Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike (IND Queens Boulevard Line)

 Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike
 "E" train ​"F" train
New York City Subway rapid transit station
The Jamaica bound platform at Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike, with the two parts of the station name printed in reverse order on the overhead sign.
Station statistics
Address Union Turnpike & Queens Boulevard
Kew Gardens, NY 11415
Borough Queens
Locale Kew Gardens, Forest Hills
Coordinates 40°42′51″N 73°49′51″W / 40.714151°N 73.830786°W / 40.714151; -73.830786Coordinates: 40°42′51″N 73°49′51″W / 40.714151°N 73.830786°W / 40.714151; -73.830786
Division B (IND)
Line IND Queens Boulevard Line
Services       E  (all times)
​      F  (all times)
Transit connections NYCT Bus: Q46, X63, X64, X68
MTA Bus: Airport transportation via Q10 bus Q10, Q37, Q60, QM18, QM21
Railway transportation LIRR: City Terminal Zone (at Kew Gardens)
Structure Underground
Platforms 2 island platforms
cross-platform interchange
Tracks 4
Other information
Opened December 31, 1936 (1936-12-31)
Station code 259[1]
Accessible ADA-accessible
Wireless service [2][3]
Former/other names Union Turnpike–Kew Gardens
Traffic
Passengers (2017) 7,811,007[4] Decrease 3.7%
Rank 46 out of 425
Station succession
Next east Parsons Boulevard (express): E 
Jamaica–Van Wyck (Archer express): E 
Briarwood (local): E  ​F 
Next west 75th Avenue (local): E  ​F 
Forest Hills–71st Avenue (express): E 
Next east Jamaica–179th Street (via Queens Blvd./Hillside): E  ​F 
Jamaica–Van Wyck (via Archer): E 
Next west Forest Hills–71st Avenue: E  ​F 

Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike (signed as Union Turnpike–Kew Gardens on overhead and entrance signs) is an express station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Union Turnpike and Queens Boulevard on the border of Kew Gardens and Forest Hills, Queens, it is served by the E and F trains at all times. Despite the station's name, Union Turnpike forms the border between Kew Gardens and Forest Hills, and the station straddles that border, with multiple entrances located in each neighborhood.[5]

The station opened on December 31, 1936 as the new terminal for the Independent Subway System's Queens Boulevard Line. The opening of the station brought significant growth to the adjacent communities of Forest Hills and Kew Gardens, transforming them from quiet residential communities to active population centers. Today, the station serves as a major transfer point between the subway and local buses. Bus service to eastern Queens or southern-central Queens is provided by the Q46, and the Q10 and Q37, respectively.

History

Front view of the Civic Virtue statue near Queens Borough Hall in 2008. The statue has since been removed.

The Queens Boulevard Line was one of the first lines built by the city-owned Independent Subway System (IND),[6][7][8] and stretches between the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan and 179th Street and Hillside Avenue in Jamaica, Queens.[6][8][9] The Queens Boulevard Line was in part financed by a Public Works Administration (PWA) loan and grant of $25,000,000.[10] One of the proposed stations would have been located at Union Turnpike. A map from June 1925[11] shows a proposed alternate routing for the Queens Boulevard Line, that would have had the line turn via Kew Gardens Road after the Union Turnpike station instead of continuing via Queens Boulevard.[12][13] After proceeding via Kew Gardens Road the line would have turned via Hillside Avenue.[12][13] If this route were used, then Kew Gardens Road would have had to been widened to accommodate the four track line. This alternate routing would have provided for better access to Richmond Hill.[14] In 1930, in anticipation of growth due to the building of the Queens Boulevard Line, several blocks of land along Queens Boulevard were rezoned so that fifteen-story apartment buildings could be built.[15]

On December 31, 1936, the IND Queens Boulevard Line was extended by eight stops, and 3.5 miles (5.6 km), from its previous terminus at Roosevelt Avenue to Union Turnpike.[16][17][18][19][20][21] The construction of the extension to Kew Gardens brought significant growth to Queens, specifically in Forest Hills and Kew Gardens.[22][23] New apartment buildings were being built as a result of the subway line, and it transformed both Forest Hills and Kew Gardens from quiet residential communities of one-family houses to active population centers.[24][25][26] Following the line's completion, there was an increase in the property values of buildings around Queens Boulevard.[27][28] On April 24, 1937, the IND Queens Boulevard Line was extended four stops to 169th Street, with 169th Street and Parsons Boulevard serving as terminals.[29][30]

On November 23, 1941, the Q37 bus operated by Green Bus Lines was extended to the station to provide a transfer to the subway.[31] In the 1950s, an unfinished stairway leading to the busy Q44A bus stop at Queens Boulevard and 78th Avenue was completed. Having only one staircase had resulted in dangerous conditions.[32]

In the 1970s, when the New York City Subway was at an all-time low, following the general trend of a decrease in ridership, the number of passengers using the Union Turnpike station decreased by 2.7 million passengers.[33][34] As part of the MTA's 1975–1981 transit program, station lighting at Kew Gardens was improved.[35] In 1981, the MTA listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.[36]

Station layout

G Street Level Exit/Entrance
B1 Mezzanine Fare control, station agent, MetroCard vending machines
(Elevator at SE corner of Union Turnpike and Kew Gardens Road)
B2
Platform level		 Southbound local ← "E" train toward World Trade Center evenings, late nights & weekends (75th Avenue)
← "F" train toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (75th Avenue)
Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
Southbound express ← "E" train toward World Trade Center weekdays (Forest Hills–71st Avenue)
Northbound express → "E" train toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer weekdays (Jamaica–Van Wyck) →
→ "E" train toward Jamaica–179th Street rush hours (Parsons Boulevard) →
Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
Northbound local → "E" train toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer evenings, late nights & weekends (Briarwood) →
→ "F" train toward Jamaica–179th Street (Briarwood) →
B3
Lower level tracks[37][38][39]		 Yard track → No passenger service
Yard track → No passenger service

This express station has four tracks and two island platforms. The F train stops on the outer local tracks at all times while the E stops on the center express tracks weekdays (Manhattan-bound from approximately 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Jamaica-bound from 7:30 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.) and on the outer tracks at all other times.[40] During weekdays this is the easternmost transfer point between the E and F trains before they branch off toward their eastern terminals.[37][41]

The platforms have dark blue columns, with yellow and black borders, as well as "Union Turnpike" text posted underneath on the platform walls.[42]

R33 #9075 just east of the station at Queens Borough Hall at 82nd Avenue

The station is near the Queens Borough Hall, the Queens Criminal Court, and the Kew-Forest School.[5] It is also close to the Forest Hills Tower, which has housed Plaza College since 2014 and also contains administrative offices for FEMA; it formerly housed the headquarters of JetBlue Airways and a public relations office for Con Edison, but the JetBlue office has since moved to the Brewster Building in Long Island City.[43][44][45] At the east end of Queens Borough Hall on 82nd Avenue, a retired IRT redbird, R33 car 9075, is on display.[46][47] The Redbird car was formerly a visitor center for the Queens Borough Hall, but the visitor center closed in 2015 due to low patronage,[48][49] and the car is now used as a landmark and for movie shoots.[50]

Mezzanines

This station is unusual in that its mezzanine is split in two halves: one to the northwest of Union Turnpike, and one to the southeast. This is because Union Turnpike and the Jackie Robinson Parkway cross under Queens Boulevard at this location, but over the Queens Boulevard Line tracks. The mezzanine and the Union Turnpike underpass are on the same level, and Union Turnpike splits the mezzanine in half, with no connection between the two halves outside of fare control.[51]

Previously a grade-level intersection, the underpass was constructed simultaneously with the subway station costing $250,000.[52][53] The construction of the underpass with a subway station underneath was a massive undertaking. Three levels were required in order for the underpass and the subway station to be built. The upper level that was built was Queens Boulevard, which carries traffic east and west. The second level is an underpass that carries four lanes of Union Turnpike (and now also the Jackie Robinson Parkway) under the Boulevard. The underpass is in between the two mezzanines and it would rest atop the roof of the subway station platform.[54]

Exits

The southeastern stairway and elevator (left), and the new ramp and passageway between the elevator and eastern mezzanine (right), both completed in 2008

Several stairs from street level feed down to the mezzanines. In addition, walkways are located either side of the Union Turnpike underpass, which themselves lead to the mezzanine on that respective side. One of the staircases on the east side of the turnpike and the adjacent elevator lead to the eastern walkway, which then feeds into the eastern mezzanine.[5] Automobiles and buses were formerly allowed to drop off and pick up passengers along those walkways (similar to stations on the IND Concourse Line), but car access is currently blocked. This was stopped because the cars caused traffic backups.[37][55][56][57][58] The underpass is graded east to allow for natural drainage. The lower level contains the subway tracks, which are located about 20 feet (6.1 m) below the underpass that carries the turnpike.[54]

The eastern (railroad north) half of the mezzanine contains the station's full-time token booth. In the late 2000s, the MTA undertook a $13.9 million refurbishment of the station, which was completed in July 2008; during that time, the station was upgraded with cube-glass walls, as well as an elevator and ramp in this part of the mezzanine, which serves riders of the Q10 and Q37 buses.[5] The elevator and ramp make the station wheelchair-accessible and compliant with the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.[42] Other improvements that were part of the project included the addition of station agent booths that catered to wheelchair users, as well as new railings, station signs, station payphones, tactile yellow strips along the platforms, and platform fillings to reduce gaps between trains and platforms.[59]

Track layout
to Parsons Blvd or Jamaica–Van Wyck
to Briarwood
to 75 Av
to 71 Av

However, the western (railroad south) half, which serves riders of the heavily used Q46 bus line that runs along Union Turnpike,[5] had its token booth closed and removed (with signage indicating asbestos condemnation). A piece of artwork, Underground Skies-Cloud Forest, that was designed by artist Krystyna Spisak-Madejczyk and architect Anna Chmura was installed in this half of the station mezzanine. This was a project of the Polish American Artist Society, and it was sponsored by the MTA Arts for Transit/Creative Stations Program.[42][60]

Track layout

A signal and switch tower is located at the north end of the northbound platform and is active only on weekdays.[37]

There are two diamond crossovers near this station: one is located at the eastern end, for eastbound trains, and the other is located at the western end, for westbound trains. Each switch allow trains to cross-over between the local and express tracks in the same direction.[61] There are two punch boxes one is located at the eastern end of the Jamaica-bound platform, allowing trains to continue along the Queens Boulevard line to 179th Street or to switch to the IND Archer Avenue Line, and the other one is at the western end of the Manhattan bound platform allowing trains to continue along the Queens Boulevard line to Manhattan / Brooklyn. [37]

East of the station there is a flying junction that connects to the Jamaica Yard via a wye that curves east from the yard towards Briarwood. A second side of the wye curves west to become a lower level of the subway just west of the station.[61][62] The yard itself is situated just north of the station in the southern portion of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, between the Grand Central Parkway and the Van Wyck Expressway.[5][63]

References

  1. ↑ "Station Developers' Information". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  2. ↑ "NYC Subway Wireless – Active Stations". Transit Wireless Wifi. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  3. ↑ 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."
  4. ↑ "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2012–2017". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "MTA Neighborhood Maps:Kew Gardens" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Duffus, 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. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  7. ↑ "QUEENS SUBWAY WORK AHEAD OF SCHEDULE: Completion Will Lead to Big Apartrnent Building, Says William C. Speers". The New York Times. April 7, 1929. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Queens Lauded as Best Boro By Chamber Chief". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 23, 1929. p. 40. Retrieved October 4, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ New York Times, New Subway Routes in Hylan Program to Cost $186,046,000, March 21, 1925, page 1
  10. ↑ "TEST TRAINS RUNNING IN QUEENS SUBWAY; Switch and Signal Equipment of New Independent Line Is Being Checked". The New York Times. December 20, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  11. ↑ "City Subway Lines Proposed Queens Line Long Island City to Jamaica Route 108-A, Route 108-B, Route 108-C As Per Route and General Plans June 5, 1925". Flickr – Photo Sharing!. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  12. 1 2 "City Subway Lines Proposed Queens Line Long Island City to Jamaica Route 108-A, Route 108-B, Route 108-C As Per Route and General Plans June 5, 1925". Flickr – Photo Sharing!. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  13. 1 2 "City Subway Lines Proposed Queens Line Long Island City to Jamaica Route 108-A, Route 108-B, Route 108-C As Per Route and General Plans June 5, 1925". Flickr – Photo Sharing!. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  14. ↑ "CONNOLLY FAVORS CHANGE IN SUBWAY; Suggests That Proposed Route Should Run Through Kew Gardens Road". The New York Times. August 22, 1925. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  15. ↑ "QUEENS TO HAVE 15-STORY HOUSE; Tall Structure for New Residential Development in ForestHills Area.NEAR BOULEVARD SUBWAYSeveral Blocks Rezoned for High Buildings Between Jamaicaand Kew Gardens. Apartment Height's Increase". The New York Times. March 23, 1930. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  16. ↑ "NEW RETAIL AREA IN QUEENS BOROUGH; Sees Roosevelt Avenue Subway Station as Great Shopping Centre. ADVANTAGES POINTED OUT Accessibility to Many Home Communities Assures Potential Market". The New York Times. July 9, 1933. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Reproduction Poster of Extension to Union Turnpike – Kew Gardens". Flickr – Photo Sharing!. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  18. ↑ Roger P. Roess; Gene Sansone (August 23, 2012). The Wheels That Drove New York: A History of the New York City Transit System. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 416–417. ISBN 978-3-642-30484-2.
  19. ↑ "PWA Party Views New Subway Link: Queens Section to Be Opened Tomorrow Is Inspected by Tuttle and Others" (PDF). nytimes.com. The New York Times. December 30, 1936. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  20. ↑ "CITY SUBWAY OPENS QUEENS LINK TODAY; Extension Brings Kew Gardens Within 36 Minutes of 42d St. on Frequent Trains". The New York Times. December 31, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  21. ↑ "OPENING MOVED UP FOR NEW SUBWAY; Traffic to Be Started on the Extension of City's Line to Kew Gardens on Thursday. EIGHT STATIONS ARE ADDED La Guardia and Official Party Will Inspect New Queens Branch on Wednesday". The New York Times. December 26, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  22. ↑ "NEW QUEENS SUBWAY STIMULATING GROWTH; Work Now Under Way to Kew Gardens—Many Home Communities Well Populated". The New York Times. April 26, 1931. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  23. ↑ "SUBWAY LINK AIDS REALTY ACTIVITYY; Broker Notes the Expansion of Housing Facilities in Queens District". The New York Times. March 7, 1937. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  24. ↑ "DEMAND IS NOTED FOR QUEENS HOMES; Sales in Many Areas Exceed Summer Expectations of Developers; JAMAICA SECTION ACTIVE; Buying Interest Reported at Kew Gardens—Open Roslyn Community Today Kew Gardens Activity Open Home Center at Roslyn". The New York Times. July 18, 1937. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  25. ↑ Myers, Steven Lee (June 14, 1992). "Life Beyond the Subway Is Subject to Its Own Disruptions". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  26. ↑ "FOREST HILLS IS ACTIVE; Renting Is Heaviest in Years There, Broker Reports". The New York Times. September 11, 1938. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  27. ↑ "SUBWAY LINK AIDS REALTY IN QUEENS; Civic Leaders Urge Careful Planning for the Future Growth of District. APARTMENT TREND SEEN Rising Values Are Predicted for the Forest Hills and Kew Gardens Areas. Views Future With Optimism Cites New Responsibilities SUBWAY LINK AIDS REALTY IN QUEENS Changing Conditions Seen Sales in Rego Park". The New York Times. January 3, 1937. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  28. ↑ "FOREST HILLS RENTALS; Demand There and in Kew Gardens Higher Than Last Year". The New York Times. July 11, 1937. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Subway Link Opens Soon: City Line to Jamaica Will Start About April 24" (PDF). nytimes.com. The New York Times. March 17, 1937. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Independent Subway Services Beginning in 1932". thejoekorner.com. August 21, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Bus Route Is Extended". The New York Times. November 19, 1941. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Express Buses Needed, Says Queens Group". New York Daily News. December 18, 1950. p. B1. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  33. ↑ nycsubway.org — The New York Transit Authority in the 1970s
  34. ↑ Burks, Edward C. (April 20, 1975). "Ridership on Queens Subways Down". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  35. ↑ Burks, Edward C. (March 24, 1975). "Plans Outlined to Upgrade Subway and Bus Systems". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  36. ↑ Gargan, Edward A. (June 11, 1981). "AGENCY LISTS ITS 69 MOST DETERIORATED SUBWAY STATIONS". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 "E Train". February 4, 2012. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  38. ↑ "F Train". February 4, 2012. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  39. ↑ nycsubway.org – IND Queens Boulevard Line: Union Turnpike/Kew Gardens
  40. ↑ "E Train Subway Timetable June 12, 2016" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 12, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  41. ↑ "February 2016 New York City Subway Map" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  42. 1 2 3 Cox, Jeremiah. "Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike (E,F) – The SubwayNut". www.subwaynut.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  43. ↑ Trapasso, Clare (April 8, 2012). "Forest Hills merchants struggling after JetBlue departure: Search is on for company to fill empty Forest Hills space". nydailynews.com. Daily News (New York). Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  44. ↑ JetBlue Airways Corporation; Forest Hills, NY United States (Hoovers.com)
  45. ↑ Mosco, Steve (November 24, 2012). "Forest Hills enjoys boost in business with FEMA arrival". timesledger.com. Times Ledger. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  46. ↑ Gothamist (September 18, 2014). "Visiting The Retired Redbird Subway Train In Queens". gothamist.com. Gothamist. Archived from the original on May 10, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  47. ↑ Brown, Kim (February 3, 2005). "The Last Redbird Subway Car Is Installed At Borough Hall". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Say Goodbye To The Queens Tourism Center That's Housed In An Old Subway Car". Gothamist. July 10, 2015. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  49. ↑ Levy, Nicole (July 14, 2015). "Five Possible Sites for a New Queens Tourism Center". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  50. ↑ Ngu, Rebecca; Small, Eddie; Kern-Jedrychowska, Ewa (March 25, 2016). "'The Get Down' Filmed a Subway Scene in Queens' Retired Redbird". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  51. ↑ "KEW GARDENS, Queens – Forgotten New York". forgotten-ny.com. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  52. ↑ "Boro Engineers Approve Plan for Underpasses On Queens Boulevard: Queens Topographical Bureau Outlines Details of $830,000 Project: Both Tunnels to Be Constructed Along With New Subway". Queens Daily Star. July 3, 1930. Retrieved April 28, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  53. ↑ "Highway Program Aids Long Island Growth" (PDF). nytimes.com. The New York Times. April 27, 1930. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  54. 1 2 "Underpass Work Approved By City; May Start Soon: Union Turnpike to Be Carried Under Queens Boulevard, Plan Provides". Queens Daily Star. June 4, 1930. Retrieved April 28, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  55. ↑ "From Bus to Subway in Kew Gardens". Grieve-Smith on Transportation. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  56. ↑ "1932 IND Subway New York City Kew Gardens Queens Stone Work Blueprint". worthpoint.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  57. ↑ "KEW GARDENS, Queens | | Forgotten New YorkForgotten New York". forgotten-ny.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  58. ↑ Neufeld, Ernest (August 23, 1936). "Men Toil Under Earth to Build Subway". Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  59. ↑ "MTA | Press Release | NYC Transit | MTA NYC Transit Opens ADA Elevators at Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike EF in Queens". www.mta.info. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  60. ↑ "www.nycsubway.org: Artwork: Underground Skies-Cloud Forest (Krystyna Spisak-Madejczyk)". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  61. 1 2 Marrero, Robert (January 1, 2017). "472 Stations, 850 Miles" (PDF). B24 Blog, via Dropbox. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  62. ↑ "A Picture History of Kew Gardens, NY – Queens Boulevard Rapid Transit". www.oldkewgardens.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  63. ↑ "PWA Party Views New Subway Link: Queens Section to Be Opened Tomorrow Is Inspected by Tuttle and Others" (PDF). nytimes.com. The New York Times. December 30, 1936. Retrieved June 27, 2015.

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