Astoria Boulevard (BMT Astoria Line)

 Astoria Blvd
 "N" train ​"W" train
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Station statistics
Address Astoria Boulevard & 31st Street
Astoria, NY 11102
Borough Queens
Locale Astoria
Coordinates 40°46′12″N 73°55′05″W / 40.769979°N 73.918161°W / 40.769979; -73.918161Coordinates: 40°46′12″N 73°55′05″W / 40.769979°N 73.918161°W / 40.769979; -73.918161
Division B (BMT)
Line BMT Astoria Line
Services       N  (all times)
​      W  (weekdays only)
Transit connections New York City Bus: Airport transportation M60 SBS to LaGuardia Airport
MTA Bus: Q19
Structure Elevated
Platforms 2 island platforms
cross-platform interchange
Tracks 3 (2 in regular service)
Other information
Opened February 1, 1917 (1917-02-01)[1]
Station code 002[2]
Accessible not ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Former/other names Astoria Boulevard–Hoyt Avenue
Traffic
Passengers (2017) 5,031,462[3] Decrease 7.3%
Rank 95 out of 425
Station succession
Next north Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard: N  ​W 
Next south 30th Avenue (local): N  ​W 
Queensboro Plaza (express): no regular service

Astoria Boulevard (also known as Astoria Boulevard–Hoyt Avenue) is an express station on the BMT Astoria Line. Located above 31st Street at Astoria Boulevard and the Grand Central Parkway in Astoria, Queens, the station is served by the N train at all times, as well as by the W train on weekdays.

History

Staircase shelter on southbound platform

This station opened on February 1, 1917, along with the rest of the Astoria Line, which was originally part of the IRT, as a spur off the IRT Queensboro Line, now the IRT Flushing Line. Trains ran between Grand Central and Astoria.[1][4] On July 23, 1917, the Queensboro Bridge spur of the elevated IRT Second Avenue Line opened. At that time, all elevated trains to Queensboro Plaza used the Astoria Line while all subway trains used the Corona Line, though this was later changed with trains alternating between branches.[4][5] This station started to be served by BMT shuttles using elevated cars on April 8, 1923.[6]

On October 17, 1949, the Astoria Line became BMT-only as the tracks at Queensboro Plaza were consolidated and the platforms on the Astoria Line were shaved back to allow through BMT trains to operate on it. Service was initially provided by the Brighton Local (BMT 1) weekdays & Broadway - Fourth Avenue Local (BMT 2) at all times.[7]

The platforms at this station, along with six others on the Astoria Line, were lengthened to 610 feet (190 m) to accommodate ten-car trains in 1950.[8]:23 The project cost $863,000. Signals on the line had to be modified to take into account the platform extensions.[9]:633, 729

On the morning of May 1, 1998, a backhoe working underneath the station (not performing New York City Transit-related work) struck the mezzanine, ripping out three support beams while damaging four more and creating a huge hole in the floor. There were no injuries, but trains bypassed the station at restricted speed. Cleanup work began immediately and by noon, the slow speed restriction was removed. By 3:00 p.m., a temporary wooden floor was installed. Less than eight hours from the time of the first response, the station was back in full service. Permanent repairs were made overnight.[10]

In September 2018, work will begin to make the station compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Two elevators will be installed between the street and the mezzanine, and two elevators will connect the mezzanine with the two platforms. In order to construct the street elevators, the station mezzanine will be demolished and rebuilt. The new mezzanine will be raised to reduce strikes by trucks driving underneath. Starting February 2019, the station will be fully closed for nine months so the mezzanine could be replaced.[11]

Station layout

Track layout
to Ditmars Blvd
to Ditmars Blvd
to 30 Av
to Queensboro Plz
P
Platforms		 Southbound local ← "N" train toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (30th Avenue)
← "W" train toward Whitehall Street–South Ferry (weekdays) (30th Avenue)
Island platform, doors will open on the left
Peak-direction express ← No regular service
(No service: Queensboro Plaza southbound or Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard northbound)
Island platform, doors will open on the left
Northbound local → "N" train ("W" train weekdays) toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard (Terminus) →
M Mezzanine two entrances/exits, station agent, MetroCard vending machines
G Street Level Entrances/Exits
View of station from RFK Bridge

The elevated station has three tracks and two island platforms. The center track is not used in revenue service, but it had been used regularly as recently as 2002.[12]

The station has wooden canopies with transite and wooden mezzanines. The northbound platform’s benches are surrounded by low windscreen on three sides. The southbound platform bears the tertiary name of Columbus Square, for a small park containing a statue of Columbus by Angelo Racioppi immediately east of the southeastern stair of the station. It also has an enclosed waiting area.

Exits

Stairs/Walkway on the north side of Astoria Boulevard. The Q train served this station between 2010 and 2016.

This station affords a view of the Hell Gate Bridge and viaduct to the north, Triborough Bridge to the west, and the Grand Central Parkway (Interstate 278) and Hoyt Avenue underneath. These three structures forced a change in the station. The overpass to the far north exit was an addition because of the Triborough Bridge’s construction in 1936. The parkway forced relocation of the north exit stairways since the parkway was too wide for the original stairways. The southern stairways are original. The mezzanine has separate turnstile banks from each side with crossunders from the platform stairs.

Essentially, there are four exits to the station: two to either northern corner of Hoyt Avenue North and 31st Street (via overpass), and two to either southern corner of Hoyt Avenue South and 31st Street.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 "First Train Runs On Elevated Line to Astoria Section". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 1, 1917. Retrieved June 29, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Station Developers' Information". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2012–2017". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Annual report. 1916-1917. New York: Interborough Rapid Transit Company. 1917.
  5. ↑ "Subway Link Over Queensboro Bridge". The New York Times. July 22, 1917. p. 31. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Additional Subway Service to Borough of Queens". The New York Times. April 8, 1923. p. RE1. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Direct Subway Runs to Flushing, Astoria". The New York Times. October 15, 1949. p. 17. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
  8. ↑ Association, General Contractors (1950). Bulletin.
  9. ↑ Transportation, New York (N Y. ) Board of (1950). Proceedings ...
  10. ↑ Mbugua, Martin; Rutenberg, James (May 2, 1998). "Backhoe Cripples El". Daily News. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
  11. ↑ "MTA New York City Transit to Bring Elevators to Astoria Blvd Station". www.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 17, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  12. ↑ Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
  13. ↑ "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Astoria" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
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