Jamaica−Far Rockaway line

For additional information on the current bus services, see List of bus routes in Queens.
Q111 / Q113 Limited / Q114 Limited
Jamaica−Far Rockaway line
Overview
System MTA Regional Bus Operations
Operator MTA Bus Company
Garage Baisley Park Depot
Began service 1897 (trolley line)
1930 (Rockaway-Nassau bus)
1933 (full bus route)
Route
Locale Queens; Nassau County
Communities served Queens: Jamaica, South Jamaica, Springfield Gardens, Rosedale, Far Rockaway
Nassau County: Woodmere, Cedarhurst, Inwood, Lawrence[1]
Start Jamaica, Queens – Parsons Boulevard
Via Guy R. Brewer Boulevard
End Q111: Rosedale, Queens – Francis Lewis Boulevard or Cedarhurst, Nassau County – Peninsula Boulevard and Rockaway Turnpike
Q113/Q114: Far Rockaway, Queens – Seagirt Boulevard & Beach 20th Street
Length Q111: 6.5 miles (10.5 km)[1]
Q113/Q114: 12 miles (19 km)[1]
Service
Operates 24 hours (Q111, Q114)[note 1][note 2][2][3]
Daily ridership Q111: 3,988,442 (2014)[4]
Q113: 2,871,388 (2014)[4]
Fare $2.75 (MetroCard or coins)
Cash Coins only (exact change required)
Transfers Yes
Timetable Q111 Q113/Q114
← Q110
← Q112		 S40 (Staten Island) →

The Q111, Q113, and Q114 bus routes constitute a public transit line between the Jamaica and Far Rockaway neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States, running primarily along Guy R. Brewer Boulevard. The Q113 and Q114 provide limited-stop service between Jamaica and Far Rockaway, connecting two major bus-subway hubs, and crossing into Nassau County. The Q111 provides local service exclusively within Queens, with the exception of select rush-hour trips to or from Cedarhurst in Nassau County. Some of the last bus routes to be privately operated in the city, they are currently operated by the MTA Bus Company brand of MTA Regional Bus Operations. The Q113 and Q114 are one of the few public transit options between the Rockaway peninsula and "mainland" New York City.

The corridor was originally a streetcar line that began operation in 1897, referred to as the Far Rockaway line,[5][6] Jamaica−Far Rockaway line,[7] Far Rockaway−Jamaica line[8] or Jamaica and Far Rockaway line.[8] In 1933, the railroad company reorganized as Jamaica Buses and began operating buses (the predecessor to the Q113) along the route under a franchise with New York City. The Q111 and Q113 would be operated under a subsidy of the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) until January 2006, when Jamaica Buses was absorbed by the MTA Bus Company. On August 31, 2014, the Q114 was split from the Q113 to provide additional limited-stop service.

Route description and service

Streetcar route

The original streetcar line began at a terminal at 160th Street (originally Washington Street)[6] and Jamaica Avenue.[9] The terminal was later moved east to what is now 168th Street when the BMT Jamaica Line was extended to the area in 1918.[10][11][12] The route ran south down New York Avenue through southeast Queens, then along Rockaway Road and the Jamaica and Rockaway Turnpike into Nassau County. It then traveled west along several local streets before reentering Queens and terminating at Mott Avenue at the Far Rockaway station of the Long Island Rail Road's Far Rockaway Branch (now the Far Rockaway – Mott Avenue station of the Rockaway subway line).[5][6][13][14][15] The line terminated at the Far Rockaway station's plaza and trolley terminal, which was shared with the lines of the Ocean Electric Railway.[16][17] Short-run service was operated between Jamaica and Farmers Avenue (now Farmers Boulevard) or Hook Creek at the county line;[5] similar short-turn service is currently employed by the Q111 bus.[2][18] Originally single-tracked,[6][14] the line gained a second track between Jamaica and Baisley Boulevard beginning in 1911.[6][13][19]

Current bus service

A Q111 entering Rosedale-bound service at Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica.

The current Q113 and Q114 routes largely follow the original trolley route, with some exceptions. The Q114 turns onto 147th Avenue and Brookville Boulevard near the Queens-Nassau County line before following the Nassau County route to Far Rockaway. The Q113 routing, running the original route between Jamaica and the county line, bypasses most of the Nassau County route via the southern portion of the Nassau Expressway.[1][3] South of the Far Rockaway subway station, both routes travel along Mott Avenue, Cornaga Avenue, Beach 9th Street, and Seagirt Boulevard to Beach 20th Street near the Wavecrest Gardens Apartments;[3] this extension was added in the 1950s.[20] Both the Q113 and Q114 are direct successors to the streetcar line,[10][21][22] and make limited stops in Queens.[note 2][1][3]

The Q111 runs local south along Brewer Boulevard and east along 147th Avenue, terminating at Francis Lewis Boulevard in Rosedale, Queens near the border with South Valley Stream in Nassau County. Select runs of the Q111 continue into Nassau County, turning south and west via Peninsula Boulevard and ending at Rockaway Turnpike in Cedarhurst.[2][23] The Q111 route along 147th Avenue and in Nassau County mirrors the original planned routing of the trolley line, which was never constructed.[2][6][23]

Many roads along the routes have been renamed. New York Avenue would later become New York Boulevard, and was renamed Guy R. Brewer Boulevard in 1982 after local politician Guy Brewer.[24][25] Rockaway Road and the Jamaica and Rockaway Turnpike are now called Rockaway Boulevard (in Queens) and the Rockaway Turnpike (in Nassau).

History

As a streetcar line

The streetcar line was originally operated by the Long Island Electric Railway (LIER), which was incorporated in 1894. On October 11 of that year, the company applied for a line between the then-Long Island towns of Jamaica, Hempstead, and Far Rockaway.[5][6][14][22] Construction of the line began in 1895 along with the company's streetcar line along Liberty Avenue.[14][26][27] As originally planned, the line would have been long and circuitous south of 147th Avenue, traveling east into Rosedale and Valley Stream, then back west towards Far Rockaway. The more direct Rockaway Turnpike route was ultimately selected, after the company secured exclusive rights to use the road.[6] While the company's other three lines began operation in 1896, the Far Rockaway line was delayed due to construction over swampy land near the Queens-Nassau border, and disputes with the Long Island Rail Road over the crossing with the LIRR's Montauk Branch.[6] The first portion of the line between Jamaica and Baisley Boulevard began on September 1, 1896, operating on sundays only.[6][7] Service was extended south to Farmers Boulevard on May 2, 1897.[7] The full line to Far Rockaway began operations on June 6, 1897.[6][14][22]

On October 13, 1899, the LIER was purchased by the New York & North Shore Railway Company (a subsidiary of the New York and Queens County Railway), which operated the Flushing–Jamaica Line along today's 164th Street.[7][22] On March 12, 1900, through service on the combined routes began between Flushing and Far Rockaway.[6] This service ended on August 1, 1901 after the LIER was bought out by the Hogan Brothers, a group of trolley line surveyors who worked on both the Flushing and Far Rockaway lines.[6] A second track was added to the line between Jamaica and Linden Boulevard in 1903.[6] The LIER would become part of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) on January 19, 1906.[5][6] The interest of IRT owner August Belmont, Jr. (builder of Belmont Park served by another LIER line) originated from the popularity of the Far Rockaway line during summer months to the resorts on the Rockaway peninsula, and its service to the Jamaica Race Course in modern-day Rochdale Village, Queens.[6] Much of the rest of the route had yet to be paved or settled, with trolleys stopping at major farmhouses and fields as opposed to intersections. The tracks along Rockaway Boulevard were susceptible to washout due to marshy land and the tidal conditions of Hook Creek.[6]

In October 1914, a second track began operation between Jamaica and Linden Boulevard.[6][13] In 1916, New York City took over the rights to Rockaway Boulevard/Rockaway Turnpike, paving and grading the road. The western half of the road was widened, while the eastern half on which the trolley line resided retained its original width.[6] In 1917, the line would receive automatic block signaling and iron trolley poles to replace the original wooden ones.[6]

Decline and conversion into bus service

Following labor and material shortages due to World War I, the line and its rolling stock fell into disrepair, leading to complaints from passengers, increased headways between trips, and high employee turnover.[6][8] On July 6, 1921, a fire broke out at the company's trolley barn at New York Avenue and Linden Boulevard in Cedar Manor (modern-day Springfield Gardens), destroying much of the company's rolling stock. The railway went bankrupt and was sold in 1926 by the company's debtors, the Bank of Manhattan (now part of JPMorgan Chase), reorganizing as the Jamaica Central Railways in March of that year.[6][22] As part of the reboot, one mile of new track was installed along the Far Rockaway line, including an extension of the second New York Boulevard track south to Farmers Boulevard.[6][13] The line retained its popularity due to housing booms in South Jamaica and other neighborhoods along the route.[6]

Around this time, many streetcar lines in Queens and the rest of the city began to be replaced by buses, particularly after the unification of city's three primary transit companies in June 1940.[6][28] On April 21, 1931, Jamaica Central created a subsidiary known as Jamaica Buses, Inc. to convert its trolley lines to bus franchises.[22] The Rockaway-Nassau portion of the Far Rockaway route began operating as a bus line (without a franchise) in September 1930, with the streetcar line between Jamaica and the county line continuing to operate.[6][15] On November 12, 1933 the full route began operations as a single bus line.[6][10] The Jamaica-Far Rockaway service would become "Route B".[21][29] Due to the length of the route, it originally operated on a two-zone (then-ten cent) fare,[30] as did the streetcar route before it.[6] Additional buses were run between Jamaica and Baisley Boulevard at the Jamaica Racetrack.[31] Beginning on June 15, 1935, during summer months (June to September) the route was extended south from Far Rockaway station to Seagirt Avenue to serve Ostend Beach, Roche Beach, and other beaches on the southern coast of the Rockaway peninsula.[32][33][34] The northern terminal was moved from Jamaica Avenue to the Parsons Boulevard station of the IND Queens Boulevard Line on Hillside Avenue on April 24, 1937.[20][35] On October 10, 1938, overnight service was initiated on the route, running between Jamaica and either Farmers Boulevard or the Nassau County line at Hook Creek.[36]

On April 20, 1952, the route was extended full-time from the Far Rockaway station to Seagirt Boulevard, in order to serve the Wavecrest Gardens Apartments, and following the disruption of LIRR service between the Rockaway Peninsula and mainland Queens.[20][37] At this time, the route was split into Route B (Jamaica-Hook Creek) and Route D (Far Rockaway), in addition to the special Jamaica Racetrack service (Route H).[37][38] Around 1960, Route D was renamed the Q113, and Route B became the Q111 route between Jamaica and the intersection of New York Boulevard (Brewer Boulevard) and 147th Avenue. In July of that year, an extension of the Q111 was approved, creating its current routing in Rosedale and Nassau County.[39][40]

MTA takeover

An Orion V bus on the Q113 at the Seagirt Avenue terminus in Far Rockaway.

On January 30, 2006, the MTA Bus Company took over operations of the Jamaica Bus routes.[1][41][42] At this time, the Q113 ran two services: the Q113 local, which made all stops, and the Q113 Limited (also known as the "Q113 Express"), which skipped all stops between Rockaway Turnpike at the Queens–Nassau border and the Far Rockaway LIRR station. The limited service only ran during weekday rush hours.[43][44] On March 12, 2007, the limited service was expanded to midday hours and Saturdays, and limited stops were added to the route along Guy R. Brewer Boulevard. The Q113 limited was also shifted in Nassau County from Sheridan Boulevard and Burnside Avenue onto the Nassau Expressway.[43][45][46][47] In addition, the Q113 local was expanded to 24-hours a day at this time.[48] On July 3, 2011, the Q113 Limited was shifted from 147th Avenue and Brookville Boulevard onto the more direct route via Rockaway Boulevard between the end of Brewer Boulevard and the Nassau County line.[49]

On August 31, 2014, the Q113 local was converted into a limited-stop service called the Q114, running limited along Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, 147th Avenue, and Brookeville Boulevard, and local in Nassau County and the Rockaways.[1][50] Both the 2007 and 2014 changes had originally been proposed by the New York City Department of Transportation in 2004, when the bus was privately operated.[23]

On January 4, 2015, Q114 local service was expanded into evening hours, and Q114 local service now begins after Q113 Limited service ends.[51]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Q113 operates all times except early mornings and nights".
  2. 1 2 "Q114 operates local during early mornings and nights".

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Transit & Bus Committee Meeting July 2014" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York). July 28, 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Q111 bus schedule MTA Regional Bus Operations.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Q113/Q114 bus schedule MTA Regional Bus Operations.
  4. 1 2 "Facts and Figures". mta.info. 2011-08-28. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 New York (State). Legislature. Senate (1920). New York Legislative Documents: One Hundred and Forty-Third Session. pp. 159–161.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Seyfried, Vincent F. (1961). "Full text of "Story of the Long Island Electric Railway and the Jamaica Central Railways, 1894-1933 /"". archive.org. F. E. Reifschneider. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Seyfried, Vincent F. (1950). "Full text of "New York and Queens County Railway and the Steinway Lines, 1867-1939."". archive.org. Vincent F. Seyfried. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 Long Island Editor (July 18, 1920). "Far Rockaway-Jamaica Car Line Service Causes Howl". Newspapers.com. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 46. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  9. ↑ Stephen L. Meyers (2006). Lost Trolleys of Queens and Long Island. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-4526-4.
  10. 1 2 3 "Jamaica Buses To Inaugurate New Service: Ceremony Will Be Held Tomorrow in Opening Routes to Southeast". Newspapers.com. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 10, 1933. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  11. ↑ New York Times, New Subway Line: Affords a Five-Cent Fare Between Manhattan and Jamaica, L.I., July 7, 1918, page 30
  12. ↑ "Rapid Transit Extension: Frequent Trains and Low Fares All the Way to Rockaway Junction". Newspapers.com. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 24, 1890. p. 1. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Seyfried, Vincent F. (1961). "Long Island Electric R'Y. (Jamaica Central R'YS) With N.Y. + L.I. Traction Connections..." (PDF). archive.org. F. E. Reifschneider. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 New York (State). Legislature. Senate (1913). Documents of the Senate of the State of New York: One Hundred and Thirty-Sixth Session 1913. pp. 593–603.
  15. 1 2 "Bus Line Seeking Inwood Franchise". Newspapers.com. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 12, 1931. p. 19. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  16. ↑ Lucev, Emil (June 18, 2010). "Historical Views of the Rockaways: The old Far Rockaway Station Plaza, Mott and Central Avenues, 1922". rockawave.com. The Wave. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  17. ↑ Lucev, Emil (October 8, 2010). "Historical Views of the Rockaways: The LIRR Depot and Plaza Far Rockaway, New York … 1912". rockawave.com. The Wave. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  18. ↑ "Appendix B: Route Profiles" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  19. ↑ New York (State). Legislature. Senate (1916). Documents of the Senate of the State of New York: One Hundred and Thirty-Ninth Session. pp. 723–724.
  20. 1 2 3 "New Apartments Benefit by Bus To Subway Line". Newspapers.com. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 20, 1952. p. 35. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  21. 1 2 "Pick Tentative Bus Operators; Queens Objects: Board Selects North Shore and Jamaica Firms-Hearing July 10". Newspapers.com. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 19, 1931. p. 2. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Company Profile". Jamaica Buses, Inc. Archived from the original on 2006-01-25. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  23. 1 2 3 Urbitran Associates, Inc (May 2004). "NYCDOT Bus Ridership Survey and Route Analysis Final Report: Chapter 4 Operating and Financial Performance" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  24. ↑ Fraser, Lisa A. (November 11, 2010). "Guy R. Brewer Blvd.: in honor of a fighter". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  25. ↑ "NYC STREETS FEATURING FULL NAMES". Forgotten New York. November 17, 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  26. ↑ "LONG ISLAND ELECTRIC ROAD: Will Run Its First Cars From the Brooklyn City Line to Jamaica To-morrow.". Newspapers.com. Jamaica, Long Island: Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 23, 1896. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  27. ↑ "Long Island Electric: Work Begun on its Trolley Road to Jamaica". Newspapers.com. Jamaica, Long Island: Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 8, 1896. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  28. ↑ Sparberg, Andrew J. (1 October 2014). From a Nickel to a Token: The Journey from Board of Transportation to MTA. Fordham University Press. ISBN 978-0-8232-6190-1.
  29. ↑ "All Transportation Lines Lead to Jamaica" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. March 31, 1943. p. 9. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  30. ↑ "Jamaica Bus Lines Get Queens Grant: 25-year Franchise is Boted by Board for Four Routes-City to Receive 5%". The New York Times. July 22, 1933. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  31. ↑ "2,500 Wait in Rain for Track Bus" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. October 8, 1945. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  32. ↑ "Jamaica Bus Service Direct to Ostend Beach: On the Ocean Front at Far Rockaway" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. June 15, 1935. p. 5. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  33. ↑ "Jamaica Buses Asks Franchise Renewal" (PDF). Wave of Long Island. Fultonhistory.com. May 6, 1943. p. 1. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  34. ↑ "Far Rockaway Bus Service is Curtailed: Jamaica Line Restrained From Proceeding Past Mott Avenue" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. August 10, 1937. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  35. ↑ Jamaica Buses, Inc. (April 24, 1937). "New Subway and Jamaica Buses: Service Effective 1 P.M. Saturday, April 24" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  36. ↑ "Buses to Run All Night to Hook Creek: Civic Association Informed of Extra Service to South Side" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. October 10, 1938. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  37. 1 2 "Legal Notice" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. July 11, 1952. p. 11. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  38. ↑ "Legal Notices" (PDF). Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Fultonhistory.com. June 23, 1958. p. 17. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  39. ↑ "2 Bus Routes Extended: Both Run Between Jamaica and Far Rockaway". The New York Times. July 30, 1960. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  40. ↑ "Legal Notices" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. February 21, 1959. p. 5. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  41. ↑ Silverman, Norman (July 26, 2010). "The Merger of 7 Private Bus Companies into MTA Bus" (PDF). apta.com. American Public Transportation Association, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-16. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  42. ↑ Lueck, Thomas J. (April 23, 2005). "City to Buy Private Bus Company for Service in Three Boroughs". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  43. 1 2 Rosenberg, Miriam (March 16, 2007). "New Routes For Old Bus Lines". Wave of Long Island. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  44. ↑ "Bronx Bus Service: December 2002" (PDF). Metropolitan Transit Authority (New York). December 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2004-03-17. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  45. ↑ "Queens Bus Map" (PDF). nycityhealth.com. Metropolitan Transit Authority (New York). September 1999. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-09-16. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  46. ↑ Urbitran Associates, Inc (May 2004). "NYCDOT Bus Ridership Survey and Route Analysis Final Report: Chapter 3 Transit System Characteristics" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  47. ↑ "MTA Bus Service Changes". Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York). March 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-03-18. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  48. ↑ "Q111/Q113 Bus Timetable: Effective Summer 2007" (PDF). MTA Bus Company. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-23. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  49. ↑ "Planned Service Changes: Q113 LTD". Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York). 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-01-09. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  50. ↑ Soto, Juan (August 29, 2014). "New Q114 bus line ready for first riders". Times Ledger. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  51. ↑ "Planned Service Changes: Q114". Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York). January 4, 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2016.

External links

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