71-Continental Av-Forest Hills
Forest Hills - 71-Continental Av is the terminus of local service on the Queens Blvd line. Trains disembark their passengers on the outbound local track before using a flying junction, that can also be reached from the express tracks, to reach a large underground area on a level below the main line tracks for trains still in service, these tracks, partially located beneath the 75 Avenue Station (there are emergency exit staircases up to each platform from this lower level) and are where local G,R, and V trains relay and turn around before train yard leads continue into the Jamaica Yard, north of Queens Blvd. F trains (and E trains evenings, nights and weekends) use slow speed switches just before the 75 Avenue Station to switch from the express to local tracks (E trains that run local during late nights just stay on the local track through the area) after this flying junction.
The station itself has full length mezzanine with a relatively strange layout. There are two separate sections within fare control that are only connected by the platforms, and a passageway between two of the three exits outside of fare control. Starting from the eastern end of the mezzanine, there is a small bank of unstaffed turnstiles (these used to be high entrance/exit turnstiles and part time regular turnstiles) these lead out to a passageway to the north side of Queens Blvd only and a single streetstair midblock between 70 Road and 70 Avenue. Next the mezzanine continues fully within fare control with four staircases total down to each platform, although in portions of the mezzanine it's narrower with construction barricades often set-up and a walled off area in the middle surrounding a track vent shaft from the express platforms up to grates in the middle of Queens Blvd. There are also restrooms
Next in the middle of the mezzanine is the central fare control area, here are two banks of turnstiles (now unstaffed) dividing the portion of the mezzanine within fare control into two, exits (via passageways since Queens Blvd is so wide here) lead north to a streetstair along Queens Blvd midblock between 70 Road and 108 Street/71 Avenue (that meets Queens Blvd at a 5-way intersection), and south midblock between 71 Avenue/Continental Avenue (the street is signed for both) with both a streetstair and a street elevator that began construction in 2012 and opened on May 9, 2014. The platform elevators are a short distance east of these turnstiles followed by staircases down to each platform (use the bank of turnstiles on the western side of this cross passageway for closest staircase access down to each platform).
The eastern half of the mezzanine contains three staircases total from the mezzanine down to each platform, plus an out of fare control passageway along the southernmost wall with another bank of turnstiles across from the main token booth half-way between the two exits. At the eastern end of the mezzanine is a final out of fare control cross-passageway with passageways to streetstairs to each side of Queens Blvd at the NE and SE corners of Queens Blvd and 71 Avenue. These entrance staircases lead down to a couple of Exit Only High Turnstiles with just a single High Entrance-Exit turnstiles by the northern side of the street staircase, the mezzanine is clearly designed so entering passengers from these exits will walk out of their way to the main bank of staffed turnstiles.
The platforms have lime green painted columns, with a light, lime green trim line along the track walls with 71stAve tiled at regular intervals. The columns between the express tracks have dirty-looking white signs that say Conti-nental Ave|Forest Hills on 5 lines of text.
Photos 1-3: September 26, 2004; 4-16: June 5, 2008; 17-21: January 4, 2011; 22: June 13, 2011
Station Subway Lines (2001-2010)
