Beach 98th Street station explained

Beach 98 Street
Other Name:Steeplechase (1903 - May 15, 1933)
Playland
Beach 98th Street–Playland
Address:Beach 98th Street & Rockaway Freeway
Queens, NY
Borough:Queens
Locale:Rockaway Beach
Coordinates:40.5854°N -73.8202°W
Division:IND Rockaway Beach
Line:IND Rockaway Line
Service:Rockaway Park
Connection: MTA Bus:
Platforms:2 side platforms
Tracks:2
Structure:Elevated
Open Date: (LIRR station)
Rebuilt: (as a Subway station)

The Beach 98th Street station (signed as Beach 98th Street–Playland station) is a station on the IND Rockaway Line of the New York City Subway. It is served by the Rockaway Park Shuttle at all times and ten daily rush-hour only A trains.__TOC__

History

The station was originally built by the Long Island Rail Road in April 1903 as Steeplechase on the Rockaway Beach Branch, and was also a trolley stop of the Ocean Electric Railway. It was renamed Playland on May 15, 1933,[1] for the former Rockaways' Playland, which was closed in 1985. No trace of the park remains other than the station name. In 1942, the station was replaced with an elevated station, and was taken out of service on October 3, 1955, as part of its purchase by the New York City Transit Authority, which reopened it as a subway station on June 28, 1956.

Station layout

The station is built on a concrete viaduct. There are two tracks and two side platforms. The station is served by the Rockaway Park Shuttle at all times and limited A trains during rush hours in the peak direction (toward Manhattan in the morning and toward the Rockaways in the afternoon). It is between Beach 90th Street to the east (railroad north) and Beach 105th Street to the west (railroad south). New lights have been installed. Canopies, mezzanine, and side walls are similar to Beach 90th Street.

Exits

There is a crossunder to the tiled mezzanine. The southbound platform is longer than the northbound one, and had an exit at the north end of the Rockaway Park bound platform which has been removed. Outside of fare control, there are stairs to either eastern corner of Rockaway Freeway and Beach 99th Street.[2]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Baer. Christopher T.. A General Chronology of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company Its Predecessors and Successors and Its Historical Context: 1933. April 2015. Pennsylvania Railroad Technical Historical Society. December 7, 2015. 36.
  2. Web site: MTA Neighborhood Maps: The Rockaways. mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 6, 2015. 2015.