This station opened on February 1, 1917, along with the rest of the Astoria Line, which was originally part of the IRT, as a spur off the IRT Queensboro Line, now the IRT Flushing Line. Trains ran between Grand Central and Astoria. On July 23, 1917, the Queensboro Bridge spur of the elevatedIRT Second Avenue Line opened. At that time, all elevated trains to Queensboro Plaza used the Astoria Line while all subway trains used the Corona Line, though this was later changed with trains alternating between branches. This station started to be served by BMT shuttles using elevated cars on April 8, 1923. On October 17, 1949, the Astoria Line became BMT-only as the tracks at Queensboro Plaza were consolidated and the platforms on the Astoria Line were shaved back to allow through BMT trains to operate on it. Service was initially provided by the Brighton Local weekdays and the Broadway - Fourth Avenue Local at all times. The platforms at this station, along with six others on the Astoria Line, were lengthened to to accommodate ten-car trains in 1950. The project cost $863,000. Signals on the line had to be modified to take into account the platform extensions. On the morning of May 1, 1998, a backhoe working underneath the station struck the mezzanine, ripping out three support beams while damaging four more and creating a huge hole in the floor. There were no injuries, but trains bypassed the station at restricted speed. Cleanup work began immediately and by noon, the slow speed restriction was removed. By 3:00 p.m., a temporary wooden floor was installed. Less than eight hours from the time of the first response, the station was back in full service. Permanent repairs were made overnight. As part of the 2015-2019 MTA Capital Program, elevators will be added to the platforms and street, which would make the station fully compliant with accessibility guidelines under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. A contract for the elevators' construction was awarded in June 2018, and substantial completion is projected for November 2020. In September 2018, work began make the station compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Two elevators connect the street with the mezzanine, and two other elevators connect the mezzanine with the two platforms. In order to construct the street elevators, the station mezzanine was demolished and rebuilt. The new mezzanine was raised to reduce strikes by trucks driving underneath. The station was fully closed for nine months on March 17, 2019 so the mezzanine could be replaced. The station was reopened on December 18, 2019, while elevator construction and installation was still underway. On July 24, 2020, the elevators were placed into operation, making the station ADA accessible.
Station layout
The elevated station has three tracks and two island platforms. The center track is not used in revenue service, but it had been used regularly as recently as 2002. The station has wooden canopies with transite and wooden mezzanines. The northbound platform's benches are surrounded by low windscreen on three sides. The southbound platform bears the tertiary name of Columbus Square, for a small park containing a statue of Columbus by Angelo Racioppi immediately east of the southeastern stair of the station. It also has an enclosed waiting area.
Exits
There are four exits to the station: two to either northern corner of Hoyt Avenue North and 31st Street, and two to either southern corner of Hoyt Avenue South and 31st Street. The stair to the northwest corner of Hoyt Avenue North and 31st Street was demolished and replaced with an elevator. This station affords a view of the Hell Gate Bridge and viaduct to the north, Triborough Bridge to the west, and the Grand Central Parkway and Hoyt Avenue underneath. The latter two structures forced a change in the station's original design. The overpass to the far north exit was added during the Triborough Bridge's construction in the 1930s. The parkway's subsequent construction forced the relocation of the north exit stairways since the parkway was too wide for the original stairways. The southern stairways date to the station's opening in 1917. The mezzanine has separate turnstile banks from each side with crossunders from the platform stairs.
