Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue station

Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue (often informally referred to as Vernon–Jackson, as its former name was Vernon–Jackson Avenues) is a station on the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway, and the westernmost station on the Flushing Line in Queens. It is served by the 7 train at all times and the <7> train rush hours in the peak direction. Despite its name, the station is not quite located at the intersection of Vernon Boulevard and Jackson Avenue. It is located on 50th Avenue between Vernon Boulevard and Jackson Avenue, both of which have entrances to the station.

 Vernon Blvd–Jackson Avenue
 ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Manhattan bound platform
Station statistics
Address50th Avenue between Vernon Boulevard & Jackson Avenue
Queens, NY 11101
BoroughQueens
LocaleHunters Point, Long Island City
Coordinates40.74264°N 73.95391°W / 40.74264; -73.95391
DivisionA (IRT)
Line   IRT Flushing Line
Services   7  (all times) <7>  (rush hours until 9:30 p.m., peak direction)​
Transit NYCT Bus: B32, B62 (at 11th Street and Jackson Avenue)
MTA Bus: Q67, Q103
LIRR: City Terminal Zone (at Long Island City)
⛴ NYC Ferry: East River, Lower East Side, and Astoria routes (at Center Boulevard and Borden Avenue)
StructureUnderground
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Other information
OpenedJune 22, 1915 (1915-06-22)
Station code464[1]
Accessiblenot ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Opposite-
direction
transfer		No
Former/other namesVernon–Jackson Avenues
Traffic
20194,623,070[2]  2.9%
Rank103 out of 424[2]
Station succession
Next eastHunters Point Avenue: 7  <7> ​
Next westGrand Central–42nd Street: 7  <7> ​

History

This station opened on June 22, 1915 as a terminal for shuttle trains going into Manhattan via the Steinway Tunnel until the line was extended to Hunters Point Avenue on February 5, 1916.[3][4] A westerly extension of the Manhattan-bound platform opened for service on December 20, 1923.[5]

In 1981, the MTA listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.[6]

The platforms at Vernon Boulevard were extended in 1955–1956 to accommodate 11-car trains.[7]

1997 station agent murder

In 1997, this station was the site of a night station agent being killed for subway tokens.[8] The result of this incident was a change in policy where night station agents do not have to empty the turnstiles after the evening station agent leaves unless police, a supervisor, or another employee is present (and that is left to the option of the station agent). Since the introduction of the MetroCard, this process remains the same. Two armed NYCT guards clear the vending machines.

Station layout
G Street level Entrances/exits
P
Platform level		 Side platform
Southbound ← toward Hudson Yards (Grand Central–42nd Street)
Northbound → toward Flushing–Main Street (Hunters Point Avenue) →
Side platform
Manhattan-bound street stairway
The Train of Many Colors at Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue in 2016.

This underground station has two side platforms and two tracks. A black wall separates the two tracks for most of the station.

Both platforms have a line of yellow columns along their edges. Most of these are normal I-beam columns, but in the middle of the platforms, cream colored arches, which is also the color of the station's ceiling, starting at about four feet off the ground support a short section of the columns. The platform walls have a mosaic gold and brown trim line on top while the name tablets are mosaic white with white text reading "Vernon-Jackson Ave's" (erroneous if the use is considered in the possessive context, but it can also be considered as a contractional form of the plural) on a brown background and gold and brown border. There are also a few directional signs to the station's fare control areas reading "Vernon Ave" or "Jackson Ave" with an arrow beneath.

Exits

Each platform has two same-level fare control areas and there are no crossovers or crossunders connecting the platforms. The full-time fare control areas are just west of the middle of the platforms, though only the Manhattan-bound platform still has a token booth. Each area has a small regular turnstile bank and two staircases to the street, the northeast corner of Vernon Boulevard and 50th Avenue for the Manhattan-bound platform and the southwest corner for the Flushing-bound platform. The southern staircase's steel fencing does not have the standard black sign saying what station this is and what trains serve it.[9]

Each platform also has a larger, unstaffed fare control on their extreme east (railroad north) ends. On the Manhattan-bound platform, a wide, but short staircase goes up to some High Entry/Exit Turnstiles that lead to two street stairs, one to each northern corners of 50th Avenue and Jackson Avenue. This entrance at one time had a part-time token booth and regular turnstiles. The Flushing-bound platform has a similar arrangement with short staircase to a wide intermediate landing with an exit-only turnstile at each corner. Outside the turnstiles is a single street stair, each going up to each southern corners of 50th Avenue and Jackson Avenue.[9]

This is one of only two stations along the 7 (the other being 40th Street–Lowery Street to not have a crossover or crossunder, as well as the only underground station on the line to not allow for free transfers between directions.

References
  1. "Station Developers' Information". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  2. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  3. "Queensboro Tunnel Officially Opened". The New York Times. June 23, 1915. p. 22. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  4. "Subway extension Open.; Many Use New Hunters Point Avenue Station" (PDF). Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  5. Proceedings of the Transit Commission, State of New York Volume III From January 1 to December 31, 1923. New York State Transit Commission. 1923. p. 1310.
  6. Gargan, Edward A. (June 11, 1981). "Agency Lists Its 69 Most Deteriorated Subway Stations". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  7. Minutes and Proceedings. New York City Transit Authority. 1955.
  8. Onishi, Norimitsu (March 25, 1997). "In His 'Safe' Station, Subway Clerk, 60, Is Killed". The New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  9. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Long Island City" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
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