Mets–Willets Point station (LIRR): Difference between revisions
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'''Mets–Willets Point''' (formerly '''Shea Stadium''') is a |
'''Mets–Willets Point''' (formerly '''Shea Stadium''') is a station on the [[Long Island Rail Road]]'s [[Port Washington Branch]] in [[Flushing Meadows–Corona Park]], [[Queens]], [[New York City]]. |
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The station is |
The station is normally open only during [[New York Mets]] home games at [[Citi Field]] ([[Shea Stadium]] prior to 2009), the [[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]] tennis tournament at the [[USTA National Tennis Center]] and major events such as concerts, as well as emergencies. As of February 2021, the station is open at all times and is served by all trains while Citi Field is being used as a [[COVID-19 pandemic in New York City|COVID-19]] vaccination site.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Healy |first=Marc C. |last2= |date=2021-02-09 |title=LIRR Adds Mets-Willets Point Stop To Accommodate Vaccinations At Citi Field - The Wave |url=https://www.rockawave.com/articles/lirr-adds-mets-willets-point-stop-to-accommodate-vaccinations-at-citi-field/ |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=The Wave}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Port Washington Branch timetable |url=https://new.mta.info/document/86996 |access-date=2022-05-11}}</ref> Although Mets–Willets Point was originally not part of [[Long Island Rail Road#Fare structure|CityTicket]], it was added to the CityTicket program in August 2011,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mta.info/mta/news/releases/?agency=lirr&en=110804-LIRR88|title= MTA LIRR'S Discounted Weekend 'CityTicket' Now Good for Travel to Mets-Willets Point Station|date=August 4, 2011|access-date=June 12, 2012}}</ref> and fares are collected before boarding during games and special events. |
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The proposed [[AirTrain LaGuardia]] service to [[LaGuardia Airport]] would connect with the LIRR at the Willets Point station.<ref>[https://www.ny.gov/sites/ny.gov/files/atoms/files/ABNY_airtrain.pdf Maps of proposed Airtrain LGA route at ny.gov]</ref> |
The proposed [[AirTrain LaGuardia]] service to [[LaGuardia Airport]] would connect with the LIRR at the Willets Point station.<ref>[https://www.ny.gov/sites/ny.gov/files/atoms/files/ABNY_airtrain.pdf Maps of proposed Airtrain LGA route at ny.gov]</ref> |
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Revision as of 18:52, 11 May 2022
Mets–Willets Point | |||||||||||
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.jpg) The station, during the 2007 U.S. Open. | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Meridian Road (Flushing Meadows Park) Corona, Queens, New York | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°45′09″N 73°50′37″W / 40.7525°N 73.8437°W | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Long Island Rail Road | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 3 island platforms | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 6 | ||||||||||
| Connections | New York City Subway:  trains at Mets–Willets Point NYCT Bus: Q48 | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Accessible | No; accessibility planned | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Fare zone | 1 | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1939 | ||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1964 | ||||||||||
| Electrified | 750 V (DC) third rail | ||||||||||
| Previous names | World's Fair (1939–1946) United Nations (1946–1952) World's Fair (1961–1966) Shea Stadium (1966–2008)[1] | ||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||
| 2012—2014 | 0 (seasonal service)[2] | ||||||||||
| Rank | 125 of 125 (seasonal service) | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Mets–Willets Point (formerly Shea Stadium) is a station on the Long Island Rail Road's Port Washington Branch in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City.
The station is normally open only during New York Mets home games at Citi Field (Shea Stadium prior to 2009), the U.S. Open tennis tournament at the USTA National Tennis Center and major events such as concerts, as well as emergencies. As of February 2021, the station is open at all times and is served by all trains while Citi Field is being used as a COVID-19 vaccination site.[3][4] Although Mets–Willets Point was originally not part of CityTicket, it was added to the CityTicket program in August 2011,[5] and fares are collected before boarding during games and special events.
The proposed AirTrain LaGuardia service to LaGuardia Airport would connect with the LIRR at the Willets Point station.[6]
History
The station, which opened in time for the 1939 New York World's Fair, included a modernistic structure above the tracks that could accommodate up to 18,000 passengers per hour. Resembling an airplane hangar, it combined both Art Deco and Bauhaus features,[7] and was also in close proximity to the Railroads on Parade exhibit.[8]
Between 1946 and 1952, the station was known as United Nations Station. Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was the temporary site of the U.N. General Assembly, and had shuttle buses to their temporary headquarters in Lake Success at the time. Once the UN moved to its permanent home on the east side of Midtown-Manhattan, the station closed. However, it was reopened again with its original name on January 11, 1961, and the 1939 World's Fair ramp was expanded for the 1964 New York World's Fair to connect the Flushing Meadows–Corona Park to Shea Stadium, which opened that same year (though it was not part of the World's Fair). After the World's Fair closed in 1965, the station was named for Shea Stadium in 1966.
When the Elmhurst station closed in 1985, Shea Stadium station became the westernmost station on the Port Washington Branch before merging with the LIRR Main Line at Winfield Junction. As of 2003, a portion of track from the Whitestone Branch, which diverged just east of the station, was still visible next to the westbound track.
Following the 2009 closure and demolition of Shea Stadium, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority renamed the station to Mets–Willets Point, matching the name of the adjoining subway station and omitting the corporate-sponsored name, Citi Field, associated with the current stadium. The MTA was unsuccessful in achieving a similar naming rights deal and would not post the name for free. Had the naming rights deal been achieved, the station would have been known as Citi Field.[9]
.jpg)
Planned renovation and accessibility
In September 2014, the MTA announced renovation plans for the Mets–Willets Point LIRR station, which would see its current active platform (see below) extend in length from eight cars to 12 cars, including the installation of an elevator, which would connect to the New York City Parks Department passarelle, leading to Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, making the station fully ADA accessible. The project was scheduled to be completed in time for the 2016 baseball season, but as of 2020[update], the elevator has not been installed.[10]
Station layout
The Port Washington Branch has six tracks at this station. This station has three high-level island platforms. The north platform, adjacent to Tracks 1 and 2, the two main tracks, is eight cars long. The center platform, adjacent to Tracks 3 and 4, is also eight cars long. The south platform, adjacent to Tracks 5 and 6, is six cars long. Only the north platform is currently in use; the other tracks have not been used in regular passenger service since the 1964-65 World's Fair. The stairwells leading to the other platforms are blocked off, the platforms are in disrepair, and the tracks are rusted over. The platforms are decorated in the Mets team colors, blue and orange. East and west of the station, the six tracks merge into two tracks.
| M | Mezzanine | Walkway to Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Tennis Center, CitiField, Roosevelt Avenue, trains
|
| P Platform level | ||
| Track 1 | ← Port Washington Branch does not stop here ← Port Washington Branch special event service toward Penn Station (Woodside) | |
| Island platform, doors will open on the left or right | ||
| Track 2 | Port Washington Branch special event service toward Great Neck or Port Washington (Flushing–Main Street) → Port Washington Branch does not stop here → | |
| Track 3 | ← No regular service → | |
| Island platform, not in service | ||
| Track 4 | ← No regular service → | |
| Track 5 | ← No regular service → | |
| Island platform, not in service | ||
| Track 6 | ← No regular service → | |
References
- ^ "LIRR Station History". trainsarefun.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2011. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
- ^ "2012-2014 LIRR Origin and Destination Report : Volume I: Travel Behavior Among All LIRR Passengers" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. August 23, 2016. PDF pp. 15, 199. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
Data collection took place after the pretest determinations, starting in September 2012 and concluding in May 2014. .... 2012-2014 LIRR O[rigin and ]D[estination] COUNTS: WEEKDAY East/West Total By Station in Numerical Order ... Mets-Willets Point
- ^ Healy, Marc C. (February 9, 2021). "LIRR Adds Mets-Willets Point Stop To Accommodate Vaccinations At Citi Field - The Wave". The Wave. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ "Port Washington Branch timetable". Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ "MTA LIRR'S Discounted Weekend 'CityTicket' Now Good for Travel to Mets-Willets Point Station". August 4, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ Maps of proposed Airtrain LGA route at ny.gov
- ^ "Long Island Gets Modernistic Station at World's Fair". Railway Age: 823–826. May 13, 1939. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
- ^ Railroad Building; The Eastern Railroads Presidents' Conference (1939 New York World's Fair.com)
- ^ Neuman, William (May 11, 2009). "Stadium Is Citi Field, but the Subway Stop Has Other Ideas". The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
- ^ "ADA Accessibility Planned for LIRR's Mets-Willets Point Station As Part of $9.7 Million Renovation That Includes a New Elevator". September 4, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
External links
Media related to Mets – Willets Point (LIRR station) at Wikimedia Commons
- Mets–Willets Point – LIRR
- Mets–Willets Point LIRR timetable
- 2019 LIRR service for Mets-Willets Point station (overview)
- Shea Stadium Station (The SubwayNut)
- SHEA Interlocking (The LIRR Today)
- Mets-Willets Point (The LIRR Today)
- Long Island Rail Road; New York World's Fair 1939-40 and 1964-65 (TrainsAreFun)
- Before Shea Stadium (Arrt's Arrchives.com)
- Platforms from Google Maps Street View