Street. In 1953, the platforms at several IND stations were lengthened to allow eleven-car trains; originally, service was provided with ten-car trains. The lengthened trains began running during rush hour on September 8, 1953. Eleven-car trains would only operate on weekdays. The extra car increased the total carrying capacity by 4,000 passengers. The operation of eleven-car trains ended in 1958 because of operational difficulties. The signal blocks, especially in Manhattan, were too short to accommodate the longer trains, and the motormen had a very small margin of error to properly platform the train. It was found that operating ten-car trains allowed for two additional trains per hour to be scheduled. Archer Avenue extension Before the IND Archer Avenue Line opened on December 11, 1988, all Queens Boulevard express trains (E and F trains) ran to 179th Street, with the E running express along Hillside Avenue during rush hours only and the F running local. At that time, the 169th Street station was considered to be the most congested due to the numerous bus lines that either terminated just outside or at the nearby 165th Street Bus Terminal; this use had increased after the closure and demolition of the nearby 168th Street BMT station on Jamaica Avenue in 1977. The station was ill-equipped to handle the high passenger traffic volume transferring between the buses and subway, and The New York Times stated that during peak hours, passengers had to wait just to get to the platform. As a result, bars were installed on each of the seven 179th Street-bound staircases at platform level to "feed" passengers into the staircases and prevent them from crowding around it. The opening of the Archer Avenue Line was expected by the New York City Transit Authority to reduce rush hour ridership at this station from 12,912 to 6,058. The locations of the station's full-time and part-time booths were switched in 1988, since more than half of the remaining riders lived closer to the 169th Street entrance. Before the change, most riders came from the Bus Terminal via the 168th Street entrance. The formerly full-time 168th Street booth was made part-time, and the formerly part-time 169th Street booth was made full-time. Station layout This underground station has four tracks and two side platforms. Both platforms have a vermilion trim line with a black border and mosaic name tablets reading "169TH ST." in white sans-serif lettering on