Forest Hills – 71st Avenue (IND Queens Boulevard Line)

Forest Hills – 71st Avenue
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Station statistics
Address	71st Avenue & Queens Boulevard Queens, NY 11375
Borough	Queens
Locale	Forest Hills
Coordinates	40°43′17″N 73°50′38″W / 40.721404°N 73.844004°W / 40.721404; -73.844004Coordinates: 40°43′17″N 73°50′38″W / 40.721404°N 73.844004°W / 40.721404; -73.844004
Division	B (IND)
Line	IND Queens Boulevard Line
Services	E  (all times)       F  (all times)       M  (weekdays until 11:00 p.m.)       R  (all hours except late nights)
Connection	MTA Bus: Q23, Q60, Q64, QM11, QM12, QM18 LIRR at Forest Hills
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	December 31, 1936 (1936-12-31)
Accessible
Wireless service	[1][2]
Former/other names	71st–Continental Avenues – Forest Hills
Traffic
Passengers (2014)	8,585,239[3]  0.1%
Rank	41 out of 421
Station succession
Next north	75th Avenue (local): E  F  Kew Gardens – Union Turnpike (express): E  (Terminal): M  R
Next south	67th Avenue (local): E  M  R  Jackson Heights – Roosevelt Avenue (express): E  F
Next north	Kew Gardens – Union Turnpike: E  F
Next south	Jackson Heights – Roosevelt Avenue: E  F  M  R
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops in station at all times Stops all times except late nights Stops late nights only Stops late nights and weekdays only Stops late nights and weekends only Stops weekends and weekend late nights Stops weekdays and weekday late nights Stops weekdays only Stops weekends only Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction Stops all times except weekdays in the peak direction Stops daily except rush hours in the peak direction Stops rush hours only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Station is closed (Details about time periods)

Forest Hills – 71st Avenue is an express station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway, located on Queens Boulevard at 71st (Continental) Avenue in Forest Hills, Queens. It is served by the E and F trains at all times, the R train at all times except late nights, and the M train on weekdays except late nights.

This underground station, opened on December 31, 1936, has four tracks and two island platforms. It is the northern terminal for the local M and R trains, which stop on the outer tracks. To the east, the line widens to six tracks with two tracks starting between the local and express tracks in each direction. These two tracks ramp down to a lower level, where they widen to four tracks and run under the 75th Avenue station, leading to Jamaica Yard.

F trains stop on the express track at all times, but switch to the local track to the east and continue on to Jamaica – 179th Street. E trains stop on the express tracks at all times except late nights, when they make local stops along the Queens Boulevard Line. To the east, they continue on the express tracks (except evenings and weekends when they switch to the local track like the F) to Jamaica Center – Parsons/Archer, with limited rush-hour express service to 179th Street.

On the current MTA map^[4] and published timetables,^[5] the station name is "Forest Hills – 71st Avenue." In the past, "Continental Avenue" (the alternative name of 71st Avenue used in nearby Forest Hills Gardens) has been included in the name^[6] and is used on the rollsigns of older rolling stock such as the R32. As of 2011, the platform signage reads 71–Continental Av–Forest Hills.

Both outer track walls have a lime green tile band with a black border and small "71st AVE" signs below them, in white lettering on black tiles. The station's columns are painted in lime green with signs reading "71 - Forest Hills", while older signs on the black columns between the express tracks read "CONTINENTAL AVENUE - Forest Hills" in black lettering on a white border.

There are three fare control areas on the full width mezzanine above the platforms and tracks. The full-time booth is near the east end of the station and is closest to the southern staircase going up to 71st Avenue and Queens Boulevard. One of the part-time booths is in the same area in the middle of the mezzanine and is closest to 108th Street and 71st Avenue. The other part-time booth is at the west end by 70th Road and Queens Blvd and has only one street stair. There are seven staircases to each platform.

A signal tower and dispatchers' office is at the extreme eastern end of the northbound platform. A small dispatcher's booth sits on the center of the Manhattan-bound platform, but is only used for storage and as a makeshift break room for platform personnel. During the AM rush hour, the small dispatchers booth in the center of the platform is occupied by an assistant dispatcher, who dispatches for the M and R, and for trains coming out of the yard. As of 2014, a new dispatchers booth has been built on the southernmost end of the Manhattan-bound platform, along with offices for transit employees.

Station layout

G	Street Level	Exit/ Entrance
M	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent (Elevator on south side of Queens Boulevard between 70th Road and 71st Avenue)
P Platform level	Southbound local	← toward World Trade Center late nights (67th Avenue) ← (boarding passengers only) toward Middle Village – Metropolitan Avenue weekdays except nights (67th Avenue) ← (boarding passengers only) toward Bay Ridge – 95th Street (all times except nights) (67th Avenue)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
	Southbound express	← toward World Trade Center (Jackson Heights – Roosevelt Avenue) ← toward Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue (Jackson Heights – Roosevelt Avenue)
	Northbound express	→ toward Jamaica Center (Kew Gardens – Union Turnpike weekdays or 75th Avenue weekends) → → toward Jamaica – 179th Street (75th Avenue) →
	Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
	Northbound local	→ toward Jamaica Center late nights (75th Avenue) → → ( weekdays) termination track (all times except nights) →

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is building a signal tower for the Manhattan-bound platform. The agency, in 2014, upgraded the station to compliance with the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act; the upgrade included passenger elevators to serve the street level, mezzanine and platforms. This project, after a three-month delay,^[7] was completed by March 2014.^[8][9] A ribbon-cutting for the new elevators, however, wasn't held until May 2014.^[10]

Gallery

• 

  Station signs on platform.

• 

  A Manhattan-bound R train arriving at the station.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Forest Hills – 71st Avenue (IND Queens Boulevard Line).

• nycsubway.org—IND Queens Boulevard Line: 71st/Continental Aves./Forest Hills
• Station Reporter — E Train
• Station Reporter — F Train
• Station Reporter — R Train
• Station Reporter — M Train
• The Subway Nut — 71st Street – Continental Av – Forest Hills Pictures
• 71st Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• entrance between 71st Avenue and 70th Road from Google Maps Street View
• 70th Road entrance from Google Maps Street View