52nd Street station (IRT Flushing Line)

History

Early history

The Flushing Line was opened from Queensboro Plaza to Alburtis Avenue (now 103rd Street–Corona Plaza) on April 21, 1917, with a local station at 52nd Street.

Later years

The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940. The IRT routes were given numbered designations in 1948 with the introduction of "R-type" rolling stock, which contained rollsigns with numbered designations for each service. The route from Times Square to Flushing became known as the 7. On October 17, 1949, the joint BMT/IRT operation of the Flushing Line ended, and the line became the responsibility of the IRT. After the end of BMT/IRT dual service, the New York City Board of Transportation announced that the Flushing Line platforms would be lengthened to 11 IRT car lengths; the platforms were only able to fit nine 51-foot-long IRT cars beforehand. The platforms at the station were extended in 1955–1956 to accommodate 11-car trains. However, nine-car trains continued to run on the 7 route until 1962, when they were extended to ten cars. With the opening of the 1964 New York World's Fair, trains were lengthened to eleven cars.

As part of the 2015–2019 Capital Program, the MTA announced plans to renovate the 52nd, 61st, 69th, 82nd, 103rd and 111th Streets stations, a project that had been delayed for several years. Conditions at these stations were reported to be among the worst of all stations in the subway system. The Manhattan-bound platform at the 52nd Street station will close for renovation starting winter 2025, followed by the closure of the Flushing-bound platform. On June 23, 2025, the Manhattan-bound platform closed for renovations until early 2026.

Station layout

This elevated station has two side platforms and three tracks. The center express track is used by the rush hour peak direction express train. Both platforms have beige windscreens and brown canopies with green roofs along the entire length except for a small section at the south end, which has only a windscreen on the eastbound side and a waist-high steel fence on the westbound side.

This is the southernmost (geographical west) station on the IRT Flushing Line that is on a steel viaduct above Roosevelt Avenue. West of this station, the line curves and becomes a concrete viaduct above Queens Boulevard until 32nd Place.

Exits

This station has two entrances. The full-time one is a wooden elevated station house beneath the tracks at the south end. It has a single staircase to each platform, waiting area that allows free transfer between directions, turnstile bank, token booth, and two staircases to the street, one to each western corner of 52nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue.

The other entrance is at the station's extreme north (geographical east) end. A single canopied staircase from each platform goes down a landing outside of a now-closed elevated station house beneath the tracks. A single HEET turnstile provides entrance/exit from the station before a street stair goes down 53rd Street and Roosevelt Avenue. The Manhattan-bound staircase is at the northeast corner while the Flushing-bound one is at the southeast corner.

References

References

1. {{Cite Routes Not Taken
2. (December 2, 1909). "Move for Rapid Transit". Newtown Register.
3. (April 22, 1917). "Transit Service on Corona Extension of Dual Subway System Opened to the Public". The New York Times.
4. (1940-06-13). "City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign". The New York Times.
5. (June 13, 1940). "Transit Unification Completed As City Takes Over I. R. T. Lines: Systems Come Under Single Control After Efforts Begun in 1921; Mayor Is Jubilant at City Hall Ceremony Recalling 1904 Celebration". New York Herald Tribune.
6. Brown, Nicole. (May 17, 2019). "How did the MTA subway lines get their letter or number? NYCurious".
7. (April 1960). "A Summary of Services on the IRT Division, NYCTA". Electric Railroaders' Association.
8. (October 15, 1949). "Direct Subway Runs To Flushing, Astoria". The New York Times.
9. Bennett, Charles G.. (November 20, 1949). "Transit Platforms On Lines In Queens To Be Lengthened; $3,850,000 Program Outlined for Next Year to Care for Borough's Rapid Growth New Links Are To Be Built 400 More Buses to Roll Also — Bulk of Work to Be on Corona-Flushing Route Transit Program In Queens Outlined". The New York Times.
10. (November 20, 1949). "37 Platforms On Subways To Be Lengthened: All Stations of B. M. T. and I.R.T.in Queens Included in $5,000,000 Program". New York Herald Tribune.
11. (1955). "Minutes and Proceedings of the New York City Transit Authority". New York City Transit Authority.
12. (December 1962). "R17s to the Flushing Line". Electric Railroaders' Association.
13. (August 31, 1963). "TA to Show Fair Train". Long Island Star – Journal.
14. (June 1, 1964). "A First-class Rapid Ride".
15. Murray, Christian. (November 19, 2019). "MTA To Overhaul Six Stations on the 7 Line, Currently in Design Phase".
16. (April 21, 2023). "MTA Announces Service Changes on 7 Line Beginning May 12".
17. (March 9, 2023). "Improving the 7 Line".
18. (June 23, 2025). "Come rain or come heat, New Yorkers come out to the polls".
19. Andres, Czarinna. (June 23, 2025). "Travel advisory: Manhattan-bound 7 trains now skipping 69th and 52nd Street stations through early 2026".
20. "www.nycsubway.org: IRT Flushing Line".
21. Cox, Jeremiah. "52 Street-Lincoln Av (7) - The SubwayNut".