104th Street station (BMT Jamaica Line)

For other uses, see 104th Street.

The 104th Street station is a skip-stop station on the BMT Jamaica Line of the New York City Subway, located on Jamaica Avenue between 102nd and 104th Streets in Richmond Hill, Queens.^[6] It is served by the Z train during rush hours in the peak direction, and the J at all other times.^[7]

104 Street  ​
Northbound platform prior to renovation
Station statistics
Address	104th Street and Jamaica Avenue Queens, New York
Borough	Queens
Locale	Richmond Hill
Coordinates	40.695184°N 73.843231°W / 40.695184; -73.843231
Division	B (BMT)[1]
Line	BMT Jamaica Line
Services	J  (all except rush hours, peak direction) ​   Z  (rush hours, peak direction)
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	102nd Street 102nd–104th Streets 104th–102nd Streets
Traffic
2023	591,761[5]  19.6%
Rank	361 out of 423[5]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Woodhaven Boulevard J  ​Z  toward Broad Street 121st Street Z  skip-stop 111th Street J  toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to 111th Street to Woodhaven Boulevard
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. The former Brooklyn Manor station on the LIRR's defunct Rockaway Beach Branch, which was closed in 1962, is two blocks to the west and could be an available transfer if the Rockaway Beach Branch is reopened for train service.^[8]

Until 1966, this station was known as 102nd Street. It was then given the dual name of 102nd–104th Streets.^[9] As of 2011, station signage and the official map give the station name as 104th Street.^[10]

The Manhattan-bound platform of this station was closed for renovation from March 13, 2017, until April 11, 2018,^[11][12] delayed from summer 2017.^[13] The Jamaica Center-bound platform of the station closed on July 23, 2018, for repairs,^[14] and reopened to the public on December 21, 2018.^[15]

Station layout

Platform level	Side platform
	Westbound local	← toward Broad Street (Woodhaven Boulevard) ← AM rush toward Broad Street (Woodhaven Boulevard) ← AM rush does not stop here
	Peak-direction express	No track or roadbed
	Eastbound local	→ toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (111th Street) → → PM rush toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (121st Street) → → PM rush does not stop here →
	Side platform
Mezzanine		Fare control, station agent, MetroCard and OMNY machines
Ground	Street Level	Entrance/exit

Manhattan-bound platform under reconstruction in 2017

This elevated station has two tracks and two side platforms, but there is room for a center track.^[16] Both platforms have beige windscreens and brown canopies with green frames and support columns for their entire length except for a small section at either end. Here, there are only waist-high steel fences with lampposts. The station signs are in the standard black name plate with white lettering.^[17]

The 1990 artwork is called Five Points of Observation by Kathleen McCarthy. It is made of copper mesh, allowing a view of the streets from the platforms, and resembles a human face when viewed from the street. It is found on five other stations on the BMT Jamaica Line.^[18][19]

Exits

This station has one active station house beneath the platforms near the east end. A single staircase from each platform goes down to a waiting area/crossunder, where a turnstile bank provides access to and from the station.^[9] Outside fare control, there is a token booth and two staircases to the street. One faces south and goes down to the southeast corner of 104th Street and Jamaica Avenue while the other faces west and goes down to the north side of Jamaica Avenue near the northwest corner of 104th Street.^[6][20] The station house has concrete flooring and windscreens going halfway up the platform stairs.

This station formerly had another mezzanine at 102nd Street. The station house and stairs to the street have been removed, all that remains is the ceiling and some support I-Beams.^[9]