Northern Blvd (M,R) - The SubwayNut

Northern Blvd appears as a simple IND Queens Blvd Line Local Station, but beneath the station there is more complexity. For most of the station, coming from the Forest-Hills bound direction, the Express tracks are located one level down beneath the local tracks. At the western end of the station, where Northern Blvd crosses Broadway, the express tracks curve south to deviate from the same route as the local tracks and follow Northern Blvd until the local tracks curve off of Steinway Street, between the 36th Street and Steinway Street Stations and rejoin the express tracks.

The station has no mezzanine, and in turn no free crossover or under, each platform has its one exit to Northern Blvd at the western most ends of the platform with the turnstiles directly alongside the platform, the Manhattan-bound platform contains the 24 hour token booth and a single streetstair up to the NE corner of Broadway & Northern Blvd, just west of the Intersection of 54th Street (that meets at a diagonal intersection). The Forest Hills-bound platform contains a former token booth (only open during rush hours when I visited in 2008) with the only way to enter the Forest Hills-bound platform other times via High Entrance/Exit Turnstiles. This leads out to a single streetstairs at the SW corner of Northern Blvd & 54th Street, at the 6-way intersection with Broadway.

There is an abandoned exit from the Forest Hills-bound platfrom at the extreme western end of the platform, just west of this fare control area (I assume, using a small amount of platform fencing the fare control area was shared when this was open, unless these were exit only), here was first a streetstair up to the triangle formed by Northern Blvd and Broadway at the western end of this unique intersection, followed by a passageway above the express tracks (that have curved to follow Northern Blvd), leading to another slabbed over streetstair up to the southside of Northern Blvd around the corner from the current entrance.

There is some evidence of a former exit at the western end of the platform, with a portion of the wall that is lacking name tablets and only has the purple line of the trim. There are still signs for this exit at 56th St underneath some of the name tablets. These exits to 56th Street used to lead to small fare control areas along each platform leading up to a single streetstair to the NE and SE corners of 56th Street & Broadway from the Manhattan-bound and Forest Hills-bound platforms respectively.
Photos 1-11: June 5, 2008; 12-18: September 3, 2023

Looking down the platform at Northern Blvd towards a portion of it that is now exitless, a name talbet though still has the number and arrow underneath it directing passengers to 56th St.

A name tablet at Nothern Blvd with the directional arrow to N Blvd underneath it.

The services sign on the Forest Hills-bound track is pretty boring at Northern Blvd. To Forest Hills-71 Av, any train. The E though does get mentioned in Late Nights E to Jamaica stops here.

A name tablet at Northern Blvd without any text underneath it for an exit.

Looking down the Forest Hills-bound platform at Northern Blvd by the only entrance, the HEETs that are no the only way to access the platform since the turnstiles and token booth seem to be closed.

The turnstiles that are have a fence beyond them, but haven't been turned off, so the lights say you can still exit at Northern Blvd.

A view of fare control on the Forest Hills-bound platform at Nothern Blvd thby an old High Exit Turnstile and the three High Entrance Turnstiles that are the only way to access the platform.