Public Transit – Page 3 – chelsea's corner

Plymouth/Cordage Park (MBTA)

The last of the shuttered MBTA stations. Well, this one was a particularly nasty one to do as well. Located in the Cordage Park area of North Plymouth (near the Kingston/Plymouth boundary), I had several options, all of which were unpleasant for a variety of reasons, for trying to handle this station:
1. I could buy an Uber to/from. This cheated me out of the fun of pain and suffering. (yes, I suffer for y’all. :3)
2. Pray that a friend was able to ferry me to/from. This would have been the same as option #1 for downsides, however at least I would be able to banter with a friend in the process. Sadly, I had no friends available that were up for this.
3. Utilize the GATRA Freedom/Liberty Links. It’s GATRA. I probably was in for a bad time regardless, plus I didn’t have cash on me, and I didn’t know how to use the GATRA Pay app. Furthermore, GATRA’s own website doesn’t mention GATRA Pay ANYWHERE. So, if I used it, I was at the risk of a bus operator telling me to fuck off.
4. Walk the 2 and a half miles from Kingston/Rte. 3 to Cordage Park. This had the issue of being a long walk. Unfortunately, this was also the path of least resistance.

I don’t think it’s active much these days…

So, after a long and treacherous walk, and likely mildly injuring myself at the Kingston Collection/Rte. 3 interchange, I finally made it to Cordage Park, and the former least-used Old Colony station, and one of the least-used on the entire Commuter Rail system. So, with that in mind, how is it?

Well, the platform is your standard Kingston/Old Colony platform, with a shelter, benches, wastebaskets, and a yellow dot matrix sign. However, since the station is shuttered, the sign was turned off. In terms of bus connections, you have the Freedom and Liberty Links on Rte. 3A/Court Street. There’s a small amount of parking as well. Originally, allegedly, this also was intended to be the sole terminus of the line, however there was no space for a yard here specifically. Though, I do wonder, if the dilapidated building nearby could be demolished and replaced with a small yard akin to that of Needham’s or Franklin’s layover facility. There’s also a rail trail following the ocean into downtown Plymouth. As for land use, it’s depressingly pretty good. I say depressingly here, because if the station was treated better, it’d probably qualify as TOD. Overall, though, the station’s actually pretty good. It’s just sad that it got killed off by shitty operational practices. Below is a picture of how bad it was.

To serve BOTH stations, trains heading to Boston would originate at Plymouth (marked with a P in the diagram), go up the blue-colored line, clear the interlocking where the three colors meet, BE PUT INTO REVERSE, DO BRAKE TESTS, PRESUMABLY WITH THE ENGINEER RUNNING TO CHANGE ENDS OF THE TRAIN, then go down the yellow-colored line to Kingston/Rte. 3 (marked with a K). THEN REVERSE AND BRAKE TEST AGAIN, and FINALLY head on out to Boston via the Kingston/Plymouth Line (marked in green), making the usual stops. THAT. IS. BAD. YEAH. AND ALL THIS TIME BETWEEN THE TWO STOPS, THE TRAIN IS SIMULTANEOUSLY THE INBOUND AND THE OUTBOUND! RAAAAAAAAAAGH. THAT MEANS, IF YOU WANT TO GO FROM HALIFAX TO KINGSTON, OUTBOUND, YOU’D BE ON THE TRAIN FOR A GOOD 40-50 MINUTES, JUST TO GO WHAT SHOULD BE A 7 MILE JOURNEY. FURTHERMORE, IF YOU WANTED TO GO FROM PLYMOUTH TO HALIFAX INBOUND, THAT’S ANOTHER 40 OR SO MINUTES. JESUS CHRIST THIS WAS BAD. Just double track the entire line and run trains from both termini, some turning in downtown, and some at Braintree. Just, please…anything but this again should the station reopen.

The good: It’s surprisingly kinda close to downtown Plymouth! (though, not IN downtown Plymouth, which is annoying in its own right). There’s also development around it, after the land use being kinda shit for the longest time (a Walmart?!)

The bad: Operational practices, really. That’s what killed ridership here and, killed service entirely.

Nearby points of interest: Around Cordage Park? There’s a boardwalk and a beach! Going up to downtown, though, and you have stuff like the Mayflower, Plymouth Rock (it’s just a random rock someone carved “1620” into, don’t visit it), and even…….cult activities??? Yeah……..I don’t know much about the Twelve Tribes, but from a friend that lives in the area, she told me that they actually set up shop in the area. I digress. The oceanside views are pretty nice, though!

Transit connections:
GATRA (Freedom/Liberty Links)

Overall, if this station has to return (it really should!!!), PLEASE, AT LEAST RUN SHUTTLE TRAINS TO/FROM HERE!!!

Rating: 4/10 (8/10 station, 2/10 service before it was shuttered)

Kingston/Rte. 3 (MBTA)

Kingston is an Amtrak-

wait, what? this is a different Kingston? Well shit.

Kingston is an MBTA station located in the middle of an industrial park off Route 3 in, well, Kingston, Massachusetts. It’s one of the two termini for the Kingston/Plymouth (presently just Kingston) Line, and before Plymouth was closed, was more heavily used than Plymouth. With that aside, here’s the station review.

Kingston is a bigass park and ride station in an industrial park, located off Route 3. The platform is pretty bogstandard, with benches, wastebaskets, signage, and shelters. There’s even a kiss & ride area! Also, GATRA stops here! Yes, that’s right! About 6 times a day, the Freedom and Liberty Links stop to serve this station. GATRA’s Seaside Area InterLink (SAIL) also serves here, on the way to Marshfield and Duxbury. Neat! However, given the limited schedule (really? no Saturday bus service to here?!), just buy a fucking Uber instead. Way to go, GATRA. Also, it’s in an industrial wasteland, so land use is pretty bad overall. As a cool note though, the end-of-line layover facility is just beyond the station. However, trains do NOT sit at the station before turning around. Instead, they have to do all their brake testing in the yard before coming back. Oof. But, not a bad station. Just, not a grandiose terminus like Providence or Wickford, or even like Needham Heights or Haverhill.

*does some further research*

YOU MEAN THE STATION USED TO BE LOCATED IN DOWNTOWN KINGSTON?! WHY?! WHY THE FUCK DIDN’T THEY REACTIVATE THE PLATFORM THERE?! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WERE THEY SMOKING?! THERE’S NO REASON THIS STATION HAD TO BE BUILT OTHER THAN SOLELY FOR YARD ACCESS. HOLY FUCKING SHIT, THEY REALLY FUMBLED IT HARD! GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!

Towards Boston, but from the Marion Drive crossing

Oh, the sense of desolation was real here…

The good: It’s a bigass parking sink off Route 3! It’s also pretty busy, by extension, being the closest Commuter Rail station to not just Plymouth, but also parts of Plympton, Carver, Wareham, and pretty much the entirity of Cape Cod. (this may, however, change when the New Bedford extension opens in about 3 weeks)

The bad: Really, my main gripes here come down to three things: Land use sucks massively, and bus connections are just bad. Lastly, WHY IS THIS THE STATION, WHEN THEY HAD A PERFECTLY FUCKING USABLE STATION IN DOWNTOWN KINGSTON OFF ROUTE 3A/SUMMER STREET?! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH

Nearby points of interest: It’s an industrial park. Unless you want to walk for half an hour to the Kingston Collection, there’s nothing.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Kingston)
GATRA (Freedom/Liberty Links, SAIL)

Overall, it’s okay. The land use sucks massively and is probably the biggest stinker on the whole line, but there’s still worse on the system.

Rating: 5.5/10

Whitman (MBTA)

Whitman is yet another bogstandard Commuter Rail station on the Kingston Line, and I do not have any creative introductions to give for this one. Here we go.

Yep. It’s your standard Kingston Line station. Yellow signage? Mhm. Wastebaskets, benches, shelter are all present too, as is a lot of parking. This time, though, it’s split between TWO lots! WOAH! Now, unlike Hanson or Abington, there surprising is no microtransit connection here. However, in terms of cool things, you DO have a railroad turntable. But, since it was covered in snow, I couldn’t get any good pictures. The area is semi-rural as well, as the town proper is a mile away and I wasn’t going to walk it. While I was here, though, I actually got to witness an equipment move heading out to Kingston, so that was cool! The area’s largely pretty quiet though, given there’s not much going on. There is, however, a reminder here of a horrific and tragic incident that happened on May 30th, 2023. For those that are easily bothered by things like this, I won’t go into much detail about it. However, that aside, even though it’s a couple years after the fact, my condolences go out to those directly and indirectly affected by the incident both in the community, and onboard the train in question. I’ll also leave a reminder that it is REALLY important to be vigilant around railroad crossings and be aware of any oncoming trains, as trains CANNOT stop on a dime. Furthermore, there’s no shame in talking to someone or getting help as needed.

The good: The turntable is kinda cool! It’s accessible as well, has usual amenities, all that fun stuff. I feel like a broken record.

The bad: The town is a little ways away but meh, whatever.

Nearby points of interest: The town center is a mile or so away. A decent walk. There’s a couple of shops near the station itself, though. Not many though.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Kingston)

Overall, yeah, yet another “I don’t have a lot to say here” station. It’s got a cool turntable though!

Rating: 7/10

Hanson (MBTA)

Ugh….another Kingston Line station?! Haven’t we done enough of them yet??? Yeah, sadly, I still have this and a few others to publish. So, here’s Hanson. If I sound bored writing these, that’s because I genuinely have little to remark.

So, as with the other Kingston Line stations, it’s LITERALLY COPY-PASTED. Full level platform? Yep. Parking? Yep. Shelter? Yep. Yellow dot matrix sign? Mhm. Benches? Affirmative. There’s genuinely nothing special- wait, what’s that?

THERE’S A STATION HOUSE THAT’S BOARDED UP?! HOLY SHIT! I am not joking when I say this is the most distinct thing out here. That is bad. But, hey, it’s something at least! There’s also a grade crossing on Main Street, a Dunks nearby, and even a bus connection! However, much like Abington, it’s microtransit. This time, it’s GATRA GO! WOAH! 😮

The good: It’s your usual Kinston Line affair. Has normal amenities. Full accessibility. Not much to remark.

The bad: It would’ve been cool for the station house to be reactivated for passenger use.

Nearby points of interest: Not much.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Kingston)
GATRA (GATRA GO)

Overall, again, not much to remark. Yeah, sorry.

Rating: 6.5/10

Abington (MBTA)

Abington is a modest Commuter Rail station along the MBTA’s Kingston Line, located in, well, Abington. Yeah, I don’t have much to remark about it so this one’s gonna be a short one. Ok? Okay.

Abington is a singular side platform, located off Centre Ave., in Abington. The area isn’t the worst, as both a convenience store and a Dunks exist nearby. One direction towards Centre Ave. brings you to Abington Center and a Walmart, while the other direction brings you to a Stop & Shop and a Target. The station itself is pretty standard with the usual yellow dot matrix signage, benches, and whatnot, along with a copious amount of parking (though, not to an extreme). As for bus connections, you surprisingly do have something, in the form of microtransit. That, of course, would be BAT’s Rockland Flex. Not much to remark on this one. Yeah, sorry.

The good: It exists! It’s got a connection to the Rockland Flex!

The bad: Nothing egregious to note.

Nearby points of interest: Stop & Shop? Target? Yeah, I’m grasping for straws on this one.

Transit connections:
Commuter Rail (Kingston)
BAT (Rockland Flex)

Overall, not much to say here. Yeah, sorry.

Rating: 6.5/10

9th St. (PATH)

Okay, okay. So, the MTA subway system isn’t the only one in NYC. NY actually has a second, interstate system operated by the Port Authority known as PATH. Surprisingly, though, the system is split about 50/50 with 6 of the 13 stations being in NYC (namely, the stations along 6th Ave., Christopher St., and World Trade Center), while the other 7 are in eastern New Jersey (primarily in Jersey City, but also as far out as Newark’s Penn Station and Hoboken). Now, this and the other 12 PATH stations may be a bit sketch for me to do given the Port Authority has a no photography rule in place, but here we go…

So, this originally came to be when I suggested to Michael, Rome, and Metropolis that we should ride PATH for fun. Surprisingly, they agreed, and we went to the nearest PATH station. In this case, it was 9th Street. And, so, I commenced with the first PATH station review. Firstly, the entrance is actually a pretty long tunnel that’s inaccessible. Signage pointing to the station thankfully does exist at street level, and the entrance itself is pretty inconspicuous. Once inside the station, you have fare gates with OMNY- er, TAPP readers, and PATH ticketing machines. The station itself is relatively pretty clean, it clearly wasn’t trafficked as much as nearby West 4th St., and the platforms had standard amenities one would expect, including benches, trash bins, and even an LCD clock with the next train in each direction (in this case, towards 33rd St./Herald Sq., and towards World Trade Center, as Hoboken was closed). There was even an info board in the tunnel as well that even had the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail! (stay tuned!). Overall, not bad for an introductory entry into a new system! Yay! One other fun fact, this is also the least-used PATH station as well!

WEEWOO WEEWOO FBI OPEN UP THIS IS AN ILLEGAL PICTURE!

The good: It’s pretty well kept, and can serve both as a local alternative to the MTA subway (uptown) or to NJT buses (towards NJ). It’s also got the standard amenities you’d expect, and is actually very well lit. The station also has distinct character with the more low-key entrance.

The bad: The hole in the wall style of entrance can be a bit hard to find amid the amounts of signage for other businesses found in the area. Also, it’s not an accessible station. Of course, I’d also mention West 4th being close by, but it’s also not an MTA station so I can’t complain about that. My biggest gripes come down to inaccessibility primarily. Also, the platforms can get pretty easily crowded.

Nearby points of interest: You have a library nearby, Washington Square Park, even the Stonewall Inn if you walk a little (this is the closest PATH stations to all of these places). This is also the closest PATH station to NYU, as well.

Transit connections:
PATH (Blue/HOB-33, Orange/JSQ-33)
MTA bus (M8, M55)

Overall, not bad for a first PATH station. It’s nice for what it is, though inaccessibility is annoying. But, I guess that also means no piss-scented elevators! Anyways-

*hears police sirens getting closer*

Oh shit, Port Authority transit police is after me, aren’t they… FUCK.

Rating: 7/10

Coney Island-Stillwell Ave. (Lines D, F, N, Q)

Stillwell Terminal, Stillwell Terminal, Stillwell Terminal… Well, this station manages to both be useful AND a rather season-dependent station. I mean, it’s no slouch for ridership during the colder months, but I’m making a safe presumption that even during warmer months, it’s busy here due to crowds gong to Luna Park and the beach. Oh yeah, did I mention there’s also a minor league stadium and an aquarium nearby too?

I forgot a pic of the station signage, so this will have to suffice.

Now, we have a lot to unpack here, so let’s look at the history of this station. I’ll be giving the abridged version, so it’s not a full in-depth overview. So, here we go. The terminal was formally opened in 1919, and became the terminus of the the BMT’s (then Brooklyn Rapid Transit Co./BRT’s) West End (today’s D line), Sea Beach (N Line), and Brighton (Q Line) lines. The opening of the Brighton extension specifically marked the formal opening of the terminal, however it officially wasn’t official until the BMT’s Culver Line (now the F and FX lines) was opened into here. Also as a result of the Culver extension here, the special fare to access here was killed, making the area considerably more affordable to reach. Eventually, the BMT’s Culver Line was handed over to the IND, which then operated its D line over it (later, presumably in the MTA years, the F would then be sent down the Culver elevated, with the D then being sent down the ex-BMT West End elevated). Unfortunately, the station would quickly fall apart, and in the 2000s, the MTA stepped in, evicted everyone for renovations, and spent almost 4 years renovating the station. These renovations also made the station accessible with elevators and ramps to each platform. Neat!

Coney Island has four island platforms and 8 tracks, one for each line that runs through. You have the D to Norwood via the West End, the F to Jamaica via the Culver elevated, the N to Astoria via Sea Beach/Gravesend, and the Q to the East Side via Brighton. All the platforms also have the standard amenities: countdown clocks, benches, signage, that stuff. As stated in the intro, ramps and elevators both exist, making the station fully accessible. There’s also restrooms, but I would probably be traumatized if I looked. There’s even a Dunkies here! Neat! Also interestingly, this station also has a busway. Hell, there’s even a customer service center here as well! Also, the roofing here is all solar panels, and it was the first station on the whole system to be solar-powered. Cool! 😀

….a B92, yet this one was signed for “D TRAIN BAY 50 ST.”????? I hope I’m misremembering the route number because Google suggests that’s a G line shuttle route

Very open. Not overbuilt in the summer, though!

The good: It’s pretty nice in how it looks, and is very distinct! It’s also an important station in terms of usefulness and for how important it is to the community at large! Furthermore, it’s the closest station to a pretty major tourist attraction as well. I mean, it’s no Times Square or Penn Station, but it’s no 96th/Lexington either. I actually genuinely like this station. Not because of the station itself (although it is cool in appearance) but because of what’s around it. There’s also restrooms, I guess… But hey, a customer service booth exists!

The bad: The ramps can be annoying to navigate if you need accessibility, and good luck if the elevators shit themselves. I’m also scared to think of what the bathrooms look like.

Nearby points of interest: C’mon, this should be obvious. But nah, to specify: Luna Park @ Coney Island, Coney Island Beach, and Maimonides Park, where the Brooklyn Cyclones play (repping minor league baseball, woohoo!). NYU’s baseball team also plays here, as does Brooklyn FC. There’s also the New York Aquarium, but that has a station considerably closer (though, stops ARE very close together, so I may as well mention it anyways). There’s also a skating rink and the Ford Amphitheater as well. Also, Nathan’s Hot Dogs, and you can get Coney Island dogs here, (of which, RI’s famed NY system weiners are derived from), and there’s also the Wonder Wheel.

Transit connections:
6th Ave. Lines (D, F, FX)
Broadway Lines (N, Q)
MTA bus (B36, B64, B68, B74, B82)

Overall, this station’s an important one, one of the most famous (I’m not even sure I can do it fair justice!), and is very iconic. It’s also one of the most-used stations by the tourist population, as well.

Rating: 7/10

This is actually kinda nice, despite it being the middle of winter.

49th St. (Lines N, R, W)

49th Street is an ex-BMT subway station on the MTA’s N, R, and W lines. With it as close to Times Square, is it as good as it? Or, perhaps, is it better as a lesser-trafficked alternative? Let’s find out!

49th St. is located on the intersection of its namesake street and 7th Ave., with the platform reaching all the way down to 47th Street. The setup is pretty standard, being two side platforms. The R and W both stop here, predictably, as both are the designated local lines among the yellow-colored lines. However, the N line (Astoria-Coney Island via Sea Beach, Manhattan express) also serves here, which is unusual for an express line. However, this anomaly exists for a pretty good reason, actually: Astoria-bound trains run through the 60th St. tunnel, and since the 60th St. tunnel can only be accessed by the local tracks, the N has to run locally. Furthermore, the N can’t be forced onto the local tracks immediately before for one reason: there’s no interlocking between here and Times Square! Though, I do find it odd that the N doesn’t switch at 57th St./7th Ave., but rather switch between Herald and Times Squares. I digress. The station is pretty standard, with two platforms built to BMT specifications, has your standard amenities, is pretty well-used (but not to the same degree as Times Square), and is even accessible! Well, kinda. Annoyingly, elevators ONLY exist on the northbound platform. But, allegedly, plans exist to install one on the southbound platform. So, I guess if you need accessibility, take a local train north, and then turn around at 57th/7th. Alternatively, just take the bus to Times Square, I guess. There’s also, allegedly, a concourse connection to 47th-50th/Rockefeller Center, as well, but I didn’t look. Overall though, it’s not too bad a station. Neat!

This is a downtown R train. the NEXT stop is: Times Square-42nd St.

**THERE IS A. DOWNTOWN. N. TRAIN TO. CONEY ISLAND-STILLWELL AVENUE. APPROACHING THE STATION.**

There’s something that hits hard about seeing express trains blowing through the middle tracks

The good: It’s an alternative to Times Square, if you’re claustrophobic! If you’re using the northbound platform, there’s also a connection to the Rockefeller Center as well. It’s also got some accessibility!

The bad: It’s only partly accessible. The southbound platform needs an elevator. The N should not stop here. There’s also no in-station transfer to the opposite side. Oof.

Nearby points of interest: Times Square’s northern fringes! You also have Olive Garden and M&M’s! Primarily, though, it’s still Times Square – just the northern fringes of it.

Transit connections:
Broadway Line (N, R, W)
MTA bus (M7, M20, M50, M104)

Overall, it’s not a bad station, however I’d take Times Square any day.

Rating: 7/10

96th St./2nd Ave. (Line Q)

On New Years Day in 2017, a new MTA subway line opened, with service to three new stations underneath 2nd Ave. in Manhattan’s East Side: 72nd, 86th, and 96th St.’s. However, there’s plans for extensions both north to 125th/Lexington & Park, and down to Hanover Square and Manhattan’s Seaport. This happens to be the northernmost of the 3 stations, and the current-day (as of writing this) terminus of the Q line. Welcome to 96th St./2nd Ave.

For some weird reason, despite it being defunct for many years now, these stations are all classed as ex-IND stations. Not sure why given only the MTA exists, and as far as I could find the IND was killed off in the ’50s when the system was unified into the present-day MTA (& as such also the ex-BMT and ex-IRT sections were merged in too, though only the BMT and IND are inter-operable, as the B division of the present-day system. If you need to know, numbered lines are the A division, lettered are the B division, essentially.) Anyways, with that out of the way, and the fact it took a REALLY LONG TIME just for these three stations to be built (& with phases 2, 3, and 4 in limbo presently), the station itself is really, REALLY overbuilt. Was the MTA really trying to channel the inner ex-IND energy here?! Like, gee, I get the IND in particular was overbuilt to handle the potential for crowding, but I don’t exactly think that’s an issue that needs apply here. This isn’t a major transfer station in lower Manhattan, for crying out loud! Nevertheless, while it feels a little sterile, it’s not to an extreme to where it’s overbearing. The stone accents are pretty cool, and the platforms all have standard amenities. There’s even countdown clocks and signs pointing to the next platform departing. Neat! The escalators down have a cool light installation (it was nighttime when I was here and was able to see it!). However, though, while the restrooms are closed overnights and between 12 and 1, Rome informed me the women’s restroom was essentially unusable. I didn’t even want to look in the men’s room for fear of being traumatized. On the upside, for buses, you primarily have the M15 which runs down 2nd Ave. between 125th St. and South Ferry, and the M96 crosstown route (that is, east-west). I do have one question though: WHY WASN’T THIS SECTION OF THE SYSTEM BUILT WITH CBTC FROM THE OUTSET?! I digress. Overall, not a bad station! And, I’m sure 72nd and 86th St.’s will hold up pretty well (given they’re largely carbon copies).

WAY OVERBUILT MEZZANINE, IF THE IND EXISTED TODAY!

The good: The lights outside look cool, as does the headhouse! The station itself is relatively pretty damn clean vs. the rest of the system (can be attributed to it still being a very new station), restrooms at least exist, and overall it’s a pretty decent station. Elevators also exist, with it still being new.

The bad: The women’s restroom is unusable (per Rome) and I am presuming the men’s room is outright traumatizing. This station is kinda overbuilt, too.

Nearby points of interest: There’s some section 8 housing nearby, along with some playgrounds and other green spaces. The Harlem River is also a stone’s toss away, if you can cross FDR Drive somehow.

Transit connections:
Broadway Line (Line Q)
MTA bus (M15, M15-SBS, M96)

Overall, this station isn’t that bad. A bit overbuilt, yeah, and admittedly not the best place to turn trains or to terminate them, but it really isn’t that bad in the grand scheme of things. And, given phase 2 of the 2nd Ave. tunnel has funding (that’s to build the tunnel to Park/Lexington Ave.’s, and to build stations at 106th, 116th, and 125th & Park/Lexington for a transfer to the #s 4-6 lines, which I think is a better place to terminate than in the middle of relatively nowhere), there’s actually a decent future for this station. Not bad! But, I do have a question though: Why IS this station classed as an IND station, if the IND is long dead?!

Rating: 8.5/10

Queensborough Plaza (Lines #7, N, W)

Queensborough Plaza is a particularly unique station on the MTA subway system, and has the distinction of being the sole cross-platform A/B division transfer station. That meaning, you can change lines on the same island platform, but they’re on opposite tracks. In this case, uptown 7s and N’s/W’s are on the same level, but opposite tracks. Same with downtown 7s/N’s/W’s. Either way, welcome to Long Island City!

This station is pretty standard in layout. On the lower level, you have downtown trains into Manhattan, with the next stop on the N and W being 59th/Lexington, and on the #7 line being 45th Rd.-Courthouse Square. Of course, this is not to be confused with Courthouse/ICA on the Silver Line in Boston. The upper levels have the uptown tracks for both lines, with the N and W heading to Ditmars Blvd. in Astoria, and the next stop on the #7 line being one covered here – 33rd/Rawson St.’s. This is also a pretty cool railfanning spot for the subway with how the tracks curve away in both directions, to be honest. There’s also elevators to the mezzanine, different countdown clocks for the A and B divisions, and otherwise nothing much to remark. The mezzanine is pretty standard with faregates, Metrocard machines, but no OMNY machine. There’s also restrooms here, but given this is the MTA…….yeah no thanks, I would rather not be traumatized. Sorry! Heading outside, you have stairs to street level and another elevator, of which Rome and I rode (they’re new and didn’t have time to let the piss scent kick in yet). Weirdly, they had “yes” and “no” buttons – cue the looks of confusion. As for buses, the B62 will bring you from here to Hoyt-Schermerhorn and the NYC Transit Museum in downtown Brooklyn, while the other routes will bring you to other places around Queens, including the Q39 to Ridgewood, the Q69 (hehe nice) to Astoria, and the Q102 to Roosevelt Island. Overall, not a bad station! And, pretty cool actually!

BROADWAY EXP (even though it stops at 49th St.)

The #7 line cresting the curve between Court Square and Queensborough!

The good: It’s an important transfer station between the A and B divisions and, weirdly enough, the only chance to do such a transfer in Queens (yeah, the IRT didn’t really do much in Queens). It’s also accessible, and primarily exists to serve LI City. It also serves as an accessible alternative to inaccessible stations nearby on the N line in particular (the #7 line doesn’t face this issue as badly, as Court Square’s #7 platform is accessible, and 33rd St. is not too close by). It’s also a cool spot for railfanning!

The bad: Yes???? no????? On a more serious note, the station looks a bit old, but functionally there’s really nothing offensively bad. However, I am kinda scared to peek into the restroom.

Nearby points of interest: For railfans, the station itself is a point of interest! The Northeast Corridor is also a short walk away! For stuff outside the station, there’s a USCIS office nearby, Silvercup Studios (you can see the famed sign from the #7 line!), JetBlue HQ, and even an Ecuadorian consulate! Other than that, it’s mostly corporate offices and your usual Dunkin’, Checkers, etc., albeit in a heavily gentrified neighborhood. Make as you wish of that.

Transit connections:
Flushing Line (#7)
Broadway Line (N, W)
MTA bus (B62, Q32, Q39, Q60, Q66, Q67, Q69, Q100, Q101, Q102)

Overall, it’s actually a pretty cool station, and I don’t have much to say negatively about it, and in terms of functionality, it’s one of my favorites on the MTA subway. Woohoo! However, the fact there’s restrooms scare me with what horrors lie within. D:

Rating: 7.5/10