Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer station

The Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer station (formerly Jamaica Center–Parsons Boulevard station and sometimes shortened as Jamaica Center station) is the northern terminal station of the IND and BMT Archer Avenue Lines of the New York City Subway, located at Parsons Boulevard and Archer Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. It is served by E and J trains at all times, as well as Z trains during rush hours in the peak direction.

Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer  ​​​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Upper level platform
Station statistics
Address	Parsons Boulevard & Archer Avenue Queens, NY 11432
Borough	Queens
Locale	Jamaica
Coordinates	40°42′09″N 73°48′00″W / 40.702407°N 73.799973°W / 40.702407; -73.799973Coordinates: 40°42′09″N 73°48′00″W / 40.702407°N 73.799973°W / 40.702407; -73.799973
Division	B (BMT/IND)^[1]
Line	BMT Archer Avenue Line (lower level) IND Archer Avenue Line (upper level)
Services	E  (all times)​ ​   J  (all times) ​   Z  (rush hours, peak direction)
Transit	NYCT Bus: Q4, Q5, Q20A, Q20B, Q24, Q30, Q31, Q42, Q44 SBS, Q54, Q56, Q83, Q84, Q85 MTA Bus: Q6, Q8, Q9, Q25, Q34, Q41, Q65, Q110, Q111, Q112, Q113, Q114 NICE Bus: n4 (all at Jamaica Center Bus Terminal)
Structure	Underground
Levels	2
Platforms	2 island platforms (1 on each level)
Tracks	4 (2 on each level)
Other information
Opened	December 11, 1988; 34 years ago (1988-12-11)
Accessible	ADA-accessible
Opposite- direction transfer	N/A
Former/other names	Jamaica Center–Parsons Boulevard (1988-circa 2004)
Traffic
2019	10,010,419^[2]  6.3%
Rank	29 out of 424^[2]
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport E ​ ​J  ​Z  services split Terminus
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend Upper level to Sutphin Blvd Lower level to Sutphin Blvd
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops rush hours in the peak direction only

This station opened on December 11, 1988, as Jamaica Center–Parsons Boulevard until being renamed in 2004.

The station is a major transfer point for buses from eastern Queens, and replaces the old 160th Street and 168th Street stations of the BMT Jamaica Line; the Jamaica Center station is located near the site of the former. It is also located close to the site of the Long Island Rail Road's now-demolished Union Hall Street station.

History

The plans for the Archer Avenue Lines emerged in the 1960s under the city and MTA's Program for Action.^[3] The station's design started on December 7, 1973, and was completed in-house on June 17, 1981. Bids on the station construction were received on September 21, 1981, and was awarded to A. J. Pegno Construction Corporation for $22,425,415. Work on the station commenced on October 12, 1981.^[4]: 13 The station opened along with the rest of the Archer Avenue Line on December 11, 1988.^[5][6]

To save energy, the MTA installed variable-speed escalators at Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer and three other subway stations in August 2008,^[7] although not all of the escalators initially functioned as intended.^[8]

Artwork controversy

On December 14, 1991, a display titled "Astoria–Dreams of New York," a 32 feet (9.8 m)-long mural, consisting of seven portraits of first-generation Greek immigrants was removed from the station for not including any pictures of African Americans, seven days after going up.^[9] The artist, Eugenia Marketou, called the decision "censorship of the worst kind." The piece was removed at the request of the directors of the Arts for Transit program after a negative public reaction, which included their defacement with graffiti and protest stickers. A dozen African American riders had complained to the agency. On the same date, a $70,000 sculpture called "Jamaica Center Stations Riders, Blue," which was created by well-known African American artist Sam Gilliam, was unveiled at the station. The sculpture was funded through the MTA Arts for Transit program, which allocates 1 percent of capital construction costs for art projects.^[10][11] After negotiations between Marketou and his agency took place, it was reinstalled on February 6, 1992, with a banner stating "Portraits of the Greek Immigrant Community" added in addition to the tile. In addition, Marketou agreed to appear in front of it during three rush hours to explain it. One of the photographs was removed in the following two weeks. The exhibit was only scheduled to stay until May 6, 1992.^[12]

Station layout

G	Street level	Exit/entrance
B1	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agents, MetroCard machines   Elevator on south side of Archer Avenue at Parsons Boulevard
B2 IND platform	Westbound	←   toward World Trade Center (Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport)
	Island platform
	Westbound	←   toward World Trade Center (Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport)
B3 BMT platform	Westbound	←   toward Broad Street (Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport) ←   AM rush toward Broad Street (Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport)
	Island platform
	Westbound	←   toward Broad Street (Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport) ←   AM rush toward Broad Street (Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport)

 

A view of the upper level

 

A view of the lower level

The Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer station contains two levels, each with two tracks and an island platform.^[13][14] The E train serves the upper level (IND)^[13] at all times.^[15] The J and Z trains serve the lower level (BMT);^[13] the former operates all times and the latter operates during rush hours in the peak direction.^[16] Like the other stations on the Archer Avenue Line, Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer is fully ADA-accessible.^[17] Both platforms are 600 feet (183 m) in length, standard for a full-length B Division train; however, since BMT Eastern Division trains are only 480 feet (146 m) long, there are fences at both of the unused ends of the lower-level platforms to prevent passengers from falling onto the tracks.

As with other stations constructed as part of the Program for Action, the Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer station contained technologically advanced features such as air-cooling, noise insulation, CCTV monitors, public announcement systems, electronic platform signage, and escalator and elevator entrances.^[18] This station has ten escalators and two elevators.^[4]: 13

This station has tan brick walls and red brick floor on both levels. The coved trapezoidal ceilings are suspended^[4]: 13 and have metal slats.

Exits

There are two entrances to this station. The first one is at the very east end of the station and connects with Parsons Boulevard. It contains a mezzanine that has four escalators, two to each platform, and an ADA-accessible elevator serving both platforms. There is a large, single bank of turnstiles with nine turnstiles leading to fare control.^[13] One wide staircase and one escalator leads to a pavilion behind the streets at the northeast corner of Parsons Boulevard and Archer Avenue. A narrower staircase and escalator leads to the southeast corner.^[13] An elevator is present near the southeast corner of the intersection.^[19] This entrance contains a 1991 artwork called Jamaica Center Station Riders by Sam Gilliam made up of blue painted aluminum.^[20]

The second exit is near the middle of the platforms and connects with 153rd Street. Each platform contains two escalators to the mezzanine; the upper level also has one staircase to the mezzanine, while the lower level has two. In this mezzanine, there are fire regular turnstiles, five High Entry-Exit Turnstiles, and two high exit-only turnstiles.^[13] This entrance has three street stairs; two of them, one of which also has an up-only escalator, lead up to the south side of Archer Avenue outside the bus boarding area.^[13][20] The staircase with the escalator has a brickwork design surrounding it while the other staircase at this entrance has an ultra-wide green metal fence. There is another staircase at the northeast corner of Archer Avenue and 153rd Street.^[20]

Infrastructure

West of the station, both levels feature diamond crossovers. The upper level's crossover is just west of the platform, while the lower level is halfway between this station and Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue.^[21]

The tracks on both levels extend past the station for possible future extensions, but are currently used for storage.^[22][23] On the lower level, they continue one train length of about 480 feet (150 m) and end at bumper blocks at 160th Street;^[23][24] they were originally planned to extend as far as Merrick Boulevard.^[24] This was a planned extension toward 190th Street–Hollis Avenue (near the Hollis LIRR station). Where the lower level tracks end, there is a provision for a diamond crossover switch at the end of the tunnel (under 160th Street).^[25][24] On the upper level, the tracks extend around 2,000 feet (610 m) or just over 3 train lengths of about 600 feet (180 m), curving south under the LIRR Atlantic Branch 60 feet (18 m) below ground. They then run under 160th Street within the York College campus and end at bumper blocks near Tuskegee Airmen Way (formerly South Road).^{[22][23][24][26][27]} This was the site of the line's original groundbreaking in 1973.^[25] The plan was for this line to use the LIRR Locust Manor Branch (Atlantic) ROW and run to Springfield Boulevard or Rosedale LIRR station.^[27][25][24] Where the upper level tracks stub end, there is a provision for a portal to go outside if the line going to Southeastern Queens is ever built.^[25][24] The tunnel was originally planned to curve west towards the Atlantic ROW just north of Liberty Avenue, running underneath the York College Athletic Field.^[24]

East of the upper-level platform, a Central Instrument Room (753CIR) is located deep in the tunnel on track D2A (upper level) bench wall.

East of the station, next to the D1A tail track on the upper level, the tunnel catwalk structure widens, and the track curves south along with the D2A track. Where the catwalk structure ends, there is a stairway to the lower level tail tracks.

Ridership

In 2018, the station had 10,681,269 boardings, making it the 27th most used station in the 424-station system. This amounted to an average of 922,959 passengers per weekday.^[2]

Gallery

•  

  The western mezzanine

•  

  The main entrance, located at the northeast corner of Archer Avenue and Parsons Boulevard

Jamaica Center Bus Terminal

See also: List of bus routes in Queens and List of bus routes in Nassau County, New York

 

The Jamaica Center Bus Terminal can be found at some of the exits.

The subway complex includes the Jamaica Center Bus Terminal, a series of bus stops located along Archer Avenue (primarily along the south side of the street next to the LIRR right of way). The bus stop areas are lettered A through H. The western portion of the terminal (bays F through H and the bus layover area) is also known as the "Teardrop Canopy".^[28] It serves as a major transit hub within Jamaica.^[20] The former 160th Street Jamaica Elevated station on Jamaica Avenue that it replaced was also a major hub for trolley service when it was originally built.^[29][30] Several of the trolley lines were the predecessors to current bus service.^[29][30]

Jamaica Center is also a hub for dollar vans in the New York metropolitan area.

Route	Jamaica terminal (if not the Jamaica Center Bus Terminal)	Other terminal	via	Notes
MTA Bus
Q6	165th Street Bus Terminal	JFK International Airport	Jamaica Avenue, Sutphin Boulevard, Rockaway Boulevard, North Boundary Road
Q6 LTD	165th Street Bus Terminal	JFK International Airport	Jamaica Avenue, Sutphin Boulevard, Rockaway Boulevard, North Boundary Road	Limited bus route to JFK Airport
Q8	165th Street Bus Terminal	Spring Creek	Jamaica Avenue, 101st Avenue, Fountain Avenue
Q9	165th Street Bus Terminal	South Ozone Park	Jamaica Avenue, Supthin Boulevard, Liberty Avenue, 135th Street (Northbound), Van Wyck Expressway Service Road (Southbound), Lincoln Street
Q25	Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue – JFK Airport Subway station	College Point	Parsons Boulevard, Kissena Boulevard, 127th Street
Q25 LTD	Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue – JFK Airport Subway station	College Point	Parsons Boulevard, Kissena Boulevard, 127th Street	Limited route to College Point
Q34	Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue – JFK Airport Subway station	Whitestone	Parsons Boulevard, Kissena Boulevard, Union Street
Q41	165th Street Bus Terminal	Howard Beach	127th Street, 109th Avenue, Cross Bay Boulevard
Q65	Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue – JFK Airport Subway station	College Point	164th Street, 45th Avenue, College Point Boulevard	Originally the NY&QC Flushing-Jamaica and College Point trolley lines
Q110	Parsons Boulevard Subway station or Jamaica–179th Street Subway station	Belmont Park	Jamaica Avenue, Hempstead Avenue
Q111	Parsons Boulevard Subway station	Rosedale or Cedarhurst	All trips: Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, 147th Avenue, Cedarhurst trips: Rosedale Road, Peninsula Boulevard	Originally Queens portion of the LIER Far Rockaway Line
Q112	Parsons Boulevard Subway station	Ozone Park	South Road, Liberty Avenue
Q113 LTD	Parsons Boulevard Subway station	Far Rockaway	Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, Rockaway Boulevard, Nassau Expressway	Originally the LIER Far Rockaway Line Evenings and overnights, Q114 buses operate local; no Q113 service operates at this time.
Q114 LTD			Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, 147th Avenue, Rockaway Turnpike
NYCT Bus
Q4	to Cambria Heights		Merrick Boulevard, Linden Boulevard
Q4 LTD	to Cambria Heights		Merrick Boulevard, Linden Boulevard	Limited bus route to Cambria Heights
Q5	to Rosedale or Green Acres Mall, Valley Stream		All trips: Merrick Boulevard, Hook Creek Boulevard Green Acres trips: Sunrise Highway
Q5 LTD	to Rosedale		Merrick Boulevard, Hook Creek Boulevard	Limited bus route to Rosedale
Q20A	Merrick Boulevard and Archer Avenue	College Point	All trips: Archer Avenue, Main Street, Union Street Q20A: 20th Avenue Q20B: 14th Avenue
Q20B
Q24	168th Street and Archer Avenue	Bushwick	Jamaica/Archer Avenues, Atlantic Avenue, Broadway (Brooklyn)
Q30	to Little Neck or Bayside		All trips: Homelawn Street, Utopia Parkway, Horace Harding Expressway Bayside trips: Springfield Boulevard
Q31	to Bayside		Jamaica/Archer Avenues, Homelawn Street, Utopia Parkway, 47th/48th Avenues, Bell Boulevard, Francis Lewis Boulevard
Q42	to Addisleigh Park		Liberty Avenue, 174th Street, Sayres Avenue
Q44 SBS	Merrick Boulevard and Archer Avenue	West Farms	Archer Avenue, Main Street, Union Street, Parsons Boulevard, Whitestone Expressway, Cross Bronx Expressway	Travels via the Whitestone Bridge between Queens and the Bronx
Q54	170th Street & Jamaica Avenue	Williamsburg Bridge Plaza Bus Terminal	Jamaica Avenue, Metropolitan Avenue, Grand Street	Successors to BMT streetcar service
Q56		Broadway Junction	Jamaica Avenue
Q83	Parsons Boulevard Subway station	Cambria Heights or Queens Village (late nights only)	Liberty Avenue, Murdock Avenue
Q84	to Laurelton		Merrick Boulevard, 120th Avenue
Q85	to Rosedale or Green Acres Mall, Valley Stream		All trips: Merrick Boulevard, Bedell Street, Conduit Avenue Rosedale trips: 243rd Street Green Acres trips: Green Acres Road	Part of the former NY&LIT Brooklyn-Freeport Line
NICE Bus
n4	to Freeport		Merrick Road, Merrick Boulevard	Part of the former NY&LIT Brooklyn-Freeport Line
n4X	to Freeport		Merrick Road, Merrick Boulevard	Express to Freeport Station

Nearby points of interest

• King Manor^[31]
• York College^[31]
• Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning^[31]

References

1. "Glossary". (PDF). Vol. 1. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 4, 2003. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
2. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
3. "Full text of "Metropolitan transportation, a program for action. Report to Nelson A. Rockefeller, Governor of New York."". Internet Archive. November 7, 1967. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
4. "Archer Avenue Extension Ceremony 1988". New York City Transit Authority. December 1988. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
5. Anders, Marjorie; Associated Press (December 11, 1988). "Subways get biggest change since 1904" (PDF). Nyack Journal News. p. I1. Retrieved April 17, 2020 – via fultonhistory.com.
6. Johnson, Kirk (December 9, 1988). "Big Changes For Subways Are to Begin". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
7. Chan, Sewell (August 6, 2008). "M.T.A. Rolls Out Escalators With Conservation Features". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
8. Chan, Sewell (August 11, 2008). "Bumpy Start for 'Green' Subway Escalators". The New York Times. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
9. Finder, Alan (February 7, 1992). "Settling a Subway Art Dispute, Artfully: Photos Are Reinstalled but Artist Must Explain Her Work to Critics". The New York Times.
10. Leahy, Jack (December 15, 1991). "Am I blue? Just ask IND's new sculpture". New York Daily News.
11. Cox, Robert B. (December 20, 1991). "Art Exhibit Goes Off the Wall". Newsday.
12. "Subway Exhibit Reinstalled". Newsday. February 18, 1992.
13. "17: Transit and Pedestrians". Jamaica Rezoning Final Environmental Impact Statement (PDF). New York City Department of City Planning. 2007. p. 17.4. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
14. "Tracks of the New York City Subway". Tracks of the New York City Subway. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
15. "E Subway Timetable, Effective November 8, 2020". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
16. "J/Z Subway Timetable, Effective July 2, 2022". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
17. "MTA Accessible Stations". MTA. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
18. Burks, Edward C. (August 7, 1976). "New York Improving Subways, But Still Trails Foreign Cities". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
19. "MTA Accessible Stations". MTA. July 11, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
20. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Jamaica" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
21. "www.nycsubway.org: New York City Subway Track Maps". www.nycsubway.org. October 9, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
22. Raskin, Joseph B. (2013). The Routes Not Taken: A Trip Through New York City's Unbuilt Subway System. New York, New York: Fordham University Press. doi:10.5422/fordham/9780823253692.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-82325-369-2.
23. Queens Subway Options Study, New York: Environmental Impact Statement. United States Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Urban Mass Transit Administration. May 1984. pp. 83–. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
24. Archer Ave Route (proposed) Construction, Queens: Environmental Impact Statement. Urban Mass Transit Administration, United States Department of Transportation. August 1973. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
25. Burks, Edward C. (October 24, 1973). "Work Begun on Queens Subway Extension" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
26. Burks, Edward C. (March 9, 1975). "Building Progresses On Subway In Jamaica" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
27. Burks, Edward C. (September 24, 1976). "Coming: Light at End of 63d St. Tunnel" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
28. "Jamaica Bus Improvement Study" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. May 17, 2011. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
29. 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 December 20, 2015.
30. 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 December 20, 2015.
31. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Jamaica" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2020.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jamaica Center – Parsons/Archer (New York City Subway).

• nycsubway.org – IND Queens Boulevard Line: Jamaica Center/Parsons–Archer
• Station Reporter —
• Station Reporter —
• The Subway Nut — Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer Pictures
• MTA's Arts For Transit — Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer
• Parsons Boulevard entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 153rd Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 158th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Upper level from Google Maps Street View
• Lower level from Google Maps Street View