New York City Subway

The subway system today

station]] station]] The New York City Subway is designed for carrying large numbers of people during working days. In 2002 an average of 4.5 million passengers used the subways every weekday. In September 2005 7.5 million daily riders set a record for ridership for any month dating back to June of 1971. A typical subway station has waiting platforms ranging from 400 to 700 feet (122 to 213 m) long to accommodate large numbers of people. Passengers enter a subway station through stairs towards station booths and vending machines to buy their fare, currently via the MetroCard. After swiping at a turnstile, customers walk down to the waiting platforms below. Some subway lines in the outer boroughs and northern Manhattan have elevated tracks with stations that passengers climb up to. Subway tunnels were constructed using a variety of methods. When the IRT subway first opened in 1904, typical tunnel construction was the "cut and cover" method. The street was torn up to dig out the tunnel below, then the street was rebuilt above. Tunnel supports held the weight of the street and traffic above. This method worked well for soft dirt and gravel underneath the street surface. However, there were other thicker sections made of rock, and tunnel boring machines were required to cut through it. It is fairly easy to determine how the tunnel was constructed by looking at the shape of the tunnel. The cut and cover method is basically a nicely rectangular shaped tunnel. Sections of tunnel that were cut through rock, or deeper portions of tunnel that cross underneath rivers, are circular in shape (because a boring machine was used to dig out the tunnel). Many lines and stations have both express and local service. These lines have three or four tracks - the outer two for local trains, and the inner one or two for express trains. Stations served by express trains are typically major transfer points or destinations. The BMT Jamaica Line uses skip-stop service on portions, in which two services operate over the line during rush hours, and minor stations are only served by one of the two. The IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line used skip stop until May 27, 2005. A typical subway train has from 8 to 11 cars (shuttles as short as 2); when put together the train can range from 150 to 600 feet (46 to 183 m) long. As a general rule trains on the lines inherited from the (the numbered lines) are shorter and narrower than the trains that operate on the other (/) lines (those designated with letters), the result being two different divisions which cannot share trains. Subway stations are located throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. All services pass through Manhattan, except for the Brooklyn-Queens Crosstown Local (), which directly connects Brooklyn and Queens without entering Manhattan, the , and the . In 1994 the subway system introduced a special fare-paying system called the MetroCard, which allows riders to use cards that store the value equal to the amount paid to a station booth clerk or to a vending machine. The MetroCard was further enhanced in 1997 to allow passengers to make free transfers between subways and buses within two hours; several MetroCard-only transfers between subways were also added. The world-famous token was phased out in 2003, the same year the MTA raised the basic fare to $2, amid angry protests from passenger and advocacy groups such as the Straphangers Campaign. In 2005, the MTA increased the prices of unlimited Metrocards, but left the base fare at $2.00. The one major expansion that is being planned is the Second Avenue Line. This line has been planned since the early days of the system, and construction was started in the 1970s, but as yet no usable sections exist. In this rather old system, most stations are not handicapped accessible. The exceptions are new construction and "key stations", as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act|ADA. See New York City Subway accessibility for more details. The MTA has recently begun a 20-year process of automating their subways. Beginning with the BMT Canarsie Line (), the MTA has plans to eventually automate a much larger portion, using One Person Train Operation (OPTO) in conjunction with Communications-based Train Control (CBTC). The benefits of automated subways include cost, safety, and reliability. Automated systems can be safer because all the trains are in radio communication with each other, and their speed and position are carefully controlled. This will also lead to fewer delays and better service. The new system will replace decades-old electronics that frequently fail due to flooding. Automated trains are not entirely new; they already exist in Los Angeles and Paris. (An experiment in automating the 42nd Street Shuttle in New York City, which began in 1959, ended with a fire at Grand Central-42nd Street on April 24, 1964.) The New York system is significant because it will be replacing an extremely large subway that is already in place. Siemens Transportation Systems will be building the CBTC system. On July 22, 2005, in response to recent bombings in London, United Kingdom, the New York Police Department introduced a new policy of randomly searching passengers' bags as they approached turnstiles. The NYPD claimed that no form of racial profiling would be conducted when these searches actually took place. This caused the NYPD to come under fire because these searches were deemed ineffectual if racial profiling was not used. "This NYPD bag search policy is unprecedented, unlawful and ineffective," said Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the NYCLU. "It is essential that police be aggressive in maintaining security in public transportation. But our very real concerns about terrorism do not justify the NYPD subjecting millions of innocent people to suspicionless searches in a way that does not identify any person seeking to engage in terrorist activity and is unlikely to have any meaningful deterrent effect on terrorist activity."

Lines and routes

station entrance]] station]] :''Main articles: New York City Subway nomenclature, List of New York City Subway lines, List of New York City Subway services (including a detailed table)'' Many rapid transit systems run relatively static routings, so that a train ''line'' is more or less synonymous with a train ''route''. In New York, routings change often as new connections are opened or service patterns change. The ''line'' describes the physical railroad line or series of lines that a train ''route'' uses on its way from one terminal to another. '''Routes''' (also called '''services''') are distinguished by a letter or a number. '''Lines''' have names. For example, the ''D Train'', ''D Route'' or ''D Service'', though colloquially called the ''D Line'', runs over the following ''lines'' on its journey:

In the Bronx, the ''IND Concourse Line|Concourse Line'';

In Manhattan, the ''IND Eighth Avenue Line|Eighth Avenue Line'', ''IND Sixth Avenue Line|Sixth Avenue Line'' and ''IND Chrystie Street Connection|Chrystie Street Connection'';

In Brooklyn, the ''BMT Fourth Avenue Line|Fourth Avenue Line'' and ''BMT West End Line|West End Line''. There are 26 train services in the subway system, including three short shuttles. Each route has a color, representing the Manhattan trunk line of the particular service; a different color is assigned to the route, since it does not operate in Manhattan, and shuttles are all colored dark gray. Each service is also named after its Manhattan (or crosstown) trunk line, and is labeled as local or express. Trains are marked by the service label in either black or white (for appropriate contrast) on a field in the color of its mainline. The field is enclosed in a circle for most services, or a diamond for special services, such as rush-hour only expresses on a route that ordinarily runs local. Rollsigns also typically include the service names and terminals. When the R44 (New York City Subway car)|R44 and R46 (New York City Subway car)|R46 cars were rebuilt the rollsigns on the side of the cars were replaced with electronic signs while the front service sign remained as a rollsign. All cars built since 1999 are equipped with digital signs on the front and sides plus a new sign on the interior displays. The displays are installed on the car ceiling, towards each end of the car. They display the route indicator on left hand side at all time, with the destination, next station and the time display changing every few seconds. When the train arrives at a station, the display changes to show the station name, i.e "this is Bowling Green". When the train stops and the doors open, the computer plays a recorded announcement stating the route, direction and the destination and the next scheduled station. If the destination is in a borough that the train is not presently in, it will announce that borough, i.e. "this is a Brooklyn bound L train". If the train is within the borough, the announcement changes to the terminal station i.e. "this is a Canarsie bound L Train". New Yorkers refer to each line by the designator and the word train, i.e. the "A Train", which can be used to refer to both a single train, "I'm on an A train", or the route, "Take the A Train|take the A train". Division A () consists of the , , , , , , , and . Division B (/) consists of the , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . Division C consists of non-revenue operations, including track maintenance and yard operations.

History

:''Main article: New York City Subway history'' station 45 Road-Court House Square in Long Island City, Queens, NY|Queens.]] While the first underground line of the subway opened in 1904, the first elevated railroad|elevated line (the IRT Ninth Avenue Line) had opened almost 35 years earlier. The oldest structure that is still in use (albeit reinforced) opened in 1885 as part of the BMT Lexington Avenue Line|Lexington Avenue Line, and is now part of the BMT Jamaica Line in Brooklyn. The oldest right-of-way, that of the BMT West End Line, was in use in 1863 as a steam railroad called the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Rail Road. Subway cars (R44 (New York City Subway car)|R44s) operate on the Staten Island Railway, opened in 1860, but that is not usually considered part of the Subway. By the time the first subway opened, the lines had been consolidated into two privately-owned systems, Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT, later Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation, BMT) and Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT). The city was closely involved; every line built for the IRT, and most other lines built or improved for the BRT after 1913, were built by the city and leased to the companies (via the original Contracts 1 and 2 for the IRT subway, and the Dual Contracts for later extensions and widenings). The first line of the city-owned and operated Independent Subway System (IND) opened in 1932; this system was intended to compete with the private systems and allow some of the elevated railways to be torn down. In 1940, the two private systems were bought by the city; some elevated lines were immediately closed, and others closed soon after. Integration was slow, but several connections were built between the and , and they now operate as one division, ''Division B''. Due to the being narrower, it has remained its own division, ''Division A''. The New York City Transit Authority was created in 1953 to take over subway (and bus/streetcar) operations from the city, and was placed under control of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1968.

Rolling stock

:''Main article: New York City Subway rolling stock'' The New York City Subway has the world's largest fleet of subway cars. Over 6,400 cars (as of 2002) are on the NYCT roster. Cars purchased by the City of New York since the inception of the and for the other divisions beginning in 1948 are identified by the letter "R" followed by a number; e.g.: R32 (New York City Subway car)|R32. This number is the contract number under which the cars were purchased. Cars with nearby contract numbers (e.g.: R1 (New York City Subway car)|R1 through R9 (New York City Subway car)|R9) may be virtually identical, simply being purchased under different contracts. Subway car models begin with the letter "R" and are followed by its contract number under which they were purchased. The "R" stands for Revenue service, and it distinguishes them from subway car models built for other purposes. The system maintains two separate fleets of cars, one for the lines, another for the / lines. All IRT equipment is approximately 8'9" (~2.67m) wide and 51' (~15.5m) long while all operating BMT/IND equipment is about 10 feet (~3.0 meters) wide and either 60 feet 6 inches (18.4 meters) or 75 feet (~22.8 meters) long. Though the equipment of the two fleets can operate on the same tracks, the key impediment to interoperation is the fact that the original two subway contracts built for the IRT were built to a smaller profile. This is because the IRT chose to use equipment substantially the same size as that already in use on all the pre-existing elevated railway lines in the city. This profile was consistent with older lines in operation in Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago. When the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company entered into agreements to operate some of the new subway lines, they made the decision to design a new type of car, 10 feet wide and 67 feet long, the subject of several patents, whose larger profile was more similar to that of steam railroad coaches, permitting greater passenger capacity, more comfortable seating and other advantages. The BRT unveiled its design to the public in 1913 and received such wide acceptance that all future subway lines, whether built for the BRT, the IRT or eventually, the IND, were built to handle the wider cars. As a result, while most of the IRT lines could accommodate the larger BMT/IND equipment with modifications to the station platforms and trackside furniture, this is not deemed feasible, because the original, narrower, subway includes portions of both IRT Manhattan mainlines, as well as a critical part of the Brooklyn lines. This could be remedied, but at very great expense. On the other hand, it would be relatively easy to convert many of the Bronx lines for BMT/IND operation; some of the plans for the Second Avenue Line have included a conversion of the IRT Pelham Line.

In popular culture

'' scene with Oscar the Grouch|Oscar (in garbage can) and Big Bird (behind column) at the 86th Street station]] The Subway is often seen as an integral part of the city. Many living in the area through the 1980s remember it for crime and graffiti, but this has subsided since then. The New York City Subway has been featured prominently in many films. One of its first appearances, especially for one in color, is that in the musical On The Town, as location shooting was a novelty in its day. One of the characters takes a fancy on finding "Miss Turnstiles," who is a "typical rider" whose picture appears in many different poses on advertising placards. This is most likely derived from a publicity scheme by the transit authority. Probably the most notable appearance is from the 1971 film ''The French Connection''. The subway/car chase on and underneath the elevated BMT West End Line is often considered the greatest chase scene in film history http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20050316.html Later, the 1974 movie ''The Taking of Pelham One Two Three'' focuses on the hijacking of a 6- Lexington Avenue Pelham Bay Local and Local-Express|6 train in Manhattan. The 1979 cult film ''The Warriors'' based their plot around a street gang taking the subway from upper Bronx to Coney Island. The heavily graffiti|graffitied cars and stations featured are in stark contrast to today's relatively clean subway system. Jason Voorhees is electrocuted on the subway's tracks after attempting to attack two teenagers on one of the trains in 1989 in film|1989's ''''. In the 1990 in film|1990 drama ''Ghost (film)|Ghost'', Patrick Swayze encounters Vincent Schiavelli as a "Subway ghost" who has haunted several trains in the system since being pushed onto the tracks while alive. The 1990 in film|1990 movie ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (movie)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' featured Judith Hoag's "April O'Neil" character being attacked in the subway by Shredder's "Foot soldiers" before being rescued by Raphael and taken through the tunnels to the turtles' subterranean lair. The 1991 in film|1991 sequel to the first "Turtles" movie, '''', found the turtles residing in an old subway tunnel far beneath the current system. In one scene, Ernie Reyes, Jr.'s character remarks that he "never got a seat on the subway system so fast" in his life after carrying odorous chemicals from the streets to the lair. In 1997, Home Box Office|HBO held a contest wherein New Yorkers were encouraged to send in stories about their experiences on the system to be part of a documentary. Said documentary, entitled '''', went on to include over ten stories featuring performances by actors such as Dennis Leary, Steve Zahn, Jerry Stiller, the late Gregory Hines, and Rosie Perez (who also helped to produce). The 2000 Adam Sandler comedy ''Little Nicky (film)|Little Nicky'' featured the subway below Grand Central Terminal as possessing a portal to Hell. At one point, Sandler's character saves girlfriend Patricia Arquette from an oncoming train by throwing himself onto the tracks in her place; upon dying, he finds himself in Heaven. In 2001, the producers of the drama ''Don't Say a Word'' starring Michael Douglas and Brittany Murphy converted the abandoned Lower Bay (TTC)|Lower Bay subway station in Toronto to a station similar to Canal Street (BMT station)|Canal Street. http://transit.toronto.on.ca/subway/5010.shtml In 2004, ''Spider-man 2'' featured a fight and crash scene on an out-of-control elevated 1 (New York City Subway service)|1 train in Manhattan; it was filmed on the Chicago 'L'. In the 1987-1989 American TV series ''Beauty and the Beast (series)|Beauty and the Beast'', Vincent (the "Beast"), who lived in tunnels beneath the city (see "Mole People"), would ride on top of a subway car to travel surreptitiously around the city. In music, the Duke Ellington|Duke Ellington Band performed "Take the A Train", inspired by the A (New York City Subway service)|A train to Harlem. Series of baseball games between New York teams are referred to as Subway Series. It is said that early 20th century teams took the subway to each others' parks. The 2005 Movie Rent featured several cast members dancing and singing while riding the F train.

See also

External links

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/subway/(official site, with detailed maps and schedules)

http://www.nycsubway.org/(a very thorough treatment of the current system and history)

http://www.rapidtransit.net/(the history, technology and politics of rail transit, concentrating on New York City)

http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/

http://www.culvershuttle.com

http://www.straphangers.org(Riders' Advocacy group)

http://www.straphangers.org/cmap.phpcourtesy the Straphangers Campaign

http://www.hopstop.com(online subway directions)

http://www.nydailynews.com/05-22-2005/news/local/story/311693p-266702c.html

http://www.aclu.org/PolicePractices/PolicePractices.cfm?ID=18885&c=119- From the ACLU (a civil liberties organization) web site.

http://www.nysun.com/article/23017/