Jamaica–179th Street (IND Queens Boulevard Line)

Jamaica–179th Street
New York City Subway rapid transit station

Manhattan-bound platform. An R160 F train is visible on the Manhattan-bound local track.
Station statistics
Address 179th Street & Hillside Avenue
Queens, NY 11432
Borough Queens
Locale Jamaica, Jamaica Estates
Coordinates 40°42′45″N 73°47′04″W / 40.712459°N 73.78448°W / 40.712459; -73.78448Coordinates: 40°42′45″N 73°47′04″W / 40.712459°N 73.78448°W / 40.712459; -73.78448
Division B (IND)
Line IND Queens Boulevard Line
Services       E  (rush hours)
      F  (all times)
Transit connections NYCT Bus: Q1, Q2, Q3, Q17, Q36, Q43, Q76, Q77, X68
MTA Bus: Q110
NICE Bus: n1, n6, n22, n22A, n24, n26
Structure Underground
Platforms 2 island platforms
Tracks 4
Other information
Opened December 11, 1950 (1950-12-11)[1][2]
Accessible
Wireless service [3][4]
Traffic
Passengers (2015) 6,898,938[5] Increase 1.2%
Rank 63 out of 422
Station succession
Next north (Terminal): E  F 
Next south 169th Street (local): F 
Parsons Boulevard (express): E 
Next north none: E  F 
Next south Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike: E  F 

Jamaica–179th Street is an express terminal station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway. Located at 179th Street and Hillside Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, it serves as the full-time northern terminal for the F train, with a few rush-hour E trains also terminating here. Two of the entrances are located on the corners of Hillside Avenue and Midland Parkway in Jamaica Estates, with a total of 15 entrances to the station.

History

Track layout
Legend
 End of lower level tracks
Lower level tracks
below upper level tracks
Lower level relay tracks
End of upper level tracks
Upper level relay tracks
to lower level relay tracks
to 169 St
to Parsons Blvd

The 179th Street station (drawn up as 178th Street) had been planned along with the rest of the IND Queens Boulevard Line as its original terminus.[6][7][8][9][10] In December 1930,[10] however, it was planned to construct stations only up to 169th Street, with tail tracks and switches installed up to the foot of the station at 178th Street, along with a provision for the station. The tracks ended at bumper blocks, and the tunnel at a bulkhead.[7][8][11][12] The 178th station would be built during a further eastward extension.[13] The Queens Boulevard Line was extended up to 169th Street on April 24, 1937, with the tail tracks and switches used to store and reverse trains.[14][15][16]

Calls from the local community to build a new station at 178th Street occurred as early as 1932; several of these requests came from the Jamaica Estates Association.[10][13][17] In June 1936, the association petitioned Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia for the extension.[17][18] As early as 1936, the New York City Board of Transportation (predecessor to the New York City Transit Authority and the MTA) was evaluating construction of the station along with further eastward extensions of the line, with the board's 1940 budget allocating funding for the station.[19][20][21][22][23] Under the 1940 plans, construction of the station was set to take place between 1941 and 1945.[24] In January 1941, city councilman James A. Burke proposed extending the line to 178th Street, in order to relieve congestion at 169th Street. Burke believed that a station could be built within the existing tunnel and trackage and cost only $100,000, while engineers from the Board of Transportation stated it would require additional tunneling and new relay tracks extending to 184th Street.[25][26][27][28] In July 1941, the Board of Transportation requested funding for a new express terminal station to replace 169th Street.[29] Construction was delayed, however, due to the onset of the Great Depression, and further delayed due to the onset of World War II.[1][30]

The plans for the station were approved after the war in 1946, in order to "provide a more satisfactory terminal" for the line.[1][16][23][30][31][32] A ground breaking ceremony was held on March 5, 1947 at 182nd Street and Hillside Avenue, with Mayor William O'Dwyer and now-borough president Burke in attendance.[33] A bus terminal accompanying the station, similar to the 165th Street Bus Terminal, was initially planned for the station but never built.[34][35] The station opened on December 11, 1950, at the cost of over $10 million. Mayor Vincent R. Impellitteri and Queens Borough President Maurice A. FitzGerald attended the opening.[1][34][36][37] It was the last subway station whose construction was funded by New York City, until the construction of the 34th Street–Hudson Yards station on the 7 Subway Extension beginning in 2008.[38] Upon opening, the station became a major transit hub for passengers from south and east Queens and Nassau County, and led to increased development in Jamaica.[30] By 1959, the station was the busiest in Queens.[39]

The western end of the lower relay yard; ramps can be seen going up to platform level

In 1981, the MTA listed the 179th Street station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.[40] Later in the 1980s, the station was renovated and modernized; as part of the renovation, the IND-style purple tile band was removed from the station walls, and a design with intertwining blue and orange stripes was added.[41][42] During a further upgrade that occurred by about 2000, elevators were installed in the station to make it ADA-accessible.[43][44] The elevators were opened around 2005.[45]

Service history

Upon the station's opening, E trains were extended to the station at all times, while F trains only operated to the station during late night hours.[1][37] On October 8, 1951, F trains were extended to 179th Street at all times.[46]

Until 1988, 179th Street served as the full-time northern terminal for both Queens Boulevard express services (the E and F trains), which led to congestion at the station.[47] On December 11, 1988, the E service was rerouted to the Archer Avenue Subway.[47] The R was extended to the station to provide additional service until 1990, when it started serving the station only during rush hours. In 1992, the R was cut back to Forest Hills–71st Avenue.[48]

Station layout

G Street Level Exit/Entrance
M Mezzanine Fare control, station agent
(Elevator at SE corner of 179th Place and Hillside Avenue)
P
Platform level		 Track 1 ← toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (boarding passengers only) (169th Street)
Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
Track 3 ← toward World Trade Center (boarding passengers, rush hours only) (Parsons Boulevard)
← toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (boarding passengers only) (169th Street)
Track 4 → ( rush hours) termination track →
Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
Track 2 → termination track →
A R46 F train, seen from the termination platform
View across the platform showing the intertwined wall design

This underground station looks like a typical express station, with four tracks and two island platforms.[49] To the east (railroad north) is a large storage and relay yard consisting of two levels with four relay tracks each,[50] extending approximately .25 miles (0.40 km)[51] to around 185th Street.[lower-alpha 1][23][32][34][50][52] This total of eight storage tracks gives 179th Street the highest peak terminal capacity of any station in the New York City Subway: 63 trains per hour, or one train every 57 seconds, although the station currently operates at a far lower throughput (only 17–18 trains per hour during peak hours).[lower-alpha 2][53][54][55] Terminating trains enter on one of the two northbound tracks, then relay to one of the two levels—the upper level if coming from the express track, or the lower level if coming from the local track.[50] They then return on the corresponding track on the southbound side.[57] Due to the switching configuration at the station, the few E trains that begin here always leave from the express track and run express along Hillside Avenue. F trains may leave from either track, switching to the local track east of 169th Street if necessary.[57] Outside of relay operations, the yard provides storage for ten trains.[31]

The configuration of the relay tracks is evidence of the original plans to build an extension of the Queens Boulevard Line further east into Queens. The line would have continued under Hillside Avenue to Springfield Boulevard and Braddock Avenue (formerly Rocky Hill Road) in Queens Village,[6][22] with later plans to extend the line to Little Neck Parkway in Bellerose near the Nassau County border.[58] The upper level was to be extended eastward while the lower level tracks were always intended to be relay tracks.[50][59] The tracks on the upper level are longer than the lower level tracks and the upper level tracks have a wooden partition at the bumper blocks.[50][59]

The station has beige wall tiles with intertwining blue and orange stripes, representing the two colors of the New York City flag, and the colors of the IND Eighth Avenue and Sixth Avenue lines which serve the station.[36][60] There are two fare control areas. The full-time area at the east end of the station, between 179th and 180th Streets, has a token booth and a bank of 12 turnstiles and two high-exit-only turnstiles.[49] The part-time exit at 178th Street contains a nine-turnstile bank, two high exit entrance turnstiles (HEETs), and two high exit turnstiles.[49] The two ends are connected by a full-length mezzanine,[49][52] which features Our Spectrum of Support artwork by Reginald Polynice, a set of plywood cutout figures appearing to hold up the ceiling of the mezzanine.[61] The station also features a control tower.[1] The station is ADA-accessible via an elevator installed at 179th Place on the north side of Hillside Avenue.[43][62]

The station lies about 3.25 miles (5.23 km) west of the city's border with Nassau County. Until the IND Rockaway Line was opened in 1956,[63] and until the 1958 opening of the line's Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue terminal (which is about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from the city's border with Nassau County[64]), 179th Street was the closest subway station to Nassau County.[65]

Entrances and exits

Unusual to the subway system, some of the 16 entrances, like this one at 179th Place, have a canopy over them.[43][49]
Stairs at Midland Parkway

The station has a total of 15 staircase entrances and 1 elevator entrance.[43][49][62] There are seven full-time entrances at four locations (consisting of six stairs and one elevator), which are indicated in green, and nine other part-time entrances, which are indicated in red.[43]

Exit location Exit type Number of exits
NE corner of Hillside Avenue and 178th Street Staircase 1
SE corner of Hillside Avenue and 178th Street Staircase 1
North side of Hillside Avenue and 179th Street Staircase 2
SW corner of Hillside Avenue and 179th Street Staircase 1
SE corner of Hillside Avenue and 179th Street Staircase 1
NE corner of Hillside Avenue and 179th Place Staircase 2
SE corner of Hillside Avenue and 179th Place Staircase 3
Elevator 1
SW corner of Hillside Avenue and 180th Street Staircase 1
NW corner of Hillside Avenue and Midland Parkway Staircase 1
NE corner of Hillside Avenue and Midland Parkway Staircase 1
SW corner of Hillside Avenue and 181st Street Staircase 1

Notes

  1. ↑ Some sources state that the relay tracks end at 184th Street.[34] Others state that the tracks extend to 184th Place/185th Street[23][31][32] or 186th Street.[52]
  2. ↑ A maximum of 14 to 15 F trains per hour operate from the station during peak hours,[53] while three E trains per hour depart or arrive at the station during peak hours only.[54] Under MTA standards, the station could facilitate up to 15 trains per hour from two full-time services, a total of 30 trains per hour.[55][56]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "New Subway Link Opened In Queens: Mayor, Not Using His Own Dime, Dedicates Hillside Extension and Pledges Fine Service". nytimes.com. The New York Times. December 12, 1950. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "Subway Link Opens Monday". nytimes.com. The New York Times. December 6, 1950. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  3. ↑ "NYC Subway Wireless – Active Stations". Transit Wireless Wifi. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
  4. ↑ 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."
  5. ↑ "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  6. 1 2 "QUEENS INTERLACED WITH NEW ARTERIES: New Boulevards, Parks and Parkways Important Factors in Growth of Borough". nytimes.com. The New York Times. May 13, 1928. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  7. 1 2 Bland, Maurice (1933). "'Human Moles' Speed Digging Of Jamaica-Manhattan Subway;" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  8. 1 2 Neufeld, Ernest (August 23, 1936). "Men Toil Under Earth to Build Subway" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  9. ↑ "Plans to be Drawn for 6th Av. Subway". nytimes.com. The New York Times. April 1, 1935. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 "Horn Tells How Civics Obtained Tube Terminus: Denies It Was Work of Chamber of Commerce" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. July 18, 1932. p. 5. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  11. ↑ "Trial Run to Jamaica on Subway Tomorrow: Section From Kew Gardens to 169th Street Will Open to Public in Two Weeks". nytimes.com. The New York Times. April 9, 1937. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  12. ↑ "Assail Bodies Dealing With Queens Transit: Civics at Mass Rally Ask City Authorities to Better Situation". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 15, 1941. p. 6. Retrieved 9 October 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. 1 2 "Grant Station At 178th St. on Jamaica Tube". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Fultonhistory.com. July 1, 1932. p. 32. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  14. ↑ "PWA Party Views New Subway Link: Queens Section to Be Opened Tomorrow Is Inspected by Tuttle and Others". nytimes.com. The New York Times. December 30, 1936. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  15. ↑ "Subway Link Opens Soon: City Line to Jamaica Will Start About April 24". nytimes.com. The New York Times. March 17, 1937. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  16. 1 2 Report including analysis of operations of the New York City transit system for five years, ended June 30, 1945. New York City: Board of Transportation of the City of New York. 1945.
  17. 1 2 "City Studies Hillside Ave. Subway Plan: Jamaica Estates Association Wants Station at 178th Street" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. July 16, 1936. p. 10. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  18. ↑ "500 Protest Decision On Tube Station: 178th Street Dispute to Be Brought Before Mayor" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. June 16, 1936. p. 6. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  19. ↑ "Little Hope for Early Bus Franchise Action; Board of Estimate Meetings Are Curtailed" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. May 21, 1936. p. 1. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  20. ↑ "Queens Is Surprised: Was Subway Secrecy Needed?" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. January 21, 1938. p. 16. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  21. ↑ "Transit To Rockaways Dropped Back To Third Place In Program: "Financial Resources Are Inadquate", Delaney Tells Tugwell." (PDF). Wave of Long Island. Fultonhistory.com. August 10, 1939. p. 5. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  22. 1 2 "Subway Work Delayed By Lack of Funds: Jamaica Project, However, Still Tops the City's Official Plans" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. August 11, 1939. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  23. 1 2 3 4 "Subway Plan Presented: Board of Estimate Gets Queens Extension Program". The New York Times. July 20, 1946. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  24. ↑ Hall, Charles (November 2, 1939). "New Schools and Subways Doomed in Budget Slash: Other Projects Also Set Back By Planners" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. p. 1. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  25. ↑ "Bus-Subway Muddle: Mr. Burke Has a Sensible Remedy" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. January 31, 1941. p. 14. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  26. ↑ "178th Street Subway Plan To Take Years: Station to East Congestion Will Cost $2,000,000, Engineers Reveal" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. February 6, 1941. p. 1. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  27. ↑ "178th Street Subway Plan To Take Years: Station to East Congestion Will Cost $2,000,000, Engineers Reveal" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. February 6, 1941. p. 22. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  28. ↑ Marcher, Carl C. (1941). "Open Cut Subway Would Be Cheaper" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  29. ↑ "Extension of Subway Made 'Mus': 184th Street Service Heads City's Transit COnstruction List" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. July 26, 1941. p. 1. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  30. 1 2 3 Joseph B. Raskin (1 November 2013). The Routes Not Taken: A Trip Through New York City's Unbuilt Subway System. Fordham University Press. ISBN 978-0-8232-5369-2. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  31. 1 2 3 Report for the three and one-half years ending June 30, 1949. New York City Board of Transportation. 1949.
  32. 1 2 3 "Subway Extension In Queens Is Voted". nytimes.com. The New York Times. August 2, 1946. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  33. ↑ "Subway Ground Broken: Mayor Officiates at Site of Extension in Queens". The New York Times. March 6, 1947. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  34. 1 2 3 4 "Hillside Ave. Extension Of Subway Opens Dec. 11" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. December 1, 1950. p. 9. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  35. ↑ "New Terminal Needed" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. February 10, 1948. p. 4. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  36. 1 2 "www.nycsubway.org". www.nycsubway.org.
  37. 1 2 "Mayor Pays First Dime On Extended Subway" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. December 11, 1950. p. 1. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  38. ↑ Kelly Weill. "Photos: Inside The New 7 Train Extension". Gothamist. Retrieved 2013-12-23.
  39. ↑ Lynn, James (January 21, 1959). "'58 Was Year of the Gimmick: TA Tried Almost Everything" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. p. 3. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  40. ↑ Gargan, Edward A. (June 11, 1981). "AGENCY LISTS ITS 69 MOST DETERIORATED SUBWAY STATIONS". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  41. ↑ Farber, M.A. (August 1, 1984). "TRANSIT SYSTEM IS FACING A TROUBLED FUTURE". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  42. ↑ Goldman, Ari L. (April 28, 1983). "M.T.A. MAKING MAJOR ADDITION TO CAPITAL PLAN". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  43. 1 2 3 4 5 "SUBWAY-SIDEWALK INTERFACE PROJECT: 179TH STREET STATION" (PDF). transalt.org. Transportation Alternatives, City of New York, New York City Department of City Planning, New York City Department of Transportation. December 30, 2000. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  44. ↑ Sheridan, Dick (April 21, 1998). "OBSTACLE FOR DISABLED LIMITED ACCESS TO TRANSPORT". Daily News (New York). Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  45. ↑ Diaz, Arnold (October 20, 2005). "Shame On You: NYC Transit Makes The Hall Of Shame". WCBS-TV. New York: Disabled in Action. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  46. ↑ "All 'F' Trains Will Run to 179 Street" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. October 4, 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  47. 1 2 Johnson, Kirk (December 9, 1988). "Big Changes For Subways Are to Begin". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  48. ↑ "Service Changes: September 30, 1990" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 30, 1990. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  49. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Jamaica Plan - Final Environmental Impact Statement; Chapter 17 – Transit and Pedestrians" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of City Planning. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  50. 1 2 3 4 5 "Hillside Avenue Extension, Route 108-Section 13". Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  51. ↑ Verhovek, Sam Howe (November 21, 1988). "For Shelter, Homeless Take the E Train". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  52. 1 2 3 Marks, Seymour (January 20, 1959). "Phantom Subway: Ideal Spot to Park" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. p. 3. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  53. 1 2 "F Subway Timetable, Effective November 7, 2016" (PDF). New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  54. 1 2 "E Subway Timetable, Effective November 7, 2016" (PDF). New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  55. 1 2 Alternatives Analysis/Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Queens Subway Options Study. United States Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Urban Mass Transit Administration. May 1990. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  56. ↑ Queens Subway Options Study, New York: Environmental Impact Statement. United States Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Urban Mass Transit Administration. May 1984. pp. 83–. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  57. 1 2 Marrero, Robert (2015-09-13). "469 Stations, 846 Miles" (PDF). B24 Blog, via Dropbox. Retrieved 2015-10-09.
  58. ↑ Roger P. Roess; Gene Sansone (23 August 2012). The Wheels That Drove New York: A History of the New York City Transit System. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 416–. ISBN 978-3-642-30484-2.
  59. 1 2 "Mysteries of the Queens Boulevard Subway". 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2016-07-10.
  60. ↑ "The art of styling the subways: Slow down and look around". Newsday. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  61. ↑ "www.nycsubway.org: Artwork: Our Spectrum of Support (Reginald Polynice)". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved 2016-08-14.
  62. 1 2 "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Jamaica" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  63. ↑ Freeman, Ira Henry (June 28, 1956). "Rockaway Trains to Operate Today". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  64. ↑ Google (August 15, 2016). "Nassau County, NY" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  65. ↑ "New Subway Unit Ready: Far Rockaway IND Terminal Will Be Opened Today". nytimes.com. The New York Times. January 16, 1958. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
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