Wait, didn’t I already cover Forest Hills? Well, yes, but not in NYC. And, there’s a second station here also carrying the name – albeit that one is served by the LIRR. That one is coming a little later, as today’s focus is the subway.
So, the M/R both terminate here, and historically the G has also terminated here (but not since, iirc, 2010). However, the station is your standard express configuration with two islands. The platform is pretty standard with benches and clocks and whatnot. As for the track layout, there’s a big mess of crossovers spanning two levels beyond the station, with the upper level primarily being used for continuing trains (the E to Parsons Blvd. and the F to 179th Street), and the lower level being used for access to Jamaica Yard (primarily supplying service to the E, F, and R lines). It’s oftentimes said that this station also kinda sucks as a terminal, but I don’t know enough about NYC terminal ops to make a judgement call on that. As for the mezzanine, it’s your standard affair for the IND. There’s also the LIRR a stone’s throw away. Neat! It’s also an accessible station. From here, the next stop outbound is Kew Gardens on the E and 75th Avenue on the F.
The good: It’s accessible, and has a good amount of transit connections!
The bad: The station really sucks as a terminal! (as far as I understand, anyways – and I’m inclined to believe this given my experiences with signal issues!) But also, Queens Blvd. itself is wide as hell. That isn’t good! If you don’t know what exit to take, you may have to hail Mary across it to reach the LIRR! Yikes!
Nearby points of interest: There’s ..a tennis stadium???? But also, shopping, housing, and what looks like a very wealthy neighborhood.
Transit connections:
BMT-Broadway (R)
IND-6th Ave. (F, M)
IND-8th Ave. (E)
MTA bus (Q23, Q60, Q64, Q74, QM4, QM11, QM12, QM18, QM42, QM44)
Overall, the station itself is pretty normal, and there isn’t a lot to remark about. Yet another standard IND station.
Rating: 7/10
