Beach 25th Street station

The Beach 25th Street station (signed as Beach 25th Street–Wavecrest) is a station on the IND Rockaway Line of the New York City Subway, located in Queens on the Rockaway Freeway at Beach 25th Street. It is served by the Rockaway Park Shuttle at all times until May 2025.^[5] Under normal service patterns, it is served by the A train at all times. There are two tracks and two side platforms.

Beach 25 Street
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
View of both platforms facing east
Station statistics
Address	Beach 25th Street & Rockaway Freeway Queens, New York
Borough	Queens
Locale	Far Rockaway[1][2]
Coordinates	40°36′0.22″N 73°45′41.12″W
Division	B (IND, formerly LIRR Far Rockaway Branch)[3]
Line	IND Rockaway Line
Services	S  (all times)
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	May 1928; 96 years ago (1928-05) (LIRR station)
Rebuilt	June 28, 1956; 68 years ago (1956-06-28) (as a Subway station)
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Former/other names	Beach 25th Street–Wavecrest
Traffic
2023	318,542[4]  1.3%
Rank	411 out of 423[4]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Beach 36th Street toward Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street Rockaway Park Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue Terminus
Former services Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station Far Rockaway toward Valley Stream Far Rockaway Branch Edgemere toward Hammels Far Rockaway toward Gibson Rockaway Beach Division Edgemere toward Woodside
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to Beach 36th Street to Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times

History

North side stair

The station was originally opened by the Long Island Rail Road in May 1928 as Wavecrest Station.^[6]

It was closed and relocated 800 feet (240 m) east of the former location in August 1940 as part of a grade elevation project. The elevated station was opened on April 10, 1942..^[7] The station was purchased by New York City on October 3, 1955, along with the rest of the Rockaway Beach Branch and Far Rockaway Branch west of Far Rockaway, after a fire on the line's crossing over Jamaica Bay in 1950.^[8] Now operated by the New York City Transit Authority, it reopened as a subway station along the IND Rockaway Line on June 28, 1956.^[8][9] This station was the terminal for the Far Rockaway branch until the opening of Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue station on January 16, 1958.^[8][10]

Station layout

Platform level	Side platform
	Southbound	← toward Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street (Beach 36th Street)
	Northbound	→ toward Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue (Terminus) →
	Side platform
Mezzanine		Fare control, station agent, MetroCard and OMNY machines
Ground	Street level	Exit/entrance

North side of the Mott Avenue bound platform

This station is on a concrete viaduct with ballasted track. It has two tracks and two side platforms.^[11] The station is served by the Rockaway Park Shuttle at all times until May 2025.^[5] Under normal service patterns, it is served by the A train at all times^[12] and is between Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue to the east (railroad south) and Beach 36th Street to the west (railroad north).^[13]

Exits

Exit is near the center to the tiled mezzanine. The mezzanine is four stories high. Three stairs lead to the street, two to the southwestern corner and one to the northwestern corner of Rockaway Freeway and Beach 25th Street.^[14]

References

1. "Far Rockaway, Queens" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
2. "Bayswater, Queens" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
3. "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.
4. "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
5. "A train shutdown in the Rockaways starts tonight. Here's what riders need to know". CBS New York. January 17, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
6. "What The Wave Said 40 Years Ago This Week". Wave of Long Island. Fultonhistory.com. March 14, 1968. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
7. "Last Grade Crossing In Rockaways Ends" (PDF). The New York Times. April 11, 1942. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
8. Freeman, Ira Henry (June 28, 1956). "Rockaway Trains to Operate Today". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
9. "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.

   • "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.
   • "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.
   • "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. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
11. "Tracks of the New York City Subway". Tracks of the New York City Subway. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
12. "A Subway Timetable, Effective December 17, 2023". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
13. "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
14. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: The Rockaways" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.

External links

• nycsubway.org – IND Rockaway: Beach 25th Street/Wavecrest
• Station Reporter — A Rockaway
• The Subway Nut — Beach 25th Street–Wavecrest Pictures Archived June 14, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
• Beach 25th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View