On September 8, 1910, the new Kew station opened along with the introduction of electric service to Penn Station using the Maple Grove Cut-Off.
The first train left the station at 4:14 a.m. The first passenger boarding at Kew was also the first passenger to pass through the gates at Penn Station The new station was 108 feet (33 m) long and its station building was built as a one-story structure made of terra cotta and stucco.
It was built in the fall of 1909.
The station's quick access to Manhattan (15 minutes) was used by the Kew Gardens Corporation in advertisements to convince buyers to move to the community.
Service initially consisted of more than twenty daily trains in each direction, with many trains running nonstop to Penn Station owing to the railroad's franchise which prohibited passenger stations within 5 miles (8.0 km) of Penn Station.
In anticipation of the demand for housing in the community, the Haugaard brothers purchased land from the Man estate and built several houses within a few minutes of the station.
Between 1910 and 1911 38 buildings were built in the community.

The old station building for Maple Grove was moved approximately 600 feet (180 m) south alongside and perpendicular to the tracks for use as a real estate office of developers of Kew, but was razed a short time later.
Prior to the opening of the new station, and the development accompanying it, the station was referred to as North Richmond Hill, but was named Kew after residents and the Long Island Rail Road requested that the name be changed to avoid confusion.
Soon after, in 1912, the station was renamed Kew Gardens.
This name was chosen as it was the name of an adjacent town to Richmond Hill, England, which was the ancestral home of Alrick Man.

On July 1, 1914, the Hillside Transportation Company began running a bus line along Lefferts Avenue connecting Kew Gardens station with Morris Park station.
In October 1923, the LIRR finished a project extending one of the platforms in the station to the west.
On December 19, 1928, the New York State Transit Commission ordered the LIRR to increase service at Kew Gardens and to lengthen the westbound platform to eleven cars.
The LIRR agreed to extend the platform on January 10, 1929.
The platform was lengthened in 1929.
At some point, the eastbound platform was lengthened.
With the extension of the Independent Subway System's Queens Boulevard Line to Kew Gardens on December 31, 1936, ridership at this station decreased, with the downturn noticed as early as July 1937.

The Kew Gardens station became the site of the worst accident in the histories of both the Long Island Rail Road and New York State.
On November 22, 1950, a collision between two Long Island Rail Road commuter trains to the east of the station killed 79 people and injured hundreds.
This occurred nine months after a collision at Rockville Centre station on February 17, 1950, which resulted in the deaths of 32 people and the serious injury of 158 people.
 Another notorious historical aspect is the 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese, which occurred near the Kew Gardens station after Genovese had parked her car at its northern parking lot.

On July 1, 1964, the Tri-State Transit Commission began a year-long test of a mechanical fare collection system at the westbound platforms of Kew Gardens and Forest Hills.
Fencing was installed, requiring passengers to enter through the station house and then insert their magnetically encoded tickets into turnstiles.

In November 1963, the LIRR announced a plan to shorten the platforms at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens by 300 feet (91 m).
The railroad's justification was that ridership at the stations was low, and did not warrant repairing the crumbling concrete.
These sections of platforms had been installed in about 1929 to allow the stations to accommodate full-length trains.
This move was opposed by civic groups, and resulted in an investigation by the Public Service Commission.
However, the platform extensions were removed in 1965 or 1966.
Prior to their removal, the platforms extended to the overpass at
On September 8, 1910, the new Kew station opened along with the introduction of electric service to Penn Station using the Maple Grove Cut-Off. The first train left the station at 4:14 a.m. The first passenger boarding at Kew was also the first passenger to pass through the gates at Penn Station The new station was 108 feet (33 m) long and its station building was built as a one-story structure made of terra cotta and stucco. It was built in the fall of 1909. The station's quick access to Manhattan (15 minutes) was used by the Kew Gardens Corporation in advertisements to convince buyers to move to the community. Service initially consisted of more than twenty daily trains in each direction, with many trains running nonstop to Penn Station owing to the railroad's franchise which prohibited passenger stations within 5 miles (8.0 km) of Penn Station. In anticipation of the demand for housing in the community, the Haugaard brothers purchased land from the Man estate and built several houses within a few minutes of the station. Between 1910 and 1911 38 buildings were built in the community.
The old station building for Maple Grove was moved approximately 600 feet (180 m) south alongside and perpendicular to the tracks for use as a real estate office of developers of Kew, but was razed a short time later. Prior to the opening of the new station, and the development accompanying it, the station was referred to as North Richmond Hill, but was named Kew after residents and the Long Island Rail Road requested that the name be changed to avoid confusion. Soon after, in 1912, the station was renamed Kew Gardens. This name was chosen as it was the name of an adjacent town to Richmond Hill, England, which was the ancestral home of Alrick Man.
On July 1, 1914, the Hillside Transportation Company began running a bus line along Lefferts Avenue connecting Kew Gardens station with Morris Park station. In October 1923, the LIRR finished a project extending one of the platforms in the station to the west. On December 19, 1928, the New York State Transit Commission ordered the LIRR to increase service at Kew Gardens and to lengthen the westbound platform to eleven cars. The LIRR agreed to extend the platform on January 10, 1929. The platform was lengthened in 1929. At some point, the eastbound platform was lengthened. With the extension of the Independent Subway System's Queens Boulevard Line to Kew Gardens on December 31, 1936, ridership at this station decreased, with the downturn noticed as early as July 1937.
The Kew Gardens station became the site of the worst accident in the histories of both the Long Island Rail Road and New York State. On November 22, 1950, a collision between two Long Island Rail Road commuter trains to the east of the station killed 79 people and injured hundreds. This occurred nine months after a collision at Rockville Centre station on February 17, 1950, which resulted in the deaths of 32 people and the serious injury of 158 people.  Another notorious historical aspect is the 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese, which occurred near the Kew Gardens station after Genovese had parked her car at its northern parking lot.
On July 1, 1964, the Tri-State Transit Commission began a year-long test of a mechanical fare collection system at the westbound platforms of Kew Gardens and Forest Hills. Fencing was installed, requiring passengers to enter through the station house and then insert their magnetically encoded tickets into turnstiles.
In November 1963, the LIRR announced a plan to shorten the platforms at Forest Hills and Kew Gardens by 300 feet (91 m). The railroad's justification was that ridership at the stations was low, and did not warrant repairing the crumbling concrete. These sections of platforms had been installed in about 1929 to allow the stations to accommodate full-length trains. This move was opposed by civic groups, and resulted in an investigation by the Public Service Commission. However, the platform extensions were removed in 1965 or 1966. Prior to their removal, the platforms extended to the overpass at 
Kew Gardens station (LIRR)