Kew Gardens and Forest Hills 4 to 6 car platforms

trainbrain wrote:There is room to the west to expand the Forest Hills platforms to 12 cars, there's just no reason to. Both Forest Hills and Kew Gardens have very low ridership.

Go ride any rush hour train stopping at Forest Hills and tell me how you like having less space than a sardine in a can because only four cars platform. Do you expect those fares to be collected either? Yeah, I didn't think so either.

Everyone:

There was an article written about platform extensions at both Forest Hills and Kew Gardens
that do give an idea about average weekday ridership from both stations. I do think that these
totals were based on monthly and weekly ticket sales and not from actual station board counts.
Forest Hills: 1967; Kew Gardens: 1778

http://qns.com/story/2018/07/27/two-que ... ng-delays/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In case anyone is unaware the LIRR compiles a Ridership Book yearly with the majority of data
passenger counts by branch and train. The most recent one found by search was for 2015:
http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/docs ... p-Book.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I do agree with SM and BT that crowded conditions at Forest Hills in particular before and after
events such as concerts at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium with its limited platform space can
be a problem that a two car platform extension can alleviate somewhat. Crowded platforms
no matter where they are can be potentially dangerous...MACTRAXX

FYI, there was also a 2016 Ridership Book:
http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/docs ... 20Book.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Norton: Thanks for adding the LIRR 2016 Ridership Book...2015 is the latest of what Bing was
able to find. I would like to see recent average ridership stats for each LIRR station...MACTRAXX

I see that for 2017 here were the totals for Forest Hills Stadium events:

Forest Hills and Kew Gardens have not always had short platforms. When I was a youngster, the east-bound platform extended much farther west toward the tennis club and their was a staircase from the sidewalk to the extreme west end of that platform. The west-bound platform extended much farther east. In Kew Gardens, both platforms stretched back west a good distance.

Were the platforms shortened when the high-level platforms were put in? A tempting way to cut costs if ridership was low at the time.

WP: What years are you referring to when you describe that both the FH and KG platforms were
once longer? There is a way to check and see exactly how long high level platforms at LIRR by use
of employee timetables with special instructions from the late 1960s to present that show number
of cars that platform at any given station. This has also been provided in the form of a card in more
recent years for train crews with platforming information.

EC90: Both Forest Hills and Kew Gardens have always had high-level platforms. The platforms
at both FH and KG have been renovated during the last 25 years with FH in particular undergoing
extensive station renovations to preserve the structures. Along with this program the two most
unique station signs on the entire LIRR - the two wrought iron Forest Hills signs which are atop
the Continental Avenue overpass - were saved and integrated into the upgraded structure.

MACTRAXX

The years that I am referring to are basically the 1950's and early 1960's. I remember climbing the stairs near the tennis club with my mother to catch an east-bound train so that she could shop at Gertz in Jamaica, using the Union Hall Street Station. I can recall the Tuscan red coaches. And once, while we were on the platform, steam locomotive came pounding down Track 2 with its consist.
I think that the platforms were cut back in the 1960's because ridership was low, and the city did not want the bother of maintaining long platforms, especially in winter with ice and snow.

Construction work for extending the platforms at Kew Gardens has started. At the westbound side (Penn Sta. bound), the ground has been leveled north of the existing 4-car platform. Ballast has been spread and tamped and two wide planks have been set in. The planks appear to be at least 12" wide and run for the added two cars. There are cross planks to hold everything together. Didn't see anything else. With this foundation in, my guess is that the extension will be similar to scaffolding with a wooden platform as opposed to poured concrete. Eastbound also started but I'll get better look on my way home. Appeared to be just scraping the earth there.

Two weeks later and Kew Gardens' platform extensions are almost done. Hard to get pictures from a moving train so sorry no photos.
Both EB and WB platforms are almost done. They did just use pipe scaffolding and boards to make the extensions. WB platform is missing stairs/railing to close the end.
EB platform has this already. Both platforms look good. If this work was done in-house, kudos to the crews.

Forest Hills work has started. For WB platform, sheet piles have been driven north of the platform and ballast filled in. Planks and other material stacked closed by.
EB work not started yet. I imagine they'll finish both sets of platforms so on board announcements can change together - "Train to Penn Station. Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, Penn Station. You must be in the first 6 cars to exit at Kew Gardens or Forest Hills"

As a lifetime Long Islander who transplanted to Forest Hills six years ago, I can tell you some things:

- There is no reason not to do this. I've posted about it in the past. The FH and KG stations both have far greater ridership than even I'd ever have expected. This is even with the knowledge that a major NYC Subway station is a block away from FH.

- Kudos to the comment above about the sardines. This is most annoyingly common on eastbound trains leaving Penn, in that the first four cars of most trains are the closest to the main concourse staircases, and therefore fill up the fastest. It doesn't help that 90% of trains that stop at FH are Babylon locals, and therefore are always bound to be full at departure.

- This does indeed affect fare collection. I tend to go to several NY Rangers games a season. I buy the standard paper ticket, round trip. More often than not, it gets punched on the way in, but leaving the games with the crowds, I am almost guaranteed the ticket doesn't get punched on the way east before the train platforms at FH. Thus, I just hang onto it until next time. I once had a streak going with this, where one of the older tickets just plain expired.

I can't imagine how this plays out with the Stadium Series of concerts each summer.

Both platform extensions at Kew Gardens look completed as well as WB at Forest Hills. Work is continuing for the EB platform. Planks are into the earth and the framework is done. Metal channel studs for flooring are in place awaiting the boards for the platform. Railings are in.

Not sure when the crews are working but the work is proceeding quickly. IMO all four could be finished by this weekend.

They put these platforms up quickly but they look like they are temporary. Why didn’t they just continue the platform in concrete?

6 car platforms at Forest Hills / Kew Gardens open to the public tomorrow.