75th Avenue station

75th Avenue (originally 75th Avenue–Puritan Avenue) is a local station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 75th Avenue and Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills, Queens, it is served by the F train at all times, the E train at all times except weekday rush hours and middays, and the <F> train during rush hours in the peak direction.

75 Avenue  ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Platform view
Station statistics
Address	75th Avenue & Queens Boulevard Forest Hills, NY 11375
Borough	Queens
Locale	Forest Hills
Coordinates	40.71864°N 73.837738°W
Division	B (IND)
Line	IND Queens Boulevard Line
Services	E  (nights after 9:00 p.m. and weekends) ​   F  (all times)
Transit	MTA Bus: Q60, QM11, QM18
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	December 31, 1936
Station code	260[1]
Opposite- direction transfer	No
Former/other names	75th Avenue–Puritan Avenue
Traffic
2019	1,059,027[2]  3.8%
Rank	351 out of 424[2]
Station succession
Next east	Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike: E  ​F
Next west	Forest Hills–71st Avenue: E  ​F
Location
Track layout Upper level to Union Tpke to 71 Av Lower level to Jamaica Yard Lower level relay tracks to 71 Av
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops weekends only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only (limited service)

The station opened on December 31, 1936 as a station along the Independent Subway System's Queens Boulevard Line. The opening of the station brought significant growth to the adjacent community of Forest Hills, transforming them from quiet residential communities to active population centers.

History

Construction and opening

Entrance to the 75th Avenue station on the north side of Queens Boulevard

The Queens Boulevard Line was one of the first built by the city-owned Independent Subway System (IND), and was planned to stretch between the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan and 178th Street and Hillside Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, with a stop at 75th Avenue.[3][4] The line was first proposed in 1925.[5] Construction of the line was approved by the New York City Board of Estimate on October 4, 1928.[6] The line was constructed using the cut-and-cover tunneling method, and to allow pedestrians to cross, temporary bridges were built over the trenches.[7]

Early planning documents called for a station at "Queens Boulevard–Puritan Avenue";[8] Puritan Avenue was the name for 75th Road in Forest Hills Gardens.[9] For the first few years of operation the station was referred to as Puritan Avenue.[10] The design called for a small mezzanine but 75th Avenue was built with a full one as it was cheaper than filling in the excavation.[11]

The first section of the line opened on August 19, 1933 from the connection to the Eighth Avenue Line at 50th Street to Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights.[12] Later that year, a $23 million loan was approved to finance the remainder of the line, along with other IND lines.[13] The remainder of the line was built by the Public Works Administration.[14][15] In 1934 and 1935, construction of the extension to Jamaica was suspended for 15 months and was halted by strikes.[16] Construction was further delayed due to a strike in 1935, instigated by electricians opposing wages paid by the General Railway Signal Company.[17] In August 1936, tracks were installed all the way to 178th Street, and the stations to Union Turnpike were completed.[16] 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.[18][19][20][21][22]

The construction of the extension to Kew Gardens brought significant growth to Queens, specifically in Forest Hills and Kew Gardens.[23] With the subway providing a quick and cheap commute, Forest Hills became a more desirable place to live, and as a result new apartment buildings were built in advance of the line's opening to accommodate the expected influx of residents.[24]^:74[25]^:71 Forest Hills was transformed from a quiet residential community of one-family houses to an active population center.[26][27]

Platform extensions

In 1953, the platforms at six Queens Boulevard Line stations, including 75th Avenue, were lengthened to allow eleven-car trains.[lower-alpha 1][29] The bid for the project went out in 1951.[30] The lengthened trains began running during rush hour on September 8, 1953. Eleven-car trains would only operate on weekdays.[31]^:37–38 The extra car increased the total carrying capacity by 4,000 passengers. The lengthening project cost $400,000.[29]

Station layout

G	Street level	Exit/entrance
B1	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent, MetroCard machines
B2 Platform level	Side platform
	Southbound local	← toward World Trade Center evenings/nights/weekends (Forest Hills–71st Avenue) ← toward Coney Island (Forest Hills–71st Avenue)
	Southbound express	← does not stop here weekdays
	Northbound express	→ does not stop here weekdays →
	Northbound local	→ toward Jamaica Center evenings/nights/weekends (Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike) → → toward Jamaica (Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike) →
	Side platform
B3	Yard track	← No passenger service
	Storage track	← storage track
	Storage track	→ storage track
	Yard track	→ No passenger service →

Mosaic name tablet

Tile caption

This local station has four tracks and two side platforms.[32] The F train stops here at all times, while the E train uses the two center tracks to bypass this station weekdays (Manhattan-bound from approximately 6:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Jamaica-bound from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.).[33][34]

Both platforms have a light sage green trim line with a black border with "75TH AVE" tale captions in white lettering on a black background beneath them.[35] There are mosaic name tablets reading "75TH AVE." in white sans-serif font on a black background with a light sage green border, and beneath them are directional tile signs in white lettering on a black background pointing to the exits.[36] Light nile green I-beam columns run along both platforms at regular intervals, alternating ones having the standard black station name plate with white lettering. The trackside columns have old white "75TH AVE" signs on them in black lettering.[37] The former name of Puritan Avenue was still reflected on platform signage into the 1990s.[38]

Exits

The station has a full-length mezzanine above the platforms and tracks.[11] All of the mezzanine is still completely open, with the exception of a tiny closed fenced-off section at the station's eastern end that is accessed from a single closed staircase on the Manhattan-bound platform.[39][40] However, it is set up in a way that does not allow a free transfer between directions, as the fare control is located in the middle of the mezzanine.[41] The token booth and turnstile banks for either direction are at the center.[41][42] HEET turnstiles are at either ends near the station's entrances and exits, both of which have two street stairs.[43][44] The entrance at the west (railroad south) end leads to the northwest corner[45] and southwest corners of Queens Boulevard and 75th Avenue,[46] while the one on the east (railroad north) end leads to southeast corner of Queens Boulevard and 75th Road.[47] Chain-link fences separate the sections of the mezzanine within fare control and the section out of fare control.[48] The section of the mezzanine within fare control used to span across the entire space, but a fare-free underpass under Queens Boulevard now divides the northbound and southbound parts of the mezzanine, and there is no way to make a free transfer between the two platforms anymore.[49]

Track layout

There are two diamond switches near the western end of this station, located between the local and express tracks in each direction.[50] This switch is used in revenue service. E and F trains use it to switch from the Queens Boulevard express tracks to the local tracks, allowing them to stop at 75th Avenue. The F uses these switches at all times, while the E only uses them on weekends and during weekday evenings.[51] The stretch of local track between 71st Avenue and 75th Avenue is only used in revenue service during late nights, when the E runs local.[32][52]

There are also four tracks underneath this station, which are not visible from the platforms. An emergency exit located in the middle of the Jamaica-bound platform leads to this lower level. The two outer tracks lead to Jamaica Yard while the two center tracks are used for reversing trains from Forest Hills–71st Avenue and end at bumper blocks just below Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike station under the mainline tracks. The two center tracks used for reversing trains can be seen from Jamaica bound express train. On the west end of the station, there are two punch boxes one on the local and express tracks.[50][52]^:50[53]

Ridership

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 75th Avenue station decreased by 300,000 passengers.[54] In 2019, the station had 1,059,027 boardings, making it the 351st most used station in the 424-station system. This amounted to an average of 3,549 passengers per weekday.[2]

Notes

1. The subway cars on the IND were built to be 60 feet (18.3 m) long. These cars typically operated in 10-car trains, with an entire train length being 600 feet (182.9 m). When platforms at stations such as 75th Avenue were lengthened to accommodate 11-car trains, the platforms had to be extended an additional car length, or 60 feet, making the platform at least 660 feet (201.2 m) long.[28]^:185

References

1. "Station Developers' Information". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
2. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
3. See:
   • 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. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
   • Board of Transportation of the City of New York Engineering Department, Proposed Additional Rapid Transit Lines And Proposed Vehicular Tunnel, dated August 23, 1929
4. "Queens Lauded as Best Boro By Chamber Chief". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 23, 1929. p. 40. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
5. "New Subway Routes in Hylan Program to Cost $186,046,000" (PDF). The New York Times. March 21, 1925. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
6. "$17,146,500 Voted For New Subways; Estimate Board Appropriates More Than $9,000,000 for Lines in Brooklyn. $6,490,000 For The Bronx Smaller Items for Incidental Work --Approves the Proposed Queens Boulevard Route". The New York Times. October 5, 1928. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
7. Hirshon, Nicholas; Romano, Foreword by Ray (January 1, 2013). Forest Hills. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-9785-0.
8. "104 Station Sites For City's Subways Chosen By Board" (PDF). The New York Times. June 2, 1930. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
9. Kern-Jedrychowska, Ewa (April 16, 2015). "Streets With 2 Names Cause 'Chronic' 911 Problems, Official Says". DNAinfo.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
10. "New Subway To Add 2 Needed Services; Opening of 6th Ave. Line to Provide Uptown Local Route and More Queens Expresses". The New York Times. December 2, 1939. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
11. Marks, Seymour (January 20, 1959). "Phantom Subway: Ideal Spot to Park". Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. p. 3. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
12. "Two Subway Links Opened In Queens" (PDF). The New York Times. August 19, 1933. p. 13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
13. "Unfinished Sections of Subway Lines To Be Completed" (PDF). The New York Sun. December 13, 1933. p. 47. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
14. "Trains Testing Jamaica Link Of City Subway". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 10, 1937. p. 3. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
15. "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.
16. Neufeld, Ernest (August 23, 1936). "Men Toil Under Earth to Build Subway" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. p. 2 (Section 2). Retrieved August 12, 2016.
17. See:
    • "500 More Quit Subway Work On Boulevard: General Strike Order Issued Today; 72 Walk Out in Jamaica" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. April 2, 1935. p. 2. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
    • "Aldermen Probe Strike on Subway" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. April 3, 1935. p. 4. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
18. "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.
19. "Notice to Passengers: Extension of Service Beginning at 7 o'clock in the morning of Thursday, December 31, 1936". Flickr. New York City Board of Transportation. 1936. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
20. "PWA Party Views New Subway Link: Queens Section to Be Opened Tomorrow Is Inspected by Tuttle and Others" (PDF). The New York Times. December 30, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
21. "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.
22. "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.
23. "Subway Link Aids Realty Activity". The New York Times. March 7, 1937. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
24. Hirshon, Nicholas (2013). Forest Hills. Arcadia Publishing. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-7385-9785-0.
25. Copquin, Claudia Gryvatz (2007). The Neighborhoods of Queens. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-11299-3.
26. "Demand Is Noted For Queens Homes". The New York Times. July 18, 1937. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
27. 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.
28. Sansone, Gene (October 25, 2004). New York Subways: An Illustrated History of New York City's Transit Cars. JHU Press. ISBN 9780801879227.
29. Ingalls, Leonard (August 28, 1953). "2 Subway Lines to Add Cars, Another to Speed Up Service" (PDF). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
30. Proceedings of the New York City Board of Transportation. New York City Board of Transportation. 1951. pp. 53, 145, 255.
31. Report. New York City Transit Authority. 1953.
32. Dougherty, Peter (2002). "NYC Track Map Book Page 50 Queens F" (PDF). nyctrackmapbook.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 6, 2003. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
33. "E Subway Timetable, Effective November 8, 2020" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
34. "F Subway Timetable, Effective November 8, 2020" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
35. Cox, Jeremiah (June 2, 2008). The 75th Ave tiled text a tile width below the lime green trim with a black border (image).
36. Cox, Jeremiah (June 2, 2008). A name tablet with a mosaic arrow for the exit to 75th Ave (image).
37. Cox, Jeremiah (June 2, 2008). Looking down an empty Manhattan-bound platform at 75th Ave (image).
38. NYCSubwaySystem (June 26, 2012). NYC Subway: 75 Avenue, F Train. Retrieved December 6, 2016 (The platform sign showing the name as "75 Av-Puritan Av" can be seen at the 0:09 mark of the video, and an entrance sign showing this name can be seen at the 2:18 mark)
39. Cox, Jeremiah (June 2, 2008). "A view of a closed staircase up to the mezzanine at 75th Ave". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
40. Cox, Jeremiah (January 3, 2012). "The closed off extreme eastern end of the mezzanine". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
41. Cox, Jeremiah (January 2, 2013). "Approaching the token booth on the middle mezzanine". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
42. Cox, Jeremiah (June 2, 2008). "A view of the turnstiles in the center of the station from the Manhattan-bound side of the mezzanine, nowhere near an exit to the street". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
43. Cox, Jeremiah (January 3, 2012). "Two high turnstiles to the 75 Road exit". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
44. Cox, Jeremiah (June 2, 2008). "A view of the High Entrance/Exit gates to the 75 Avenue exit, this means passengers don't have to walk the equivalent of 1/2 way down a platform length to find turnstiles to enter the system". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
45. Cox, Jeremiah (June 2, 2008). "A mosaic sign outside of fare control for 75th Ave/N Side Queens Blvd". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
46. Cox, Jeremiah (January 3, 2012). "Mosaic for 75th Ave. and the S. Side Queens Blvd". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
47. "75th Avenue Neighborhood Map" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
48. Cox, Jeremiah (June 2, 2008). "Another view down the Manhattan-bound side of the mezzanine at 75th Avenue, the cheep-looking chain link fence painted white that separates it from the area outside of fare control is visible". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
49. Cox, Jeremiah (January 3, 2012). "The Jamaica-bound platform is exit only near the exits". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
50. Dougherty, Peter (2020). Tracks of the New York City Subway 2020 (16th ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 1056711733.
51. "Review of F Line Operations, Ridership, and Infrastructure" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 7, 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
52. Dougherty, Peter (2020). Tracks of the New York City Subway 2020 (16th ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 1056711733.
53. Linsky, Alan. "A Picture History of Kew Gardens, NY – Queens Boulevard Rapid Transit". www.oldkewgardens.com. Kew Gardens Civic Association Incorporated. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
54. Burks, Edward C. (April 20, 1975). "Ridership on Queens Subways Down". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 3, 2016.

External links

• Track map of the area, from nycsubway.org
• 75th Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 75th Road entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View