New York

(New York City), New York, USA (America)

Date of opening [d.m.y]	27.10.1904
Network length	370 km (229.96 mi)
Number of stations	468
Number of lines	27
Stations per line	17.33
Avg. station distance*	0.79 km (0.49 mi)
Avg. line length	13.70 km (8.52 mi)
*with transfer stations counted once
World Metro List by J. Serradell, 1/2008.

System known as	Subway
Annual ridership	1560 million (2007) [source]
Track orientation	Right
Air-conditioned trains	Yes
Walk-through trains	No
Rubber-tyred trains	No
Driverless lines	No
Platform screen doors	Planned for new Second Avenue Line
Metro Features List

Metro Arts and Architecture

Examples of good station design:

	New York City Since the subway system was inaugurated in 1904 by competing companies, it has some interesting station design, above ground as well as below. Photo: Historic ticket kiosk at the entrance of Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall station.
	NYC's subway became a little neglected in the following decades and earned a reputation of crime and grime. But besides significantly improving all stations, trains, and the safety since the 1980's, MTA started to thoroughly refurbish 15 historic stations to their original appearance, e.g. 33rd Street. Ceramic wall decors and mosaic signs are present in most underground stations and come in a wide variety [Stookey, see Reference]. Photo: Ceramic station name mosaic at the refurbished 33rd Street station.
	MTA's 'Arts for Transit' program, founded in 1985, hosts more than 150 modern works of site-specific public art in stations [tfaoi.com], [nycsubway.org], [mta.info], [steelcase.com (PDF)]. Photo: Some of many humourous bronze sculptures, this is 'Life Underground' by Tom Otterness [tomostudio.com] in 14th Street station installed in 2004.

Departure Procedure and Sounds

"Stand clear of the closing doors, please [ding-dong, ding-dong]" in newer trains with pre-recorded voice (mp3 from subwaynut.com). In older trains, drivers often swallow a couple of syllables and mumble something like "Clear closing doors!".

New York

Northbound 6 train departing from 33rd Street station.

Length: 25 sec.

Metro Fonts

Typefaces that have been designed exclusively for this metro:

Font	Designer	Year	Sample	Availability	Reference
(tile fonts in several variations)	G. C. Heins, C. G. La Farge, S. J. Vickers	1901		myfonts.com, myfonts.com	Stookey, Lee: Subway Ceramics. 1992.

Metro Museums

New York Transit Museum. Development of the greater NY metropolitan region through exhibitions, tours, educational programs, and workshops dealing with the cultural, social, and technological history of public transportation. Since In the 1970s. Location: Abandoned Court St IND station from 1936.
Address: Corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn Heights. At Borough Hall (2 3 4 5 A C F), Court St (M R), Hoyt-Schermerhorn St (A C G) metro station.
Hours: Tue – Fri 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sat and Sun Noon to 5 p.m., closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission: 5 USD. Features: museum store, educational programmes, special events.
Reference: mta.info (official website).

Archaeology

During construction of a replacement for South Ferry station, the project hit a 15-meters-long section of a stone wall that archaeologists believe is a unique remnant of the original battery. It has probably been built in the late 17th century and protected the Colonial settlement at the southern tip of Manhattan. The find may delay subway construction and will possibly be displayed in a park or museum [18].

Other Rail Transport in New York

PATH (suburban metro)

Metros to Beaches

Atlantic Ocean: Several elevated subway stations near Coney Island and Rockaway Beach.
Atlantic Ocean: Long Beach station on the Long Island Railroad is only 6 blocks from the beach. In New Jersey (suburban New York), the North Jersey Coast Line has many stops near Atlantic Ocean beaches.

Photo Tours

New York photo tour

Handpicked Resources

kickdesign.com	Redesign project of 2004 by Kick Design for New York's subway map
nycsubway.org	The New York Subway: Its Construction and Equipment. IRT 1904.
lowermanhattan.info	What Lies Beneath: The Architecture of the Subway. Article of 2002.
transitmuseumeducation.org	Online Gallery Talks. New York Transit Museum.
nycsubway.org	New York's subway and the metros of the world
subwaynut.com	New York's and some other subways
transitpics.com	Photos of subway stations
Blumenthal, Saul	New York City Transit Scenes: Past and Present.
Garn, Andrew	Subway Style: 100 Years of Architecture & Design in the New York City Subway. Stewart, Tabori & Chang 2004.
Garn, Andrew et al.	Online Gallery Talk: Subway Style.
Kennedy, Randy	Subwayland. Adventures in the World Beneath New York. St. Martin's Griffin 2004. Witty stories
Stookey, Lee	Subway Ceramics: A History and Iconography. 1992.

Useful Links for New York Subway

Search (Google) (will most likely bring up New York Subway's official website)
System maps (Google Images)
City map (Google Maps) (might show metro stations when zoomed in)
Images (Google Images)
Search urbanrail.net
Wikipedia page
New York city information (Wikipedia)

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