| 85 Street–Forest Parkway | |
| Former: | Forest Parkway |
| Address: | 85th Street & Jamaica Avenue Queens, NY |
| Borough: | Queens |
| Locale: | Woodhaven |
| Coordinates: | 40.6924°N -73.8601°W |
| Division: | BMT |
| Line: | BMT Jamaica Line |
| Service: | Jamaica east J |
| Connection: | NYCT Bus: |
| Platforms: | 2 side platforms |
| Tracks: | 2 |
| Structure: | Elevated |
The 85th Street–Forest Parkway station is a skip-stop station on the BMT Jamaica Line of the New York City Subway, located on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven, Queens. The J train serves this station at all times. The Z train skips this station when it operates.
This station opened on May 28, 1917[1] [2] [3] under the Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad, an affiliate of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company.
From the late-1950s into the 1960s the New York City Transit Authority had a proposal to realign the BMT Jamaica Line between Grant or Nichols Avenue (east of Crescent Street station) and 80th Street and Jamaica Avenue (just west of this station). This realignment would have also included a bi-directional express track. The realignment was never carried out.[4] "85th Street" was added to the name in 1966.
In February 2023, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced that this station would temporarily close for renovations as part of a station renewal contract at four stations on the Jamaica Line. On August 12, 2024, the Queens-bound platform closed. The closure will shift to the Manhattan-bound platform in early 2025. Work includes platform renewals, replacement of stairs, canopies, and windscreens, installation of artwork, and minimizing the gaps between the train and the platform edge.[5] The work is being performed by Gramercy PJS Joint-Venture.[6]
The station has two tracks and two side platforms, with space for a center track.
The north exit, which leads to 85th Street and has a crossunder, is near Forest Park. The south exit, which leads to Forest Parkway, was removed.