Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street station

For other uses, see 116th Street.

The Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street station is the western terminal station on the IND Rockaway Line of the New York City Subway, located on Beach 116th Street near Rockaway Beach Boulevard in Rockaway Beach, Queens. It is served by the Rockaway Park Shuttle at all times and ten daily rush-hour A trains in the peak direction.

Rockaway Park–Beach 116 Street  ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Platform view looking east
Station statistics
Address	Beach 116th Street between Rockaway Beach Boulevard & Newport Avenue Queens, New York
Borough	Queens
Locale	Rockaway Park
Coordinates	40.580725°N 73.83618°W / 40.580725; -73.83618
Division	B (IND, formerly LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch)[1]
Line	IND Rockaway Line
Services	A  (rush hours, peak direction) ​   S  (all times)
Transit	MTA Bus: Q22, Q35, Q53 SBS, QM16 NYC Ferry: Rockaway (at Rockaway Landing)
Structure	At-grade
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2 (excludes 8 yard tracks adjacent to the station)
Other information
Opened	May 1882; 142 years ago (May 1882) (LIRR station)
Rebuilt	June 28, 1956; 68 years ago (June 28, 1956) (as a Subway station)
Accessible	ADA-accessible
Opposite- direction transfer	N/A
Traffic
2023	132,504[2]  0.8%
Rank	420 out of 423[2]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Terminus Rockaway Park Beach 105th Street A  ​S  toward Broad Channel
Former services Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station Seaside toward Woodside Rockaway Beach Division Terminus
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to Beach 105th Street to Rockaway Park Yard
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops rush hours in the peak direction only

History

Station house

The station was originally built in 1882 as a Long Island Rail Road station on the Rockaway Beach Branch, was called Rockaway Beach, and contained a trolley stop for the Ocean Electric Railway, which eventually expanded their line further west to Belle Harbor and Neponsit. In 1899, the station was enlarged in order to accommodate the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company cars, and the name was changed to Rockaway Park.

In spring 1917, a second station was built as a replacement for the former station, which was razed. After a 1950 fire at The Raunt destroyed the trestle across Jamaica Bay, the LIRR rerouted Rockaway Beach service along the Far Rockaway Branch, then abandoned the Rockaway Beach Branch.^[3][4] The New York City Board of Transportation purchased all stations on the branch in June 1952, and the New York City Transit Authority (successor to the Board of Transportation) closed them to LIRR service on October 3, 1955 in order to convert many of them into subway stations.^[3][4] The current station, Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street, opened on June 28, 1956, with all other stations on the Rockaway Line except Far Rockaway.^{[5][6][7][8][9]} Far Rockaway reopened in 1958 after being rebuilt for Subway use,^[10] and the LIRR opened a new Far Rockaway station on Nameoke Street.^[3] Plans to add a subway line to the Rockaway Peninsula actually date back to the 1920s and originally involved extending the western terminus along Newport Avenue to Beach 149th Street, rather than its current terminus at Rockaway Park.^[11][12][13]

In 2002, it was announced that Rockaway Park would be one of ten subway stations citywide to receive renovations.^[14] Starting in May 2007, the station building, platform and yard area underwent renovation. The new station building was unveiled in early November 2007.

Station layout

G Platform level	Yard tracks	No passenger service
	Track 2	toward Broad Channel (Beach 105th Street) → AM rush toward Inwood–207th Street (Beach 105th Street) →
	Island platform
	Track 1	toward Broad Channel (Beach 105th Street) → AM rush toward Inwood–207th Street (Beach 105th Street) →
	Yard track	No passenger service
	Street level	Exits/entrances
	Station house	Lobby, fare control, station agent, police precinct Station at street level

The station is at ground level. There are two tracks and an island platform. The tracks end at bumper blocks at the west (railroad south) end of the platform.^[15] The station is served by the Rockaway Park Shuttle at all times and limited A trains during rush hours in the peak direction (toward Manhattan in the morning and toward the Rockaways in the afternoon).^[16][17] It is the southern terminus of all service; the next stop to the east (railroad north) is Beach 105th Street.^[18]

On either side of the station are tracks leading to the Rockaway Park Yard. Originally, terminal tracks with low-level platforms occupied the yard area during the LIRR years.^[3][4] The area of the current high-level platform was part of the LIRR depot yard.

Exit

As the entrance is at street level, the station is ADA accessible without the use of an elevator or ramps.^[19] The station house is made of concrete with windows and plywood walls and a brick exterior. It also has an entrance leading to an adjacent restaurant.^[20] An examination of the station house shows the former ticket windows, which were used when the line was part of the LIRR. The station houses Transit Police District 23,^[20] which was moved to the station in June 1977.^[21] A new police facility was opened on September 18, 2009.^{[22][23][24][25]} A NYCDOT municipal parking lot lies just north of the station.^[20][26]

Gallery

• 
  Mezzanine and police precinct
• 
  Postcard, ca. 1917
• 
  Platform reconstruction in 2007
• 
  Northern half of the platform

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. Linder, Bernard (February 2006). "Rockaway Line". New York Division Bulletin. 49 (2). Electric Railroader's Association: 3–4. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
4. "Fifty Years of Subway Service to the Rockaways". New York Division Bulletin. 49 (6). New York Division, Electric Railroaders' Association. June 2006. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2016 – via Issu.
5. Freeman, Ira Henry (June 28, 1956). "Rockaway Trains to Operate Today" (PDF). The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
6. "First Train On Rockaway Line Runs This Afternoon". Wave of Long Island. Fultonhistory.com. June 28, 1956. p. 1. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
7. "First Train On Rockaway Line Runs This Afternoon". Wave of Long Island. Fultonhistory.com. June 28, 1956. p. 6. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
8. "TA's New Line To Rockaways Begins Today: Fifty Piece Band To Play as Special Train Makes First Run". The Leader-Observer. Fultonhistory.com. June 28, 1956. p. 1. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
9. "To Rockaways: Beach Trains In Operation". Greenpoint Weekly Star. Fultonhistory.com. June 29, 1956. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
10. "New Subway Unit Ready: Far Rockaway IND Terminal Will Be Opened Today" (PDF). The New York Times. January 16, 1958. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
11. Duffus, R.L. (September 22, 1929). "Our Great Subway Network Spreads Wider; New Plans of Board of Transportation Involve the Building of More Than One Hundred Miles of Additional Rapid Transit Routes for New York". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
12. Board of Transportation of the City of New York Engineering Department, Proposed Additional Rapid Transit Lines And Proposed Vehicular Tunnel, dated August 23, 1929
13. Project for Expanded Rapid Transit Facilities, New York City Transit System, dated July 5, 1939.
14. "Renovation Is Set For 10 Subway Stations". NY Daily News. June 11, 2002. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
15. "Tracks of the New York City Subway". Tracks of the New York City Subway. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
16. "S Subway Timetable, Rockaway Park Shuttle, Effective December 17, 2023". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
17. "A Subway Timetable, Effective December 17, 2023". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
18. "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
19. "NYC Official Accessibility Guide" (PDF). nyc.gov. City of New York. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 7, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
20. "Subway-Sidewalk Interface Project: Rockaway Park/Beach 116th Street Station" (PDF). transalt.org. Transportation Alternatives, City of New York, New York City Department of City Planning, New York City Department of Transportation. 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 26, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
21. "TA Police Shifting Dist. HQ To 116 St". Wave of Long Island. Fultonhistory.com. May 18, 1977. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
22. "City Officials Dedicate New Transit Police HQ at Beach 116". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 18, 2009. Archived from the original on June 23, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
23. "NYPD Officially Opens TD 23 Headquarters: HQ Situated Inside Beach 116 Street Subway Station". Wave of Long Island. September 18, 2009. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
24. "Renovations Close Beach 116 Street Stores". Wave of Long Island. March 23, 2007. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
25. Magoolaghan, Brian (March 15, 2003). "New Facility for Transit Bureau District 23". Wave of Long Island. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
26. "Municipal Parking Facilities". New York City Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2016.

External links

• nycsubway.org – IND Rockaway: Rockaway Park/Beach 116th Street
• Station Reporter — Rockaway Park Shuttle
• Rockaway Park Station History (Arrt's Arrchives)
• The Subway Nut — Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street Pictures
• MTA's Arts For Transit — Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street (IND Rockaway Line)
• Beach 116th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platform from Google Maps Street View