On September 10, 1977, the Jamaica elevated was cut back from 168th Street to Queens Boulevard, closing the stations at 168th Street, 160th Street, and Sutphin Boulevard. The demolition of the elevated line was originally planned to be done upon the completion of the Archer Avenue line, but was pushed up at the request of Mayor Abe Beame, who wanted to accelerate the redevelopment plan for Downtown Jamaica. The reconstruction of the Queens Boulevard station to become the line's terminal and the transferring of equipment took 12 to 15 months and cost $2.2 million. One of the modifications made was the installation of a -long double crossover to the west of the station. Work on the double crossover was completed at the NYCTA's new track plant at Linden Shops, saving four months. It was installed over the course of two weekends. Q49 buses (distinct from the modern Q49 route) replaced Jamaica elevated service, and free transfers were provided to subway service at Queens Boulevard. Bus service ran every two to three minutes during rush hours, and met every train during late nights.
