39th Avenue station (BMT Astoria Line)

The 39th Avenue station (signed as the 39th Avenue–Dutch Kills station and formerly known as the 39th Avenue–Beebe Avenue station) is a local station on the BMT Astoria Line of the New York City Subway. It is located at 39th Avenue and 31st Street in Long Island City, Queens. The station is served by the N train at all times, as well as by the W train on weekdays.

39 Avenue  ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
View from northbound platform
Station statistics
Address	39th Avenue & 31st Street Long Island City, New York
Borough	Queens
Locale	Long Island City
Coordinates	40.752686°N 73.932924°W / 40.752686; -73.932924
Division	B (BMT)[1]
Line	BMT Astoria Line
Services	N  (all times) ​   W  (weekdays)
Transit	MTA Bus: Q102
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	3 (2 in regular service)
Other information
Opened	February 1, 1917; 107 years ago (1917-02-01)
Closed	July 2, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-07-02) (reconstruction)
Rebuilt	January 28, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-01-28)
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Former/other names	39th Avenue–Beebe Avenue, 39th Avenue
Traffic
2023	805,613[2]  30.5%
Rank	332 out of 423[2]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Queensboro Plaza N  ​W  via 34th Street–Herald Square Local 36th Avenue N  ​W  toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to 36th Avenue to Queensboro Plaza
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops weekdays during the day

History

This station opened on February 1, 1917, along with the rest of the Astoria Line, which was originally part of the IRT, as a spur off the IRT Queensboro Line, which is now the IRT Flushing Line. Trains ran between Grand Central and Astoria.^[3][4] On July 23, 1917, the Queensboro Bridge spur of the elevated IRT Second Avenue Line opened. At that time, all elevated trains to Queensboro Plaza used the Astoria Line while all subway trains used the IRT Flushing Line, though this was later changed with trains alternating between branches.^[4][5] This station started to be served by BMT shuttles using elevated cars on April 8, 1923.^[6]

The city government took over the BMT's operations on June 1, 1940,^[7][8] and the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940.^[9][10] On October 17, 1949, the Astoria Line became BMT-only as the tracks at Queensboro Plaza were consolidated and the platforms on the Astoria Line were shaved back to allow BMT trains to operate on it. Service was initially provided by the Brighton Local (BMT 1) and the Broadway–Fourth Avenue Local (BMT 2) at all times.^[11]

Station renovations

The platforms at this station, along with six others on the Astoria Line, were lengthened to 610 feet (190 m) to accommodate ten-car trains in 1950.^[12]: 23 The project cost $863,000. Signals on the line had to be modified to take the platform extensions into account.^{[13]: 633, 729}

Under the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Plan, the station underwent a complete overhaul as part of the Enhanced Station Initiative and was entirely closed for several months. Updates included cellular service, Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, interactive service advisories and maps.^[14][15] The award for Package 2 of the renovations, which covered renovations at the 30th Avenue, Broadway, 36th Avenue, and 39th Avenue stations, was awarded on April 14, 2017, to Skanska USA.^[16] The Broadway and 39th Avenue stations were closed entirely on July 2, 2018, and reopened on January 24, 2019, slightly earlier than expected.^[17] A previously demolished entrance to the northeast corner of Broadway and 31st Street was added once again to improve access.^[18] New station signage saying "39th Avenue–Dutch Kills" was installed after the Dutch Kills Civic Association requested it. Trains and subway maps still use the old "39th Avenue" name.^[19][20]

Station layout

Platforms	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Southbound local	← toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (Queensboro Plaza) ← toward Whitehall Street–South Ferry weekdays (Queensboro Plaza)
	Peak-direction express	← No regular service
	Northbound local	→ ( weekdays) toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard (36th Avenue) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
Mezzanine		To entrances/exits, station agent, MetroCard and OMNY vending machines
Ground	Street level	Entrances/exits

This elevated station has three tracks and two side platforms. The center track is not used in revenue service, but it had been used regularly as recently as 2002. The center track merges with the two outer tracks south of this station.^[21]

Both platforms have windscreens that run along their lengths and red canopies with green support columns in the center. The station signs are in the standard black name plate in white lettering.

As part of the MTA Arts & Design program, the British-American painter Sarah Morris created an artwork for the station, titled Hellion Equilibrium, which was installed in 2019.^[22] The artwork, installed on the walls of each platform, consists of multicolored shapes that allude to the station's GPS location.^[23]

Exits

This station has one elevated station house beneath the center of the platforms and tracks. Two staircases from each platform go down to a crossunder that has a news-stand and small turnstile bank. Outside fare control, there is a token booth and two staircases going down to the northwest and southeast corners of 39th Avenue and 31st Street. The lower base of the platform staircases have emergency gates leading directly to the top of the street stairs.^[24]

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. "First Train Runs On Elevated Line to Astoria Section". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 1, 1917. Retrieved June 29, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Annual report. 1916-1917. New York: Interborough Rapid Transit Company. 1917. pp. 15–16 – via HathiTrust.
5. "Subway Link Over Queensboro Bridge". The New York Times. July 22, 1917. p. 31. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
6. "Additional Subway Service to Borough of Queens". The New York Times. April 8, 1923. p. RE1. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
7. "B.M.T. Lines Pass to City Ownership; $175,000,000 Deal Completed at City Hall Ceremony-- Mayor 'Motorman No. 1'". The New York Times. June 2, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
8. "City Takes Over B. M. T. System; Mayor Skippers Midnight Train". New York Herald Tribune. June 2, 1940. p. 1. ProQuest 1243059209.
9. "City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign". The New York Times. June 13, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
10. "Transit Unification Completed As City Takes Over I. R. T. Lines: Systems Come Under Single Control After Efforts Begun in 1921; Mayor Is Jubilant at City Hall Ceremony Recalling 1904 Celebration". New York Herald Tribune. June 13, 1940. p. 25. ProQuest 1248134780.
11. "Direct Subway Runs to Flushing, Astoria". The New York Times. October 15, 1949. p. 17. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
12. General Contractors Association (1950). Bulletin. New York.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
13. Board of Transportation of the City of New York (1950). Proceedings of the Board of Transportation of the City of New York. New York.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
14. Whitford, Emma (January 8, 2016). "MTA Will Completely Close 30 Subway Stations For Months-Long "Revamp"". Gothamist. Archived from the original on March 23, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
15. "MTA Stations" (PDF). governor.ny.gov. Government of the State of New York. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
16. Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting (PDF). mta.info (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 24, 2017. p. 17. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
17. "Broadway and 39 Av stations will temporarily close for extensive renovation All times beginning 5 AM, July 2, until February 2019". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
18. "Broadway & 39 Av NW Stations to Undergo Extensive Repairs & Renovations". www.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 8, 2018. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
19. Goff, Liz (January 9, 2019). "39th Ave. Train Station To Be Co-Named 'Dutch Kills'". Queens Gazette. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
20. O'Connell-Domenech, Alejandra (January 2, 2019). "A Long Island City train station receives a brand-new name". QNS.com. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
21. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
22. "Sarah Morris at 39 Avenue subway station, Long Island City". White Cube. January 29, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
23. "Hellion Equilibrium". MTA. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
24. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Long Island City" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.

External links

• Media related to 39th Avenue (BMT Astoria Line) at Wikimedia Commons
• nycsubway.org – BMT Astoria Line: 39th/Beebe Aves.
• Station Reporter — N Train
• TheSubwayNut - 39th Avenue Archived July 6, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
• 39th Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View