21st Street – Queensbridge (IND 63rd Street Line)

21st Street – Queensbridge New York City Subway rapid transit station
Station statistics
Address	21st Street & 41st Avenue Long Island City, NY 11101
Borough	Queens
Locale	Queensbridge
Coordinates	40.753954°N 73.942451°W / 40.753954; -73.942451
Division	B (IND)
Line	IND 63rd Street Line
Services	F  (all times)
Connection	New York City Bus: B62 MTA Bus: Q66, Q69, Q100, Q102, Q103
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	October 29, 1989 (October 29, 1989)
Accessible
Traffic
Passengers (2010)	2,653,708  12.7%
Rank	178 out of 422
Station succession
Next north	36th Street (local): no regular service Jackson Heights – Roosevelt Avenue (express): F
Next south	Roosevelt Island: F
Next north	Jackson Heights – Roosevelt Avenue: F
Next south	Roosevelt Island: F
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 weekends only Stops weekdays only Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction Stops all times except weekdays Stops rush hours only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Station is closed (Details about time periods)

21st Street – Queensbridge is a station on the IND 63rd Street Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 21st Street and 41st Avenue in the Queens neighborhood of Queensbridge, it is served by the F train at all times.

This underground station's only mezzanine is towards the east end of station via an overpass above the platforms. It has two street stairs at the northeast corner of 21st Street and 41st Avenue. Elevator and escalators are at northwest corner of the same intersection. The two side platforms do not have yellow tactile strip with bumps or columns, characteristics of newly renovated stations. There are also no columns between the two tracks.

This station opened on October 29, 1989 with the entire IND 63rd Street Line and was the line's northern terminal until the connector to the IND Queens Boulevard Line opened in December 2001. The tunnel had gained notoriety as the "tunnel to nowhere," being the line's only stop in Queens before the connection to the Queens Boulevard Line was completed, which was almost thirty years after construction of the 63rd Street Tunnel began. Until the connection opened, this station shared the characteristic of a two side platformed terminal station with Flatbush Avenue – Brooklyn College on the Nostrand Avenue line. This is an inefficient terminal setup, requiring passengers to know which track the next train will depart from before going to the platform level. As a terminal from 1989 to 2001, the station had tail tracks that continued eastward as far as 29th Street, ending at bumper blocks. Also, this station has punch boxes, a tower on the west end of Manhattan-bound platform that can be used if necessary, and a diamond crossover switch to the west.

East of the station, before the line connects to the IND Queens Boulevard Line, the tracks veer left while the tunnel wall goes straight. The bellmouth is part of an intended super-express bypass IND Queens Boulevard Line running along the LIRR mainline between Queens Boulevard and Forest Hills planned in 1968.

Gallery

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  Street elevator

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  Street escalators

External links

• nycsubway.org — IND 6th Avenue: 21st Street/Queensbridge
• Station Reporter — F Train
• The Subway Nut — 21st Street – Queensbridge Pictures
• 21st Street entrance from Google Maps Street View