IND Queens Boulevard Line
Opening/Closing Dates
| Station | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|
| Jamaica Center -- Parsons-Archer | 12/11/1988 | |
| Sutphin Blvd.-Archer Ave.-JFK | 12/11/1988 | |
| Jamaica-Van Wyck | 12/11/1988 | |
| 179th Street | 12/10/1950 | |
| 169th Street | 4/24/1937 | |
| Parsons Boulevard | 4/24/1937 | |
| Sutphin Boulevard | 4/24/1937 | |
| Briarwood-Van Wyck Boulevard | 4/24/1937 | |
| Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens | 12/31/1936 | |
| 75th Avenue | 12/31/1936 | |
| 71st-Continental Aves.-Forest Hills | 12/31/1936 | |
| 67th Avenue | 12/31/1936 | |
| 63rd Drive-Rego Park | 12/31/1936 | |
| Woodhaven Boulevard-Queens Mall | 12/31/1936 | |
| Grand Avenue-Newtown | 12/31/1936 | |
| Elmhurst Avenue | 12/31/1936 | |
| Roosevelt Avenue | 8/19/1933 | |
| Roosevelt Avenue (Terminal Station) | never completed | |
| 65th Street | 8/19/1933 | |
| Northern Boulevard | 8/19/1933 | |
| 46th Street | 8/19/1933 | |
| Steinway Street | 8/19/1933 | |
| 36th Street | 8/19/1933 | |
| Queens Plaza | 8/19/1933 | |
| Court Square | 8/19/1933 | |
| Lexington Avenue-53rd Street | 8/19/1933 | |
| 5th Avenue-53rd Street | 8/19/1933 | |
| 7th Avenue-53rd Street | 8/19/1933 |
Station by Station (Jamaica Branch)
Jamaica Center -- Parsons-Archer
Artwork Jamaica Center Station Riders, Blue (Sam Gilliam, 1991)
EJZ
Two levels, two tracks and one island platform on each level. ADA
accessible with full elevator access. This station has tan brick
walls and red brick floor. The ceiling has metal slats and resembles a
vaulted ceiling except there are no curves.
 Photo by: Michael Hodurski |
 Photo by: David of Broadway |
 Photo by: Robert Mencher |
 Photo by: Al Bennett, Jr. |
 Photo by: John Dooley |
| More Images: 1-50 51-100 101-129 | ||||
Sutphin Blvd.-Archer Ave.-JFK
EJZ
Two levels, two tracks and one island platform on each level. ADA
accessible with full elevator access. This station features gray
vertical acoustic tile side walls and a glassed-in crossover. The
station has a high ceiling with transverse metal slats. The I-beams
are enclosed with stainless steel. The mezzanine is glass and
stainless steel and features a Sutphin Boulevard mosaic on the
geographic north wall. The escalator from mezzanine to LIRR station
features a red checkerboard pattern. The stairs to the mezzanine and
lower level have glass sides.
 Photo by: David Pirmann |
 Photo by: John Dooley |
 Photo by: Bernard Chatreau |
 Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld |
 Photo by: Richard Panse |
| More Images: 1-50 51-69 | ||||
Jamaica-Van Wyck
E
This station has a station house at street level. The
station's fare control mezzanine is reached by a long escalator. The
station has red brick sidewalls and has the mezzanine over the
northbound (to Jamaica) track. The geographic north side of the
mezzanine has windows near the ceiling to let in natural light thus
giving the station a broad, airy, open feeling. The mezzanine is
suspended via heavy cables to the station roof.
 Photo by: Filip Matuska |
 Photo by: David Pirmann |
 Photo by: Bill E. |
 Photo by: David Pirmann |
 Photo by: David Pirmann |
| More Images: 1-50 51-76 | ||||
Station by Station (179th Street Branch)
179th Street
Artwork Our Spectrum of Support (Reginald Polynice, 1993)
F This terminal station has four tracks and two island platforms. There is beige wall tile with blue and orange color stripes. In an unusual feature the two colors alternate in a sine-wave pattern with each being on top before curving underneath the other color. The full mezzanine with crossover features comic superhero plywood cutouts "holding up the ceiling" of the station. The south end of southbound platform features a tower. North of this station there are eight storage tracks, four on each of two levels, which continue as far as 184th Street.
 Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne |
 Photo by: Doug Grotjahn |
 Photo by: Brian Weinberg |
 Photo by: John Barnes |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
| More Images: 1-50 51-100 101-122 | ||||
169th Street
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
F Two side platforms, four tracks. Tile is similar to that at Parsons Boulevard, but I-beams here are painted green. The full mezzanine features a crossover.
 Photo by: Brian Weinberg |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
 Photo by: Leonard Wilson |
 Photo by: Wilfredo Castillo |
| More Images: 1-10 | ||||
Parsons Boulevard
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
F Four tracks, two island platforms. Tile stripe is burnt orange with black border. A name tablet with reversed colors exists. I-beams are also the burnt orange color. At present only the local tracks are used. The station features a full mezzanine with crossover.
 Photo by: Doug Grotjahn |
 Photo by: Leonard Wilson |
 Photo by: Christopher Henderson |
 Photo by: John Barnes |
 Photo by: Christopher Henderson |
| More Images: 1-24 | ||||
Sutphin Boulevard
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
F Four tracks, two side platforms. Typical IND tile in a gold color.
 Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld |
 Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne |
 Photo by: Leonard Wilson |
 Photo by: John Dooley |
 Photo by: Jie Wen Li |
| More Images: 1-8 | ||||
Briarwood-Van Wyck Boulevard
Artwork Beautifying Briarwood (Briarwood Students)
F Two side platforms, four tracks. This station was renamed from Van Wyck Blvd. to avoid confusion with the Jamaica/Van Wyck Station on the Jamaica Center branch. Tile stripe is gold with a black border, with the pattern reversed on the name tablet. There is no free crossover due to center fare control in the mezzanine. After this station, the 179th St. line and Jamaica Center line diverge, with four tracks to 179th St. and two new tracks between the local and express trains diverging to Jamaica Center.
 Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne |
 Photo by: Richard Panse |
 Photo by: Brian Weinberg |
 Photo by: Brian Weinberg |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
| More Images: 1-26 | ||||
Station by Station (Main Line)
Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens
Artwork Underground Skies/Cloud Forest (Krystyna Spisak-Madejczyk)
EF
Four tracks and two island platforms. I-beams are blue
and tile stripe is gold with black border. There is a crossover in
the mezzanine and a tower at the north end of the northbound
platform. The mezzanine itself is in two halves due to Union Turnpike
crossing under Queens Boulevard at this location.
 Photo by: Richard Panse |
 Photo by: Richard Panse |
 Photo by: Michael Hodurski |
 Photo by: John Barnes |
 Photo by: Doug Grotjahn |
| More Images: 1-50 51-100 101-124 | ||||
75th Avenue
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
F Four tracks, two side platforms. The tile is an olive green color. There used to be a full mezzanine but the fare control is now in the center so there is no free crossover.
 Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
 Photo by: Richard Panse |
 Photo by: Leonard Wilson |
 Photo by: John Dooley |
| More Images: 1-22 | ||||
71st-Continental Aves.-Forest Hills
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
EFMR
Four tracks, two island platforms. The tile stripe is light green with black border. I-beams are also light green. A dispatch tower is in the center of the southbound platform. The full mezzanine has a center fare control. There is a free crossover. East of the station the line widens to six tracks, with two tracks starting between the local and express pairs. They dive to a lower level, widen to four tracks, and run on a lower level through 75th Ave. station. This is primarily for access to Jamaica Yard and offpeak train storage.
 Photo by: David of Broadway |
 Photo by: Anthony Modesto |
 Photo by: John Dooley |
 Photo by: Wilfredo Castillo |
 Photo by: Jose Garrido |
| More Images: 1-50 51-100 101-150 151 | ||||
67th Avenue
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
MR Two side platforms with four tracks. The mezzanine is very dim and has vent chambers to the street.
 Photo by: Michael Hodurski |
 Photo by: Bill E. |
 Photo by: Bill E. |
 Photo by: Richard Panse |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
| More Images: 1-14 | ||||
63rd Drive-Rego Park
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
MR Two side platforms with four tracks. There is a center mezzanine and a free crossover at the west end near the token booth. The mezzanine features a "63rd Drive" mosaic.
There is an unused trackway for westbound local trains beginning at outer wall just east of station, rising up to an upper level. It crosses over the existing tracks to curve south, ends at the edge of the line under Queens Blvd. At that curve, another unused trackway for eastbound local trains curves off outer wall. This was another way to get to the Rockaways and south Queens in the 1929 plan, running right to the LIRR Rockaway line.
 Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne |
 Photo by: Joe Testagrose |
 Photo by: Bill E. |
 Photo by: Bill E. |
 Photo by: Bill E. |
| More Images: 1-50 51-52 | ||||
Woodhaven Boulevard-Queens Mall
Artwork In Memory of the Lost Battalion (Pablo Tauler, 1996)
MR Four tracks, two side platforms but space has been allowed for possible future conversion to an express station. Recently renovated, tile color is like Elmhurst and has no border around the name tablet. In the past, the station bore the secondary name of Slattery Plaza but recent maps indicate the secondary name as Queens Mall. The mezzanine features nine I-beam sculptures, and vent chambers to the street. This station was designed for conversion to an express station. The outer walls are curved so that the local track could be rerouted if desired. In addition, at each end of the station a bellmouth exists in the tunnel walls which is similar to stations where the tracks widen to accommodate an island platform.
 Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld |
 Photo by: Bill E. |
 Photo by: Bill E. |
 Photo by: Max Diamond |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
| More Images: 1-31 | ||||
Grand Avenue-Newtown
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
MR This station features an old wooden token booth on the Manhattan-bound side. Typical IND dim incandescent lights in the mezzanine.
 Photo by: Bill E. |
 Photo by: Peter Ehrlich |
 Photo by: John Barnes |
 Photo by: John Barnes |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
| More Images: 1-25 | ||||
Elmhurst Avenue
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
MR Two side platforms, four tracks. This station features a light shade of blue in the tile stripe. There had been a full mezzanine but the central portion has been fenced off. There is a free crossover at the extreme north end. There are numerous closed exits to the mezzanine.
 Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
| More Images: 1-12 | ||||
Roosevelt Avenue
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
Transfer to IRT Flushing Line
EFMR
Two island platforms, four tracks. This station has a blue color
stripe with black border and no name tablet. I-beams are painted gold.
This station is a transfer to the IRT Flushing elevated line. The fare
control is in the center of the mezzanine which does have a free
crossover. Exiting the north fare control in the mezzanine and
following the passageway will take you to the built-but-never-used
Roosevelt Avenue terminal station.
 Photo by: Bill E. |
 Photo by: John Barnes |
 Photo by: Christopher Henderson |
 Photo by: Wilfredo Castillo |
 Photo by: Christopher Henderson |
| More Images: 1-50 51-89 | ||||
Roosevelt Avenue (Terminal Station)
The Winfield Spur, planned as part of the IND Second System in 1929, was designed to provide through service to the Rockaways from midtown, and to serve the neighborhoods of Maspeth and Ridgewood. It would have been a two-track line from Roosevelt Avenue to a connection with another newly planned line, the Myrtle/Central Avenue line. It would have run as subway to 45th Avenue, elevated to Fresh Pond Road, and again as subway to the connection with the Myrtle/Central Ave line. In anticipation of this line being built, trackways measuring 750 feet long and a completed station with full tile work were built that connect to today's IND Queens Blvd line at Roosevelt Avenue -- Jackson Heights. The Great Depression and later World War II stopped all these grand expansion plans, and no further construction was ever done. The station and trackways remain, serving not passengers, but as a storage area and maintenance-of-way offices.
Joe Brennan notes: There is an unused trackway for westbound local trains beginning at outer wall just east of station, rises up to same level as 2 trackways mentioned above making 3 trackways on upper level. At 78th St, 3 trackways on upper level curve to south, ending at "temporary" wall at edge of constructed subway. On lower track level in use, a fourth local trackway for eastbound local trains is seen also curving to south and similarly ending at a wall. The 4-track subway running south was a plan for a line to the Rockaways and south Jamaica proposed in 1929. Get out the atlases: via private property at 78th St now used as a playground, west in Garfield Ave, south in 65th Place, private property, Fresh Pond Road, then east in the LIRR, etc.
 Photo by: Mark S. Feinman |
 Photo by: Mark S. Feinman |
 Photo by: Mark S. Feinman |
 Photo by: Mark S. Feinman |
 Photo by: Michael Pompili |
| More Images: 1-31 | ||||
65th Street
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
MR Four tracks, two side platforms. The express tracks have rejoined the route just west of this station. There is a crossover at the north (65th St.) end and a closed entrance, visible in the tile difference on the 63rd street end. A hint of IND Second System plans is found here in the "Jamaica and Rockaways" mosaic in the north end mezzanine.
 Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne |
 Photo by: Joe Testagrose |
 Photo by: Frank LeViness |
 Photo by: Frank LeViness |
 Photo by: Michael Hodurski |
| More Images: 1-13 | ||||
Northern Boulevard
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
MR The station features platform level fare controls at both ends of the two wall platforms. There are heavy columns across one part of the station, where N.Y. Connecting Railroad to the Hell Gate Bridge crosses over.
 Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne |
 Photo by: Gary Chatterton |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
 Photo by: Gary Chatterton |
 Photo by: Leonard Wilson |
| More Images: 1-20 | ||||
46th Street
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
MR No crossovers due to platform level fare controls at both ends of each platform.
 Photo by: Joe Testagrose |
 Photo by: George Cuhaj |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
| More Images: 1-23 | ||||
Steinway Street
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
MR There is a crossover and mosaics "Manhattan and Brooklyn" and "Jamaica". I-beams are gold. The north end features a crossover.
 Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne |
 Photo by: Zach Summer |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
| More Images: 1-27 | ||||
36th Street
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
MR Two tracks, two side platforms. The southbound fare control is at platform level with a passageway outside the control to 35th and 34th Streets. The northbound platform has a short mezzanine fare control at the 34th Street end. The 36th Street end reveals an iron maiden and a possible closed crossover. This station has two wall platforms for the local trains and four tracks.
 Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne |
 Photo by: Wayne Whitehorne |
 Photo by: John Barnes |
 Photo by: Michael Hodurski |
 Photo by: Richard Panse |
| More Images: 1-25 | ||||
Queens Plaza
Artwork Look Up Not Down (Ellen Harvey, 2005)
EMR
Two island platforms and a standard four track local/express
configuration, The tile stripe is medium purple with a black
border. The station has no name tablet and features gold colored
I-Beams. There are two control towers here, one at each end of the
platforms. East of the station, the tunnel widens to allow the 63rd
Street Line's ramps to rise and lead trains to merge with either the
local or express tracks. Prior to the 63rd Street Connector project,
completed in 2001, a fifth track had already existed, used for turning
trains during off-peak service times.
 Photo by: Joe Testagrose |
 Photo by: Richard Panse |
 Photo by: Richard Panse |
 Photo by: Nicholas Noel |
 Photo by: Nicholas Noel |
| More Images: 1-50 51-100 101-150 151-153 | ||||
Court Square
Artwork Temple Quad Reliefs (Frank Olt, 1992), Stream (Elizabeth Murray, 2001)
Transfer to IND Crosstown Line
EM
Two tracks, two side platforms. Thanks to Citibank, a new free
transfer to the IND Brooklyn/Queens Crosstown line has been
established here. The north fare control features a crossover, while
the south fare control is four steps up from the platform and has no
crossover. The tile stripe is red with black border. The name tablet
is brown with an orange border. The lower tile is faux marble and
there is artwork on the north end of the station.
ADA accessiblity is presently limited to Manhattan-bound trains only.
 Photo by: David Pirmann |
 Photo by: Richard Panse |
 Photo by: Richard Panse |
 Photo by: John Dooley |
 Photo by: Wilfredo Castillo |
| More Images: 1-50 51-56 | ||||
Lexington Avenue-53rd Street
Artwork Passing Through (Al Held, 2004)
Transfer to IRT East Side Line
EM Two tracks, one island platform. The western end has long escalators to the fare control, which were reported to be the longest in the world when first opened. (Many longer ones outside of New York are in operation since then.) The station has an island platform with two tracks and has no tile on the walls and as such no mosaics or colored tile bands. The station is very deep (approximately 80 feet below street level) and has very low ceilings. In October 2003, the TA opened an expanded mezzanine and a new escalator offering a second transfer point to the IRT East Side/Lexington Avenue Subway. An elevator is now being installed at this station.
 Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar |
 Photo by: Peter Ehrlich |
 Photo by: Bill E. |
 Collection of: Collection of nycsubway.org |
 Photo by: Lee Winson |
| More Images: 1-50 51-58 | ||||
5th Avenue-53rd Street
Artwork Subway Riders (Ralph Fasanella, 1950), The Subway: Design for a Modern Icon (MTA Arts & Design and The Museum of Modern Art, 2020)
Transfer to IND 6th Avenue Line, IND 8th Avenue Line
EM Two levels, one track and one side platform on each level. The platforms are on the south side of the tracks. Trains heading to Manhattan use the upper level and trains to Queens trains use the lower level. I-beams are red and the tile is tan with red stripe with the name "Fifth Avenue 53 Street" in white. The upper level has a rounded ceiling with longitudinal metal slats. The lower level has vent chambers at the eastern end. To get to the fare control from the upper level requires 77 steps or a long escalator ride. There's 28 steps between the lower level and the upper level, and another 30 between the fare control (at the 5th Avenue end) to the street outside 666 Fifth Avenue. The upper platform is approximately 60 feet below the street, the lower level approximately 80 feet below the street.
 Photo by: Brian Weinberg |
 Photo by: Brian Weinberg |
 Photo by: David Pirmann |
 Photo by: Brian Weinberg |
 Photo by: Richard Panse |
| More Images: 1-50 51-71 | ||||
7th Avenue-53rd Street
Artwork Sorry, no artwork here.
Transfer to IND 6th Avenue Line, IND 8th Avenue Line
BDE Two levels, two tracks and one island platform on each level. The lower level serves "uptown" trains from both the 8th Avenue and 6th Avenue subway lines (that is, both trains are heading north to the Bronx or Queens) but they travel in opposite directions. The same holds true for the upper level, which serves trains heading downtown to either the 8th Avenue or 6th Avenue subway, but the trains are traveling in opposite directions along 53rd St. The northernmost track on each level is used by 8th Avenue service while the 6th Avenue trains use the southernmost track. This station is fairly deep, approximately 30 feet below street level (upper platform). Three flights of stairs are necessary to reach the fare control. Tile color is purple with black border and has no name tablet as such. What passes for a name tablet is a medium sized "7th Avenue" mosaic. The 7th Ave. end of the station features a round tube design. The Broadway BMT line passes directly overhead near the western end of the station which can be seen by different ceiling and column styles.
 Photo by: Doug Grotjahn |
 Photo by: David Pirmann |
 Photo by: Bill E. |
 Photo by: Brian Weinberg |
 Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld |
| More Images: 1-44 | ||||
Page Credits
Station descriptions by Peggy Darlington.