Flushing Avenue station (BMT Jamaica Line)

For the station at Flushing Avenue & Union Avenue, see Flushing Avenue (IND Crosstown Line).

The Flushing Avenue station is a local station on the BMT Jamaica Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Flushing Avenue and Broadway in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, it is served by the J train at all times except weekdays in the peak direction and the M train at all times except late nights. The Z train skips this station when it operates.

Flushing Avenue  ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Station statistics
Address	Flushing Avenue & Broadway Brooklyn, New York
Borough	Brooklyn
Locale	Williamsburg, Bedford–Stuyvesant, Bushwick
Coordinates	40.700683°N 73.941979°W / 40.700683; -73.941979
Division	B (BMT)[1]
Line	BMT Jamaica Line
Services	J  (all times except weekdays 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., peak direction) ​   M  (all times except late nights)
Transit	NYCT Bus: B15 (not announced on trains), B43, B46, B47, B57
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	3
Other information
Opened	June 25, 1888; 136 years ago (1888-06-25)[2]
Accessible	ADA-accessible
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2023	1,614,503[3]  9%
Rank	201 out of 423[3]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Lorimer Street J  ​M  via Essex Street Local Myrtle Avenue J  ​M  services split does not stop here
Non-revenue services and lines Preceding station New York City Subway Following station   no service Park Avenue demolished
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to Myrtle Avenue to Lorimer Street
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops all times except weekdays in the peak direction

History

This station opened on June 25, 1888, when the Union Elevated Railroad (leased to the Brooklyn Elevated Railroad) extended its elevated line above Broadway from Gates Avenue northwest to Driggs Avenue in Williamsburg.^[4] This was a branch of the existing Lexington Avenue Elevated, which then ended at Van Siclen Avenue; Broadway trains ran between Driggs and Van Siclen Avenues.^[5] The Broadway Elevated was extended to Broadway Ferry on July 14, 1888.^[6] Upon the opening of the Williamsburg Bridge tracks in 1908, trains were rerouted across the bridge west of Marcy Avenue.^[7]

The MTA announced in December 2021 that it would install wide-aisle fare gates for disabled passengers at five subway stations, including Flushing Avenue, by mid-2022.^[8] The implementation of these fare gates was delayed; none of the wide-aisle fare gates had been installed by early 2023.^[9][10] Also, in December 2021, the MTA awarded a contract for the replacement of the Flushing Avenue station's elevators, to be completed by late 2023 or early 2024.^[11][12] In early 2024, to discourage fare evasion, the MTA reconfigured emergency exits at the station so the exits opened only after a 15-second delay.^[13][14]

Station layout

Platform level	Side platform
	Westbound local[15]	← toward Broad Street (Lorimer Street) ← toward Forest Hills–71st Avenue weekdays, Essex Street weekends (Lorimer Street)
	Peak-direction express	← do not stop here weekday mornings ← do not stop here weekday afternoons →
	Eastbound local[15]	→ toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Myrtle Avenue) → → toward Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue (Myrtle Avenue) →
	Side platform
Mezzanine		Fare control, station agent, MetroCard and OMNY machines Elevator at southwest corner of Flushing Avenue and Broadway
Ground	Street level	Entrances/exits

Elevator and stairs from street

This elevated station has two side platforms and three tracks. The center track is used by the J and Z trains in the peak direction weekday midday and rush hours. Both platforms have beige windscreens with red canopies supported by green frames and support columns along the entire length. The station signs are in the standard black plate with white lettering.

The 2006 artwork here is called Migration by Robin Holder.^[16] It features stained glass windows on the platform windscreens and station house.

Exits

There are two sets of entrance/exits at the station. One is located at an elevated station house beneath the tracks, which has two staircases from either southern corners of Flushing Avenue and Broadway, token booth, turnstile bank, a waiting area that allows a free transfer between directions, and a single staircase to each platform at their extreme north end. Each staircase landing has an exit-only turnstile to allow passengers to exit the station without having to go through the station house.^[17] Three elevators were installed in Fall 2003 to make this station ADA accessible due to its proximity to Woodhull Hospital. One of them is at the southwest corner of Broadway and Flushing Avenue and goes up to the adjacent staircase balcony. The other two go up to the platforms from the staircase landing.^[18]

The other set of entrance/exit are stairs located at the south ends of each platform. These stairs lead to Fayette Street. There was formerly another station house at this end, but it was removed. These stairs were closed in the 1980s due to high crime,^[19][20][21] but were reopened in July 2017 to address potential capacity constraints from shuttle bus transfers due to reconstruction on the Myrtle Avenue Line and the 14th Street Tunnel.^[22][23]

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. "The Broadway Line Opened". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. June 25, 1888. p. 6.
3. "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
4. "The Broadway Line Opened". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. June 25, 1888. p. 6. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
5. "Trains Running This Morning". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. May 30, 1893. p. 10. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
6. "When the Union Road will be Finished". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. July 13, 1888. p. 1. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
7. "Mayor Runs a Train Over New Bridge". The New York Times. September 17, 1908. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
8. Barone, Vincent (November 17, 2021). "MTA to test out new, wider subway turnstiles to improve accessibility". 1010 Wins. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
9. Brachfeld, Ben (February 21, 2023). "MTA to begin installing wide turnstiles for wheelchair users in subway this year". amNewYork. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
10. Brosnan, Erica (February 22, 2023). "MTA to install new 'wide-aisle' turnstiles at two subway stations". Spectrum News NY1 New York City. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
11. Duggan, Kevin (December 12, 2021). "Advocates raise oversight concerns as MTA eyes more private subway elevator maintenance". amNewYork. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
12. "MTA announces historic investment in accessibility projects". Mass Transit Magazine. December 13, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
13. Nessen, Stephen (January 29, 2024). "Emergency gates will soon take 15 seconds to open at 3 NYC subway stations". Gothamist. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
14. "Subway emergency gates at some stations to test 15-second delay to help deter fare evasion in New York City". ABC7 New York. January 30, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
15. This is a wrong-way concurrency in railroad direction.
16. "Artwork: "Migrations" (Robin Holder)". NYC Subway Art Guide. 2006.
17. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Williamsburg & Bedford-Stuyvesant" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
18. "Accessible Stations in the MTA Network". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
19. Harshbarger, Rebecca; De La Hoz, Felipe (October 12, 2015). "Williamsburg, Bushwick subway entrances sealed despite ridership spike". AM New York. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
20. Hinds, Kate; Palazzolo, Alan (November 10, 2015). "No Exit: What Closed Subway Entrances Have to Do with Delays and Crowding". WNYC (AM). Retrieved July 4, 2016.
21. "Closed subway entrances". WNYC (AM). October 31, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
22. "Flushing Ave J Train Entrance Finally Reopens After Decades, but Don't Expect More from the MTA: Gothamist". Archived from the original on July 22, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
23. "First Look: DOT, MTA present initial plans for L train shutdown". December 13, 2017.

External links

• nycsubway.org – BMT Jamaica Line: Flushing Avenue
• Station Reporter — J Train
• Station Reporter — M Train
• The Subway Nut — Flushing Avenue Pictures
• MTA's Arts For Transit — Flushing Avenue (BMT Jamaica Line)
• Flushing Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View