111th Street station (IRT Flushing Line)

History

Early history

The 1913 Dual Contracts called for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT; later Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation, or BMT) to build new lines in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. Queens did not receive many new IRT and BRT lines compared to Brooklyn and the Bronx, since the city's Public Service Commission (PSC) wanted to alleviate subway crowding in the other two boroughs first before building in Queens, which was relatively undeveloped. The IRT Flushing Line was to be one of two Dual Contracts lines in the borough, along with the Astoria Line; it would connect Flushing and Long Island City, two of Queens's oldest settlements, to Manhattan via the Steinway Tunnel. When the majority of the line was built in the early 1910s, most of the route went through undeveloped land, and Roosevelt Avenue had not been constructed. Community leaders advocated for more Dual Contracts lines to be built in Queens to allow development there.

The station opened on October 13, 1925, with shuttle service between 111th Street and the previous terminal at Alburtis Avenue (now 103rd Street–Corona Plaza). Shuttle service used the Manhattan-bound track. The line was extended to Willets Point Boulevard (now Mets–Willets Point) on May 7, 1927, and to the current terminal at Flushing–Main Street on January 21, 1928.

Later years

The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940. The IRT routes were given numbered designations in 1948 with the introduction of "R-type" rolling stock, which contained rollsigns with numbered designations for each service. The route from Times Square to Flushing became known as the 7. On October 17, 1949, the joint BMT/IRT operation of the Flushing Line ended, and the line became the responsibility of the IRT. After the end of BMT/IRT dual service, the New York City Board of Transportation announced that the Flushing Line platforms would be lengthened to 11 IRT car lengths; the platforms were only able to fit nine 51-foot-long IRT cars beforehand. The platforms at the station were extended in 1955–1956 to accommodate 11-car trains. However, nine-car trains continued to run on the 7 route until 1962, when they were extended to ten cars. With the opening of the 1964 New York World's Fair, trains were lengthened to eleven cars.

As part of the 2015–2019 Capital Program, the MTA announced plans to renovate the 52nd, 61st, 69th, 82nd, 103rd and 111th Streets stations, a project that had been delayed for several years. Conditions at these stations were reported to be among the worst of all stations in the subway system. The Manhattan-bound platform at the 111th Street station was closed for renovation on May 15, 2023, and reopened on April 19, 2024. The Flushing-bound platform at this station was closed for renovation on May 6, 2024, and reopened on January 27, 2025.

Station layout

The station has five tracks and two side platforms. The express track is located on a flyover above the other four tracks. The two center tracks are not used in passenger service, but instead are used as yard leads of the Corona Yard, where 7 trains are maintained and stored. As a result, trains that go to/from the yard often terminate or begin at this station. Stations with flyover express tracks such as this were far more common on IRT elevated lines in Manhattan during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Due to the yard tracks, an unusual layout takes place in and east of the station. The two layup tracks only have connections to the main tracks east of the station. The eastbound track rises east of the station while the express track lowers. The layup tracks dive down and cross under the eastbound track. The westbound track then rises to level out the three tracks, which continue east.

This station has full windscreens except at the west end of the eastbound platform, which has a waist-high steel fence instead.

Exits

Exit is at the south (geographic west) end, with staircases to all four corners of 111th Street and Roosevelt Avenue. The mezzanine and stairway landings are wooden while the flooring at the fare control area is concrete. The station has a crossunder between platforms. New signs have covered the old ones. Above some of the black station signs reading "111 Street" are white signs reading "Hall of Science", identifying the nearby New York Hall of Science five blocks south.

References

References

1. {{Cite NYC neighborhood map. Corona
2. {{NYCS const. timetable. 7
3. {{Cite Routes Not Taken
4. (December 2, 1909). "Move for Rapid Transit". Newtown Register.
5. State of New York - Transit Commission. (1926). "Fifth annual report for the calendar year 1925". J.B. Lyon Company.
6. (October 5, 1925). "First Trains to be Run on Flushing Tube Line Oct. 13: Shuttle Operation Ordered to 111th Street Station on New Extension". [[Brooklyn Daily Eagle]].
7. (1925). "Poor's Public Utility Section 1925". Poor's Publishing Co..
8. (May 8, 1927). "Corona Subway Extended; New Service Goes to Within 350 Feet of Flushing Creek Bridge". The New York Times.
9. (January 22, 1928). "Flushing Rejoices as Subway Opens; Service by B.M.T. and I.R.T. Begins as Soon as Official Train Makes First Run. Hope of 25 Years Realized Pageant of Transportation Led by Indian and His Pony Marks the Celebration. Hedley Talks of Fare Rise. Transit Modes Depicted.". The New York Times.
10. (1940-06-13). "City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign". The New York Times.
11. (June 13, 1940). "Transit Unification Completed As City Takes Over I. R. T. Lines: Systems Come Under Single Control After Efforts Begun in 1921; Mayor Is Jubilant at City Hall Ceremony Recalling 1904 Celebration". New York Herald Tribune.
12. Brown, Nicole. (May 17, 2019). "How did the MTA subway lines get their letter or number? NYCurious".
13. (April 1960). "A Summary of Services on the IRT Division, NYCTA". Electric Railroaders' Association.
14. (October 15, 1949). "Direct Subway Runs To Flushing, Astoria". The New York Times.
15. Bennett, Charles G.. (November 20, 1949). "Transit Platforms On Lines In Queens To Be Lengthened; $3,850,000 Program Outlined for Next Year to Care for Borough's Rapid Growth New Links Are To Be Built 400 More Buses to Roll Also — Bulk of Work to Be on Corona-Flushing Route Transit Program In Queens Outlined". The New York Times.
16. (November 20, 1949). "37 Platforms On Subways To Be Lengthened: All Stations of B. M. T. and I.R.T.in Queens Included in $5,000,000 Program". New York Herald Tribune.
17. (1955). "Minutes and Proceedings of the New York City Transit Authority". New York City Transit Authority.
18. (December 1962). "R17s to the Flushing Line". Electric Railroaders' Association.
19. (August 31, 1963). "TA to Show Fair Train". Long Island Star – Journal.
20. (June 1, 1964). "A First-class Rapid Ride".
21. Murray, Christian. (November 19, 2019). "MTA To Overhaul Six Stations on the 7 Line, Currently in Design Phase".
22. Gannon, Michael. (April 27, 2023). "No. 7 train station work begins May 12".
23. (April 19, 2024). "MTA Announces Manhattan-Bound Service Has Resumed at 82 St–Jackson Heights and 111 St Stations in Queens".
24. (April 21, 2023). "MTA Announces Service Changes on 7 Line Beginning May 12".
25. (March 9, 2023). "Improving the 7 Line".
26. {{NYCS const. trackref. 469
27. Cox, Jeremiah. "111 Street (7) - The SubwayNut".
28. "www.nycsubway.org: IRT Flushing Line".
29. {{NYCS const. trackref. trackbook3
30. (August 11, 2014). "7 Train".
31. Harpaz, Beth J.. (April 10, 2014). "Revisiting NYC's 1964 World's Fair, 50 years later". San Diego Union Tribune.
32. Browne, Malcolm W.. (September 5, 1986). "City Again Boasts a Science Museum". The New York Times.