LIRR Infill Station in Queens
This post was inspired by friends who recently moved to Long Island City and their experience dealing with extremely crowded 7 trains during rush hour.
The 7 train through Queens has long been one of the most crowded trains in the NYC subway system. With the growth in population in Long Island City the train is only going to get more crowded. Given that the 7 train has CBTC signaling, and run trains almost every 2 minutes during rush hour, increasing capacity isn’t really an option. Given that the LIRR parallels the 7 for a lot of Queens, I think adding a potential LIRR infill station might help alleviate crowding.
The LIRR Port Washington branch runs through the Flushing Main Street station offering 7 trips to Manhattan during Peak AM hours. It similarly offers 11 trips during Peak PM hours out of Manhattan. Meanwhile the 7 line runs about every 2-3 minutes during this period from Flushing Main Street towards Manhattan. Adding another infill station to capture traffic between Flushing and Long Island City could alleviate crowding while also providing people a faster route into Manhattan.
There are 3 stations in Corona (including Junction Boulevard). The total average weekday ridership from these combined station in 2022 was 40,317. If we include up to 74th St Broadway, where there is a transfer to the E, F, and R trains, we get an average of 63,463 riders per weekday. Adding a LIRR station where the Port Washington Line intersects Junction Boulevard and increasing the number of stops here would alleviate traffic on the 7.
A lot of this traffic on the 7 comes from East Elmhurst which is partially a subway desert. Given that the LIRR tracks are south of the 7 train, most riders from this neighborhood will probably not switch to the LIRR; however riders that take the Q72 bus to the Junction Boulevard 7 train station can just continue for 2 more stops to reach this hypothetical new LIRR station. Riders south of the 7 train now have an alternative and faster ride into Manhattan during rush hour.
It is imperative that LIRR trains come frequently at this station (along with the existing Flushing station). One of the main reasons why the 7 is more popular is simply the extremely high frequency. As mentioned above, the LIRR only makes 7 stops at the Flushing station during peak AM hours; it’s not reasonable to expect riders to perfectly time up with the LIRR given that the 7 runs every 2 minutes. But this is where issues may arise; commuters from Long Island will not like the additional time making 2 more stops will take even though these stops will probably add no more than 5 minutes to their overall trip.
In conclusion, this infill station is a purely hypothetical idea. I do believe it will help improve the experience along the 7 train and make it a lot easier for people from deeper Queens to get to Manhattan. Even without this infill station, increased service at the Flushing LIRR station should be a priority.