36th Avenue station

The 36th Avenue station (formerly known as 36th Avenue–Washington Avenue station) is a local station on the BMT Astoria Line of the New York City Subway. It is located at the intersection of 36th Avenue and 31st Street in Astoria, Queens. The station is served by the N train at all times, as well as by the W train on weekdays.

36 Avenue  ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
View from southbound platform
Station statistics
Address	36th Avenue & 31st Street Astoria, New York
Borough	Queens
Locale	Astoria
Coordinates	40.756555°N 73.929791°W / 40.756555; -73.929791
Division	B (BMT)[1]
Line	BMT Astoria Line
Services	N  (all times) ​   W  (weekdays)
Transit	MTA Bus: Q66 (on 35th Avenue), Q102
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	3 (2 in regular service)
Other information
Opened	February 1, 1917; 107 years ago (1917-02-01)
Closed	October 23, 2017; 6 years ago (2017-10-23) (reconstruction)
Rebuilt	June 22, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-06-22)
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Former/other names	36th Avenue–Washington Avenue
Traffic
2023	1,475,603[2]  14.5%
Rank	216 out of 423[2]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station 39th Avenue N  ​W  via 34th Street–Herald Square Local Broadway N  ​W  toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to Broadway to 39th Avenue
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops weekdays during the day

The station opened along with the rest of the Astoria Line in 1917. Its platforms were extended in 1950, and the station was renovated in 2017 and 2018.

History

This station opened on February 1, 1917, along with the rest of the Astoria Line, which was originally part of the IRT, as a spur off the IRT Queensboro Line, which is now the IRT Flushing Line. Trains ran between Grand Central and Astoria.^[3][4] On July 23, 1917, the Queensboro Bridge spur of the elevated IRT Second Avenue Line opened. At that time, all elevated trains to Queensboro Plaza used the Astoria Line while all subway trains used the IRT Flushing Line, though this was later changed with trains alternating between branches.^[4][5] This station started to be served by BMT shuttles using elevated cars on April 8, 1923.^[6]

The city government took over the BMT's operations on June 1, 1940,^[7][8] and the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940.^[9][10] On October 17, 1949, the Astoria Line became BMT-only as the tracks at Queensboro Plaza were consolidated and the platforms on the Astoria Line were shaved back to allow BMT trains to operate on it. Service was initially provided by the Brighton Local (BMT 1) and the Broadway–Fourth Avenue Local (BMT 2) at all times.^[11]

An R68A N train arriving at the northbound platform

Station renovations

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.^[12]: 23 The project cost $863,000. Signals on the line had to be modified to take the platform extensions into account.^{[13]: 633, 729}

Under the 2015–2019 Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Capital Plan, the station underwent a complete overhaul as part of the Enhanced Station Initiative and was entirely closed for several months. Updates included cellular service, Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, interactive service advisories and maps.^[14][15] The award for Package 2 of the renovations, which covered renovations at the 30th Avenue, Broadway, 36th Avenue, and 39th Avenue stations, was awarded on April 14, 2017, to Skanska USA.^[16] This station, along with 36th Avenue, was closed entirely for around eight months starting on October 23, 2017.^[17] After the 30th Avenue and 36th Avenue stations closed, there was some controversy over the loss of business near these stations.^[18] The stations reopened on June 22, 2018.^[19] In July 2018, the MTA retroactively awarded a contract for the additional platform and girder repairs at the 30th and 36th Avenues stations, conducted after the stations had reopened.^[20]

Station layout

Platforms	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Southbound local	← toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (39th Avenue) ← toward Whitehall Street–South Ferry weekdays (39th Avenue)
	Peak-direction express	← No regular service
	Northbound local	→ ( weekdays) toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard (Broadway) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
Mezzanine		To entrances/exits, station agent, MetroCard and OMNY vending machines
Ground	Street level	Entrances/exits

This elevated station has three tracks and two side platforms. The center track is not used in revenue service, but it had been used regularly as recently as 2002.^[21]

The ends of each platform contain full-height mesh windscreens, while the center of the platform contains glass windscreens and black metal canopies. Prior to the 2018 renovations, both platforms had creme-colored windscreens for the entire lengths, except for a small section on the Astoria-bound platform at the north end, and red wooden canopies at their centers.

As part of the MTA Arts & Design program, Maureen McQuillan created an artwork for the station, titled Crystal Blue Persuasion, which was installed in 2018.^[22] The artwork consists of laminated glass panels in the mezzanine. The name of the artwork is a reference to Tommy James's song "Crystal Blue Persuasion".^[23]

Exits

The station's only entrance is via an elevated station-house beneath the tracks. It contains two staircases to each platform, a waiting area covered with transite that allows free transfer between directions, turnstile bank, token booth, and three street stairs going down to all corners of 36th Avenue and 31st Street except the northeast one.^[24]

References

1. "Glossary". Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) (PDF). Vol. 1. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 4, 2003. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
2. "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
3. "First Train Runs On Elevated Line to Astoria Section". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 1, 1917. Retrieved June 29, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Annual report. 1916-1917. New York: Interborough Rapid Transit Company. 1917. pp. 15–16 – via HathiTrust.
5. "Subway Link Over Queensboro Bridge". The New York Times. July 22, 1917. p. 31. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
6. "Additional Subway Service to Borough of Queens". The New York Times. April 8, 1923. p. RE1. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
7. "B.M.T. Lines Pass to City Ownership; $175,000,000 Deal Completed at City Hall Ceremony-- Mayor 'Motorman No. 1'". The New York Times. June 2, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
8. "City Takes Over B. M. T. System; Mayor Skippers Midnight Train". New York Herald Tribune. June 2, 1940. p. 1. ProQuest 1243059209.
9. "City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign". The New York Times. June 13, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
10. "Transit Unification Completed As City Takes Over I. R. T. Lines: Systems Come Under Single Control After Efforts Begun in 1921; Mayor Is Jubilant at City Hall Ceremony Recalling 1904 Celebration". New York Herald Tribune. June 13, 1940. p. 25. ProQuest 1248134780.
11. "Direct Subway Runs to Flushing, Astoria". The New York Times. October 15, 1949. p. 17. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
12. General Contractors Association (1950). Bulletin. New York.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
13. Proceedings of the Board of Transportation of the City of New York. New York City Board of Transportation. 1950.
14. Whitford, Emma (January 8, 2016). "MTA Will Completely Close 30 Subway Stations For Months-Long "Revamp"". Gothamist. Archived from the original on March 23, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
15. "MTA Stations" (PDF). governor.ny.gov. Government of the State of New York. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
16. Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting (PDF). mta.info (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 24, 2017. p. 17. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
17. Evelly, Jeanmarie (September 14, 2017). "2 Astoria Subway Stations to Close for 8 Months on Oct. 23, MTA Says". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
18. Law, Tara (May 22, 2018). "MTA: 30th and 36th Avenue Subway Stations on Schedule to Reopen Late June". Astoria Post. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
19. "Broadway & 39 Av NW Stations to Undergo Extensive Repairs & Renovations" (Press release). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 8, 2018. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
20. Transit & Bus Committee Meeting (PDF) (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 23, 2018. pp. 194–195. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
21. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
22. Cook, Lauren; Desai, Rajvi (June 22, 2018). "Astoria subway stations reopen after 8-month redesign". am New York. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
23. "Crystal Blue Persuasion". MTA. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
24. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Long Island City" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.

External links

• nycsubway.org – BMT Astoria Line: 36th/Washington Aves.
• Station Reporter — N Train
• 36th Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View