85th Street–Forest Parkway station

The 85th Street–Forest Parkway station is a skip-stop station on the BMT Jamaica Line of the New York City Subway, located on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven, Queens.^[6] The J train serves this station at all times. The Z train skips this station when it operates.^[7]

85 Street–Forest Parkway
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Manhattan-bound J train at the station in 2017
Station statistics
Address	85th Street & Jamaica Avenue Queens, New York
Borough	Queens
Locale	Woodhaven
Coordinates	40.692418°N 73.86014°W / 40.692418; -73.86014
Division	B (BMT)[1]
Line	BMT Jamaica Line
Services	J  (all times)
Transit	NYCT Bus: Q56
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	May 28, 1917 (107 years ago) (1917-05-28)[2][3][4]
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Former/other names	Forest Parkway
Traffic
2023	829,926[5]  19.8%
Rank	324 out of 423[5]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Cypress Hills J  skip-stop Woodhaven Boulevard J  toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer 75th Street–Elderts Lane J  toward Broad Street does not stop here
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to Woodhaven Boulevard to 75th Street–Elderts Lane
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Stops all times

History

This station opened on May 28, 1917^[2][3][4] under the Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad, an affiliate of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company.

From the late-1950s into the 1960s the New York City Transit Authority had a proposal to realign the BMT Jamaica Line between Grant or Nichols Avenue (east of Crescent Street station) and 80th Street and Jamaica Avenue (just west of this station). This realignment would have also included a bi-directional express track. The realignment was never carried out.^[8] "85th Street" was added to the name in 1966.

In February 2023, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced that this station would temporarily close for renovations as part of a station renewal contract at four stations on the Jamaica Line. On August 12, 2024, the Queens-bound platform closed. The closure will shift to the Manhattan-bound platform in early 2025. Work includes platform renewals, replacement of stairs, canopies, and windscreens, installation of artwork, and minimizing the gaps between the train and the platform edge.^[9] The work is being performed by Gramercy PJS Joint-Venture.^[10]

Station layout

Platform level	Side platform
	Westbound local	← toward Broad Street (Cypress Hills AM rush, 75th Street–Elderts Lane other times) ← does not stop here
	Peak-direction express	No track or roadbed
	Eastbound local	→ toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Woodhaven Boulevard) → → does not stop here →
	Side platform
Mezzanine		Fare control, station agent, MetroCard and OMNY machines
Ground	Street level	Entrances/exits

The station has two tracks and two side platforms, with space for a center track.^[11]

Exits

The north exit, which leads to 85th Street and has a crossunder, is near Forest Park.^[6] The south exit, which leads to Forest Parkway, was removed.^[6]

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. "TO OPEN JAMAICA AV. LINE.; Nearly Two and a Half Miles Ready for Operation Tonight". No. May 27, 1917. New York Times Company. May 27, 1917. p. 24. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
3. "Jamaica Avenue 'L' is an Old Story Already" (PDF). No. May 31, 1917. Leader Observer (Queens/Brooklyn, New York). May 31, 1917. p. 1. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
4. 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 15, 1918. pp. 73, 81, 312–314. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
5. "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
6. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Woodhaven" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
7. "J/Z Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
8. "Woodhavenites Fear Loss of Homes by El Improvement: Residents Clamor for Facts About City's Plan to Build El Structure Through Heart of Community; Official Statement Released by Transit Authority". The Leader–Observer. October 2, 1958. Retrieved July 27, 2016 – via Fulton History.
9. "MTA Announces Upcoming Station Renovations at Cypress Hills, 75 St, and 85 St Stations on the J and Z Line". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
10. Bardolf, Deirdre (February 16, 2023). "J train work starting in Woodhaven: MTA". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
11. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.

External links

• nycsubway.org – BMT Jamaica Line: 85th Street – Forest Parkway
• Station Reporter — J Train
• The Subway Nut — 85th Street–Forest Parkway Pictures Archived January 5, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
• 85th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View