Q72 (New York City bus)

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For additional information on the current bus services, see List of bus routes in Queens.

q72
63rd Drive & Queens Boulevard (Rego Center)
ViaJunction Boulevard, 94th Street
EndLaGuardia Airport – Central Terminals or East Elmhurst – Ditmars Blvd (select rush hour runs)
Length4.2 miles (6.8 km)
Service
OperatesAll times except late nights[2]
Annual patronage1,544,848 (2022)[4]
TransfersYes
TimetableQ72
← Q70  {{{system_nav}}} 
Q76
 →

The Q72

MTA Bus Company brand of MTA Regional Bus Operations
.

The route was originally a

Grand Street Line. All three lines were replaced by city buses in the 1940s, though the Junction Boulevard route would be privately operated by Triboro Coach
from 1961 to 2006 when it was taken over by the MTA Bus Company.

Route description and service

Streetcar line

See also:
Flushing–Ridgewood Line
The former southern terminus of the streetcar line, at Junction Boulevard and Corona Avenue

Originally a branch of the Grand Street and Flushing–Ridgewood lines, the Junction Boulevard line,[5] also known as the North Beach line[6] began at the intersection of Corona Avenue and Junction Avenue (later Junction Boulevard) and traveled north along Junction to its terminus in Jackson Heights and Corona. It then turned east and north along Old Bowery Road (later Jackson Mill Road) through East Elmhurst, crossing Jackson Mill Pond and terminating at a loop at North Beach amusement area, a peninsula on the Bowery Bay coastline. This is the modern location of LaGuardia Airport.[1][5][7][8] The line stopped serving the shoreline in the 1920s following the decline of the North Beach resorts. It was truncated to Ditmars Boulevard by 1939, and was never extended to serve LaGuardia Airport.[5][7][9] The combined Grand Street/Grand Avenue and Junction Boulevard service was also known as the Maspeth−North Beach Line.[10]

Between May 15, 1923 and October 27, 1925, the

111th Street.[11] The right-of-way of Jackson Mill Road today consists of 97th Street, the northern end of 94th Street, and several short and separate street sections which retain the name Jackson Mill Road.[7]

Current bus service

The current Q72 service begins at Junction Boulevard and

63rd Drive station. It extends along the former trolley route on Junction Boulevard, then directly north on 94th Street to East Elmhurst and LaGuardia Airport. During rush hours, limited Q72 buses short-turn at 95th Street and Ditmars Boulevard.[2] Prior to 2006, the Q72 (like the streetcar line it replaced) terminated at Ditmars Boulevard just outside LaGuardia Airport. It only entered the airport on its first and final daily trips, during early morning and late night hours.[3][12][13]

The Q72 only serves LaGuardia's Central Terminals (B, C, and D), and does not serve the

LaGuardia Depot, the former Triboro Coach depot, in East Elmhurst.[15]

History

On May 21, 1894, the

Ridgewood Terminal and North Beach.[1] In November 1899, the Fresh Pond line was extended along Corona Avenue to Flushing, and the Junction Avenue line became part of the eastern portion of Grand Street service between the Maspeth Trolley Depot and North Beach.[1][16] The line ran as a standalone shuttle service and facilitating through service from the Flushing–Ridgewood Line and Grand Street Line (now the Q58 and Q59 buses respectively) to central Queens and Brooklyn.[5][1][19]

In the 1920s, due to the

Glenn H. Curtiss/North Beach Airport site which replaced the resort area. Due to conflicts with the city over a potential extension to the new municipal airport, the Junction line was never extended to the facility. The last trolley to North Beach ran on December 9, 1938, after which service was truncated to Ditmars Boulevard at the south end of the 94th Street overpass over the Grand Central Parkway. The airport, later named LaGuardia Airport, opened on October 15, 1939, with special B&QT bus service between the trolleys and the Airport.[5][9][20][21]

A Q72 entering LaGuardia-bound service at Junction and Queens Boulevards

Around this time, many

Q48 between Flushing and the Airport.[8]

In 1954 and again in July 1960, the Green Bus Lines, Triboro Coach, and Jamaica Buses companies (all owned by the shareholders of Green Lines) proposed to take over many city-operated bus lines in Queens and Brooklyn, including the Junction Boulevard route.[28][29] At the same time as the 1960 proposal, the New York City Transit Authority applied for an extension of the Junction Boulevard route south from Corona Avenue to Queens Boulevard (its current terminus).[28] That year, the B72 was moved to the Flushing Depot in Queens.[27][30][31] On January 22, 1961, the B72 was transferred to Triboro Coach and renumbered Q72. It was extended south to Queens Boulevard to serve burgeoning apartments in Rego Park and Elmhurst, as well as the local Alexander's department store (now the Rego Center). It was also extended north to the LaGuardia Airport Administration building (Marine Air Terminal).[22][30][32][33][34] The Q72 was the only city route to be taken over by a private operator.[22][32][33] The switch to private operations eliminated the longtime free transfer to the B58 Flushing–Ridgewood service at Corona Avenue.[33][35]

By the 1970s, the Q72 bus was truncated back to Ditmars Boulevard and 94th Street.

MTA Bus Company brand.[32][37] In September of that year, the Q72 route was extended to LaGuardia Airport.[38] On October 12, 2009, buses on the Q72 were equipped with luggage racks, as part of a ten-bus pilot program on airport bus services to improve passenger flow.[39][40][41]

In December 2019, the MTA released a draft redesign of the Queens bus network.[42][43] As part of the redesign, the Q72 bus would have terminated at Ditmars Boulevard and would have most of its stops eliminated.[44] The redesign was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020,[45] and the original draft plan was dropped due to negative feedback.[46] A revised plan was released in March 2022.[47] As part of the new plan, the Q72 will continue to serve LaGuardia Airport, with a slight modification to its southern terminus. The Q72 will turn right onto 62nd Drive, Queens Boulevard, and 59th Avenue, serving Queens Center Mall and the Woodhaven Boulevard station. This change was made because the Woodhaven Boulevard station is planned to become wheelchair-accessible, whereas the 63rd Drive station is not.[48] A final bus-redesign plan was released in December 2023.[49][50] The Q72's routing would not change, but some closely spaced stops would be eliminated, and service spans and frequencies would be modified, with extra rush hour trips added south of Ditmars Boulevard.[51]: 329–330 

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Roberts, John A. "A Grand Tale of Two Trolley Lines". Juniper Park Civic Association. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d MTA Regional Bus Operations. "Q72 bus schedule".
  3. ^ a b "Appendix B: Route Profiles" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  4. ^ "Subway and bus ridership for 2022". mta.info. August 3, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7385-4526-4
    .
  6. Newspapers.com
    .
  7. ^ a b c d e Walsh, Kevin (August 15, 2010). "Jackson Mill Road Tracks". Forgotten New York. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  8. ^ a b c d "Legal Notices: Board of Estimate" (PDF). Long Island-Star Journal. Fultonhistory.com. August 10, 1950. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harold, Donald W.; Berger, Raymond R. (October 2007). "October 15, 1939: 69th Anniversary of the Opening of LaGuardia Airport". New York Division Bulletin. 50 (10). Electric Railroaders Association: 17–18. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  10. Newspapers.com
    .
  11. ^ "Several Queens Trolley Lines Quit 70 Years Ago". New York Division Bulletin. 50 (10). Electric Railroaders Association: 1, 4. October 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Route Q72 Junction: Southbound To Rego Park" (PDF). Triboro Coach. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2006. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  13. ^ a b "Route Q72 Junction: Northbound To LaGuardia Airport" (PDF). Triboro Coach. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 10, 2006. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  14. ^ "Revisions to LaGuardia Airport Service". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 8, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  15. MTA Bus Company. 2016. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on August 7, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  16. ^
    New York City Parks Department
    . Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  17. ^ a b Seyfried, Vincent F. (1950). "Full text of "New York and Queens County Railway and the Steinway Lines, 1867-1939."". archive.org. Vincent F. Seyfried. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  18. ^ a b Walsh, Kevin (June 21, 2013). "A Trolley Route Right of Way Still Survives in Jackson Heights Near LaGuardia Airport". queens.brownstoner.com. Blank Slate Factory Inc. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  19. ISBN 978-1-4396-2045-8
    .
  20. ^ "150,000 To See North Beach Opening Fete: Dedication Of Airport Tomorrow Is Hailed As Boon To Queens". Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. October 14, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  21. ^ "150,000 To See North Beach Opening Fete: Dedication Of Airport Tomorrow Is Hailed As Boon To Queens". Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. October 14, 1939. p. 2. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  22. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8232-6190-1
    .
  23. ^ Seyfried, Vincent F. (1961). "Full text of "Story of the Long Island Electric Railway and the Jamaica Central Railways, 1894-1933 /"". archive.org. F. E. Reifschneider. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  24. Newspapers.com
    .
  25. ^ "Buses and Trolleys" (PDF). Long Island Star Journal. Fultonhistory.com. March 1, 1949. p. 10. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  26. ^ "Airport Bus Service" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. November 20, 1950. p. 18. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  27. ^ a b "Riders on New Buses Will Triple in July" (PDF). New York World-Telegram. Fultonhistory.com. May 12, 1960. pp. B1–B2. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  28. ^ a b Bennett, Charles G. (July 29, 1960). "Loss to City Seen In Selling Old Buses Other lines Re-Use" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  29. ^ Ingalls, Leonard (March 21, 1954). "Bus Concerns Bid For City Systems In Two Boroughs: Manhattan and Queens Lines Sought—Mayor and Transit Director to Discuss Offers" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  30. ^ a b Kurz, Herbert (July 26, 1961). "Patterson Is Seeking The Reasons" (PDF). New York World-Telegram. pp. B1. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  31. ^ "$2 Million Bus Garage to Open". Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. May 24, 1960. p. 14. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  32. ^
    ISBN 978-3-642-30484-2
    .
  33. ^ a b c "Triboro to Extend Corona Bus Service: Takes Over for TA Sunday" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. January 19, 1961. p. 13. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  34. ^ Triboro Coach (January 21, 1961). "Tri-Boro Coach Corp. Will take over the operation of Route Q72 LaGuardia Airport-Junction Blvd., Rego Park" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. p. 2. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  35. ^ "TA Refuses Transfer on Q-72 Buses" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. January 20, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  36. ^ "1975 Queens Bus Map". wardmaps.com. New York City Transit Authority. 1975. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  37. ISBN 978-0-300-18257-6
    .
  38. ^ "The MTA 2006 Annual Report: Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended December 31, 2006 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended December 31, 2006" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 1, 2007. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  39. Daily News (New York)
    . Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  40. Daily News (New York)
    . Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  41. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (October 12, 2009). "Bringing Storage, and Comfort, to a La Guardia-Bound Bus". The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  42. ^ Acevedo, Angélica (December 17, 2019). "MTA gives 'sneak peek' of transformative Queens bus network redesign plan". QNS.com. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  43. ^ "MTA Unveils Draft Proposal to Redesign Bus Network in Queens". Spectrum News NY1 | New York City. December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  44. ^ "Draft Plan, Queens Bus Network Redesign". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  45. ^ "Queens bus network redesign remains on hold amid COVID-19 pandemic: MTA". QNS.com. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  46. ^ Duggan, Kevin (December 15, 2021). "MTA to release 'totally redone' Queens bus network redesign draft in early 2022". amNewYork. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  47. ^ Duggan, Kevin (March 29, 2022). "FIRST ON amNY: MTA reveals new Queens bus redesign draft plan". amNewYork. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  48. ^ "Draft Plan, Queens Bus Network Redesign". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  49. ^ Brachfeld, Ben (December 12, 2023). "MTA unveils final proposal for Queens bus network redesign". amNewYork. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  50. ^ Shkurhan, Iryna (December 13, 2023). "MTA unveils final plan to overhaul Queens bus network for the first time in decades". QNS.com. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  51. ^ "Final Plan, Queens Bus Network Redesign". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2020.

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