Station: Willets Point-Mets (Flushing Line)
From nycsubway.org
R-62A car 1891 leads an express train at Willets Point-Mets. Photo by Christopher Henderson, July 2012.
| IRT Flushing Line |
Overview
Opened: 5/7/1927
Willets Point/Shea Stadium is next. The station at this location was built new for the 1939 World's Fair, replacing the former Willets Point Blvd. station which had been slightly further east (toward Main St.) at a position closer to Flushing Creek. The new station was built to accommodate crowds bound for the World's Fair, held twice on the site in Flushing Meadows south of the elevated track, and more frequently for events at the U.S. Tennis Center on the south side and baseball games at Shea Stadium on the north side of the tracks.
The platform arrangement at Willets Point is unique in the system, arranged in this manner: north side platform, Manhattan-bound local track, bidirectional express track, island platform, Queens-bound local track, south side platform. Trains to Main Street open up on the island platform; the south wall platform was used for the 1964-1965 World's Fair special trains and during events at the U.S. Tennis Center. Local trains to Manhattan use the north side platform. Express trains use the island platform in each direction.
The platform ends have no windscreen protection giving a postcard view of Shea Stadium, the U.S. Tennis Center, and the Unisphere, left over from the 1964 World's Fair. Underneath the platforms, the station has a full-length wooden mezzanine. There are stairs and a ramp between the mezzanine and the north side platform for crowds heading back to Manhattan. A ramp provides access from the mezzanine to the Shea Stadium parking lots. On the south side, there are ramps connecting the mezzanine and south side wall platform to a foot bridge to the World's Fairgrounds. The foot bridge crosses over a subway yard and a set of LIRR tracks.
1939 and 1964 New York World Fairs
Photo Gallery
 Image 4071 (79k, 820x620) Photo by: Richard Panse Location: Willets Point/Mets (fmr. Shea Stadium) |
 Image 6095 (60k, 640x480) Photo by: Salaam Allah Location: Willets Point/Mets (fmr. Shea Stadium) |
 Image 6106 (82k, 860x546) Photo by: Gary Chatterton Location: Willets Point/Mets (fmr. Shea Stadium) |
 Image 7662 (68k, 715x576) Photo by: Gary Chatterton Location: Willets Point/Mets (fmr. Shea Stadium) |
 Image 25663 (107k, 900x596) Photo by: Gary Chatterton Location: Willets Point/Mets (fmr. Shea Stadium) |
 Image 41004 (152k, 1044x693) Photo by: Chao-Hwa Chen Location: Willets Point/Mets (fmr. Shea Stadium) |
 Image 41027 (178k, 1044x700) Photo by: Chao-Hwa Chen Location: Willets Point/Mets (fmr. Shea Stadium) |
 Image 42097 (306k, 1044x708) Photo by: Ed Davis, Sr. Collection of: David Pirmann Location: Willets Point/Mets (fmr. Shea Stadium) |
 Image 84220 (135k, 820x620) Photo by: Gary Chatterton Location: Willets Point/Mets (fmr. Shea Stadium) |
 Image 92420 (116k, 820x620) Photo by: Gary Chatterton Location: Willets Point/Mets (fmr. Shea Stadium) |
 Image 99521 (293k, 1044x788) Photo by: David Tropiansky Location: Willets Point/Mets (fmr. Shea Stadium) |
 Image 122216 (371k, 1044x788) Photo by: Roberto C. Tobar Location: Willets Point/Mets (fmr. Shea Stadium) |
 Image 128401 (335k, 1044x692) Photo by: John Dooley Location: Willets Point/Mets (fmr. Shea Stadium) |
 Image 131269 (340k, 1024x675) Photo by: John Dooley Location: Willets Point/Mets (fmr. Shea Stadium) |
 Image 138958 (350k, 1044x712) Collection of: David Pirmann Location: Willets Point/Mets (fmr. Shea Stadium) |