Jamaica-Van Wyck
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Van Wyck Blvd
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Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av
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Kew Gardens
Union Turnpike
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Queens Blvd Express·8th Avenue Local<Jamaica-Van Wyck

Jamaica-Van Wyck is one of the most unusual subway stations. The main reason for this is it is part of the Archer Avenue extension that was only opened on December 11, 1988. The stop is basically a direct replacement for the former Jamaica Avenue elevated station Metrpolitan Avenue which was the next stop after 121 Street, used by the J train until it closed on April 15, 1985, when J trains were pushed back to temprorarily terminate at 121 Street to allow for the tracks on the older elevated structure to be tied into and connected with the new short modern concrete elevated structure that curves off of Jamaica Avenue at 127 Street, before turning south alongside the Long Island Rail Road Main Line Tracks before dipping down and underground at a tunnel portal near 89 Road and 130 Street.

The station is definitely a bit overbuilt, for most of the station there is a large double height ceiling that originally had glass allowing daylight to pour into the station along the wall eves along the Manhattan-bound platform, these though were sealed within 10 years of the station's opening, allowing no natural light to come in.

The station has one island platform and all walls are various shades of orange. The exit is towards the Jamaica-bound end of the platform and fare control is on a balcony directly above the island platform that has a staircase at the very eastern end of the platform, along with two escalators and the ADA elevator down to the platform. There is a bank of turnstiles here that leads to the exits.

One exit is through a passageway that is in an area beyond the station platform (as the tracks continue to Jamaica Center) this leads out to a mega-entrance in a building at street level with two escalators and a small staircaseas well as the street elevator to the SW corner of 89 Street and the Van Wyck Express next to the entrance to the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.

The other exit is particularly interesting because the walkway to it is cantilevered out from the station ceiling and walls above the Jamaica bound platform before the passageway turns to provide an exit to Jamaica Av-Metropolitan Av, with a single up only escalator and staircase to a small plaza triangle surrounded by/intersected with 135th St/Kew Gardens Road, Metropolitan Avenue, and Jamaica Avenue. and the Van Wyck Expressway Service Road. This exit is closest to what was once the western entrance to the demolished Metroplitan Avenue Station at Jamaica Avneue and Metroplitan Avneue, there was also a western station exit to 132 Street

June 2008 update: When I visited in June 2008 the station was having many of its escalators replaced, the Jamaica Av-Metropolitan Av exit was completely closed for 'escalator refurbishment' as the signs read, the escalators from the platform up to the mezzanine were also closed forcing all passengers to use a relatively narrow staircase that loops around from the platform up to the mezzanine at the first/last car of the Jamaica-bound end of the platform. Major bottlenecks were definitely occurring. Previously the Jamaica Hospital Exit was closed for Escalator Refurbishment, as of my next visit in January 2011 all of the escalators had been replaced with the modern ones that have the little posts with a LED indicating the escalators direction (either an arrow pointing towards the correct direction or a red No entry symbol)
Photo 1-4: February 9, 2004; 2-20: June 25, 2008; 21-36: January 4, 2011

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