NYC Subway

The First subway company in New York City was the IRT – the Interborough Rapid Transit Subway which opened in 1904. This masterpiece of engineering allowed for folks to get from place to place quickly and economically through the use of elevated trainlines throughout the city. It wasn’t long before NYC decided that they needed to build an underground transit system to help resolve the congested streets and the over development of many neighborhoods. The subway system in place today in New York City is run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York City connecting the Bronx to Brooklyn and everywhere in between. Tired of looking for parking spots in your New York rental car? Why not hop on the subway instead. You’ll not only save yourself a little road rage, but you’ll also feel like a true blue New Yorker!

Never been on the Subway before? We here at AAMCAR have compiled a list of helpful tips for first time riders and some safety advice for all subway users. So after you return your car and hang up those New York rental car keys, hop on the train!

• The fare for New York Subways are $2 – Senior citizens and people with disabilities who have proper identification are entitled to reduced fares
• There are 468 stations that serve 24 routes – the most of any other system in the world!
• The routes are identified by letters and numbers – they serve Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens (Staten Island is served by the Staten Island Railway)
• Trains run from ever 2 to 5 minutes during prime hours and every 10 to 20 minutes during the other hours
• Please look for black and yellow signs telling you where to wait safely on the platform
• There are plenty of signs on the platform that will tell you were to wait for your train
• Please don’t lean against the doors of the subway, they will open unexpectedly
• Be sure to hold on to the provided handholds if there are no seats available and please offer your seat to elder riders if there are no other seats left

Facts

• There are approximately 4.5 million riders on average per weekday with about 1.4 billion riders a year!
• The subway is a safe and economical alternative to driving your New York rental car.
• There were over 6,400 subway cars in the New York Subway fleet in 2002 and these cars cover over 347,188,000 miles a year!
• There are over 840 miles of subway track hidden beneath the busy streets of New York.
• Laid end to end these tracks would stretch from New York City all the way to Chicago!
• The newer trains in the New York Transit fleet come equipped with a specialized computer system that helps to regulate the speed of the trains resulting in more accurate arrival and departure times
• The New York City Subway system uses the same amount of power per year as the city of Buffalo does annually!

For more information on the history of the New York City subway system, begin with the IRT, please visit the Metropolitan Transportation Authority at www.mta.nyc.ny.us/index.html. This site also has information on other forms of public transportation in New York, so if you feel like giving your New York rental car a break one night, log on to browse the schedules of subway trains and buses in your area.