Kew Gardens LIRR also offers the ability to sit and watch the trains go by while having a pint - Austin's Ale House has an outdoor patio with tables just feet from the westbound platform.
Kew Gardens LIRR station is also very iconic as it literally goes under a building. And that track section is the busiest in the entire LIRR system, as that is the main line from Jamacia to Penn station, so all the lines heading to Penn have merged by that point.
On the day this video was filmed, manhattan-bound F trains skipped Briarwood (one stop east) and 75 Avenue (one stop west), while manhattan-bound E trains replaced F trains at these stations. This was due to an electrical problem at Sutphin Boulevard station (two stops east on the F). So you’re not wrong when you said that E trains ran local and F trains ran express, Geoff, but normally, E trains would be on the express track while F trains would be on the local track.
I'm neither Geoff nor a Londoner, but Munich is currently building a second east/west S-Bahn (regional but also metro-like trains) tunnel, and my local branch will get express trains once that project's finally finished. I'm a big fan. From the a town outside of the suburbs, you can get a proper regional train going quickly into the city, cause it doesn't have many/any other stops. And if you're already within city borders it doesn't really matter, but in the suburbs an express service will be really nice, easily cutting 20% or more off the travel time by not stopping as often, especially if you're crossing the city rather than go into the very center.
As someone who recently moved to NY from London, here’s my list: Pros: - Air conditioning on every train is a god send. - So much more local availability than the more sparse stations in London. - Express trains are great for commuting, vs every train stopping at every stop on the tube. Cons: - Much less frequent and reliable. Trains may come every 15 mins, or may not come at all. - Higher frequency of people with mental illness, unhoused or panhandlers, though this is more of a New York social issue in general and not the fault of the MTA. - Less information on the platform - there may me only one sign with train times at the other end of the station, and the more common LCD displays are often just displaying ads.
So many cool details in this video thanks to Geoff’s outstanding editing, clever filming, and a bit of luck. My favourite is this perfect transition of closing tube/subway train doors at the end, followed by a guy almost falling over with his bicycle.
I'm a Dispatcher with the NYC Subway and an enthusiast. The station in New York was opened in 1937 as Union Turnpike - Kew Gardens. Within the last 20 or so years, many stations had their names adjusted, showing the area first and the street name second. The service pattern was traditionally the 'E' trains making local stops with the 'F' trains making express stops. This was when both terminated at 179th Street- Jamaica. In December 1988, the 'E' was diverted to a new terminal at Jamaica Center- Parsons/Archer, and it went via the express tracks with the 'F' on the local. Outside of rush hours and midday, both trains run local. The express tracks are used for storing trains at other times. Incidentally, there are 3 or 4 'E' trains that still begin and terminate at 179th Street at rush hours, as the Jamaica Center terminal cannot handle the very frequent headways. It is a 2 track, stub end terminal.
Fun fact about those trash cans you see on the subway. They're designed the way they are in order to be bomb resistant, that's why they're so big and bulbous
So Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike is actually quite an important station as it is currently the eastern end of the Queens Blvd Line’s CBTC. Trains “localize” themselves upon stopping with the CBTC computers. Normally F trains stop on the outside tracks and E’s stop in the center during weekday times. For the last mont the F has been on the middle while the E is on the outside going towards Manhattan because we are doing some switch work as part of the process to extend CBTC all the way to eastern end of the line. It is also the access point to the line’s main storage yard. There are lower level tracks that turn towards the north and exits the side of a hill into the yard. Outside is Queens Borough Hall and one of the major courthouses. Union Turnpike the street has lanes that cross under Queens Boulevard alongside the highway, which is named after baseball and civil rights legend Jackie Robinson. These lanes used to have covered, underground bus stops that could be accessed directly out from the mezzanine level. The eastern bus stop is now just an extra entrance to the station, while the western one has been closed off since the late 1980s, and still has signage for a planned service plan that was never put into operation.
Interesting local info. From what Geoff showed it looks like a non descript suburban area. So I was surprised to see it has many more passengers than the other Kew. Thinking again, I suppose Kew is in a fairly 'remote' part of London, away from even residential areas. So apart from visitors to the botanical gardens, it's quiet.
@@roginkThe station is an important bus transfer as it is where Lefferts Blvd crosses the Queens Boulevard Line. Additionally some folks in the apartment blocks closer to 75th Av stop will walk to Kew Gardens for express service.
@@roginkto add to what Matthew said, one of the buses is the Q10, which is one of the buses that runs to JFK airport. Yeah; London’s Kew Gardens is a quiet little neighborhood. Our Kew Gardens is a major hub.
@@roginkalso should point out that, at least within the context of NYC, if you are within the city’s municipal boundaries, you are considered “urban” no matter what it looks like. Suburban means “outside ‘the city” where in this context “the city” means the city of New York as an entity. The subway does not leave the City of New York’s boundaries, so by definition there are no “suburban” sections or stations. Even both of the least used stations Geoff discussed, same rules apply.
I rode the E train to Manhattan every work day for two years. I occasionally got off at Kew Gardens but usually went one stop further. It depended on weather as it was a nicer walk from Kew but a slightly longer one. I am enjoying your exploration of the NYC subway as a teenager it was my escape from suburban boredom. I lived not far from the Long Island Railroad, but it cost $3.50 to ride it to and from the city. My dad worked in Brooklyn a half day on Saturdays and I would often ride with him and be dropped off at a subway station near his office. When that wasn't possible I'd catch two buses to Jamaica where I could get the E train. While the trip was far longer that way it was 85 cents if I went with my dad it was 25 cents. This was back in the 1960s. I am just old enough to remember the outcry when the subway went from 5 cents to 15 cents in the 1950s. .
I live in Kew Gardens, New York, just down the road from the LIRR station. I remember stumbling upon your Underground USA documentary a few years ago and couldn’t believe you came to my local station. If you ever find yourself here again, I would be delighted to give you a tour of the neighborhood and nearby Forest Hills Gardens, which is one of the most quaint areas in the city.
You missed the coolest part of the Union Tpke/Kew Gardens station, which may rival the London station's footbridge. That mezzanine level? It has a gap in the middle which used to have wooden doors that opened directly onto Union Turnpike where it passes underneath Queens Boulevard. (Union Turnpike itself is divided by the Jackie Robinson Parkway (previously the Interborough) at that point -- the same principle as the local and express tracks -- and which Queens Boulevard also mimics with its express and local lanes.) In bad weather you could get dropped off or picked up by car, completely protected by the Queens Boulevard overpass. They had to close it because there were too many accidents, alas. (Union Tpke was my home station for the first 18 years of my life, and my dad used to drop us off using the underpass whenever mom took us in to the city for the day.)
I was about to bring this up. The corridor on the mezzanine level is still there, leading to the accessible elevator exit, and it’s separated from the expressway by glass blocks. It’s eerie to see and hear the expressway traffic just a few feet away from you in a subway station.
Love this video! I used to take the LIRR to Kew Gardens to visit my favorite great aunt back in the day. Your videos are bringing back wonderful memories for this old gal. Thank you, Geoff! 💜
As well as the London Overground, there is a 'Forest Hill' or 'Forest Hills' station on the Muni Metro in San Francisco, the Long Island Rail Road in Queens, New York, an MBTA station in Boston, Massachusetts, and a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Philadelphia. Get filming Geoff, we will need to see them all.
Kew Gardens is also very familiar to New York drivers because several expressways converge there in a massive interchange. As a result the "Kew Gardens Interchange" is very frequently mentioned in the helicopter traffic reports on the radio.
Actually, the only Expressway there is the Van Wyck. The other two are parkways, and the local major streets above are Queens Boulevard, Union Turnpike, and Main Street.
@@DTD110865 Yes, I could have said expressways and parkways but I was mostly addressing readers in the U.K. who don't care very much and never heard of Robert Moses, let alone Harry van Arsdale.
omg this is so exciting!!! I literally just did barbenheimer yesterday at the kew gardens cinema. it's a shame you didn't get to go back to the LIRR station and get footage, it's such a pretty station. just like the tube stop in london it's right next to a pub when you first get out, and there's a bridge over the station with tons of cute shops including that gorgeous cinema I was at. Another eerie similarity is that kew gardens nyc is very close to both airports in queens--so close that it has the nickname crew gardens, for all the cabin crew that live there and commute to both!
On one of my trips to NYC way back in the 80s, I used Kew Gardens (Union Turnpike) Although the JFK Express was still in use in those days, another suggested route into Manhattan was by bus to Union Turnpike and then on the Subway... and I took it just for the hell of it! I particularly remember noticing some mock-Tudor buildings in the area... presumably they're still there? Anyway nice t see the comparison, Geoff!
Think I prefer the Kew Gardens in London than New York but in the end both stations have their good and bad points but they still both carry passengers to this day, great video
There was once a Kew Gardens station in Southport Lancashire (now Merseyside). It closed to regular services in 1938. There is now a retail park at Kew, situated near Southport hospital.
You’re looking really well Geoff. It’s great to see and I hope you’re feeling better than you were recently. Enjoy the trip and thank you for sharing it with us.
I'm an American in his mid 40's who has fond memories of this place from childhood. I lived just across the Thames near Gunnersbury and spent quite a bit of time over here, and just waiting for the train at the pub might make it my favorite station for nostalgia purposes alone! The plane noise might be bad now, but I also have vivid memories of the Concorde unleashing it's sonic boom back then. Thankfully I think it was only twice per day.
4:15 Kew Gardens station is at the bottom of the garden of the house I grew up in during the sixties and seventies. The aircraft noise now is nothing compared to what it was then. Airliners are vastly quieter now.
HOLYMOLY the subway is loud. Then 4:15 while Geoff is talking about the airplanes overhead, I hear the tube train stopping with the worst brakes I've ever heard. I think one of my teeth cracked from that sound.
Funnily enough, I found out while researching the New York City Subway online that there is another station called Kew Gardens in the US before you uploaded this video and as I’m going there for a vacation next week, I will be sure to visit and also go to Beach 105th St, the least used station on the MTA 👍
time it for a movie at the cinema! the kew gardens lirr stop is insanely charming, it almost feels like they tried to copy the british when they set it up.
Great editing for this video! Nice comparison between the two Kew Garden stations. I used to ride the E and F trains all the time when I was a kid and back then the E and F both went to 179th St full time. All through elementary and junior high school, I would take the train between 169 and 179 (home station was 169). On the way home, I had to make sure not to get on the F train as that didn't stop at 169 in the afternoons. The E train was the stopper to Continental Av (and express in the rest of Queens) at that time.
Just wanted to say, I went today with my son Thibault 8 years old, to see the depot, a man came up to us and asked if we booked a private tour, we said NO but my son is really into transport so the man call Keith gave us a tour ! Turns out he was the depot manager !!! Keith knowledge was incredible and it was nice seeing the two of them having great conversations! Keith is so great we had the best time ! Also Thibault is a huge fan of yours !
As a frequent visitor to the National Archives, I have a great fondness for Kew Gardens station. Great place for a full English to start the day, and a fortifying pint in the evening.
At JFK airport BA and AA share lounges, which are called Greenwich, Soho, and Chelsea, since those place names exist in both NY and London. If they wanted to add a roof garden they could call it Kew gardens lol
Great comparison video Geoff. My partner lives on Kew Road and Kew Gardens is the local station and the Tap is our chosen watering hole. Yes we have had a drink and watched the trains, me more than her I hasten to add.
Kew Gardens queens is in the borough of Queens! Kew Gardens refers to the village of Kew Gardens! The F train makes one more local stop at 75th avenue before running express to Roosevelt Island then continuing local throughout Manhatten and Brooklyn at 2 hours running time for its entire route, its among the longest in the city! It also combines the former city owned IND with the formerly privatly owned BMT subway system (combined in 1968 replacing thevD train combined service)! Thw queens boulevard line was home to the R46 cars from their debut in 1975 to them being moved to the lines based in Coney Island around three years for the implementation of Automatic Train Control cars on the Queens Blvd trunk line)! The smell you smell is the combination of the track ballast ans signal wiring that is evident throughout the underground portions of the subway during the warmer months!
This is my local stop (for the E anyway, I can also go to the next stop for F) The E and F are swapped temporarily for “electrical maintenance”. While you can’t see the trains from it, there is a pub at the 77th Avenue end of the station (though the staircase next to it is being rebuilt). Oh and the weird empty plinth at the beginning used to have a rather strange and controversial statue on it, the city removed it years ago and never replaced it. We should just do like the 4th plinth at Trafalgar Square and rotate in some local art.
The one in Queens was called Union Turnpike for most of its history. Kew Gardens is the name of the neighborhood to the northeast of the station; Forest Hills is the neighborhood to the west, and Briarwood is the neighborhood to the southeast.
What a wonderful idea to compare both stations and mix both videos so well! Love it. Btw, I think it is only the UK, (and maybe Ireland) that uses platform numbers, most other European countries use track numbers, like here in the Netherlands.
Right in NY, LIRR uses both platform and track. Platforms are lettered and tracks are numbered. Supposed to help make the bigger stations like Penn and Jamaica easier to navigate
Very interesting video, and I enjoyed your dissolve from the closing subway doors to those on the District at the end. Thanks. NB, must try that pub sometime 👍🏻
All the vehicles in the US are running gasoline with 10% ethanol or 5% biodiesel, that's the only fuels available in normal gas stations. Since ~10 years ago, all diesel vehicles have been 20% biodiesel compatible due to government purchasing requirements. B20 has ironically become difficult to find because of the nationwide spread of B5 and at least one state mandating it; the supply is capacity constrained. There's now renewable diesel coming on the market which can be dropped into petroleum diesel fuel up to 99%.
3:28 i don’t know if you can see the tracks but in Little Chalfont isn’t there a pub called the Metropolitan or something right next to Chalfont and Latimer?
I remember when I was in London and visited the Kew Gardens botanical gardens. The thing that struck me was how noisy it was due to the planes. I thought it was such a shame since it's such a nice place, like a big park, could be so relaxing, but the constant plane noise kind of ruins the place.
It was much worse in the sixties and seventies in Kew, when airliners were much louder. You couldn't watch telly with the window open in summer, as every minute or two the sound would be drowned out.
Yep. I lived in Richmond (one stop down the line) in the 1970s and the aircraft noise was persistent at about 2 - 3 minute intervals when the windows were open in the summer months.
@@michaeldwyer3352 it's ironic that I actually work at an airport in my city (Winnipeg) and even live only a 10 min drive away. Yet I never hear the planes from my house.
That unique smell is fresh + old urine, similar to some corners of London, particularly Soho but is widespread in the big Apple. I frikking love New York regardless.
So, normally E trains use the middle during the peak and F trains use the outer at all times. But there’s some construction going on, so F trains are using the middle and E trains are on the outer. Both are express west (railroad south) of Forest Hills Kew Gardens (IND) was opened on 31 December 1936 as the second phase of the IND Queens Blvd Line. Kew Gardens (LIRR) is much older, first opening as Hopedale on the New York & Jamaica Railroad in 1875, replaced by Maple Grove in 1879 and Kew in 1910 in the current location renamed Kew Gardens in 1912. Platform extensions have opened since you were there last now allowing the first six cars of a LIRR train to platform. While the station has accessible ramps it is not listed as accessible. Both Kew Gardens stations connect to the Q10 bus route on Lefferts Blvd which connects to the Lefferts Blvd AirTrain station. Since fares are only collected at Jamaica and Howard Beach, taking the Q10 to the AirTrain can save $8.50 on a trip to JFK.
Kew Gardens is the area of Queens NY and the station itself is called union Turnpike but Kew Gardens is basically the neighborhood thank you for coming to America and showing us the difference there are a lot of similar names in England and America as well. One Last item Geoff , when you were standing at the outside station entrance of Kew Gardens New York only about a couple of 100 yards behind you there was a tall building and behind the tall building is the train yard that I used to work in and I repaired those trains for 33 years of my life in Kew gardens and I also lived in Kew Gardens thank you for these wonderful videos.
I don’t know if you are still in NYC but if you are you might want to consider visiting the Brooklyn College Flatbush Ave. station of the 2 and 5 trains. It’s the only terminus station in the NYC subway system to have just side platforms instead of a center platform. The reason for this is this station was not intended to be a terminus station but due to running out of funds to extend that line further South it ended up becoming one.
Hey Geoff, with the E and F trains they're both Queens Blvd Express trains but the F would make all stops from Forest Hills to 179th Street while the E continues making express between Forest Hills and Jamaica Van Wyck through Kew Gardens during the AM rush hour, through the midday and through the PM rush hour. All other times the E is all stops between Forest Hills and Jamaica and overnight is Queens Blvd Local. You probably caught a reroute or planned service change seeing that F on the express at Kew Gardens. And great video comparing the Kew Gardens!!
New York has a very distinct smell, that I’ve never experienced anywhere else. But so does Paris and even downtown Los Angeles. They aren’t necessarily bad smells, just different. However, NY does have a lot of steam systems in Manhattan, and I’ve discovered that where they leak they seem to mostly smell of urine.
When I went to NYC (I'm from Newcastle) I've never been to a more run down, smelly, chaotic and downright dangerous place! It was great but it was like walking around a third world country quite a bit of the time! I was working on a construction project in the bronx. Used the subway once, never again!
And if you want to include bus stops: there's a bus stop called Chatham in Hilversum, Netherlands. And former stations: there was a station called America in the province of Limburg. Btw, Waterloo in Amsterdam is actually Waterlooplein (Waterloo Square), but close enough. :)
Nice to see you again featuring the Borough of Queens. For a time, I commuted to work via the Union Tpke. bus, then the F train at Kew Gardens. Oh, and while the station is named for the cross-street (Union Tpke.), the subway is beneath Queens Blvd.
As a person who likes trains, I personally think the MTA is cooler than TFL, but that’s probably just me being biased because it’s the first system I ever rode, at a young age aswell, and I’m also American I also really like the sounds the R160B makes
This video got me thinking about whether any other London Railway or Underground stations have pubs that overlook the platforms. Most of the major stations have a pub or two on the concourses but the only ones I can think of where you can see the platforms are at Cannon Street and Victoria (plus Kew Gardens of course). The pub at Cannon Street is literally a few feet away from the ticket barriers. It also has an artwork made of copper-piping that is based on the London Underground map.
@@rabidsasquatch Yes it does, it's in what would have been the old ticket office. I called in there a couple of weeks back but you can't actually see the platforms from inside.
Amazed no one has mentioned the Wetherspoons in the heart of London Victoria, where you can sit outside and watch the trains to and from Kent arriving and departing.
@@timw.8452 But I did mention Victoria .... the pub at Cannon Street is also a Wetherspoon's BTW. There is also the John Betjeman at St Pancras to add to the list ... from the seating area on the concourse you can see the Eurostar Trains arriving from France and passengers disembarking.
Kew Gardens is the LIRR name having been there first and the Subway has always been Union Turnpike. They share the name on both current MTA maps as it is an out of station interchange.
Kew Gardens LIRR also offers the ability to sit and watch the trains go by while having a pint - Austin's Ale House has an outdoor patio with tables just feet from the westbound platform.
Kew Gardens LIRR station is also very iconic as it literally goes under a building. And that track section is the busiest in the entire LIRR system, as that is the main line from Jamacia to Penn station, so all the lines heading to Penn have merged by that point.
On the day this video was filmed, manhattan-bound F trains skipped Briarwood (one stop east) and 75 Avenue (one stop west), while manhattan-bound E trains replaced F trains at these stations. This was due to an electrical problem at Sutphin Boulevard station (two stops east on the F). So you’re not wrong when you said that E trains ran local and F trains ran express, Geoff, but normally, E trains would be on the express track while F trains would be on the local track.
Lifelong New Yorker DYING to hear Geoff’s opinion on Local/Express services from a Londoner’s perspective.
Same!
I'm neither Geoff nor a Londoner, but Munich is currently building a second east/west S-Bahn (regional but also metro-like trains) tunnel, and my local branch will get express trains once that project's finally finished. I'm a big fan.
From the a town outside of the suburbs, you can get a proper regional train going quickly into the city, cause it doesn't have many/any other stops. And if you're already within city borders it doesn't really matter, but in the suburbs an express service will be really nice, easily cutting 20% or more off the travel time by not stopping as often, especially if you're crossing the city rather than go into the very center.
Agreed! I really hope he does that as well.
As someone who recently moved to NY from London, here’s my list:
Pros:
- Air conditioning on every train is a god send.
- So much more local availability than the more sparse stations in London.
- Express trains are great for commuting, vs every train stopping at every stop on the tube.
Cons:
- Much less frequent and reliable. Trains may come every 15 mins, or may not come at all.
- Higher frequency of people with mental illness, unhoused or panhandlers, though this is more of a New York social issue in general and not the fault of the MTA.
- Less information on the platform - there may me only one sign with train times at the other end of the station, and the more common LCD displays are often just displaying ads.
@@jackadler6088 the headways are the most easily fixable issue and they can only get better
So many cool details in this video thanks to Geoff’s outstanding editing, clever filming, and a bit of luck. My favourite is this perfect transition of closing tube/subway train doors at the end, followed by a guy almost falling over with his bicycle.
I'm a Dispatcher with the NYC Subway and an enthusiast. The station in New York was opened in 1937 as Union Turnpike - Kew Gardens. Within the last 20 or so years, many stations had their names adjusted, showing the area first and the street name second. The service pattern was traditionally the 'E' trains making local stops with the 'F' trains making express stops. This was when both terminated at 179th Street- Jamaica. In December 1988, the 'E' was diverted to a new terminal at Jamaica Center- Parsons/Archer, and it went via the express tracks with the 'F' on the local. Outside of rush hours and midday, both trains run local. The express tracks are used for storing trains at other times. Incidentally, there are 3 or 4 'E' trains that still begin and terminate at 179th Street at rush hours, as the Jamaica Center terminal cannot handle the very frequent headways. It is a 2 track, stub end terminal.
When I think of “Kew Gardens” and Jamaica, I think of different parts of the British Commonwealth, with my homeland (Canada) another member state.
Fun fact about those trash cans you see on the subway. They're designed the way they are in order to be bomb resistant, that's why they're so big and bulbous
Better than on the PATH, where they just removed the trash cans after 9/11 and (in some stations at least) never put them back
No bin bags in the breeze 🤣
The bomb proof London little bins in Westminster and the like aren't as bulbous
How they ever been “tested” live in a station?
So Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike is actually quite an important station as it is currently the eastern end of the Queens Blvd Line’s CBTC. Trains “localize” themselves upon stopping with the CBTC computers.
Normally F trains stop on the outside tracks and E’s stop in the center during weekday times.
For the last mont the F has been on the middle while the E is on the outside going towards Manhattan because we are doing some switch work as part of the process to extend CBTC all the way to eastern end of the line.
It is also the access point to the line’s main storage yard. There are lower level tracks that turn towards the north and exits the side of a hill into the yard.
Outside is Queens Borough Hall and one of the major courthouses.
Union Turnpike the street has lanes that cross under Queens Boulevard alongside the highway, which is named after baseball and civil rights legend Jackie Robinson.
These lanes used to have covered, underground bus stops that could be accessed directly out from the mezzanine level. The eastern bus stop is now just an extra entrance to the station, while the western one has been closed off since the late 1980s, and still has signage for a planned service plan that was never put into operation.
Interesting local info. From what Geoff showed it looks like a non descript suburban area. So I was surprised to see it has many more passengers than the other Kew.
Thinking again, I suppose Kew is in a fairly 'remote' part of London, away from even residential areas. So apart from visitors to the botanical gardens, it's quiet.
@@roginkThe station is an important bus transfer as it is where Lefferts Blvd crosses the Queens Boulevard Line. Additionally some folks in the apartment blocks closer to 75th Av stop will walk to Kew Gardens for express service.
@@roginkto add to what Matthew said, one of the buses is the Q10, which is one of the buses that runs to JFK airport.
Yeah; London’s Kew Gardens is a quiet little neighborhood.
Our Kew Gardens is a major hub.
@@roginkalso should point out that, at least within the context of NYC, if you are within the city’s municipal boundaries, you are considered “urban” no matter what it looks like.
Suburban means “outside ‘the city” where in this context “the city” means the city of New York as an entity. The subway does not leave the City of New York’s boundaries, so by definition there are no “suburban” sections or stations.
Even both of the least used stations Geoff discussed, same rules apply.
In addition to the Q10, the Q37 (via 111th Street to South Ozone Park) and Q46 (via Union Turnpike to Glen Oaks and LIJ Hospital) also terminate here.
I rode the E train to Manhattan every work day for two years. I occasionally got off at Kew Gardens but usually went one stop further. It depended on weather as it was a nicer walk from Kew but a slightly longer one. I am enjoying your exploration of the NYC subway as a teenager it was my escape from suburban boredom. I lived not far from the Long Island Railroad, but it cost $3.50 to ride it to and from the city. My dad worked in Brooklyn a half day on Saturdays and I would often ride with him and be dropped off at a subway station near his office. When that wasn't possible I'd catch two buses to Jamaica where I could get the E train. While the trip was far longer that way it was 85 cents if I went with my dad it was 25 cents. This was back in the 1960s. I am just old enough to remember the outcry when the subway went from 5 cents to 15 cents in the 1950s. .
I live in Kew Gardens, New York, just down the road from the LIRR station. I remember stumbling upon your Underground USA documentary a few years ago and couldn’t believe you came to my local station. If you ever find yourself here again, I would be delighted to give you a tour of the neighborhood and nearby Forest Hills Gardens, which is one of the most quaint areas in the city.
Ingeniously done. I prefer London Kew Gardens but can’t decide between the two Geoffs.
You missed the coolest part of the Union Tpke/Kew Gardens station, which may rival the London station's footbridge.
That mezzanine level? It has a gap in the middle which used to have wooden doors that opened directly onto Union Turnpike where it passes underneath Queens Boulevard. (Union Turnpike itself is divided by the Jackie Robinson Parkway (previously the Interborough) at that point -- the same principle as the local and express tracks -- and which Queens Boulevard also mimics with its express and local lanes.)
In bad weather you could get dropped off or picked up by car, completely protected by the Queens Boulevard overpass. They had to close it because there were too many accidents, alas.
(Union Tpke was my home station for the first 18 years of my life, and my dad used to drop us off using the underpass whenever mom took us in to the city for the day.)
I was about to bring this up. The corridor on the mezzanine level is still there, leading to the accessible elevator exit, and it’s separated from the expressway by glass blocks. It’s eerie to see and hear the expressway traffic just a few feet away from you in a subway station.
Love this video! I used to take the LIRR to Kew Gardens to visit my favorite great aunt back in the day. Your videos are bringing back wonderful memories for this old gal. Thank you, Geoff! 💜
And, if you are still in NYC, check out Forest Hills Gardens, it looks very English, nestled in a concrete jungle.
As well as the London Overground, there is a 'Forest Hill' or 'Forest Hills' station on the Muni Metro in San Francisco, the Long Island Rail Road in Queens, New York, an MBTA station in Boston, Massachusetts, and a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Philadelphia. Get filming Geoff, we will need to see them all.
Imagine if Geoff were to actually visit Andy Byford while Train Daddy was still in charge of our subway? It’d be a dream come true!! 🤩
Kew Gardens is also very familiar to New York drivers because several expressways converge there in a massive interchange. As a result the "Kew Gardens Interchange" is very frequently mentioned in the helicopter traffic reports on the radio.
Actually, the only Expressway there is the Van Wyck. The other two are parkways, and the local major streets above are Queens Boulevard, Union Turnpike, and Main Street.
@@DTD110865 Yes, I could have said expressways and parkways but I was mostly addressing readers in the U.K. who don't care very much and never heard of Robert Moses, let alone Harry van Arsdale.
omg this is so exciting!!! I literally just did barbenheimer yesterday at the kew gardens cinema. it's a shame you didn't get to go back to the LIRR station and get footage, it's such a pretty station. just like the tube stop in london it's right next to a pub when you first get out, and there's a bridge over the station with tons of cute shops including that gorgeous cinema I was at. Another eerie similarity is that kew gardens nyc is very close to both airports in queens--so close that it has the nickname crew gardens, for all the cabin crew that live there and commute to both!
On one of my trips to NYC way back in the 80s, I used Kew Gardens (Union Turnpike) Although the JFK Express was still in use in those days, another suggested route into Manhattan was by bus to Union Turnpike and then on the Subway... and I took it just for the hell of it! I particularly remember noticing some mock-Tudor buildings in the area... presumably they're still there? Anyway nice t see the comparison, Geoff!
Think I prefer the Kew Gardens in London than New York but in the end both stations have their good and bad points but they still both carry passengers to this day, great video
There was once a Kew Gardens station in Southport Lancashire (now Merseyside). It closed to regular services in 1938. There is now a retail park at Kew, situated near Southport hospital.
When I finally get across the Pond, the Tap on the Line is now on my destination list. Thank you, Geoff.
And while you’re there , try to visit the actual Kew Gardens , as there’s much to admire in there 😊
You’re looking really well Geoff.
It’s great to see and I hope you’re feeling better than you were recently.
Enjoy the trip and thank you for sharing it with us.
I'm an American in his mid 40's who has fond memories of this place from childhood. I lived just across the Thames near Gunnersbury and spent quite a bit of time over here, and just waiting for the train at the pub might make it my favorite station for nostalgia purposes alone! The plane noise might be bad now, but I also have vivid memories of the Concorde unleashing it's sonic boom back then. Thankfully I think it was only twice per day.
Being able to sit and have a pint while watching the trains gets my vote every time.
You can do that on Kew Gardens LIRR as well.
@@OneKnifeYeHand Sounds good to me. But I still have to fly to get there, first.
4:15 Kew Gardens station is at the bottom of the garden of the house I grew up in during the sixties and seventies. The aircraft noise now is nothing compared to what it was then. Airliners are vastly quieter now.
HOLYMOLY the subway is loud. Then 4:15 while Geoff is talking about the airplanes overhead, I hear the tube train stopping with the worst brakes I've ever heard. I think one of my teeth cracked from that sound.
Same T-shirt. Nice touch
Wow! I can't believe you missed the pubs on the other side of Kew Gardens Union Turnpike.
Funnily enough, I found out while researching the New York City Subway online that there is another station called Kew Gardens in the US before you uploaded this video and as I’m going there for a vacation next week, I will be sure to visit and also go to Beach 105th St, the least used station on the MTA 👍
Damn, now the Geofffians even messing up the station statistics of the USA :D
time it for a movie at the cinema! the kew gardens lirr stop is insanely charming, it almost feels like they tried to copy the british when they set it up.
Great editing for this video! Nice comparison between the two Kew Garden stations. I used to ride the E and F trains all the time when I was a kid and back then the E and F both went to 179th St full time. All through elementary and junior high school, I would take the train between 169 and 179 (home station was 169). On the way home, I had to make sure not to get on the F train as that didn't stop at 169 in the afternoons. The E train was the stopper to Continental Av (and express in the rest of Queens) at that time.
Great idea for a video, Geoff! And thank you for featuring one of my favourite stations (the London KG variant!)
One thing we all love about you, Geoff, is your frequent use of the word 'ubiquitous'! It's everywhere man! In fact it's ubiquitous!! Ho ho!
Just wanted to say, I went today with my son Thibault 8 years old, to see the depot, a man came up to us and asked if we booked a private tour, we said NO but my son is really into transport so the man call Keith gave us a tour ! Turns out he was the depot manager !!! Keith knowledge was incredible and it was nice seeing the two of them having great conversations! Keith is so great we had the best time ! Also Thibault is a huge fan of yours !
As a frequent visitor to the National Archives, I have a great fondness for Kew Gardens station. Great place for a full English to start the day, and a fortifying pint in the evening.
Kew Gardens Station in London Brings back Memories for Me from my Childhood, it was the Nearest Underground Station for My Family...
At JFK airport BA and AA share lounges, which are called Greenwich, Soho, and Chelsea, since those place names exist in both NY and London. If they wanted to add a roof garden they could call it Kew gardens lol
And Greenwich Village, CT.
Been to London many times, didn't know about this Station and Pub. Will go next time :)
As a New Yorker I definitely like the London Underground more than the NYC Subway on all levels
Great comparison video Geoff. My partner lives on Kew Road and Kew Gardens is the local station and the Tap is our chosen watering hole. Yes we have had a drink and watched the trains, me more than her I hasten to add.
Great to have the side-by-side comparison on video!
Kew Gardens queens is in the borough of Queens! Kew Gardens refers to the village of Kew Gardens! The F train makes one more local stop at 75th avenue before running express to Roosevelt Island then continuing local throughout Manhatten and Brooklyn at 2 hours running time for its entire route, its among the longest in the city! It also combines the former city owned IND with the formerly privatly owned BMT subway system (combined in 1968 replacing thevD train combined service)! Thw queens boulevard line was home to the R46 cars from their debut in 1975 to them being moved to the lines based in Coney Island around three years for the implementation of Automatic Train Control cars on the Queens Blvd trunk line)! The smell you smell is the combination of the track ballast ans signal wiring that is evident throughout the underground portions of the subway during the warmer months!
I thoroughly enjoyed this comparison! Superb editing and well planned considering the distance between the two stations! 😊
Just wanna say superb editing Geoff, enjoying your content as always
I used to live above the Restaurant which was called Glasshouse back then. So seeing Kew Gardens (London) makes me nostalgic.
This is my local stop (for the E anyway, I can also go to the next stop for F) The E and F are swapped temporarily for “electrical maintenance”. While you can’t see the trains from it, there is a pub at the 77th Avenue end of the station (though the staircase next to it is being rebuilt).
Oh and the weird empty plinth at the beginning used to have a rather strange and controversial statue on it, the city removed it years ago and never replaced it. We should just do like the 4th plinth at Trafalgar Square and rotate in some local art.
The one in Queens was called Union Turnpike for most of its history. Kew Gardens is the name of the neighborhood to the northeast of the station; Forest Hills is the neighborhood to the west, and Briarwood is the neighborhood to the southeast.
Lovely pub to visit after a day of wondering at Kew!
What a wonderful idea to compare both stations and mix both videos so well! Love it. Btw, I think it is only the UK, (and maybe Ireland) that uses platform numbers, most other European countries use track numbers, like here in the Netherlands.
Czechia and Poland use both at once!
@@fussyboy2000 O, well I have not been in Czechia and Poland. Sorry.
Right in NY, LIRR uses both platform and track. Platforms are lettered and tracks are numbered. Supposed to help make the bigger stations like Penn and Jamaica easier to navigate
@@mrvwbug4423Ok Thanks.
Very interesting video, and I enjoyed your dissolve from the closing subway doors to those on the District at the end. Thanks. NB, must try that pub sometime 👍🏻
Love the NYC content. Brilliant
The fact that you were at my everyday work subway station and I didn't know about it is breaking my heart.
Teddington station has a pub called The Railway where the garden backs on to the platform.
Very cleverly done. 👍👍
Before the Oyster card arrived you could walk onto the platform at Kew Gardens in London from the 'Tap on the Line' pub.
Thank you for visiting Kew Gardens, NY subway so I don't have to. I have been to Kew Gardens, London, including that pub!
Good to see the comparison! As much as I'd love to explore the New York Subway, I think I preferer the look of Kew Gardens London.
When I'm in NYC as I am now during the summer (Florida during the winter), I live on union Turnpike and that's my stop!
This is so good to see. I did not know new York had such an extensive railway system . Thanks jeff
"There's a few police sirens, ambulance sirens"
Sounds like just another day in London and New York City.
Queens Borough Hall and the central courthouse are near the station as well. That would probably account for the police sirens.
If you come to Australia, you could do many more of these comparison videos (e.g., Epping, Richmond, Lewisham, Stanmore, Kings Cross).
Geoff, as a lifelong New Yorker, it's better not to ask about the smell.
Hi Geoff. Unrelated - but I've just read a story about Chiltern Railways using vegetable oil powered trains. Would love to see a video about them!
Unrelated as well, but Airbus (Airplane Builder) are trialing Veg Oil for Fuel.
Successful flights have taken place as well.
Saw that article as well
@@dblyth5098 very cool!
All the vehicles in the US are running gasoline with 10% ethanol or 5% biodiesel, that's the only fuels available in normal gas stations. Since ~10 years ago, all diesel vehicles have been 20% biodiesel compatible due to government purchasing requirements. B20 has ironically become difficult to find because of the nationwide spread of B5 and at least one state mandating it; the supply is capacity constrained. There's now renewable diesel coming on the market which can be dropped into petroleum diesel fuel up to 99%.
Brightline trains here in South Florida do the same thing
3:28 i don’t know if you can see the tracks but in Little Chalfont isn’t there a pub called the Metropolitan or something right next to Chalfont and Latimer?
Benn in that pub on many occasions. Happy days!
I remember when I was in London and visited the Kew Gardens botanical gardens. The thing that struck me was how noisy it was due to the planes. I thought it was such a shame since it's such a nice place, like a big park, could be so relaxing, but the constant plane noise kind of ruins the place.
It was much worse in the sixties and seventies in Kew, when airliners were much louder. You couldn't watch telly with the window open in summer, as every minute or two the sound would be drowned out.
Yep. I lived in Richmond (one stop down the line) in the 1970s and the aircraft noise was persistent at about 2 - 3 minute intervals when the windows were open in the summer months.
@@michaeldwyer3352 it's ironic that I actually work at an airport in my city (Winnipeg) and even live only a 10 min drive away. Yet I never hear the planes from my house.
That unique smell is fresh + old urine, similar to some corners of London, particularly Soho but is widespread in the big Apple. I frikking love New York regardless.
So, normally E trains use the middle during the peak and F trains use the outer at all times. But there’s some construction going on, so F trains are using the middle and E trains are on the outer. Both are express west (railroad south) of Forest Hills
Kew Gardens (IND) was opened on 31 December 1936 as the second phase of the IND Queens Blvd Line. Kew Gardens (LIRR) is much older, first opening as Hopedale on the New York & Jamaica Railroad in 1875, replaced by Maple Grove in 1879 and Kew in 1910 in the current location renamed Kew Gardens in 1912. Platform extensions have opened since you were there last now allowing the first six cars of a LIRR train to platform. While the station has accessible ramps it is not listed as accessible.
Both Kew Gardens stations connect to the Q10 bus route on Lefferts Blvd which connects to the Lefferts Blvd AirTrain station. Since fares are only collected at Jamaica and Howard Beach, taking the Q10 to the AirTrain can save $8.50 on a trip to JFK.
Kew Gardens is the area of Queens NY and the station itself is called union Turnpike but Kew Gardens is basically the neighborhood thank you for coming to America and showing us the difference there are a lot of similar names in England and America as well. One Last item Geoff , when you were standing at the outside station entrance of Kew Gardens New York only about a couple of 100 yards behind you there was a tall building and behind the tall building is the train yard that I used to work in and I repaired those trains for 33 years of my life in Kew gardens and I also lived in Kew Gardens thank you for these wonderful videos.
I don’t know if you are still in NYC but if you are you might want to consider visiting the Brooklyn College Flatbush Ave. station of the 2 and 5 trains. It’s the only terminus station in the NYC subway system to have just side platforms instead of a center platform. The reason for this is this station was not intended to be a terminus station but due to running out of funds to extend that line further South it ended up becoming one.
Give me Kew Gardens London station any day! New York metro is so grey and grimy looking 😬
Hey Geoff, with the E and F trains they're both Queens Blvd Express trains but the F would make all stops from Forest Hills to 179th Street while the E continues making express between Forest Hills and Jamaica Van Wyck through Kew Gardens during the AM rush hour, through the midday and through the PM rush hour. All other times the E is all stops between Forest Hills and Jamaica and overnight is Queens Blvd Local. You probably caught a reroute or planned service change seeing that F on the express at Kew Gardens.
And great video comparing the Kew Gardens!!
I see what you did there! Great video!!
New York has a very distinct smell, that I’ve never experienced anywhere else. But so does Paris and even downtown Los Angeles. They aren’t necessarily bad smells, just different.
However, NY does have a lot of steam systems in Manhattan, and I’ve discovered that where they leak they seem to mostly smell of urine.
I would like to acknowledge that you went to the effort of wearing the same shirt in both places!
Oh I want to go to that pub now!
I really like that transition in 5:22
Very good, nice editing, thanks!
When I went to NYC (I'm from Newcastle) I've never been to a more run down, smelly, chaotic and downright dangerous place! It was great but it was like walking around a third world country quite a bit of the time! I was working on a construction project in the bronx. Used the subway once, never again!
That was sweet. All the best.
5:26 the girl LOL
If you want to make this a series you can also do Temple on the Paris subway and Waterloo on the Amsterdam subway.
And if you want to include bus stops: there's a bus stop called Chatham in Hilversum, Netherlands.
And former stations: there was a station called America in the province of Limburg.
Btw, Waterloo in Amsterdam is actually Waterlooplein (Waterloo Square), but close enough. :)
Nice to see you again featuring the Borough of Queens. For a time, I commuted to work via the Union Tpke. bus, then the F train at Kew Gardens. Oh, and while the station is named for the cross-street (Union Tpke.), the subway is beneath Queens Blvd.
So: I love the tap on the line, best use of a post cycle recoup! And the NYC smell - it’s bodily fluids, quite sad….. 😮
1:56 i once saw a cat run all the way up that cycle path thing at the side of the stairs and back down the other side.
How you edit your videos are mind blowing
Great idea for a video! ❤❤❤
I though it maybe worth mentioning that at Kew Gardens London the Tube also shares the track with with the Overground!
Another quality video.. another 5 mins of quality would be great😊.
The way the pigeons all fly off behind you at 0:32 is so hard.
As a person who likes trains, I personally think the MTA is cooler than TFL, but that’s probably just me being biased because it’s the first system I ever rode, at a young age aswell, and I’m also American
I also really like the sounds the R160B makes
This is ICONIC 😭😭😭😭
How does the humidity in the Kew Gardens Palm House compare to NYC?
Nice one. Love these little special episodes (like the previous one). So, Forest Hill next?
That was a great comparison. Southern Ontario here and I know about Hot and Humid. Are you gong to come to Toronto and do the TTC Subway with Reece?
Drinking larger in a Fuller's pub is sacrilege
This video got me thinking about whether any other London Railway or Underground stations have pubs that overlook the platforms. Most of the major stations have a pub or two on the concourses but the only ones I can think of where you can see the platforms are at Cannon Street and Victoria (plus Kew Gardens of course).
The pub at Cannon Street is literally a few feet away from the ticket barriers. It also has an artwork made of copper-piping that is based on the London Underground map.
Didn't there use to be a licensed bar on the platform at Sloane Square?
Denmark Hill has one I think...
@@rabidsasquatch Yes it does, it's in what would have been the old ticket office. I called in there a couple of weeks back but you can't actually see the platforms from inside.
Amazed no one has mentioned the Wetherspoons in the heart of London Victoria, where you can sit outside and watch the trains to and from Kent arriving and departing.
@@timw.8452 But I did mention Victoria .... the pub at Cannon Street is also a Wetherspoon's BTW. There is also the John Betjeman at St Pancras to add to the list ... from the seating area on the concourse you can see the Eurostar Trains arriving from France and passengers disembarking.
Did you also check out Forest Hills in Queens? In one of my trips to London I noticed Forest Hill overground station.
Kew Gardens is the LIRR name having been there first and the Subway has always been Union Turnpike. They share the name on both current MTA maps as it is an out of station interchange.
Geoff you should do the least used station on the Isle of Wight 😂
Kew Gardens in NY also has a lower level that trains use to store and to get to the nearby Jamaica yard which is like a block north.
@geofftech2 You should do Richmond (London) vs Richmond (Sydney) vs Richmond (Melbourne).