19,2015.
  4. ^"QUEENS SUBWAY WORK AHEAD OF SCHEDULE: Completion Will Lead to Big Apartrnent Building, Says William C. Speers".The New York Times.April 7, 1929.RetrievedSeptember 1,2015.
  5. ^ab"Queens Lauded as Best Boro By Chamber Chief".Brooklyn Daily Eagle.September 23, 1929. p. 40.RetrievedOctober 4,2015– viaNewspapers.com.
  6. ^New York Times,New Subway Routes in Hylan Program to Cost $186,046,000,March 21, 1925, page 1
  7. ^"TEST TRAINS RUNNING IN QUEENS SUBWAY; Switch and Signal Equipment of New Independent Line Is Being Checked".The New York Times.December 20, 1936.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedApril 26,2016.
  8. ^Kramer, Frederick A. (1990).Building the Independent Subway.Quadrant Press.ISBN978-0-915276-50-9.
  9. ^Raskin, Joseph B. (2013).The Routes Not Taken: A Trip Through New York City's Unbuilt Subway System.New York, New York: Fordham University Press.doi:10.5422/fordham/9780823253692.001.0001.ISBN978-0-82325-369-2.
  10. ^"Independent Subway Services Beginning in 1932".thejoekorner.com.August 21, 2013.RetrievedAugust 2,2015.
  11. ^"TWO SUBWAY UNITS OPEN AT MIDNIGHT; Links in City-Owned System in Queens and Brooklyn to Have 15 Stations"(PDF).The New York Times.August 18, 1933.RetrievedNovember 7,2015.
  12. ^"New Queens Subway Service Will Be Launched Tonight; Tunnel From Manhattan Open to Jackson Heights; Service Will Eventually Be Extended Through To Jamaica".Long Island Daily Press.Fultonhistory.com.August 18, 1933. p. 20.RetrievedJuly 27,2016.
  13. ^"New Queens Tube To Open Saturday: Brooklyn-Long Island City Link of City Line Also to Be Put in Operation".New York Evening Post.Fultonhistory.com.August 17, 1933. p. 18.RetrievedJuly 27,2016.
  14. ^"1937 IND system map"(PDF).NYCSubway.RetrievedJune 9,2011.
  15. ^abKershaw, Sarah (December 17, 2001)."V Train Begins Service Today, Giving Queens Commuters Another Option".The New York Times.RetrievedFebruary 3,2018.
  16. ^abSmothers, Ronald (September 13, 1979)."$170 Million Queens Subway-Station Complex Is Planned".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedFebruary 11,2018.
  17. ^Andelman, David A. (October 11, 1980)."Tunnel Project, Five Years Old, Won't Be Used"(PDF).The New York Times.p. 25.RetrievedOctober 20,2011.
  18. ^"Queens Plaza Trying Out in New Role: As a Retail Center"(PDF).The New York Times.December 17, 1980.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedFebruary 11,2018.
  19. ^Dwyer, Jim (August 31, 1986). "In the Subways TA to Try Its 'stuff' on Subway Riders".Newsday.p. 2.ISSN2574-5298.ProQuest285347546.
  20. ^"NYC Transit's Goals for 2002"(PDF).The Bulletin.Vol. 45, no. 10. Electric Railroaders' Association. October 2002. p. 1.
  21. ^abcMarrero, Robert (January 1, 2017)."472 Stations, 850 Miles"(PDF).B24 Blog, viaDropbox.RetrievedApril 27,2018.
  22. ^"E Subway Timetable, Effective April 1, 2024".Metropolitan Transportation Authority.RetrievedJune 28,2024.
  23. ^"M Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024".Metropolitan Transportation Authority.RetrievedJune 28,2024.
  24. ^"R Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024".Metropolitan Transportation Authority.RetrievedJune 28,2024.
  25. ^"Subway Map"(PDF).Metropolitan Transportation Authority.September 2021.RetrievedSeptember 17,2021.
  26. ^"Tile Colors a Guide in the New Subway; Decoration Scheme Changes at Each Express Stop to Tell Riders Where They Are".The New York Times.August 22, 1932.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on July 1, 2022.RetrievedJuly 1,2022.
  27. ^Carlson, Jen (February 18, 2016)."Map: These Color Tiles In The Subway System Used To Mean Something".Gothamist.RetrievedMay 10,2023.
  28. ^Gleason, Will (February 18, 2016)."The hidden meaning behind the New York subway's colored tiles".Time Out New York.RetrievedMay 10,2023.
  29. ^ab"MTA Neighborhood Maps: Long Island City"(PDF).Metropolitan Transportation Authority.2015.RetrievedSeptember 27,2015.
  30. ^*NYC Transit Committee Agenda January 1995.New York City Transit. January 20, 1995. pp. D.80.
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