Aqueduct Racetrack station

Track layout
LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch to Ozone Park to Rockaway Blvd to N Conduit Av

The Rockaway Line was opened on August 26, 1880 by the New York, Woodhaven and Rockaway Railroad and would later be operated by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) as its Rockaway Beach Branch.[6][7]^:14 Frequent fires on the line's wooden viaduct across Jamaica Bay between The Raunt and Broad Channel made the line a liability for the LIRR. After a fire on May 8, 1950 cut service, the bankrupt LIRR sought to sell or abandon the line altogether.[8][7]^:68 The city purchased the southern portion of the line in 1952.[9] The rebuilt IND Rockaway Line opened for subway service on June 26, 1956.[7]^:68[10][1][11][12]

In 1955, the New York Racing Association chose to upgrade Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park in part because of its proximity to the Rockaway Beach Branch. As part of the modernization of the racetrack, the Racing Association built a station with ramps leading directly to the track and facilities that could handle racetrack crowds. Once the work was finished, it was handed over to the city.[13] The new station was for northbound trains to Brooklyn and Manhattan, and it was built north of the existing Aqueduct station.[10][14] In order to allow for the switching maneuvers required for southbound trains to stop at the station, major signal changes were made on the line.[13] The single-platform station was built by Aqueduct Racetrack owners at the cost of $1 million.[1][2][15] The Aqueduct Racetrack station opened on September 14, 1959, on the same date as the renovated Aqueduct Racetrack.[1][2][15]

Aqueduct Racetrack poster

On the start of service in September 1959, extra-fare "Aqueduct Special" trains ran nonstop from the lower level of the 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan until it crossed over to the northbound platform to discharge passengers at the racetrack.[1][15][16] A trial run took place on June 2, 1959, with the running time to the track being about 29 minutes.[17][18] Transit officials said that the actual time of the specials would be thirty minutes at a minimum as the pace of the train was too swift. Aboard the train were 200 members of the National Association of State Racing Commissioners.[19] The fare was initially 50 cents.[13][20][21] One train, on weekdays and Saturdays, left from the Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets station. That station's now-closed outer platforms were used to segregate passengers using the special service.[15] Later on, all trains would stop at Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets.[21][22][23] On September 22, 1959, the New York City Transit Authority added five "Daily Double" trains on weekdays and eight on Saturdays, doubling the original number of trains.[24] The Aqueduct Special reduced travel time between Manhattan and the racetrack to 35 minutes.[25]^:II-6 Return trips would operate on Saturdays and holidays.[21][26][27]

Increased service was provided during the 1960 spring meeting with Saturday and holiday service. During its first year, the service carried 341,000 riders.[13] During the 1960s the extra fare was collected at special turnstiles at the three stations served by the special. Larger tokens were used.[lower-alpha 1][31][29] On July 5, 1966, the fare on the Aqueduct Special was raised to 75 cents.[32][33] The fare was raised to $1 on January 4, 1970.[34] The fare was raised from a $1 to $1.50 in February 1972.[35] Later on the fare was lowered back to $1.[31] The fare was raised back to $1.50 on June 28, 1980.[36]

Beginning on April 15, 1978, during racing season one train ran from 57th Street on the IND Sixth Avenue Line to Aqueduct Racetrack, leaving 57th Street at 11 A.M. and arriving at Aqueduct at 11:35 AM. The train left for the return trip after the final race.[31][37]

In September 1978, the JFK Express began service and stopped at this station on racing days.[lower-alpha 2][39] The Aqueduct Specials ceased operation altogether in October 1981.[40][41] At the time of their discontinuance the fare was $3, and it was being replaced by the more expensive $5 JFK Express fare.[42] Between December 1991 and March 1992,[43] after the JFK Express was discontinued, the Aqueduct Racetrack station was closed throughout the day, not reopening until the summer of 1997.[44][45] The remaining service along the line would only be scheduled to stop on race days between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.,[46][47][48] though some trains stopped here regardless of the time of day.[49] In the summer of 1997 the station became one of the first in the system to have Metrocard-only High Entrance/Exit Turnstiles.[44]

On April 28, 2011,[50] the station was closed and underwent a $15 million renovation. This renovation was sponsored by the Resorts World Casino (or "Racino"), which had opened at the racetrack in 2011 and wanted to create a direct connection from the station to the casino.[51] The station was scheduled to reopen in early 2012, but was delayed.[52] The renovation added new staircases to street level, an enclosed passageway between the station and casino, and an elevator from the street to platform level to make the station ADA-accessible. The station reopened on August 13, 2013, and now operates 24 hours a day.[49][53][54][55] In 2013, there was a proposal to rename this station to Aqueduct–Resorts World Casino[53][54][56] and to add a platform for Rockaway-bound trains.[54] As of July 2012, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has withheld approvals to construct a southbound platform.[48][52]

East Mezzanine	Station house, fare control, street level access, walkway to Aqueduct Racetrack Elevator to street and passageway to Resorts World Casino
P Platform level	Side platform
	Northbound local	← toward Inwood–207th Street (Rockaway Boulevard)
	Northbound express	→ Trackbed
	Southbound express	→ Trackbed
	Southbound local	→ does not stop here (Aqueduct–North Conduit Avenue) →
G	Street level	Aqueduct Road and Pitkin Avenue exit/entrance

The southernmost of the two new staircases added in the 2013 renovations.

Located on an embankment, the station has four tracks with only the outer two used in revenue service. The two center express tracks have been disconnected from the line and permanently removed.[47]^{:PDF p. 162}[57]^:54 North of this station, a portion of the southbound express track connects with the southbound local track at its north end, and ends at a bumper block at its southern end. This section of track can be used for revenue service or work train layups, but this use has been made completely redundant because of the nearby Pitkin Yard serving as the primary layup yard instead. North of the station, the line's northbound track switches to the position of the former southbound express track to head onto the Liberty Avenue elevated structure.[57]^:54

Station sign telling Rockaway-bound passengers to transfer at Rockaway Boulevard, the next station north, since there is no platform for Rockaway-bound trains

The station is the only through stop in the New York City Subway to serve trains in a single direction.[lower-alpha 3] There is one side platform located on the northbound side, with one exit leading directly to Aqueduct Racetrack, [59] serving northbound trains[47][49] heading toward Brooklyn and Manhattan. Southbound trains do not serve the station but stop at the Aqueduct–North Conduit Avenue station a short walk south. In the past, southbound trains have terminated at this station[13] using a crossover located to the north of the station.[60] This station was originally advertised as "open on racing days", but some trains stopped here regardless of the time of day; riders could not always exit the station, depending on whether the racetrack was open.[49]

The former passageway to the racetrack in 2010.

Due to the fact that it mainly serves Aqueduct Racetrack, the station is not well-used compared to other stations in the system. During the 1970s ridership at the station declined, from 1.1 million passengers in 1975 to 573,000 in 1979.[25]^:II-5

In 2005,[47]^{:PDF p. 163} 2006,[47]^{:PDF p. 163} 2007,[47]^{:PDF p. 163}[64] and 2009,[64] the station was the second least used station in the system (and the least used station that was open for use).[lower-alpha 4][64][65] As of 2007, ridership was higher on Saturdays than on weekdays (with an average of 58 riders on weekdays and 895 on Saturdays).[47]^{:PDF p. 163}

In 2009, the station had 27,004 entries,[66] making the station among the system's least-used.[67] This amounted to only 52 boardings per weekday in 2009, representing a 71.6 percent decrease from the station's 1990 ridership.[65]^:2 In 2010, there were 29,644 recorded entries, and in 2011, there were 54,183 entries.[66] Since the station was closed through 2012, there were no boardings, but after full-time service was restored to the station in 2013, there was a significantly higher ridership, with 213,601 recorded entries in 2013 and 630,644 entries in 2014.[4] The increase in ridership at the station and the nearby Aqueduct–North Conduit Avenue station since 2010 has been attributed to the end of off-track betting at the racetrack in 2010,[47]^{:PDF p. 162}[62] and the opening of the casino in 2011.[52][62]

In 2016, the station had 676,971 boardings (up from 672,734 in 2015), making it the 392nd busiest station in the 422-station system. This amounted to an average of 1,739 passengers per weekday.[4]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aqueduct Racetrack (IND Rockaway Line).

• nycsubway.org – IND Rockaway: Aqueduct Racetrack
• The Subway Nut – Aqueduct Racetrack Pictures
• Entrance and skybridge to the casino from Google Maps Street View