Forest Hills station (LIRR)

The Forest Hills station is a station on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), located in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens in New York City. It is lightly used compared to other stations in the city, with 2,408 daily riders in 2023;^[3] many residents opt for the subway because of its more frequent service, cheaper fares, and direct express trains to Midtown Manhattan. The station is wheelchair accessible.

For other places with the same name, see Forest Hill station (disambiguation).

Forest Hills
Forest Hills LIRR station south entrance
General information
Location	71st Avenue and Austin Street Forest Hills, Queens, New York
Coordinates	40.719483°N 73.844883°W / 40.719483; -73.844883
Owned by	Long Island Rail Road
Line(s)	Main Line
Distance	6.7 mi (10.8 km) from Long Island City[1]
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Connections	New York City Subway: ​​​ at Forest Hills–71st Avenue MTA Bus: Q23, Q60, Q64, QM11, QM12, QM18
Construction
Accessible	ADA Accessible-Yes 2 Ramps are present at Forest Hills, one for each platform.
Other information
Fare zone	1
History
Opened	1906; 118 years ago (1906)
Closed	1911; 113 years ago (1911)
Rebuilt	August 5, 1911; 113 years ago (1911-08-05)
Electrified	June 16, 1910 750 V (DC) third rail
Passengers
2017	1,967[2]
Services
Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station Woodside toward Penn Station or Grand Central Hempstead Branch Peak periods only Kew Gardens toward Hempstead Ronkonkoma Branch Peak periods only Kew Gardens toward Ronkonkoma Far Rockaway Branch Peak periods only Kew Gardens toward Far Rockaway Babylon Branch Kew Gardens toward Babylon West Hempstead Branch limited service Kew Gardens toward West Hempstead Long Beach Branch Peak periods only Kew Gardens toward Long Beach      Port Jefferson Branch does not stop here      Oyster Bay Branch does not stop here      Montauk Branch does not stop here
Former services Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station Grand Street toward Long Island City or Penn Station Main Line Kew Gardens toward Greenport
Legend to Woodside to Kew Gardens
Location

Location

Located in the Queens neighborhood of the same name, the station is situated along the elevated LIRR tracks above 71st Avenue (also known as Continental Avenue) between Austin and Burns Streets. The station is on the north side of brick-paved Station Square, the historic town center of Forest Hills Gardens, a planned community modelled after the garden communities of England.^[4] The station building was constructed in the same Tudor style as the building known as the "Forest Hills Inn" located across Station Square.^[5] The station is also just east of the West Side Tennis Club. Two blocks to the north along 71st Avenue is the Forest Hills–71st Avenue subway station, one of the busiest in Queens.

History

Built in 1906,^[5] the Forest Hills station is one of the oldest operating passenger railway stations in New York City, predating IND subway expansion to the area in the mid 1930s. Being subsequently remodeled for handicapped accessibility with ramps, it does not contain the standard blue and white signage. Instead there are plaques and antique signs that complement the surrounding area. On July 4, 1917, former President Theodore Roosevelt made his "Unification Speech" (also known as "100 Percent American") from the steps of this station.^[6]

On March 17, 1936, at a hearing of the New York State Transit Commission and the New York State Public Service Commission, the LIRR said that it would seek permission in 1937 to abandon the three stations along the Main Line between Jamaica and Pennsylvania Station—Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, and Woodside. The LIRR had said that it anticipated a loss of annual revenue between $750,000 and $1 million with the opening of the extension of the Independent Subway System's Queens Boulevard Line to Jamaica.^[7]

In November 1963, the LIRR announced a plan to shorten the platforms at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens by 300 feet (91 m). The railroad's justification was that ridership at the stations was low, and did not warrant repairing the crumbling concrete. These sections of platforms had been installed in about 1929 to allow the stations to accommodate full-length trains. This move was opposed by civic groups, and resulted in an investigation by the Public Service Commission. However, the platform extensions were removed in 1965 or 1966.^[8]

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), in its 2010–2014 capital program, proposed lengthening the four-car-long platforms at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens to allow additional train cars to board at the station. The platform extensions would reduce waiting time at the station while allowing for more efficient operations between Jamaica and Penn Station. Although $4.5 million was allocated for the project, the money was ultimately redistributed to other projects.^{[9]: 58, 186 [lower-alpha 1]}

On July 26, 2018, it was announced that the LIRR planned to extend the platforms at Kew Gardens and Forest Hills by 200 feet (61 m) to accommodate six-car trains. The platform extensions consisted of fiberglass decking supported by steel scaffolding structures, allowing the extensions to be completed quickly, and at a low cost, while allowing the LIRR to plan a solution for permanent platform extensions. Preparation work began during the week of July 23^[2] and the new extensions went into service the week of September 12, 2018.^[11][12]

As part of improvements included in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 2020-2024 capital plan, the station will undergo renovations to make it fully accessible. Two ADA-compliant ramps will be constructed to provide access to both platforms, the existing platforms will be demolished and replaced, and lighting and architectural finishes will be upgraded.^[13] Additionally, the platforms will receive permanent extensions to accommodate full 12-car trains.^[14]: 10 The MTA board awarded contracts for the accessibility upgrades in December 2023,^[15][16] but work on the project was paused in mid-2024 due to the postponement of congestion pricing in New York City, which would have helped fund the renovations.^[17]

Station layout

A local station, Forest Hills has two side platforms, both six cars long, and four tracks. The relatively flat and straight stretch of track at Forest Hills has been used for PATH PA-1 and R44 speed tests.^[18][19]

P Platform level	Platform A, side platform
	Track 3	←      Main Line services toward Penn Station or Grand Central Madison (Woodside)
	Track 1	←      Main Line services does not stop here →
	Track 2	←      Main Line services does not stop here →
	Track 4	→      Main Line services toward Jamaica and Points East (Kew Gardens) →
	Platform B, side platform
G	Street level	Entrances/exits

Gallery

• Forest Hills LIRR station
• 
  Forest Hill station on the north side of Station Square
• 
  The former Forest Hills Inn on the south side of Station Square
• 
  Station Square from Greenway Terrace
• 
  A station sign at the Forest Hills station; this sign design is limited to the Forest Hills station.

Notes

1. A revision to the Capital Program from June 2010 does not include the Forest Hills platform extension project.^{[10]: 32–33}

References

1. Long Island Rail Road (May 14, 2012). "TIMETABLE No. 4" (PDF). p. III. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
2. "LIRR to Lengthen Platforms at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens". www.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 27, 2018. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
3. Today, The LIRR. "2023 station ridership shows correlation to service, fares". Retrieved June 13, 2024.
4. "Forest Hills Gardens". CityNeighborhoods.NYC. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
5. "History of Station Square". www.friendsofstationsquare.org. Archived from the original on May 24, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
6. Morrison, David D.; Pakaluk, Valerie (2003). Long Island Rail Road Stations. Images of Rail. Arcadia Publishing. p. 39. ISBN 0-7385-1180-3.
7. "L.I.R.R. to Drop Way Trains From N.Y. to Jamaica. Line Anticipates $750,000 Loss When Subway Opens, Is Plea at Hearing". Brooklyn Times Union. March 18, 1936. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
8. "L.I.R.R. Plan to Shorten 2 Queens Platforms Scored". The New York Times. November 14, 1963. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
9. "Proposed 2010-2014 Capital Program" (PDF). nysenate.gov. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2009. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
10. "MTA Capital Program 2010-2014" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 31, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
11. Law, Tara (September 12, 2018). "Platform Extensions at Forest Hills, Kew Gardens Stations Now Open". Forest Hills Post. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
12. Kelley, Ryan (September 12, 2018). "LIRR opens extended platforms at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens stations". QNS.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
13. "6494 DESIGN BUILD SERVICES FOR LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD STATION IMPROVEMENTS PACKAGE II BABYLON (SOGR), FOREST HILLS & HOLLIS (ADA)". mta.info. May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
14. "Proposed Transportation Improvement Program Amendments: April 19, 2023 through April 28, 2023" (PDF). New York Metropolitan Transportation Cancel. April 19, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
15. Gannon, Michael (December 28, 2023). "MTA plans ADA work at four subway stops". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
16. "MTA board approves major accessibility projects for subway and LIRR, Metro-North yard project". Trains. February 2, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
17. Castillo, Alfonso A. (June 21, 2024). "MTA stops accessibility upgrades at 2 LIRR stations after congestion pricing pause". Newsday. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
18. "world.nycsubway.org/Showing Image 21781". nycsubway.org.
19. "Showing Image 7650". nycsubway.org.

External links

• Forest Hills – LIRR
• Forest Hills LIRR timetable
• Burns Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Continental Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View