Queens Plaza (IND Queens Boulevard Line)

Queens Plaza
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Station statistics
Address	Queens Plaza, Jackson Avenue, Queens Boulevard & Northern Boulevard Queens, NY 11101
Borough	Queens
Locale	Long Island City
Coordinates	40°44′56″N 73°56′15″W / 40.748915°N 73.937387°WCoordinates: 40°44′56″N 73°56′15″W / 40.748915°N 73.937387°W
Division	B (IND)
Line	IND Queens Boulevard Line
Services	E  (all times)       M  (weekdays until 11:00 p.m.)       R  (all hours except late nights)
Transit connections	NYCT Bus: B62, Q32 MTA Bus: Q39, Q60, Q67, Q100, Q101, Q102
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	August 19, 1933
Accessible
Wireless service	[1][2]
Traffic
Passengers (2015)	3,101,888[3]  3.2%
Rank	163 out of 422
Station succession
Next north	36th Street (local): E  M  R  Jackson Heights – Roosevelt Avenue (express): E
Next south	Court Square – 23rd Street (via Queens Boulevard): E  M  Lexington Avenue / 59th Street (via Broadway): R  Court Square (via Crosstown): no regular service
Next north	Jackson Heights – Roosevelt Avenue: E  M  R
Next south	Lexington Avenue – 53rd Street (via Queens Boulevard): E  M  Times Square – 42nd Street (via Broadway): R
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops all times Stops late nights only Stops weekdays only
Location

Queens Plaza is an express station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway. Located under the eastern edge of Queens Plaza at the large Queens Plaza interchange, it is served by the E train at all times, by the R train at all times except late nights, and by the M train on weekdays except late nights.

While situated relatively close to the elevated Queensboro Plaza station on the BMT Astoria Line and IRT Flushing Line, there is no free transfer between the two stations.

History

This station opened on August 19, 1933, as part of the initial stretch of the Queens Boulevard Line from 50th Street to Roosevelt Avenue. It was the first stop in Queens after crossing the East River for six years until 1939 with the opening of 23rd Street – Ely Avenue. Until the opening of the 60th Street Tunnel Connection in 1955 after the unification of the subway, only express trains in Queens ran to Manhattan; local trains were routed onto the IND Crosstown Line.^[4] This service pattern is no longer in use due to the increased popularity of cross-river travel to Manhattan and Crosstown Line trains now terminate one stop earlier at Court Square.

Station layout

G	Street Level	Exits/Entrances
M	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent (Elevator at SW corner of Queens Plaza South and Jackson Avenue)
P Platform level	Southbound local	← toward Middle Village – Metropolitan Avenue weekdays ( toward World Trade Center late nights) (Court Square – 23rd Street) ← toward 95th Street (Lexington Avenue / 59th Street) (No service: Court Square)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
	Southbound express	← toward World Trade Center (Court Square – 23rd Street)
	Northbound express	→ toward Jamaica Center (Jackson Heights – Roosevelt Avenue all except nights, 36th Street late nights) → → toward Forest Hills – 71st Avenue weekdays (36th Street) →
	Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
	Northbound local	→ toward Forest Hills – 71st Avenue (36th Street) →

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

Like most express stations on the subway, Queens Plaza has two island platforms and four tracks to facilitate cross-platform interchanges between local and express trains. Its tile band is of the darkest shade of the violet family (Black Grape), three tiles high and black-bordered – so dark, in fact, that even under bright light it appears black from a distance.

West of the station, the local tracks split to the BMT Broadway Line via the 60th Street Tunnel to Manhattan and IND Crosstown Line to Brooklyn. The connection to the Crosstown Line is not currently used in revenue service. The express tracks continue on the IND Queens Boulevard Line, serving Court Square – 23rd Street at Long Island City before traveling through the 53rd Street Tunnel to Manhattan.^[5]

East of the station, 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 track is used to relay the New York Transit Museum's holiday trains in November and December. The tunnel then widens again to allow the IND 63rd Street Line ramps to rise and lead trains to merge with either the local or express tracks.^[5]

Entrances and exits

Station entrance at 41st Avenue and Northern Boulevard. Overhead is the BMT Astoria Line. Off to the right (although out of sight in this photo) is Queensboro Plaza station.

The full time booth is near the center of the mezzanine. There are three staircases to the street and an outside passageway to two more staircases at 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 the DOT indoor parking lot structure when it was constructed in 1975. Before the renovation, the station had a full length mezzanine (inside and outside of fare 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 part time booth has two stairs to the street and one to each platform.

References

1. NYC Subway Wireless
2. More Subway Stations in Manhattan, Bronx in Line to Get Online, mta.info (March 25, 2015). "The first two phases included stations in Midtown Manhattan and all underground stations in Queens with the exception of the 7 Main St terminal."
3. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
4. "1937 IND system map" (PDF). NYCSubway. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
5. Marrero, Robert (2015-09-13). "469 Stations, 846 Miles" (PDF). B24 Blog, via Dropbox. Retrieved 2015-10-09.

External links

• nycsubway.org—IND Queens Boulevard Line: Queens Plaza
• Station Reporter — E Train
• Station Reporter — R Train
• Station Reporter — M Train
• The Subway Nut — Queens Plaza Pictures
• MTA's Arts For Transit — Queens Plaza (IND Queens Boulevard Line)
• Queens Plaza entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 41st Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Entrance south of Queens Plaza from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View