Nyc Subway

NYC is putting the last ‘Redbird’ subway car up for auction

R33 #9075 on display at Queens Borough Hall; Photo via Wikimedia

June 23, 2022

NYC is putting the last ‘Redbird’ subway car up for auction

Here's a chance to own a piece of New York City history. The city's Department of Citywide Administrative Services is selling the last remaining "Redbird" subway car, which was in use from the 1960s until it was retired in 2003. The historic subway car is now up for auction online, with a starting bid of $6,500.
You can own an NYC icon

June 23, 2022

MTA pledges to make 95 percent of subway stations accessible by 2055

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority reached a class action settlement agreement to make 95 percent of currently inaccessible subway stations accessible to those with disabilities over the next three decades, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday. Currently, just 27 percent of the New York City subway system, including Staten Island Railway stations, are fully accessible to riders with disabilities. Under the agreement, which still requires court approval, the MTA will make accessible 81 stations by 2025, another 85 stations by 2035, another 90 stations by 2045, and the last 90 stations by 2055.
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You can buy the Pride rainbow heart decals that adorn NYC subway cars

Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit

June 14, 2022

You can buy the Pride rainbow heart decals that adorn NYC subway cars

By Michelle Cohen

Happy Pride Month, New York City. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been showing off its Pride logo decal on select subway cars since they rolled out the design in 2019. The heart-shaped decal was created as part of “50 cars for 50 years after Stonewall,” marking the historic event's 50th anniversary.
Find out where to get the merch

Subway ridership almost at 90% of pre-pandemic levels in NYC’s working-class neighborhoods

Photo by Jenna Day on Unsplash

May 26, 2022

Subway ridership almost at 90% of pre-pandemic levels in NYC’s working-class neighborhoods

By Aaron Ginsburg

Subway ridership has nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels in New York City's working-class neighborhoods. During the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's monthly board meeting on Wednesday, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said in most working-class neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs, subway ridership has climbed back up to 70, 80, and for some, 90 percent of pre-pandemic ridership levels. But in the city's major business districts, subway ridership remains way below pre-Covid-19 levels.
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MTA and James Beard Foundation partner to bring New Yorkers to local restaurants

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

May 23, 2022

MTA and James Beard Foundation partner to bring New Yorkers to local restaurants

By Michelle Cohen

New Yorkers may seem to need no encouragement to visit the city's bounty of local restaurants, but independent eateries could use a boost after Covid restrictions kept everyone at home. DineAWAY is a joint effort by the MTA and the James Beard Foundation to get residents and visitors to explore New York City's local restaurants and neighborhoods via subways, buses, and commuter rails. DineAWAY sweepstakes offer fabulous foodie prizes like dinner at favorite restaurants and VIP tickets to food festivals.
Delicious details, this way

Nick Cave’s vibrant ‘Soundsuits’ subway station mosaics capture the energy of Times Square

All photos courtesy of MTA/Trent Reeves, unless otherwise noted

May 17, 2022

Nick Cave’s vibrant ‘Soundsuits’ subway station mosaics capture the energy of Times Square

By Devin Gannon

Two new mosaics by the artist Nick Cave were unveiled in Times Square on Monday, completing a permanent artwork and marking the largest mosaic project in New York City's subway system. Commissioned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's public art program, the artwork, titled "Each One, Every One, Equal All," features Cave's wearable sculpture works "Soundsuits" translated into 4,600 square feet of colorful mosaic. The new artwork is part of a larger revamp of the 42nd Street station, including a new entrance and upgraded mezzanine level.
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NYC subway ridership hits highest level since start of Covid

Photo by Jenna Day on Unsplash

May 10, 2022

NYC subway ridership hits highest level since start of Covid

By Devin Gannon

Ridership on the New York City subway reached a new pandemic-era milestone last week, the Metropolitan Transporation Authority announced. On Thursday, 3,497,122 riders swiped into the system, surpassing the last record set during the pandemic in December 2021. While the new record is a positive sign for the city's recovery, Thursday's ridership is still well below the 2019 weekday average of 5.5 million straphangers.
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After Sunset Park shooting, Adams ‘doubles’ number of police officers on subway

Photo courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

April 13, 2022

After Sunset Park shooting, Adams ‘doubles’ number of police officers on subway

By Devin Gannon

Mayor Eric Adams said he will double the number of police officers patrolling the transit system after a mass shooting at a subway station in Sunset Park left over two dozen people injured. Police on Wednesday identified 62-year-old Frank James as the suspect; they believe James detonated a smoke device and began shooting on an N train during rush hour Tuesday morning. The additional deployment comes after Adams deployed 1,000 additional officers earlier this year because of a recent uptick in crime on the subway.
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MTA to test platform barriers at 3 stations in Manhattan and Queens

Image courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit on Flickr

February 23, 2022

MTA to test platform barriers at 3 stations in Manhattan and Queens

By Aaron Ginsburg

After the tragic killing of a subway rider pushed in front of a train earlier this month, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has finally heeded the calls of transit advocates and New Yorkers and will be testing platform doors at three stations in Manhattan and Queens. The MTA will be piloting the barriers at Times Square on the 7 line, at Third Avenue on the L line, and at Sutphin Boulevard/JFK on the E line, as MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber told NY1 Wednesday morning.
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NYC announces plan to stop homeless New Yorkers from sheltering on the subway

Photo by Charles16e on Flickr

February 18, 2022

NYC announces plan to stop homeless New Yorkers from sheltering on the subway

By Devin Gannon

New York City will increase enforcement of certain rules in the subway system as part of a broader safety plan to address homelessness announced by Mayor Eric Adams and the MTA on Friday. The NYPD will boost their enforcement of the "rules of conduct," which includes the prohibition of lying down or sleeping in a way that interferes with others, exhibiting aggressive behavior, spitting, smoking, using drugs, and "using the subway for any purpose other than transportation," according to the 17-page plan. "No more just doing whatever you want," Adams said on Friday. "Those days are over. Swipe your MetroCard, ride the system, and get off at your destination."
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NYC commits $75M to Fair Fares program, makes it a permanent part of budget

By Devin Gannon

Funding for New York City's Fair Fares program, which offers a 50 percent discount on subway and bus trips for low-income New Yorkers, has been secured annually for the first time ever. Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams on Monday announced an agreement to baseline $75 million in funding for the program for the upcoming fiscal year 2023 budget. Fair Fares was originally funded at $106 million in 2020, but pandemic-related budget cuts reduced funding for the program to just over $40 million.
Details here

MTA to roll out fare-capping pilot program for OMNY this month

Image courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

February 8, 2022

MTA to roll out fare-capping pilot program for OMNY this month

By Aaron Ginsburg

In an effort to get riders back on the New York City subway system, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has introduced a pilot fare-capping program that they believe will be "more affordable, more flexible, and more fair." Starting on February 28, subway or bus riders who use the OMNY contactless payment system 12 times within a seven-day period will be automatically upgraded to an unlimited pass for the rest of that week. The fare-capping program will last for at least four months.
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NYC-area transit agencies seek ways to restore ridership post-Covid

Image courtesy of Patrick Cashin / MTA New York City Transit

February 1, 2022

NYC-area transit agencies seek ways to restore ridership post-Covid

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City-area transit agencies are looking for ways to restore public transit ridership to the levels they were before the pandemic. The MTA, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NJ Transit, the city's Department of Transportation, and the Partnership for NYC announced on Monday the fourth round of the Transit Tech Lab, a program that aims to find solutions to problems facing the city's public transportation system. The agencies put forth two challenges; the first is a solution to help the public transit system recover from Covid-19 and restore its ridership to pre-pandemic levels. The second is a sustainability challenge, looking for innovations that will better prepare the transit system against extreme weather conditions while leaving less of a carbon footprint.
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14-mile ‘Interborough Express’ route between Brooklyn and Queens moves forward

Image courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

January 21, 2022

14-mile ‘Interborough Express’ route between Brooklyn and Queens moves forward

By Aaron Ginsburg

A public transportation project that could ease the lives of thousands of New Yorkers is gaining momentum. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced the completion of a feasibility study for the Interborough Express, moving the project into its next phase of development. The feasibility study yielded promising results, revealing that the new line could serve anywhere between 74,000 and 88,000 riders a day while connecting to 17 subway stops and the Long Island Rail Road. From its start in Bay Ridge to its final stop in Jackson Heights, the route would take 40 minutes.
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Adams, Hochul will increase police presence in NYC subway system to combat homelessness and crime

Image courtesy of Kevin P. Coughlin/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul on Flickr

January 7, 2022

Adams, Hochul will increase police presence in NYC subway system to combat homelessness and crime

By Aaron Ginsburg

Commuters will soon see more New York City police officers riding the subway, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday. Hochul and Adams on Thursday laid out a new initiative to tackle homelessness by deploying teams of specially trained Safe Options Support officials. These "SOS" teams will consist of mental health professionals who will work with the city's outreach teams to assist homeless New Yorkers. To combat crime in the subway system, Adams has ordered the mobilization of more officers who will patrol stations and board trains to make visual inspections.
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Hochul announces 14-mile-long ‘Interborough Express,’ connecting Bay Ridge to Jackson Heights

Image courtesy of the MTA

January 6, 2022

Hochul announces 14-mile-long ‘Interborough Express,’ connecting Bay Ridge to Jackson Heights

By Aaron Ginsburg

After decades of speculation and discarded plans, better train access could be on the way for New Yorkers living in Queens and Brooklyn. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday announced in her 2022 State of the State address plans for the development of the "Interborough Express," a major transit service expansion that would connect the boroughs. The proposed expansion takes the Bay Ridge Branch, a freight rail line that already runs through Brooklyn and Queens, and transforms it into a 14-mile arching track stretching from Bay Ridge to Jackson Heights. The new track would link up to 17 existing subway lines across the two boroughs, as well as provide a connection to the Long Island Rail Road.
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Walk-in Covid testing now available at 7 subway stations across NYC

Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit on Flickr

January 3, 2022

Walk-in Covid testing now available at 7 subway stations across NYC

By Devin Gannon

Pop-up coronavirus testing sites are now open at seven subway stations across New York City. After opening two walk-in PCR testing sites at Grand Central and Times Square stations last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority opened additional sites at five subway stations, including Penn Station, Broadway Junction in Brooklyn, East 180th Street in the Bronx, and Roosevelt Avenue and Jamaica-179th Street in Queens. The state is currently experiencing a record surge in new Covid cases, which officials are attributing to the highly contagious Omicron variant.
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Policy

Ride NYC’s oldest operating subway cars one last time before the MTA retires them

Photo of an R32 subway car by Mtattrain on Wikimedia

December 20, 2021

Ride NYC’s oldest operating subway cars one last time before the MTA retires them

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is set to retire the R-32, one of the oldest operating subway cars in the world, in early 2022. The R-32 has carried New Yorkers to their destinations for 58 years but has fallen out of use due to the modernization of the subway system. To honor their incredible legacy, an R-32 train will run on each consecutive Sunday in December before being officially retired in early January.
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What it was like the day the NYC subway opened in 1904

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. “City Hall Subway Station, New York” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1906.

October 27, 2021

What it was like the day the NYC subway opened in 1904

By Emily Nonko

The Interborough Rapid Transit Subway, or IRT, was the first subway company ever in New York City. The company formed as a response to elevated train lines springing up around the city--it was time to go underground and build a rapid transit railroad to help combat street congestion and assist development in new areas of New York, according to NYCsubway.org. On October 27, 1904, the first IRT subway line opened with the City Hall station as its showpiece. It's no overstatement to say that after this date, the city would never be the same. And the day was one to remember, with pure excitement over the impressive feat of moving the city's transit system underground.
Here's what you need to know

NYC subway ridership topped 3.2 million riders in one day for the first time since Covid

Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit on Flickr

October 18, 2021

NYC subway ridership topped 3.2 million riders in one day for the first time since Covid

By Devin Gannon

For the first time since the start of the pandemic, the New York City subway saw over 3.2 million riders in one day. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Friday announced 3,236,904 customers rode the subway on October 14, passing the previous record made a week prior by 50,000 customers. The record set last week still remains far below pre-pandemic levels; average weekday ridership regularly exceeded 5.5 million trips before Covid.
More here

September 24, 2021

MTA unveils colorful new subway mosaics at Bedford and 1st Avenue L train stations

By Dana Schulz

This week, the MTA unveiled two new mosaic series at the 1st Avenue and Bedford Avenue L train stations. In the East Village, artist Katherine Bradford created Queens of the Night, a fanciful tribute to the creatives and essential workers (depicted as superheroes) who ride the L train. And in Williamsburg, artist Marcel Dzama created No Less Than Everything Comes Together, a collection of theatric fairytale-like figures under the sun and moon.
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September 10, 2021

Colorful ‘Soundsuits’ mosaics by Nick Cave revealed at 42nd Street Shuttle passageway

By Dana Schulz

Artist Nick Cave is best known for his Soundsuits, wearable sculptures made of natural materials like dyed human hair and feathers that make noise when worn. For his latest endeavor, creating a public art piece for the passageway that connects the B, D, F, and M trains to the 42nd Street shuttle, Cave translated his Soundsuits into colorful, energetic mosaics of dancers in Soundsuits made of raffia and fur. According to the New York Times, the $1.8M project was commissioned by MTA Arts & Design as part of the larger $250 million undertaking to revamp the shuttle. In addition to more than 24 intricate mosaics, Cave's piece, titled "Every One," includes a series of 11 digital screens that play videos of people in actual Soundsuits dancing.
See the mosaics here

Hurricane Ida brings historic flash flooding across NYC, second record rainfall in 10 days

Photo courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office on Flickr

September 2, 2021

Hurricane Ida brings historic flash flooding across NYC, second record rainfall in 10 days

By Devin Gannon

Less than two weeks ago, New York City experienced the most rainfall ever recorded in a single hour with 1.94 inches documented in Central Park on August 21. That record was smashed on Wednesday night when the remnants of Hurricane Ida hit the region, bringing 3.15 inches of rain to the park between around 8:50 p.m. and 9:50 p.m. The historic rainfall caused a flash flood emergency to be issued in the city for the first time ever, brought the subway system to a standstill, and ultimately left at least 12 New Yorkers dead.
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Policy

NYC’s first subway was a pneumatic tube that moved passengers one block

Image via Rawpixel/ Wikimedia Commons

July 12, 2021

NYC’s first subway was a pneumatic tube that moved passengers one block

By Diane Pham

Nearly 150 years ago, something quite momentous happened in New York history: the first subway line was opened to the public. The system was the invention of Alfred Ely Beach and his company Beach Pneumatic Transit Company. Beach put up $350,000 of his own money to build the first prototype and tunnel and his company managed to put it together, somewhat covertly, in just 58 days. The tunnel measured about 312 feet long, eight feet in diameter, and was completed in 1870.
more on the history of NYC's 1st subway line here

First new futuristic subway cars arrive in NYC for testing

All photos: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

July 2, 2021

First new futuristic subway cars arrive in NYC for testing

By Devin Gannon

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Thursday unveiled the first batch of subway cars of a brand new fleet that will serve passengers starting next summer. With wider doors and better signage, the long-awaited R211 cars are designed to increase capacity and provide commuters a more modern experience. The test cars that arrived this week fall under a $1.4 billion order from Kawasaki Rail Car Inc., which includes 535 subway and Staten Island Railway R211 cars. A few of the cars will hit the rails in the coming weeks, but won't serve passengers until next September.
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