121st Street station (BMT Jamaica Line)

121 Street
121 Street
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
	Northbound platform prior to renovation
Station statistics
Address	121st Street & Jamaica Avenue; Queens, New York
Borough	Queens
Locale	Richmond Hill
Coordinates	40°42′01″N 73°49′44″W / 40.700357°N 73.82894°W
Division	B (BMT)
Line	BMT Jamaica Line
Services	J (all except rush hours, peak direction); Z (rush hours, peak direction)
Transit	NYCT Bus: Q55, Q56; MTA Bus: Q10;
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	July 3, 1918 (106 years ago)
Opposite-; direction; transfer	Yes
Traffic
2023	476,966 6.8%
Rank	390 out of 423
Services
Services
Non-revenue services and lines
Non-revenue services and lines
Location
Track layout
	Legend
Street map
Station service legend
Symbol	Description
	Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction
	Stops rush hours in the peak direction only
	Stops all times

The 121st Street station is a skip-stop station on the elevated BMT Jamaica Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 121st Street and Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill, Queens,^[6]^[7] it is served by the Z train during rush hours in the peak direction and the J train at all other times.

History

This station was opened on July 3, 1918, by the Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad, an affiliate of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company.^[2]^[3]^[4]

During construction of the Archer Avenue Line, the Jamaica Avenue elevated line was cut back past 121st Street on April 15, 1985. The Q49 bus, which replaced Jamaica elevated service running from the line's previous terminal of Queens Boulevard to the line's original terminal at 168th Street, was extended to 121st Street. Until the opening of the Archer Avenue Line in 1988, J trains alternately terminated at 111th Street and 121st Street, with peak period headways to 121st Street being ten minutes.^[8] This temporary service pattern was originally slated to be in effect for six or seven months.^[9] Construction on the ramps to Archer Avenue was completed in November 1987, but since the tunnels were not ready for service until 1988, a double crossover east (railroad north) of the station was installed while the ramps were used for storage.^{[citation needed]} The Archer Avenue Line opened on December 11, 1988, and service was extended from 121st Street to Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer.^[10]

The Manhattan-bound platform closed for renovations on February 6, 2017, and reopened on December 22, 2017,^[11] delayed from the summer.^[12] The Jamaica Center-bound platform closed for renovations on February 12, 2018, and reopened on November 14, 2018,^[13] delayed from its planned reopening in the summer.^[14]

Station layout

Platform level	Side platform
	Westbound local	← toward Broad Street (111th Street) ← AM rush toward Broad Street (104th Street) ← AM rush does not stop here
	Peak-direction express	No track or roadbed
	Eastbound local	→ toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport) → → PM rush toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport) → → PM rush does not stop here →
	Side platform
Mezzanine		Fare control, station agent, MetroCard and OMNY machines
Ground	Street Level	Entrance/exit

This elevated station has two tracks and two side platforms, with space for a center express track that was never added.^[15]^[16] The station has beige windscreens and green canopies. This is the easternmost station on the Jamaica Line, east of here, trains go underground to the BMT Archer Avenue Line.

Exits

There are two exits. The full-time exit is at the west (railroad south) end of the station. One staircase from each platform leads to the mezzanine beneath the tracks. Outside of fare control, a pair of staircases lead down to either side of Jamaica Avenue on the west side of 121st Street.^[17]

There is an additional unstaffed exit at the east (railroad north) end of the station leading to the west side of 123rd Street. This exit is split in half due to the closed-off station house beneath the tracks. A single staircase from each platform leads to a landing that contains a full-height HEET turnstile before the street stairs.^[17]

References

^ "Glossary". Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) (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.
^ ^a ^b "Open New Subway to Regular Traffic; First Train on Seventh Avenue Line Carries Mayor and Other Officials ... New Extensions of Elevated Railroad Service ... Currents of Travel to Change" (PDF). The New York Times. No. July 2, 1918. July 2, 1918. p. 11. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
^ ^a ^b "'L' Trains Now Run Through to Jamaica" (PDF). The Leader-Observer. Queens/Brooklyn, New York. July 4, 1918. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
^ ^a ^b Report of the Public Service Commission for the First District of the State of New York, Volume 1. New York State Public Service Commission. January 10, 1919. pp. 61, 71, 285, 286. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
^ "Richmond Hill, Queens" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
^ "Kew Gardens, Queens" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
^ "121st Street Is The End For J-Train Passengers". Forum of South Queens. April 13, 1985.
^ Rabin, Bernard (April 10, 1985). "Battle on Archer Ave. line". New York Daily News.
^ Johnson, Kirk (December 9, 1988). "Big Changes For Subways Are to Begin". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
^ "J Line - Weekday and Weekend Planned Service Changes". n.v12.net. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 22, 2017. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
^ "J Line - Weekend and Weekday Planned Service Change". n.v12.net. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. February 2, 2017. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
^ "121 St - Full Service Restored". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
^ "Jamaica-bound platform at 121 St is closed for renovation". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on February 16, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
^ Construction of Foundations and Structure: Section 1, Jamaica Line (PDF). City of New York: New York Municipal Railway Corporation. 1915. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
^ Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
^ ^a ^b "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Kew Gardens" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.

External links

nycsubway.org – BMT Jamaica Line: 121st Street
Station Reporter — J Train
The Subway Nut — 121st Street Pictures Archived January 5, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
121st Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
123rd Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
Platforms from Google Maps Street View

[SASDEIS-DIVISION-1] "Glossary". Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) (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.

[one-2] "Open New Subway to Regular Traffic; First Train on Seventh Avenue Line Carries Mayor and Other Officials ... New Extensions of Elevated Railroad Service ... Currents of Travel to Change" (PDF). The New York Times. No. July 2, 1918. July 2, 1918. p. 11. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

[two-3] "'L' Trains Now Run Through to Jamaica" (PDF). The Leader-Observer. Queens/Brooklyn, New York. July 4, 1918. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

[three-4] Report of the Public Service Commission for the First District of the State of New York, Volume 1. New York State Public Service Commission. January 10, 1919. pp. 61, 71, 285, 286. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

[riderref-5] "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.

[6] "Richmond Hill, Queens" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved December 7, 2024.

[7] "Kew Gardens, Queens" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved December 7, 2024.

[8] "121st Street Is The End For J-Train Passengers". Forum of South Queens. April 13, 1985.

[9] Rabin, Bernard (April 10, 1985). "Battle on Archer Ave. line". New York Daily News.

[10] Johnson, Kirk (December 9, 1988). "Big Changes For Subways Are to Begin". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 6, 2016.

[11] "J Line - Weekday and Weekend Planned Service Changes". n.v12.net. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 22, 2017. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2018.

[12] "J Line - Weekend and Weekday Planned Service Change". n.v12.net. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. February 2, 2017. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2018.

[13] "121 St - Full Service Restored". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

[14] "Jamaica-bound platform at 121 St is closed for renovation". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on February 16, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.

[BMTJamaicaExtPlan-1915-15] Construction of Foundations and Structure: Section 1, Jamaica Line (PDF). City of New York: New York Municipal Railway Corporation. 1915. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.

[tracks-16] Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.

[:0-17] "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Kew Gardens" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.

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v t e Stations of the New York City Subway, by service
Nassau Street Local	Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport 121st Street 111th Street 104th Street Woodhaven Boulevard 85th Street–Forest Parkway 75th Street–Elderts Lane Cypress Hills Crescent Street Norwood Avenue Cleveland Street Van Siclen Avenue Alabama Avenue Broadway Junction Chauncey Street Halsey Street Gates Avenue Kosciuszko Street Myrtle Avenue Flushing Avenue Lorimer Street Hewes Street Marcy Avenue Essex Street Bowery Canal Street Chambers Street Fulton Street Broad Street
Nassau Street Express	Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport 121st Street 104th Street Woodhaven Boulevard 75th Street–Elderts Lane Crescent Street Norwood Avenue Van Siclen Avenue Alabama Avenue Broadway Junction Chauncey Street Gates Avenue Myrtle Avenue Marcy Avenue Essex Street Bowery Canal Street Chambers Street Fulton Street Broad Street
See also Lists by borough (The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens) Accessible Closed Terminals Transfer Commons category Note: Service variations, station closures, and reroutes are not reflected here. Stations with asterisks have no regular peak, reverse peak, or midday service on that route. See linked articles for more information.