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
The Queens Boulevard Line was one of the first lines built by the city-owned Independent Subway System (IND), and stretches between the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan and 179th Street and Hillside Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. The Queens Boulevard Line was in part financed by a Public Works Administration (PWA) loan and grant of $25,000,000. One of the proposed stations would have been located at Steinway Street.
The first section of the line, west from Roosevelt Avenue to 50th Street, opened on August 19, 1933. E trains ran local to Hudson Terminal (today's World Trade Center) in Manhattan, while the GG (predecessor to current G service) ran as a shuttle service between Queens Plaza and Nassau Avenue on the IND Crosstown Line. It was the first stop in Queens after crossing the East River for six years until the 1939 opening of 23rd Streetâ€"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. 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
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 â€" so dark, in fact, that even under bright light it appears black from a distance.
West of the station, the M train (E train during late nights) crosses to the express track from the local track. R trains stay on the local tracks, which 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, while the 60th Street Tunnel Connection is used by the R. The express tracks continue on the IND Queens Boulevard Line, serving Court Squareâ€"23rd Street at Long Island City before traveling through the 53rd Street Tunnel to Manhattan.
East of the station, the M train (E train during late nights) crosses 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 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.
Exits
The full-time booth is near the center of the mezzanine. 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 on the southern and western corners of Jackson Avenue and West Street at the south endm 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 northwest and southeast corners of Northern Boulevard at 41st Avenue, and one to each platform.
References
External links
- nycsubway.org â€" IND Queens Boulevard Line: Queens Plaza
- Station Reporter â€" E Train
- Station Reporter â€" R Train
- Station Reporter â€" M Train
- The Subway Nut â€" Queens Plaza Pictures
- MTA's Arts For Transit â€" 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