The –ArcherAvenue–Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport station is a two-level station on the IND and BMT Archer Avenue Lines of the New York City Subway. It is located at the intersection of Sutphin Boulevard and Archer Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. It is served by the E and J trains at all times, as well as the Z train during rush hours in the peak direction. This station has four tracks and two island platforms, with two platform levels: E trains stop on the upper level while J/Z trains stop on the lower level.
The station was planned as part of the construction of IND and BMT's Archer Avenue Line as outlined in the Program for Action in 1968. The construction began around 1982 and it was opened to service on December 11, 1988. Originally named Sutphin Boulevard, it served as a replacement for the former Sutphin Boulevard elevated station on the demolished segment of the BMT Jamaica Line two blocks north. In 2003, when the AirTrain JFK opened at the adjacent Jamaica station, the JFK Airport suffix was added.
History
The plans for the Archer Avenue Lines emerged in the 1960s under the city and MTA's Program for Action. Because of the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis, the Archer Avenue Line's construction was delayed. Design on the station started on October 1, 1974, and was completed on February 24, 1982, by Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum. Bids on the station's construction were received on July 9, 1982, and the contract was awarded to Carlin-Atlas Corporation for $17.91 million. Work on the station started on July 15, 1982, and opened along with the rest of the Archer Avenue Line on December 11, 1988.
In 2003, when the AirTrain opened, this station was renamed as Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport, as the station connects with the AirTrain at Jamaica Station.
In 2020, the MTA announced that it would reconstruct the track and third rail on the IND Archer Avenue Line, which had become deteriorated. From September 19 to November 2, 2020, E service was cut back to Jamaica–Van Wyck, with a shuttle bus connecting to Sutphin Boulevard and Jamaica Center. The MTA then announced it would reconstruct the track on the BMT Archer Avenue Line. Starting on July 1, 2022, J service was cut back to 121st Street, and Z service was temporarily discontinued, with a shuttle bus connecting to Sutphin Boulevard and Jamaica Center. The work was completed in September 2022.
The MTA announced in December 2021 that it would install wide-aisle fare gates for disabled passengers at five subway stations, including Sutphin Boulevard, by mid-2022. The implementation of these fare gates was delayed; the MTA's chief accessibility officer indicated in February 2023 that the new fare gates would be installed at the Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport and stations shortly afterward. Additionally, in February 2022, the MTA announced that the IND platform (but not the BMT platform) would receive platform screen doors as part of a pilot program involving three stations. The announcement came after several people had been shoved onto tracks, including one incident that led to a woman's death at another station. The MTA started soliciting bids from platform-door manufacturers in mid-2022; the doors are planned to be installed starting in December 2023 at a cost of $6 million. Designs for the platform doors were being finalized by June 2023.
Station layout
The Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport station contains two levels, each with two tracks and an island platform. The E train serves the upper level (IND) at all times. The J and Z trains serve the lower level (BMT); the former operates all times and the latter operates during rush hours in the peak direction. The next stop to the west is Jamaica–Van Wyck for trains and 121st Street for trains. The next stop to the east is Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer. Like the other stations on the Archer Avenue Line, Sutphin Boulevard is fully ADA-accessible. Both platforms are in length, standard for a full-length B Division train.
As with other stations constructed as part of the Program for Action, the Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport station contained technologically advanced features such as air-cooling, noise insulation, CCTV monitors, public announcement systems, electronic platform signage, and escalator and elevator entrances. This station had six escalators and two elevators when it opened. The station's mezzanine is located above the IND platform under the intersection of Sutphin Boulevard and Archer Avenue.