Forest Hills station (LIRR)

Forest Hills
Forest Hills LIRR station south entrance
Location	71st Avenue and Austin Street Forest Hills, Queens, New York
Coordinates	40°43′10″N 73°50′42″W / 40.719483°N 73.844883°W / 40.719483; -73.844883Coordinates: 40°43′10″N 73°50′42″W / 40.719483°N 73.844883°W / 40.719483; -73.844883
Owned by	Long Island Rail Road
Line(s)	Main Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Connections	New York City Subway: ​​​ at Forest Hills – 71st Avenue MTA Bus: Q23, Q60, Q64, QM11, QM12, QM18
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	1
History
Opened	1906
Closed	1911
Rebuilt	August 5, 1911
Electrified	June 16, 1910 750 V (DC) third rail
Passengers
2017	1,967[1]
Services
Preceding station LIRR Following station Woodside towards Penn Station Hempstead Branch limited service Kew Gardens towards Hempstead Port Jefferson Branch Kew Gardens towards Port Jefferson Ronkonkoma Branch Kew Gardens towards Greenport via Ronkonkoma West Hempstead Branch limited service Kew Gardens towards West Hempstead Babylon Branch Kew Gardens towards Babylon Long Beach Branch Kew Gardens towards Long Beach Far Rockaway Branch limited service Kew Gardens towards Far Rockaway      Oyster Bay Branch does not stop here      Montauk Branch does not stop here
Former services Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station Grand Street toward Long Island City or Penn Station Main Line Kew Gardens toward Greenport
Legend to Woodside to Kew Gardens

Forest Hills is a station on the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, New York City. Like other LIRR stations within New York City, passengers may take advantage of the CityTicket program on weekends. It is lightly used compared to other stations in the city, with only 1,967 weekday riders; many residents opt for the subway because of its increased service and direct express trains to Midtown Manhattan. The station is wheelchair accessible.

Location[]

Located in the Queens neighborhood of the same name, Forest Hills is situated on 71st Avenue (also known as Continental Avenue) between Austin and Burns Streets. It is also the northern boundary of Station Square, a historic Tudor town center, which was across from a building known as the "Forest Hills Inn."^[2] The station is also just east of the West Side Tennis Club. Two blocks to the north along 71st Avenue is the Forest Hills–71st Avenue subway station, one of the busiest in Queens.

History[]

Built in 1906,^[3] the Forest Hills station is one of the oldest operating passenger railway stations in New York City, predating IND subway expansion to the area in the mid 1930s. Being subsequently remodeled for handicapped accessibility with ramps, it is one of two LIRR stations without standard blue and white signage (the other is Nostrand Avenue). Instead there are plaques and antique signs that complement the surrounding area. On July 4, 1917, former President Theodore Roosevelt made his "Unification Speech" from the steps of this station.^[4]

On March 17, 1936, at a hearing of the New York State Transit Commission and the New York State Public Service Commission, the LIRR said that it would seek permission in 1937 to abandon the three stations along the Main Line between Jamaica and Pennsylvania Station—Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, and Woodside. The LIRR had said that it anticipated a loss of annual revenue between $750,000 and $1 million with the opening of the extension of the Independent Subway System's Queens Boulevard Line to Jamaica.^[5]

In November 1963, the LIRR announced a plan to shorten the platforms at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens by 300 feet (91 m). The railroad's justification was that ridership at the stations was low, and did not warrant repairing the crumbling concrete. These sections of platforms had been installed in about 1929 to allow the stations to accommodate full-length trains. This move was opposed by civic groups, and resulted in an investigation by the Public Service Commission. However, the platform extensions were removed in 1965 or 1966.^[6]

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), in its 2010–2014 capital program, proposed lengthening the four-car-long platforms at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens to allow additional train cars to board at the station. The platform extensions would reduce waiting time at the station while allowing for more efficient operations between Jamaica and Penn Station. Although $4.5 million was allocated for the project, the money was ultimately redistributed to other projects.^{[7]: 58, 186 [a]}

On July 26, 2018, it was announced that the LIRR planned to extend the platforms at Kew Gardens and Forest Hills by 200 feet (61 m) to accommodate six-car trains. The platform extensions will consist of fiberglass decking supported by steel scaffolding structures, allowing the extensions to be completed quickly, and at a low cost, while allowing the LIRR to plan for a permanent solution. Preparation work began during the week of July 23^[1] and the new extensions went into service the week of September 12, 2018.^[9][10]

Station layout[]

A local station, Forest Hills has two side platforms, both six cars long, and four tracks. The relatively flat and straight stretch of track at Forest Hills has been used for PATH PA-1 and R44 speed tests.^[11][12]

P Platform level	Platform A, side platform
	Track 3	←      Main Line services toward Penn Station (Woodside)
	Track 1	←      Main Line services does not stop here →
	Track 2	←      Main Line services does not stop here →
	Track 4	→      Main Line services toward Jamaica and Points East (Kew Gardens) →
	Platform B, side platform
G	Street level	Entrances/exits

Gallery[]

• Forest Hills LIRR station
• 

  Seen from Station Plaza

• 

  At Station Square

• 

  Station Square from Greenway Terrace

• 

  A station sign at the Forest Hills station; this sign design is limited to the Forest Hills station.

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Forest Hills (LIRR station).

• Forest Hills – LIRR

• Forest Hills LIRR timetable

• Forest Hills Station (The SubwayNut)
• Burns Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Continental Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View