Mets

Mets – Willets Point   New York City Subway rapid transit station
Mets - Willets Point Station with Citi Field in the background
Station statistics
Address	near 126th Street & Roosevelt Avenue Corona, NY 11368
Borough	Queens
Locale	Willets Point
Coordinates	40°45′16.41″N 73°50′44.09″W / 40.7545583°N 73.8455806°W / 40.7545583; -73.8455806Coordinates: 40°45′16.41″N 73°50′44.09″W / 40.7545583°N 73.8455806°W / 40.7545583; -73.8455806
Division	A (IRT)
Line	IRT Flushing Line
Services	7  (all times) <7>(rush hours until 10:00 p.m., peak direction)
Connection	New York City Bus: Q48 LIRR at Mets–Willets Point
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 side platforms (local) 1 island platform (express & NB local) cross-platform interchange (northbound only)
Tracks	3
Other information
Opened	May 7, 1927
Accessible	(Northbound side (local) platform only; open only on game days and for special events[1])
Former/other names	Willets Point Boulevard Willets Point – Shea Stadium
Traffic
Passengers (2010)	1,856,485[2]  0.3%
Rank	245 out of 422
Station succession
Next north	Flushing – Main Street: 7  <7>
Next south	111th Street (local): 7  Junction Boulevard (express): <7>
Next north	Game days & special events only: Flushing – Main Street: 7
Next south	none; station is not accessible southbound
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops in station at all times Stops all times except late nights Stops late nights only Stops late nights and weekends only Stops weekdays only Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction Stops all times except weekdays Stops rush hours only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Station is closed (Details about time periods)

Mets – Willets Point (formerly Willets Point – Shea Stadium) is an express station on the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway. It is served by the 7 train at all times and by the <7> train rush hours in the peak direction or towards Times Square following most New York Mets baseball games and US Open (tennis) games. Located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, on Roosevelt Avenue between 114th and 126th Streets, this station's peak use occurs during Mets games at Citi Field (Shea Stadium from 1964–2008), located on the north side of the station, and during events at the USTA National Tennis Center, on the south side.

Layout

This three-track express station has a layout unique in the system. From compass north to south, it is arranged: southbound side platform, southbound local track, bidirectional express track, island platform, northbound local track, northbound side platform.

Trains running northbound (towards Main Street) normally open their doors on the island platform; the northbound side platform is used only during Mets games and events at the National Tennis Center, such as the U.S. Open. On the south side of the station, a ramp connects the mezzanine and the northbound side platform to a footbridge, known as the Passarelle Boardwalk, which passes over Corona Yard and the Mets – Willets Point station of the LIRR Port Washington Branch, on its way to the National Tennis Center. A full-length wooden mezzanine is located underneath the tracks and platforms. The north side of the station has a stairway leading directly to Citi Field's Jackie Robinson Rotunda.

Accessibility

In 2009, the northbound side platform became ADA-accessible to passengers with disabilities. The MTA built a $4 million ramp from the south side of Roosevelt Avenue to the station mezzanine; the two existing ramps from the mezzanine to station level were modified to make them ADA-accessible. The ramps are owned and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.^[3] Some riders with disabilities were unhappy that the station was not made completely accessible during the station's renovation.^[4] By contrast, other New York City Subway stations that serve sports venues, including 161st Street – Yankee Stadium for Yankee Stadium and 34th Street – Penn Station at Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue for Madison Square Garden, are completely accessible.

Northbound local trains open their doors on the side platform during Mets games and special events only. Passengers with disabilities wishing to travel southbound from this station (to Manhattan) must take the train northbound to Flushing – Main Street and then take the train southbound from there. Other accessible options are the Q48 to and from Flushing – Main Street station and Access-a-Ride paratransit services.^[3]

History

The original Willets Point Boulevard station opened on May 7, 1927.^[5] At that time, it was located at the intersection of Willets Point Boulevard, 126th Street, and Roosevelt Avenue and was a minor, local stop on the Flushing Line, with only two stairways and short station canopies at platform level. At the announcement that the 1939 World's Fair would be held in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, the station was moved west to its current location, converted into a large express station, and rebuilt to handle the expected crowds. World's Fair Special express trains began service here on April 24, 1939.^[6] The northbound side platform and its ramp were added for the 1964 World's Fair, also held in Flushing Meadows.

Today, remnants of the original 1927 station can be seen just east of the current station. Ironwork indicates where the old side platforms had been, and parts of the former fare entry area remain. The southbound side platform is also noticeably longer than the 11-car IRT-length trains that serve it; a long segment east of the current passenger waiting area—part of the original southbound platform—has fallen into disrepair and has been gated off.

North side

A footbridge formerly extended north over Casey Stengel Plaza, leading to a long, circular staircase with turnstiles at the bottom, bringing people close to Gate E at Shea Stadium. In 2008, the footbridge and turnstiles were removed and replaced with a wider stairway which is now situated close to Citi Field's Jackie Robinson Rotunda. The arrangement of turnstiles in the mezzanine was also reconfigured to improve the post-game pedestrian flows and allow fans to use all ramps, whether they were using the subway or walking across the Passarelle Boardwalk to reach the Long Island Rail Road station or parking lots in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.^[7]

Express service to Manhattan at the conclusion of New York Mets weeknight games was first introduced in July 2007, followed by express service to Manhattan at the end of all Mets weeknight and weekend games in April 2008. The "super" express trains run for approximately one hour and only make three stops in Queens before entering Manhattan: Woodside – 61st Street, Queensboro Plaza, and Court Square.^[7][8][9] After baseball games, Times Square-bound local trains stop at the southbound side platform, while Times Square-bound express trains and Main Street-bound trains both stop at the island platform.

Following the closure and demolition of Shea Stadium, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority simply renamed the stop Mets – Willets Point, omitting the corporate-sponsored name associated with the current stadium. The MTA was unsuccessful in achieving a similar naming rights deal and would not post the name for free. Had the naming rights deal been achieved, the station would have been known as Willets Point – Citi Field.^[10]

Gallery

• 

  Ramp† to station with Citi Field in the background.

• 

  IRT Flushing Line with Shea Stadium‡ in the background

• 

  Turnstiles on the Manhattan-bound platform

• † - Ramp from LIRR station and Flushing Meadows Park
• ‡ - Shea Stadium replaced by Citi Field in 2009

References

1. ^ "Mets - Willets Point Station Service Advisories". MTA New York City Transit. http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/events/mets_willets.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-26. 
2. ^ "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership". New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority. http://www.mta.info/nyct/facts/ridership/ridership_sub_annual.htm. Retrieved 2011-05-31. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Mets-Willets Point Station: A New Name and a Fresh Look" (Press release). MTA New York City Transit. April 10, 2009. http://www.mta.info/mta/news/releases/?en=090410-NYCT53. Retrieved 2009-09-26. 
4. ^ Haddon, Heather (April 12, 2009). "Advocates: make Mets subway station accessible". AM New York. http://weblogs.amny.com/entertainment/urbanite/blog/2009/04/advocates_make_mets_subway_sta.html. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 
5. ^ "CORONA SUBWAY EXTENDED; New Service Goes to Within 350 Feet of Flushing Creek Bridge". The New York Times: p. 26. May 8, 1927. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20F13F8395B157A93CAA9178ED85F438285F9. Retrieved 2009-09-26. 
6. ^ "Fast Subway Service to Fair Is Opened; Mayor Boards First Express at 6:25 A.M.". The New York Times: p. 1. April 25, 1939. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10712FC3A58127A93C7AB178FD85F4D8385F9. Retrieved 2010-01-16. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "New York City Transit Provides Enhanced Mets Post-Game 7 Express Service" (Press release). New York City Transit. April 9, 2008. Archived from the original on 2009-09-27. http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:dcGFkVtlGtwJ:www.mta.info/mta/news/releases/%3Fen%3D080409-NYCT51. Retrieved 2009-10-16. 
8. ^ "MTA New York City Transit Introduces 7 Express Service After Mets Home Games" (Press release). New York City Transit. July 11, 2007. Archived from the original on 2009-10-02. http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:iB0xCputYL8J:www.mta.info/mta/news/releases/%3Fen%3D070711. Retrieved 2009-10-16. 
9. ^ "7 Post Game Express Now Stops at Court Square on Game Nights" (Press release). New York City Transit. May 9, 2008. Archived from the original on 2009-09-22. http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:NvGnpB2hA98J:www.mta.info/mta/news/releases/%3Fen%3D080509-NYCT63. Retrieved 2009-10-16. 
10. ^ Neuman, William (March 11, 2009). "Stadium Is Citi Field, but the Subway Stop Has Other Ideas". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/nyregion/12shea.html. Retrieved 2009-09-26. 

External links

• nycsubway.org — IRT Flushing Line: Willets Point/Shea Stadium
• Station Reporter — 7 Train
• entrance from Google Maps Street View