Metropolitan Avenue station (BMT Jamaica Line)

Metropolitan Avenue was a station on the demolished section of the BMT Jamaica Line in Queens, New York City. It opened in 1918 and closed in 1985 in anticipation of the opening of the Archer Avenue lines.

Metropolitan Avenue
Former New York City Subway station
Site, 20 years after demolition. The entrance to Jamaica - Van Wyck can be seen in the background.
Station statistics
Address	Metropolitan Avenue & Jamaica Avenue Queens, NY 11418
Borough	Queens
Locale	Richmond Hill
Coordinates	40°42′8.6″N 73°49′2″W
Division	B (BMT)
Line	BMT Jamaica Line
Services	None (demolished)
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	July 3, 1918[1][2]
Closed	April 15, 1985[3]
Station succession
Next north	Queens Boulevard (demolished)
Next south	121st Street
Location
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops in station at all times Stops all times except late nights Stops late nights only Stops late nights and weekends only Stops weekdays only Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction Stops all times except weekdays in the peak direction Stops daily except rush hours in the peak direction Stops rush hours only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Station is closed (Details about time periods)

History

This station was built as part of the Dual Contracts.[4] It opened on July 3, 1918[2] by the Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad, an affiliate of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, after the removal of Atlantic Avenue Rapid Transit service from Dunton LIRR station,[1] and closed on April 15, 1985, with the Q49 bus replacing it until December 11, 1988.[3] The Q49 bus was discontinued when the rest of the Jamaica Line was connected to the Archer Avenue Subway.

Both Metropolitan Avenue and Queens Boulevard stations were demolished in late 1990. However, on December 11, 1988, the MTA opened the Jamaica – Van Wyck subway station directly underneath the site of the former Metropolitan Avenue elevated station. This served as the replacement station for both Metropolitan Avenue and Queens Boulevard.

Station layout

This elevated station had two tracks and two side platforms, with space for a third track in the center. A short stretch of third track was added for use as a lay-up or storage track, along with a scissor crossover near the temporary Queens Boulevard terminal in 1976, in anticipation of the line being cut back from 168th Street.

References

1. New York Times, New Subway Line, July 7, 1918, page 30
2. • "OPEN NEW SUBWAY TO REGULAR TRAFFIC; First Train on Seventh Avenue Line Carries Mayor and Other Officials ... New Extensions of Elevated Railroad Service … Currents of Travel to Change" (July 2, 1918). New York Times Company. July 2, 1918. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
   • "'L' Trains Now Run Through to Jamaica" (PDF) (July 4, 1918). Leader Observer (Queens/Brooklyn, NY). July 4, 1918. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
   • Report of the Public Service Commission for the First District of the State of New York, Volume 1. New York State Public Service Commission. January 10, 1919. pp. 61, 71, 285, 286. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
3. The New York Transit Authority in the 1980s, nycsubway.org
4. Subway FAQ: A Brief History of the Subway

External links

• nycsubway.org – BMT Jamaica Line: Metropolitan Avenue
• nycsubway.org – BMT Jamaica Line: