Astoria Boulevard station

Astoria Blvd   Q19 Columbia Transportation: Queens-Riverdale Commuter Route
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	3 (2 in regular service)
Other information
Opened	February 1, 1917; 107 years ago (1917-02-01)[2]
Closed	March 17, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-03-17) (reconstruction)
Rebuilt	December 18, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-12-18)
Accessible	ADA-accessible
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Former/other names	Astoria Boulevard–Hoyt Avenue
Traffic
2022	2,182,362[3]  37.9%
Rank	141 out of 423[3]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station 34th Street–Herald Square Local Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard N  ​W  Terminus
Non-revenue services and lines Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Queensboro Plaza express no service
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to Astoria–Ditmars Blvd to Astoria–Ditmars Blvd to 30th Avenue to Queensboro Plaza
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops weekdays during the day

The Astoria Boulevard station (also known as Astoria Boulevard–Hoyt Avenue station) is an express station on the BMT Astoria Line of the New York City Subway. Located on 31st Street between Astoria Boulevard and the Grand Central Parkway (Interstate 278) in Astoria, Queens, the station is served by the N train at all times, as well as by the W train on weekdays.

History

Early history

This station, originally known as Hoyt Avenue, opened on February 1, 1917, along with the rest of the Astoria Line, which was originally part of the

In December 1923, the Queens Chamber of Commerce petitioned the New York State Transit Commission to add the name "Astoria Avenue" to station signage. The petition was approved by the Chief of the Transit Bureau.[7] Later, enclosed waiting rooms were added to the platforms of this station and the Ditmars Boulevard station. They opened on January 17, 1925.^[8]

In 1931, preparation began for the construction of the Grand Central Parkway and the approaches to the Triborough Bridge. The station's original sidewalk entrances were located on the northern corners of the intersection of Hoyt Avenue and 31st Street.^[9] However since these stairs fell within the condemned area in the way of the future road underpass, they were removed and replaced with stairs on the southern corners.^[10] To compensate for this change, unpaid pedestrian overpasses were constructed connecting the station's mezzanine, the relocated stairs, and new stairs to the street under the north side of the station.^[11]

The city government took over the BMT's operations on June 1, 1940,

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.[17]^: 23 The project cost $863,000. Signals on the line had to be modified to take into account the platform extensions.^{[18]: 633, 729}

Notable incidents

The Astoria Boulevard station's mezzanine sits above an access point to a major truck route, Interstate 278. Accordingly, there have been incidents involving vehicles striking the structure. On the evening of March 27, 1991, a truck struck the bottom of the station and severely damaged a transverse girder, part of which supported the center express track. The affected track was taken out of service for two days until repairs were made to the structure.^[19]

Several years later, on the morning of May 1, 1998, a

As part of the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program, the station received funding for reconstruction to make it compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990.^[21][22][23] A contract for the reconstruction was awarded in June 2018, and substantial completion was projected for November 2020.^[24] In September 2018, work began adding four elevators; two connect the street and mezzanine, and two more connect the mezzanine with the platforms. In order to construct the street elevators, the station mezzanine was demolished and rebuilt. The new mezzanine was raised to reduce strikes by trucks driving underneath.^[25] The station was fully closed for nine months on March 17, 2019 to allow the mezzanine to be replaced^[26][27] and was reopened on December 18, 2019, while elevator construction and installation was still underway.^[28][29] On July 24, 2020, the elevators were placed into operation, making the station ADA accessible.^[30]

In January 2023, it was announced that to further improve accessibility, wide-aisle fare gates will be installed at this station and at four others across the city.^[31]: 54 The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to work with Cubic to design a gate that will accommodate both the MetroCard and OMNY payment systems, and allow easier station access for passengers with large items such as strollers, mobility devices, and luggage.^[32]

Station layout

P Platforms	Southbound local	← Whitehall Street–South Ferry (weekdays) (30th Avenue)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left
	Peak-direction express	← No regular service (No service: Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard northbound)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left
	Northbound local	→ Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard (Terminus) →
M	Mezzanine	to entrances/exits, station agent, MetroCard vending machines Elevators at southeast corner of Hoyt Avenue South and 31st Street, and northwest corner of Hoyt Avenue North and 31st Street
G	Street Level	Entrances/Exits

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.^[33]

The station has wooden canopies with

Exits

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.^[34] The stair to the northwest corner of Hoyt Avenue North and 31st Street was demolished and reconstructed to run parallel to Hoyt Avenue instead of 31st Street; the stair's original orientation was replaced with an elevator.^[35]

From the station's platforms, the Hell Gate Bridge and Hell Gate Line viaduct to the north, the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge to the west, and the Grand Central Parkway/Interstate 278 and Hoyt Avenue underneath are visible. The mezzanine has separate turnstile banks from each side with crossunders from the platform stairs.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Astoria Boulevard (BMT Astoria Line).

• nycsubway.org – BMT Astoria Line: Astoria Boulevard/Hoyt Avenue
• Station Reporter — N Train
• Astoria Boulevard entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Hoyt Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View