168-617: Since the opening of the original New York City Subway line in 1904, and throughout the subway's history , various official and planning agencies have proposed numerous extensions to the subway system. The first major expansion of the subway system was the Dual Contracts , a set of agreements between the City of New York and the IRT and the BRT . The system was expanded into the outer reaches of
336-553: A bill allowing for the creation of a rapid transit commission in New York City, which was formed in 1875. In April 1877, the New York City Board of Alderman passed a resolution requesting that Commissioner Campbell assess the feasibility of constructing an underground line from City Hall to the existing line by private enterprise. The Commissioner was strongly in support of such a plan, and predicted that such
504-568: A brand-new line, or Nostrand Avenue and Flatbush Avenue , using the then-new IRT Nostrand Avenue Line . There were also alternate plans for the Nostrand Avenue Line to continue down Nostrand Avenue to Sheepshead Bay . On August 28, 1922, Mayor John Francis Hylan unveiled his own plans for the subway system, which was relatively small at the time. His plan included building over 100 miles (160 km) of new lines and taking over nearly 100 miles (160 km) of existing lines. By
672-728: A competing subway company called the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad , proposed building a line under Broadway between Hudson Terminal and Herald Square . He later proposed that the Broadway line be tied into the IRT's original subway line in Lower Manhattan. The Broadway line, going southbound, would merge with the local tracks of the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in the southbound direction at 10th Street. A spur off
840-692: A connection running from the Third Avenue local tracks at Third Avenue and 149th Street to Westchester Avenue and Eagle Avenue. Once the connection to the IRT Lenox Avenue Line opened on July 10, 1905, trains from the newly opened IRT subway ran via the line. Elevated service on the White Plains Road Line via the Third Avenue elevated connection was resumed on October 1, 1907, when Second Avenue locals were extended to Freeman Street during rush hours. The West Side Branch
1008-531: A direct route to Grand Central Terminal on the East Side of Manhattan and connections to most other New York City subway routes. This was being planned as an extension of the already-under construction 7 Subway Extension (see below ). In April 2012, citing budget considerations, the director of the MTA , Joe Lhota , said that it was doubtful the extension would be built in the foreseeable future, suggesting that
1176-456: A five-member Board of Rapid Transit Commissioners in April 1889 to lay out planned subway lines across the city. The Board held its first meeting on April 23, 1890, and elected August Belmont as its President. The Board sent a letter to Mayor Grant on June 20, telling him that state law made it illegal to construct a rail line on many streets in the city, making it impossible to provide routes for
1344-661: A junction with the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad (West End Line) and concurrently-opened New York, Bay Ridge and Jamaica Railroad (Manhattan Beach Line) to Coney Island on July 18, 1877. After a delay of two years, it was opened to the Bay Ridge Ferry (to South Ferry, Manhattan ) on July 17, 1879, at which time the Sea Beach Palace opened at the Coney Island end. Except at its two ends,
1512-772: A lease of only 35 years, was executed between the commission and the Rapid Transit Subway Construction Company on September 11, with construction beginning at State Street in Manhattan on November 8, 1902. Belmont incorporated the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) in April 1902 as the operating company for both contracts; the IRT leased the Manhattan Railway Company , operator of the four elevated railway lines in Manhattan and
1680-557: A line beginning with a loop at Broadway and Park Row around the General Post Office, before continuing as a four-track line via Park Row, Centre Street, Elm Street, Lafayette Place, Fourth Avenue, 42nd Street and Broadway to 103rd Street. Then the line would diverge, with a western branch running under Broadway to Fort George before continuing via a viaduct over Ellwood Street and Kingsbridge Road to Bailey Avenue. The intermediate section would be largely underground, except for
1848-582: A line would have a daily ridership of 100,000, would make $ 1.8 million annually and would cost $ 9 to $ 10 million to build–in his mind, a financial success. William Vanderbilt was criticized for not following through on the plans of his father to extend the line to City Hall. In 1880, the New York Tunnel Railway was incorporated to construct a railroad from Washington Square Park under Wooster Street and University Street to 13th Street, and then under Fourth Avenue and 42nd Street to connect to
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#17327730338852016-480: A mezzanine impractical. Three stations, 168th Street , 181st Street , and Mott Avenue , were built at a deep level and contain arched ceilings; they were only reachable by elevators. The 191st Street station was also built at a deep level, but contains a passageway in addition to its elevator entrance. Deep stations had their ticket offices directly under the sidewalk, and had a stairway and elevators that could accommodate 3,500 riders per hour leading down to
2184-540: A modification to Contract 1 was made, allowing for the construction of an infill station on the West Farms Branch at Intervale Avenue. The station would have an escalator to the mezzanine, where the ticket office would be located. Construction of the station began in December 1909. The station opened on April 30, 1910, even though work on the station was not completed until July. In February 1910, work began on
2352-429: A modification was made to Contracts 1 and 2 to lengthen station platforms to increase the length of express trains to eight cars from six cars, and to lengthen local trains from five cars to six cars. In addition to $ 1.5 million spent on platform lengthening, $ 500,000 was spent on building additional entrances and exits. It was anticipated that these improvements would increase capacity by 25 percent. In September 1910, it
2520-741: A platform on the outer loop. The Central Park North–110th Street station , north of 96th Street, had a single island platform. Other nonstandard platform layouts included a Spanish solution (two side platforms, one island platform, and two tracks), used at the terminal stations at Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street and 180th Street–Bronx Park . Generally, local platforms south of 96th Street were originally 200 feet (61 m) long and between 10 and 20 feet (3.0 and 6.1 m) wide. Express platforms, all platforms north of 96th Street, and all Contract 2 platforms were originally 350 feet (110 m) long and between 15.5 and 30 feet (4.7 and 9.1 m) wide. The 200-foot local platforms could fit five cars of
2688-404: A population of over one million, of which New York City was the only one, to create a board of "rapid transit railroad commissioners." This Board would determine whether it was necessary to build a rapid transit system, and if this were the case, would adopt a route for the construction of a railroad and obtain permission for its construction from local authorities, and local property owners, or from
2856-734: A possible connection at the Manhattan Bridge 's south side. In Manhattan, he proposed a new four-track line running down Third Avenue from City Hall, with connections to the White Plains Road and Pelham Lines in the Bronx. The line would therefore have to be built to IRT clearances. At the line's southern end, a connection would be built to the Eastern Parkway Line near Franklin Avenue via a new set of tubes under
3024-550: A possible future extension south under Broadway. To allow for the switching back of express trains, a relay track was constructed under Park Row, allowing for a future southern extension under Broadway. On December 20, 1900, the contractor requested that the plans for the Manhattan Valley Viaduct be modified to allow for a three-track structure and for the construction of a third track at the 145th Street, 116th Street, and 110th Street stations. The Board adopted
3192-581: A ramp which formerly connected to the original line to the Brooklyn shore at 65th Street in Bay Ridge . After passing the former junction with the line to the shore, the Sea Beach widens to the width of four tracks. All stations have two side platforms with no platform access to the express tracks anywhere on the Sea Beach right-of-way. Before and after Kings Highway , there are crossover switches to
3360-562: A series of hearings, it unanimously concluded that a rapid transit system was needed in New York City and that it should be completed through an underground system. The board released a plan for a mostly underground rapid transit line on October 20, 1891, and obtained consent from local authorities and the General Term of the New York Supreme Court. The Board adopted detailed plans for the railroad, and opened bidding for
3528-521: A single station on the Sea Beach Line. The express tracks on the Sea Beach had other uses over the years. Most new equipment, especially experimental cars, was broken in on these tracks. The tracks were used for motorman training and set up with a short stretch of 1950s-era automation to test the ill-fated system later used on one track of the IRT 42nd Street Shuttle . Historically, the two express tracks were an absolute block, that is, there
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#17327730338853696-422: A station to run more closely to the stopped train, eliminating the need to be separated by hundreds of feet. The new signals were also installed at Grand Central, 14th Street, Brooklyn Bridge, and 72nd Street by November 1909, allowing the IRT to run two or three more trains during peak hours. On June 18, 1908, a modification to Contract 2 was made to add shuttle service between Bowling Green and South Ferry. At
3864-465: A storage yard between 137th Street and 145th Street, with three tracks on either side of the main line to allow for the storage of 150 cars. The Board authorized the request on May 2, 1901, and rescinded the March 7 resolution. The new resolution specified that the third track would be for express trains. However, construction on the section between 104th Street and 125th Street had already begun prior to
4032-583: A subway line that would benefit the public. The Board later adopted a route that would avoid these restrictions, with the section of the route between 42nd Street and City Hall being identical to the route of the first subway line that would be built. As a result of the worsening transportation situation in the city, and requests for action by the public, the State Legislature passed the Rapid Transit Act of 1891, allowing all cities with
4200-459: A subway system if New York City loaned it money to undertake the work. A committee of the most influential members of the Chamber came out in support of the proposition, but former Mayor Hewitt stated it was not wise to present the public with a proposal in which public money would be used by the private sector. Hewitt's opinion was unanimously approved by the Chamber of Commerce, and a new committee
4368-467: Is prevalent on the line, would be mitigated; this required going onto private property to remove graffiti and fix the roofs of the stations. Eighth Avenue and New Utrecht Avenue/62nd Street would get wheelchair-accessible elevators . The $ 395,700,000 project was scheduled to begin in the winter of 2015, but work began in late June 2015. Funding for the renovation was provided for in the 2010–2014 Capital Program. From January 18, 2016, to May 22, 2017,
4536-486: Is wide enough that stations' platforms generally did not extend under the sidewalk; at these stations, access to the platforms was provided by a single wide staircase. Most stations in which the tracks were not under the middle of the street, with only a single platform under the sidewalks, were supplied with a pair of wide staircases due to their location in Harlem's business district. Among stations with two side platforms,
4704-545: The BMT assigned numbers to its services. The Sea Beach Line service became the 4 . This has since become the N train. In general, Sea Beach service has always run express in Manhattan and on Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn, ending at 42nd Street and later 57th Street . The NX began on November 27, 1967, as a "super-express" from Brighton Beach on the BMT Brighton Line through Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue , and along
4872-591: The BMT Fourth Avenue Line at a flying junction immediately south of 59th Street . Between the station and the split, crossover switches are provided between the local and express tracks of the Fourth Avenue Line, and then the express tracks curve east under the northbound local track to become the beginning of the Sea Beach Line. After emerging from the tunnel under Fourth Avenue, the two separate Sea Beach tracks rise on either side of
5040-729: The BMT Sea Beach Line , and the Nassau Street loops. The route of the new subway ... comprises a main trunk north and south through Manhattan Borough on Lexington Avenue and Irving Place from the Harlem River to Tenth St. and on Broadway, Vesey and Church Sts. from Tenth St. to the Battery; two branches in Bronx Borough, one northeast via 138th St. Southern Boulevard and Westchester Ave. to Pelham Bay Park.
5208-634: The Beach Pneumatic Railroad Company . Since none of these companies could obtain enough capital to fund construction, proposals to construct a subway line died by 1875. That year, the Rapid Transit Act of 1875 was passed, allowing for the construction of multiple elevated rail lines in the city, which reduced demand for a subway line until 1884. In 1874, the New York State Legislature passed
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5376-550: The Brooklyn Bridge and BMT Fifth Avenue Line . Streetcars ran over the rest of the line to Bay Ridge, from New Utrecht Avenue and 62nd Street to 65th Street and Third Avenue. In 1907, connecting tracks were built connecting to the West End Line just north of Coney Island Creek in order to bring Sea Beach trains into West End Depot . The original alignment was retained for freight service only. The portion of
5544-596: The Carnegie Steel Company . United Building Materials Company was to supply 1.5 million barrels of cement, which would be used to make 400,000 cubic yards of concrete. These were said to be "the largest ever undertaken by an individual firm for supplying cement and steel for a single engineering work". On February 26, the Board instructed the Chief Engineer to evaluate the feasibility of extending
5712-474: The Gateway Project was a much more likely solution to congestion at Hudson River crossings. A feasibility study commissioned by the city and released in April 2013 revived hope for the project, however, with Mayor Bloomberg saying "Extending the 7 train to Secaucus is a promising potential solution ... and is deserving of serious consideration." In 2017, a further extension of the 7 train to New Jersey
5880-555: The IND Crosstown Line . There would have been three tunnels under the East River: East Houston Street, Stanton Street, and Grand Street. The Utica Avenue station shell, if complete, would be in the standard local-express-express-local platform configuration. The Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue shell, a two-trackbed island-platformed station, would have been for local trains terminating at
6048-860: The IRT Flushing Line and BMT Canarsie Line were both considered; the Canarsie Line was to be extended to Hoboken near the Palisades , while the Flushing Line was to be extended to Franklin Street between Boulevard and Bergenline Avenues in Union City . Ultimately, the cost was too great, and with the Great Depression , these ideas were quickly shot down. In 1954, Regional Plan Association advocated for an extension of
6216-549: The IRT Nostrand Avenue Line , IRT Flushing Line , and BMT Astoria Line . It would have created a subway loop bounded by 2nd and 10th Avenues, and 34th and 125th Streets. This plan included no extensions to Whitestone, Queens , however, with the plan to instead serve more densely populated areas such as Astoria and the Roosevelt Avenue corridor. The plan would also take over the local tracks of
6384-888: The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad . In 1986, the Regional Plan Association suggested extending the IRT Flushing Line to New Jersey's Meadowlands Sports Complex . On November 16, 2010, the plan was revisited yet again, as The New York Times reported that Mayor Michael Bloomberg 's administration had been working on a plan to extend the 7 service across the Hudson River to Hoboken and continue to Secaucus Junction in New Jersey , where it would connect with most New Jersey Transit commuter lines. It would offer New Jersey commuters
6552-680: The New York, Westchester and Boston Railway right-of way. This funding was reallocated, and the old NYW&B line became the IRT Dyre Avenue Line in December 1941, and the IND Concourse Line extension was not brought up again until 1968. In 1942, Mayor Benjamin F. Barnes of Yonkers proposed that the Getty Square Branch of the New York Central's Putnam Division be acquired for an extension of
6720-735: The BMT Canarsie Line from Eighth Avenue to Jersey City under the Hudson River. The tunnel under the Hudson would have cost $ 40 million. The extension would have provided access to commuter railroads in New Jersey as most lines converged there, and the lines that didn't would be rerouted to stop there. The RPA also suggested having a parking lot there for access from the Pulaski Skyway and the New Jersey Turnpike. It
6888-594: The Bay Ridge Branch in a deeper cut. On the Coney Island end, the original path curved left soon after the curve to the right at the northern edge of the Coney Island Yards, ending at the combined Sea Beach Palace hotel and depot, on the north side of the BMT Brighton Line at around West 10th Street. On May 22, 1883, the company was reorganized as the New York and Sea Beach Railway Company and
Proposed expansion of the New York City Subway - Misplaced Pages Continue
7056-616: The Board of Rapid Transit Commissioners from the 1891 law. The subway plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by William Barclay Parsons , chief engineer of the Rapid Transit Commission. It called for a subway line from New York City Hall in lower Manhattan to the Upper West Side , where two branches would lead north into the Bronx . As part of the project, Parsons investigated other cities' transit systems to determine features that could be used in
7224-436: The Board of Transportation issued a $ 1 billion plan that would extend the subway to the farthest reaches of the outer boroughs. Even though the Board of Transportation did not approve these ideas, they were still proposed. In 1949, the Board of Transportation issued a $ 504 million plan to increase capacity on several subway lines through the construction of a new trunk line under Second Avenue. Early history of
7392-416: The Board on February 19, 1904, for his proposals in Manhattan and the Bronx, and released his proposals for Brooklyn and Queens on March 12. On June 27, 1907, a modification called the 96th Street Improvement was made to Contract 1, which would add tracks at 96th Street in order to remove the at-grade junction north of the 96th Street station. Here, trains from Lenox Avenue and Broadway would switch to get to
7560-500: The Broadway Line. The platforms at all but three express stations were extended to accommodate ten-car trains. The platforms at 168th Street and 181st Street, and the northbound platform at Grand Central, were not extended. Until the platform extensions were completed, the first two cars of trains overshot the platform, and the doors did not open in these cars. All southbound stations on the Broadway Line north of 96th Street and on
7728-403: The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, and it provided for the construction of important lines in Manhattan. This one expansion of the system provided for a majority of today's system. Even with this expansion, there was a pressing need for growth. In 1922, Mayor John Hylan put out his plan for over 100 miles of new subway lines going to all five boroughs. His plan was intended to directly compete with
7896-492: The Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn. While ambitious, very little of the plan was completed, mostly because of the financial crisis in the 1970s. Until the 1990s, there was little focus on expansion of the system because the system was in a state of disrepair, and funds were allocated to maintaining the existing system. In the 1990s, however, with the system in better shape, the construction of the Second Avenue Subway
8064-613: The Bronx, on April 1, 1903. On July 12, 1900, the contract was modified to widen the subway at Spring Street to allow for the construction of 600 feet (183 m) of a fifth track, and to lengthen express station platforms to 350 feet (107 m) to accommodate longer trains. On June 21, 1900, the route of Contract 1 was modified at Fort George in Upper Manhattan. The route was changed to run over Nagle Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue instead of over Ellwood Street, between Eleventh Avenue and Kingsbridge Avenue or Broadway. The route of
8232-584: The Bronx. The lines used third rail power supplied by the IRT Powerhouse , as well as rolling stock made of steel or of steel–wood composite. The city could only afford one subway line in 1900 and had hoped that the IRT would serve mainly to relieve overcrowding on the existing transit system, but the line was extremely popular, accommodating 1.2 million riders a day by 1914. Although the subway had little impact on retail in Lower and Midtown Manhattan ,
8400-419: The Bronx; only the planned Grand Concourse line would alleviate congestion, in this case congestion on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line . There would be little relief on the two lines jointly-operated between the IRT and the BMT. He came up with his own plan. He proposed that the Eighth Avenue Line, through a connection from Fulton or Wall Streets to Chambers Street, be connected to the BMT's lines to Coney Island, with
8568-407: The Brooklyn Heights Railroad. It was soon fitted with trolley wire for electric operation. A March 1, 1907, agreement allowed the company to operate through service from 38th Street and New Utrecht Avenue to Coney Island. Starting around 1908, electric trains began operating as a branch of the BMT West End Line from Bath Junction to Coney Island, with trains coming from Park Row in Manhattan via
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#17327730338858736-493: The East River, Joralemon Street, Fulton Street, and Flatbush Avenue to Atlantic Avenue. The second route would have followed the first route but would have gone to Hamilton Avenue before going towards Bay Ridge and South Brooklyn. On January 24, 1901, the Board adopted the first route, which would extend the subway 3.1 miles (5.0 km) from City Hall to the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)'s Flatbush Avenue terminal station (now known as Atlantic Terminal) in Brooklyn. The line's cost
8904-402: The East River. To alleviate congestion on the Queens lines, a new trunk line would run from Eighth Avenue in Manhattan to Jamaica, with transfers to the north–south lines in Manhattan and to Brooklyn Crosstown service. This would later be built as the IND Queens Boulevard Line . To round out expansion in Manhattan, he proposed that an extension of the BMT Canarsie Line to Eighth Avenue . This
9072-570: The East Side Branch to West Farms ( 180th Street ). Beginning on June 18, 1906, Lenox Avenue express trains no longer ran to 145th Street; all Lenox Avenue express trains ran to the West Farms Line. When the Brooklyn branch opened, all West Farms express trains and rush-hour Broadway express trains operated through to Brooklyn. Essentially each branch had a local and an express, with express service to Broadway (242nd Street) and West Farms, and local service to Broadway and Lenox Avenue (145th Street). In November 1906, some southbound express trains on
9240-405: The Fourth Ave. line extending south to Fort Hamilton and southeast to Coney Island; and a loop feeder line in Brooklyn through Lafayette Ave. and Broadway, connecting with the Fourth Ave. line at one end. and at the other crossing the Williamsburg Bridge and entering the Centre Street Loop subway in Manhattan which is thus also incorporated in the system. In 1911, William Gibbs McAdoo , who operated
9408-756: The Fourth Avenue Improvement. On October 2, 1895, the Central Tunnel Company, the New-York and New-Jersey Tunnel Railroad Company, and the Terminal Underground Railroad Company of New York were consolidated into the Underground Railroad Company of the City of New York. Together, they planned to build a line running from City Hall Park to the Fourth Avenue Improvement. The line would have run north under Chambers Street and Reade Street, before going up Elm Street to Spring Street, Marion Street and Mulberry Streets , before continuing through blocks and Great Jones Street, Lafayette Place , Astor Place and Eighth Street , and then under Ninth Street to Fourth Avenue, before heading under 42nd Street to Grand Central Depot to connect with
9576-446: The Fourth Avenue Improvement. The line would have had three connecting branches. In January 1888, Mayor Abram Hewitt , in his message to the New York City Common Council , conveyed his belief that a subway line could not be built in New York City without the use of credit from the city government, and that if city funding were used, the city should own the subway line. He stated that a private company would likely be needed to undertake
9744-412: The General Term of the New York Supreme Court . The Board would then approve detailed plans for the operation and construction of the railroad and sell the right to operate and construct the rail line. The government could issue bonds in order to fund rapid transit for the city. The year, a five-member rapid transit board for the city, called the Board of Rapid Transit Commissioners, was appointed. After
9912-545: The IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line from Van Cortlandt Park. This service would replace the service operated by the New York Central, which was slated to be discontinued by the New York Central. A rail link to LaGuardia Airport was proposed in 1943, when the city Board of Transportation proposed an extension of the BMT Astoria Line (currently served by the N and W trains) from its terminus at Ditmars Boulevard . The line would have run along Ditmars Boulevard, and would have cost $ 10.5 million. In 1946,
10080-424: The IRT subway The first regularly operated line of the New York City Subway was opened on October 27, 1904, and was operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT). The early IRT system consisted of a single trunk line running south from 96th Street in Manhattan (running under Broadway , 42nd Street , Park Avenue , and Lafayette Street ), with a southern branch to Brooklyn . North of 96th Street,
10248-414: The IRT's original rolling stock, while the 350-foot platforms could fit eight original cars. Both the local and express trains were slightly longer than the platforms, as each car was about 51 feet (16 m) long; thus, the frontmost and rearmost doors of each train did not open. One major consideration was the avoidance of escalators and elevators as the primary means of access to the station. Many of
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#173277303388510416-421: The Lenox Avenue Line coming from the Bronx. Residents of the area requested the construction of a station at this location again in 1921. The soil excavated during construction went to various places. In particular, Ellis Island in New York Harbor was expanded from 2.74 acres (1.11 ha) to 27.5 acres (11.1 ha), partially with soil from the excavation of the IRT line, while nearby Governors Island
10584-415: The Lexington Avenue Line in Lower Manhattan, in the back of Trinity Church , would split eastward under Wall Street , cross the East River to Brooklyn , then head down the Fourth Avenue Line in Brooklyn, with another spur underneath Lafayette Avenue. The Triborough System later became part of the Dual Contracts , signed on March 19, 1913 and also known as the Dual Subway System. These were contracts for
10752-484: The Manhattan Valley Viaduct between 122nd Street and 135th Street, which would cross a deep valley there. The eastern branch was to run under private property to 104th Street, under that street, Central Park, Lenox Avenue, the Harlem River and 149th Street. At Third Avenue, the line would emerge onto a viaduct, continuing over Westchester Avenue, Southern Boulevard and Boston Road to Bronx Park. Both branches were to be two-track lines. Bids were opened on January 15, 1900, and
10920-629: The Manhattan-bound platforms of all stations were closed. At Bay Parkway and Eighth Avenue, temporary wooden platforms were placed on the southbound express trackbed. After a two-month halt in construction, the Coney Island bound platforms closed on July 31, 2017. The southbound platforms at Kings Highway, Avenue U, and 86th Street reopened on October 29, 2018, with closures lasting a month less than for their northbound counterparts. The southbound platforms between Eighth Avenue and Bay Parkway, however, were closed until July 1, 2019, six months longer than their northern counterparts and seven months longer than
11088-444: The New York City Rapid Transit Company chartered in 1872 to build an underground line from Grand Central station to City Hall as an extension of the Park Avenue main line . The line would have run from Broadway's east side at City Hall Park east to Chatham or Centre Street, then to Park Street, Mott Street , the Bowery , Third Avenue, and Fourth Avenue to connect with the existing line between 48th Street and 59th Street. The line
11256-445: The New York, Westchester and Boston Railway, and the Rockaway Beach Branch of the Long Island Rail Road . The table of route miles is as follows: Other plans, proposed during the same time as the IND Second System plans, included the following: An earlier plan in 1920 had an even more expansive plan, with several dozen subway lines going across all five boroughs. The following provisions were made for connections and transfers to
11424-566: The Rapid Transit Commission. The city government started construction on the first IRT subway in 1900, leasing it to the IRT for operation under Contracts 1 and 2. After the initial line was opened, several modifications and extensions were made in the 1900s and 1910s. The designs of the underground stations are inspired by those of the Paris Métro ; with few exceptions, Parsons's team designed two types of stations for Contracts 1 and 2. Many stations were built just below or above street level, as Parsons wished to avoid using escalators and elevators as
11592-510: The Rapid Transit Construction Company would provide the cost of necessary equipment, including signals, rolling stock, and power plants. A formal groundbreaking ceremony was done City Hall on March 24, pursuant to the contract's requirements. Shortly afterwards, the Rapid Transit Construction Company began preparing for the actual construction of the line, divided the route up into fifteen sections, and invited bids from subcontractors for each of these segments. Degnon-McLean Contracting Company
11760-399: The Sea Beach Line express tracks to 57th Street with only seven stops between Stillwell Avenue and 57th Street, three in Brooklyn and four in Manhattan. This service was discontinued on April 15, 1968, due to low ridership, and no regular trains have used the Sea Beach express tracks since. In the 1970s, there was a proposal to renovate the Sea Beach open cut, which was deteriorating to
11928-427: The Sea Beach Line. Trolley cars started using the new open cut between Avenue T and 86th Street on January 9, 1914. Service was gradually extended until the new Sea Beach Line opened for full subway service. Two subway cars with poles were run between Third Avenue and New Utrecht Avenue and started operating on March 16, 1915. Additional cars were equipped with poles and operated service on the line from May 1, 1915, until
12096-491: The Sea Beach trains were shifted to the express tracks on Fourth Avenue, with Fourth Avenue trains providing local service. The tracks over the north side of the Manhattan Bridge opened on September 4, 1917, along with part of the BMT Broadway Line . All Sea Beach service was moved to the new line, ending at 14th Street–Union Square . This was extended to Times Square–42nd Street on January 5, 1918. In 1924,
12264-468: The Times Square and Astor Place stations had underpasses connecting the platforms, while the 103rd Street, 116th Street, 168th Street, 181st Street, and Mott Avenue stations had overpasses linking the platforms. Crossovers and crossunders were not provided at other stations, although underpasses were installed at 28th Street and 66th Street after the original IRT opened. A slight modification to
12432-569: The West Side branch began skipping the four stations between 137th and 96th Streets during rush hours; however, Upper Manhattan residents reported that these express services did not save time and operated inconsistently. When the "H" system opened in 1918, all trains from the old system were sent south from Times Square–42nd Street along the new IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line . Local trains (Broadway and Lenox Avenue) were sent to South Ferry , while express trains (Broadway and West Farms) used
12600-507: The White Plains Road Line north of 149th Street, as well as at Mott Avenue , Hoyt Street , and Nevins Street , were only eight cars long. Initially, express service ran every two minutes, running at an average speed of 30 miles per hour (48 km/h), with service alternating between the east and west branches. Express trains were eight cars long, with three trailer cars, and five motor cars. Local trains ran at an average speed of 16 miles per hour (26 km/h), and also alternated between
12768-633: The city of New York are outlined in a report submitted on Jan. 15 to the Legislature of the state by the North Jersey Transit Commission. A preliminary report presented about a year ago was abstracted in Electric Railway Journal for Feb. 7, 1925... The ultimate object of the program recommended is the creation of a new electric railway system comprising 82.6 miles [132.9 km] of route, and
12936-593: The city with 100 miles of subway lines. A major component of the plan was the construction of the Second Avenue Subway . The Stock Market Crash of 1929 put a halt to the plan, however, and subway expansion was limited to lines already under construction by the IND. During the 1930s and 1940s, the plans were revised, with new plans such as a line to Staten Island and a revised line to the Rockaways . In
13104-451: The commission put it, was necessitated by objections to using Broadway south of 34th Street . Legal challenges were finally taken care of near the end of 1899. Elm Street would be widened and cut through from Centre Street and Duane Street to Lafayette Place to provide a continuous thoroughfare for the subway to run under. On November 15, 1899, contract for the construction of the subway and for its operation were advertised. It called for
13272-402: The commission would lay out routes with the consent of property owners and local authorities, either build the system or sell a franchise for its construction, and lease it to a private operating company for fifty years. The law made it possible for the city to own the rapid transit system, and therefore borrow money to fund its construction. It also expected the new Board to continue the work of
13440-463: The completion of the IRT subway helped encourage other development, including residential growth in outlying areas and the relocation of Manhattan's Theater District . The Dual Contracts , signed in 1913, provided for the expansion of the subway system; as part of the Dual Contracts, a new H-shaped system was placed in service in 1918, splitting the original line into several segments. Most of
13608-524: The construction and/or rehabilitation and operation of rapid transit lines in New York City. The contracts were "dual", in that they were signed between the City and the IRT and Municipal Railway Company, a subsidiary of the BRT (later BMT). Some lines proposed under the Contracts were not built, most notably an IRT line to Marine Park , Brooklyn (at what is now Kings Plaza ) under either Utica Avenue , using
13776-516: The construction of a permanent terminal for the West Farms Branch at Zoological Park at 181st Street and Boston Road, replacing the temporary station at this location. The new station cost $ 30,000 and opened on October 28, 1910. To address overcrowding, the New York State Public Service Commission proposed to lengthen platforms to accommodate ten-car express and six-car local trains. On January 18, 1910,
13944-418: The construction of the line, and would have to provide a sufficient bond to complete the work to protect the city against loss. Hewitt said that the company would be able to operate the line, but would need to do so under rent, which would pay off the interest on the city bonds used to finance the construction of the line, and a sinking fund to pay off the payment of the bonds. Furthermore, the company should fund
14112-605: The construction of the track on January 15, 1903, and it was formally approved on March 24, 1904. The contractor for the subway purchased a large area of land on the Harlem River near 150th Street for the construction of a terminal for the East Side Line. On October 24, 1901, the Board voted to extend the line from 143rd Street to the terminal. As part of the plan, a station would be built at 145th Street instead of at 141st Street and Lenox Avenue. Some trains would originate at 145th Street instead of Bronx Park. This change
14280-522: The contract on December 29, 1892. While it received bids for the municipal rail line, no bids were selected as no responsible bidder was willing to take on the project. Following this failed attempt, the plan was essentially scrapped, and the Board lacked the power to act further. As a result of this failure, a proposition was made requesting that the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York construct
14448-492: The contract, later known as Contract 1, was executed on February 21, 1900, between the commission and the Rapid Transit Construction Company , organized by John B. McDonald and funded by August Belmont Jr. , for the construction of the subway and a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line. As part of the agreement, $ 35 million would be provided for the total cost of the line, and
14616-477: The cost of the work to City Hall to be $ 8 to $ 10 million, and that the whole project would be completed by January 1, 1875. The line was expected to have 400,000 daily passengers, and trains would have traversed the line from City Hall to Grand Central in twelve minutes, and from there to the Harlem River in ten minutes. Although plans and surveys for the line were completed by January 1873, and proposals for
14784-447: The courts denying permission to build through Broadway in 1896. The Elm Street route was chosen later that year, cutting west to Broadway via 42nd Street . This new plan, formally adopted on January 14, 1897, consisted of a line from City Hall north to Kingsbridge and a branch under Lenox Avenue and to Bronx Park , to have four tracks from City Hall to the junction at 103rd Street. The "awkward alignment...along Forty-Second Street", as
14952-426: The design change, requiring that a portion of the work be undone. As part of the modifications for a third track, a third track was to be added to both the upper and lower levels of the subway directly north of 96th Street, immediately to the east of the originally planned two tracks. In 1902, the contractor requested permission to build an additional third track from Fort George to Kingsbridge. The Board authorized
15120-650: The east and west branches. Service was provided with five-car trains, of which two cars were trailers, and three were motors. Express trains began at South Ferry in Manhattan or Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, while local trains typically began at South Ferry or City Hall , both in Manhattan. Local trains to the West Side Branch ( 242nd Street ) ran from City Hall during rush hours and continued south at other times. East Side local trains ran from City Hall to Lenox Avenue (145th Street) . All three branches were initially served by express trains; no local trains used
15288-429: The electrification of 399 route-miles [642 km] of railroad now operated by steam. As the first step it is proposed to construct an interstate loop line 17.3 miles [27.8 km] in length connecting with all of the north Jersey commuters' railroads and passing under the Hudson River into New York City by two tunnels, one uptown and one downtown. A new low-level subway through Manhattan would complete
15456-557: The elevators and other work had not yet been completed. To complete Contract 2, the subway had to be extended under the East River to reach Brooklyn. The tunnel was named the Joralemon Street Tunnel, which was the first underwater subway tunnel connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn, and it opened on January 9, 1908, extending the subway from Bowling Green to Borough Hall. On May 1, 1908, the construction of Contract 2
15624-579: The end of 1925, all of these routes were to have been completed. The lines were designed to compete with the IRT and BMT. Hylan's plan contained the following lines: Only some of Hylan's planned lines were built to completion. Completed lines included: Major Phillip Mathews disagreed with the Board of Transportation 's plan, and in response, he published a report, on December 24, 1926, titled "Proposed Subway Plan for Subway Relief and Expansion". He said that that congestion would not be addressed for Brooklyn and
15792-661: The entire Sea Beach Line, due to low ridership and high repair costs. Numerous figures, including New York City Council member Carol Greitzer , criticized the plans. When Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue was closed for reconstruction from 1993 to 1995 and November 4, 2001, to May 29, 2005, 86th Street was the southern terminal for the N train. In October 2013, it was announced that the line would undergo extensive renovation. All stations would be waterproofed, with their houses and passageways remodeled and stairways rebuilt; they would also get Help Points , and turnstiles would be added to each station. In addition, graffiti , which
15960-473: The express or local tracks and would delay service. The tracks would have been constructed with the necessary fly-under tracks and switches. The work was partially completed in 1908, but was stopped because the introduction of speed-control signals made the remainder of the project unnecessary. Provisions were left to allow the work to be completed later on. The signals were put into place at 96th Street on April 23, 1909. The new signals allowed trains approaching
16128-487: The fastest express service between Manhattan and Coney Island, since there are no express stations along the entire stretch, but now carries only local trains on the N service, which serves the entire line at all times. During rush hours, several W trains serve the line north of 86th Street . The following services use part or all of the BMT Sea Beach Line: The modern line begins as a split from
16296-544: The further expansion of the Second Avenue Subway have all been proposed, albeit mostly unfunded. The Triborough System was a proclamation for new subway lines to the Bronx and Brooklyn. The new lines include the IRT Lexington Avenue Line , IRT Pelham Line , and IRT Jerome Avenue Line . The Manhattan Bridge line described below later became the BMT West End Line , BMT Fourth Avenue Line ,
16464-630: The government of New York City made plans for expanding the subway system, under a plan referred to in contemporary newspaper articles as the IND Second System (due to the fact that most of the expansion was to include new IND lines, as opposed to BMT/IRT lines). The first one, conceived in 1929, was to be part of the city-operated Independent Subway System (IND). By 1939, with unification planned, all three systems were included. Very few of these far-reaching lines were built, though provisions were made for future expansion on lines that intersect
16632-715: The late 1940s and 1950s, a Queens Bypass line via the Long Island Rail Road 's Main Line was first proposed as a branch of the still-planned Second Avenue Subway. In addition, capacity on existing lines became improved through the construction of strategic connections such as the Culver Ramp , the 60th Street Tunnel Connection , and the Chrystie Street Connection , and through the rebuilding of DeKalb Avenue Junction . These improvements were
16800-502: The line between 62nd Street and New Utrecht Avenue and Third Avenue and 65th Street was replaced by bus service between December 1, 1913, and June 23, 1914, when trolley service resumed service before being eliminated on June 22, 1915. As part of the Dual Contracts , and while the Fourth Avenue Subway Line was being constructed the BRT dug a four-track open cut and built high-level platforms for subway operation on
16968-623: The line ends at the Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue terminal. The express tracks were originally intended to host the Coney Island Express . Service was carried on these tracks twice in the line's history — for summer weekend service to Chambers Street from 1924 to 1952 and again from 1967–1968 to provide a fast rush-hour Broadway Line express service for Coney Island riders ( NX ). Though these expresses are thought of as being Sea Beach Expresses, they did not serve
17136-590: The line had three northern branches in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx . The system had four tracks between Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall and 96th Street, allowing for local and express service. The original line and early extensions consisted of: Planning for a rapid transit line in New York City started in 1894 with the enactment of the Rapid Transit Act. The plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by William Barclay Parsons , chief engineer of
17304-618: The line opened for full subway service on June 22, 1915, with trains running between Coney Island and Chambers Street in Lower Manhattan . Service started with two- and three-car trains operating via the Fourth Avenue local track and the Manhattan Bridge south tracks. The express tracks were finished several weeks later. When the BMT Fourth Avenue Line was extended south from the Sea Beach Line on January 15, 1916,
17472-544: The local stations are just below ground level and have a fare control (turnstile) area at the same level as the platform. The local stations are generally 17 feet (5.2 m) under the street. Platform-level control areas generally measured 30 by 45 feet (9.1 by 13.7 m) and contained an oak ticket booth and two restrooms. Every station, apart from City Hall, had a restroom. Local stations from Worth Street to 50th Street were designed symmetrically on either side of their respective cross street. To provide space for
17640-474: The loop. Construction costs of this preliminary project are estimated at $ 154,000,000, with $ 40,000,000 additional for equipment. The cost of power facilities is not included in this estimate. Because it would be utilized in both directions, the capacity of the proposed interstate loop line would be equivalent, it is said, to two 2-track lines or one 4-track line from New Jersey to New York City due to its having two crossings between New Jersey and New York. The loop
17808-445: The lowest portions of the station walls, as well as in the cornices. At twenty stations where the platforms were beneath the sidewalk, overhead vault lights were installed to provide light to stations; incandescent bulbs provided artificial lighting. The ceilings were finished in plaster, applied to wire lath. The walls of the station were built with brick, and were covered by plaster ceilings and enameled tiles. The City Hall station,
17976-566: The mezzanine, while the upper deck carried passengers from a mezzanine to an overpass above the platforms. In the majority of underground stations, excluding the deep-level stations, the roofs of the platforms are supported by round cast iron columns placed every 15 feet (4.6 m). Additional columns between the tracks, placed every 5 feet (1.5 m), support the jack-arched concrete station roofs. Each platform consists of 3-inch-thick (7.6 cm) concrete slabs, beneath which are drainage basins. Bronze ventilation grates were placed in
18144-482: The new Clark Street Tunnel to Brooklyn. These services became 1 (Broadway express and local), 2 (West Farms express), and 3 (Lenox Avenue local) in 1948. The only major change to these patterns was made in 1959, when all 1 trains became local and all 2 and 3 trains became express. The portion south of Grand Central–42nd Street became part of the IRT Lexington Avenue Line , and now carries 4 (express), 5 (express), 6 (local), and <6> (local) trains;
18312-557: The new lines. It is of note that only four of these provisions were completed. The South Fourth Street shell, if complete, was supposed to handle service as follows: Note : The locals would have short-turned here. There would have been two tunnels under the East River: East Houston Street and Grand Street. Another plan for the South Fourth Street shell was simpler (and was the plan that was partially completed): Note : The Flushing Avenue local would have diverged off to
18480-401: The new subway. Later in 1894, voters approved by referendum a city policy that future rapid transit lines should be operated by the city instead of franchised to private operators. A line through Lafayette Street (then Elm Street) to Union Square was considered, but at first, a more costly route under lower Broadway was adopted. A legal battle with property owners along the route led to
18648-400: The northbound (E4) track was rehabilitated, however, for two-way traffic from its northern end to Kings Highway if needed. The southbound (E3) track remains unused, being disconnected from the other three tracks and inaccessible from 59th Street to Kings Highway. The New York and Sea Beach Railroad was organized on September 25, 1876, as a steam-powered excursion railroad. It opened from
18816-491: The only one whose decorative treatment was explicitly part of its structure, contains vaulted ceilings with Guastavino tile . BMT Sea Beach Line The BMT Sea Beach Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT division of the New York City Subway , connecting the BMT Fourth Avenue Line at 59th Street via a four-track wide open cut to Coney Island in Brooklyn . It has at times hosted
18984-626: The only things to come out of these plans. Eventually, these plans were modified to what became the Program for Action , which was put forth by the New York City Transit Authority in 1968. This was the last plan for a major expansion of the subway system. The plan included the construction of the Second Avenue Subway, a Queens Bypass line, a line replacing the Third Avenue El in the Bronx, and other extensions in
19152-600: The original IRT continues to operate as part of the New York City Subway, but several stations have been closed. The New York State Legislature granted a charter to the New York City Central Underground Company to give it power to construct a subway line in 1868. However, the charter made it impossible for the company to raise adequate money to fund the line's construction. Cornelius Vanderbilt and some associates had
19320-476: The other northerly via River Ave. and Jerome Ave. to Woodlawn Road, connecting with the Manhattan trunk by a tunnel under the Harlem River; a Manhattan-Brooklyn line extending from the North River via Canal Street across the East River on the Manhattan Bridge to connect with the Fourth Avenue subway in Brooklyn now being built, which thus becomes an integral part of the larger system; two branches southerly from
19488-597: The other stations. The City Hall station originally only served passengers entering the system; passengers had to disembark at the Brooklyn Bridge station. The Bowling Green station , opened as part of Contract 2, was built with one island platform and two tracks, although a third track and a second island platform was built in 1908 for the Bowling Green–South Ferry shuttle . The South Ferry loops , also part of Contract 2, had two balloon loops with
19656-414: The other three southbound platforms. The elevators at New Utrecht Avenue/62nd Street opened on July 19, 2019. The northbound elevator at Eighth Avenue opened on November 4, 2019, with the southbound elevator opening on July 30, 2023. From October 21, 2019, until April 27, 2020, N trains terminated at 86th Street so work could be completed to protect Coney Island Yard from flooding. An out-of-system transfer
19824-425: The point that a retaining wall along the line was in danger of collapsing onto the tracks. Funding was allocated for the line's infrastructure improvements in 1975. More than $ 20 million was earmarked for New York City Subway projects in 1977, including for upgrades to the Sea Beach line. In 1986, the New York City Transit Authority launched a study to determine whether to close 79 stations on 11 routes, including
19992-408: The primary means of access to the station. Heins & LaFarge designed elaborate decorative elements for the early system, which varied considerably between each station, and they were also responsible for each station's exits and entrances. Most tunnels used cut-and-cover construction, although deep-level tubes were used in parts of the system; elevated structures were used in Upper Manhattan and
20160-595: The project were being received, Vanderbilt elected not to follow through on the project due to public criticism for the grant, opposition to the project from business people and homeowners in the Bowery and due to the Panic of 1873 . The State Legislature granted other applications for the incorporation of companies to construct a subway in New York , including the Arcade Railroad, which would have been built by
20328-615: The proposals. The core Manhattan lines of the expansion were the Second Avenue Line (with an extension into the Bronx ) and the Worth Street Line , connecting to the Rockaways . The Rockaways were eventually served by the subway via a city takeover of the Long Island Rail Road 's Rockaway Beach Branch . A segment of the proposed Second Avenue Subway opened for passenger service in January 2017. The majority of
20496-513: The proposed lines were to be built as elevated subways, likely a cost-cutting measure. The majority of the expansion was to occur in Queens, with the original proposal suggesting 52 miles (84 km) of track be built in Queens alone. The first plan was made on September 15, 1929 (before the IND even opened), and is detailed in the table below. Cost is only for construction, and does not include land acquisition or other items. The IND expansion plan
20664-540: The railroad used the same route as the current Sea Beach Line. At the Bay Ridge end, the railroad ran just north of the Long Island Rail Road 's Bay Ridge Branch, ending at the Bay Ridge Channel around 64th Street. The current line joins this alignment near Fifth Avenue. The old railroad crossed the Bay Ridge Branch with a pronounced S-curve just east of Seventh Avenue; the crossing is now much straighter with
20832-534: The real estate needed for buildings, such as power houses, the rolling stock to operate subway service, and a fund to protect the city against losses if the company failed to build and operate the subway line. Though the Mayor in the message also suggested encouraging the New York Central Railroad to construct and operate a subway line, the company was unwilling to start such a venture. Legislation
21000-419: The request on January 24, 1901. Some time after, the contractor requested permission to construct a third track for storage. The Board authorized the construction of a third track from 103rd Street to 116th Street on March 7, 1901. The contractor petitioned the board once more for the permission to build a third track continuously from 137th Street to 103rd Street, some of which was already authorized, and to build
21168-446: The section along Park Avenue from 41st Street and 42nd Street, along 42nd Street, and then Broadway to 47th Street, Contract 5-A, on February 25, 1901. Construction was begun on Section 14, the portion for a point 100 feet (30 m) north of 182nd Street to Hillside Avenue, by L. B. McCabe & Brother on March 27, 1901. On June 1, 1901, work began on the viaduct over Manhattan Valley from 125th Street to 133rd Street, Section 12. Work on
21336-422: The section from 104th Street to 125th Street on June 18, 1900. Work on this section, Section 11 was awarded to John Shields. Work began on Section 6A, from 60th Street to 82nd Street, and for Section 6B, from 82nd Street to 104th Street, on August 22, 1900. These sections had been awarded to William Bradley. Construction on the portion from 110th Street to a point 100 feet (30 m) north of 135th Street, Section 8,
21504-488: The section from 135th Street and Lenox Avenue to Gerard Avenue and 149th Street, Section 9-A, on September 10, 1901. Work began on the final section, the West Side Viaduct from Hillside Avenue to Bailey Avenue, Section 15 on January 19, 1903. E. P. Roberts and Terry & Tench Construction Company completed this work. In addition, contracts for 74,326 tons of structural steel and 4,000 tons of rail were awarded to
21672-1042: The short piece under 42nd Street is now the 42nd Street Shuttle . The designs of the underground stations are inspired by those of the Paris Métro , whose design had impressed Parsons. With few exceptions, Parsons's team designed two types of stations for Contracts 1 and 2. Local stations, which serve only local trains, have side platforms on the outside of the tracks. Local stations were spaced .25 miles (0.40 km) apart on average. Express stations, which serve both local and express trains, have island platforms between each direction's pair of local and express tracks. There were five express stations: Brooklyn Bridge , 14th Street , Grand Central , 72nd Street , and 96th Street , which were spaced 1.5 miles (2.4 km) apart on average. The Brooklyn Bridge, 14th Street, and 96th Street stations also had shorter side platforms for local trains, though these platforms have since been abandoned at all three stations. There
21840-482: The southbound express track from the northbound express track. On both sides of Kings Highway, crossovers exist to allow express trains to switch to the local tracks before the station or local trains to switch to express after the station. The express tracks end south of 86th Street as the line becomes double-tracked, and cut diagonally adjacent to the Coney Island Yards . After several yard connections,
22008-426: The standard local station design was also done at 116th Street–Columbia University , which was designed with a station house in the median of Broadway. The ticket office for the station was at street level. A stairway led from the station house to an overpass over the tracks, which provided access to both platforms. Access to express stations was provided by overpasses, underpasses, and stairways directly leading to
22176-666: The station. Express trains would have stopped at the lower level ( IND Queens Boulevard Line ) platforms. After World War II and up until the late 1990s, the New York City Subway did not expand much. Only 28 stations opened in that time, compared to the remaining 393 stations, which opened from the 1880s to before World War II. As such, there have been many plans to expand the system during this time period. The New York City Board of Transportation revised its plans for subway expansion, and released them in 1938 and 1940. The IND Concourse Line got funding to be extended eastward past 205th Street , but Bronx residents wanted to rehabilitate
22344-410: The station. These stations were constructed with large arches extending over the tracks and platforms. The elevators led down to an overpass crossing the tracks to provide access to both platforms. The 168th Street, 181st Street, 191st Street, and Mott Avenue stations contained double-deck elevators , all of which have since been removed or replaced. The lower deck carried passengers from the platform to
22512-612: The stone piers and foundations for the viaduct was done by E. P. Roberts, while other work was done by Terry & Tench Construction Company. Work on Section 9-B, between Gerard Avenue on 149th Street and a point past Third Avenue where the viaduct begins, was started on June 13, 1901, by J.C. Rogers. Work on Section 11, from 104th Street to 135th Street, which had been awarded to John Shields, began on June 18, 1901. On August 19, 1901, E. P. Roberts and Terry & Tench Construction Company began work on Section 10, from Brook Avenue to Bronx Park and 182nd Street. McMullan & McBean began work on
22680-410: The street. The Brooklyn Bridge, 14th Street, and Grand Central stations were 25 feet (7.6 m) below street level; all three stations had mezzanines above the platform. The 72nd Street station was only 14 feet (4.3 m) beneath the street, since its entrance was through a control house directly above the platform, while the 96th Street station had an underpass because a large trunk sewer made
22848-530: The subway began on October 27, 1904, with the opening of all stations from City Hall to 145th Street on the West Side Branch. Express trains originally were eight cars long. Service was extended to 157th Street for a football game on November 12, 1904, before the station had fully opened. The 157th Street station officially opened on December 4. On November 23, 1904, the East Side Branch, or Lenox Avenue Line, opened to 145th Street. The line
23016-528: The subway south to South Ferry, and then to Brooklyn. To ensure that the RTC was legally permitted to construct the subway into areas of the city that were added as part of Consolidation in 1898, which occurred after the Act of 1894 was passed, a bill was passed and became law on April 23, 1900. In May 1900, two routes were examined for the Brooklyn extension. One route would have run under Broadway to Whitehall Street, under
23184-515: The terminal loop at City Hall was shortened to only be constructed between City Hall and the Post Office instead of passing completely around the Post Office as a result of a change issued on January 10, 1901. In addition, the loop was changed from being double-tracked to single tracked. The loop was designed to allow local trains to be turned around, and to pass under the express tracks under Park Row without an at-grade crossing, and to allow for
23352-428: The ticket offices and waiting rooms, an area of the cross street was excavated. At platform level, separate entrances and exits were installed on either end of each platform, and short wide stairways were installed on each platform. The entrance stairway for each platform was placed at the back of the waiting room, while the exit stairway was at the back of the platform directly to the street. North of 59th Street, Broadway
23520-547: The time, of the trains that continued south of City Hall, some trains ran through to Brooklyn, with the rest running to South Ferry before returning to uptown service. It was determined that the operation of trains via the South Ferry Loop impeded service to Brooklyn, prohibiting a doubling of Brooklyn service. In order to increase Brooklyn service, it was decided to continue serving South Ferry via shuttle service. An additional island platform and track were constructed on
23688-579: The two private subway operators, the IRT and the BMT. This plan was never furthered. The next big plan, and arguably the most ambitious in the subway system's history, was the "Second System". The 1929 plan by the Independent Subway to construct new subway lines, the Second System would take over existing subway lines and railroad rights-of-way. This plan would have expanded service throughout
23856-425: The vicinity of 104th Street and Central Park West urged the board to build a station at this location. They cited the long distance between the two nearest subway stations, and the need to serve Central Park West. The Board declined to construct the station after serious consideration. They found that the station's construction would have delayed the opening of the line, and would have slowed service for passengers using
24024-588: The west side of the Bowling Green station to allow for the shuttle's operation. The cost was estimated to be $ 100,000. While the change inconvenienced South Ferry riders, it stood to benefit the greater number of Brooklyn riders. Though work on the project was not fully completed, shuttle service began on February 23, 1909, allowing all Broadway express trains to run to Brooklyn, instead of having some of them terminate at South Ferry, increasing express service to Brooklyn by about 100 percent. On August 9, 1909,
24192-527: Was allowed to operate from New York Harbor to the Sea Beach Palace in Coney Island. The company went bankrupt, and a receiver was appointed on January 15, 1896, before the company was sold at foreclosure by the Sea Beach Railway , which was incorporated on August 29, 1896. The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) bought the company's stock on November 5, 1897, along with the short elevated Sea View Railway on Coney Island, and assigned it by lease to
24360-507: Was approved on November 1, 1906. This change also called for the abandonment of the route along 230th Street. This extension opened on August 1, 1908. When the line was extended to 242nd Street the temporary platforms at 230th Street were dismantled, and were rumored to be brought to 242nd Street to serve as the station's side platforms. There were two stations on the line that opened later; 191st Street and 207th Street . The 191st Street station did not open until January 14, 1911, because
24528-431: Was awarded the contract for Section 1, from Post Office Loop to Chambers Street, and the contract for section 2, from Chambers Street to Great Jones Street. Work began on Section 1 on March 24, 1900, and work began on Section 2 on July 10, 1900. On May 14, 1900, L. B. McCabe & Brother commenced work on Section 13, the segment between 133rd Street and a point 100 feet (30 m) north of 182nd Street. Construction began on
24696-685: Was begun on August 30, 1900, by Farrell & Hopper. On September 12, 1900, work began on the line from Great Jones Street and 41st Street. The first section, from Great Jones Street to a point 100 feet (30 m) north of 33rd Street, Section 3, had been awarded to Holbrook, Cabot & Daly Contracting Company, while the remaining section to 41st Street, Section 4 was to be done by Ira A. Shaler. A week later, on September 19, Naughton & Company began work on Section 5-B, which stretched from 47th Street to 60th Street. On October 2, 1900, Farrell & Hopper started work on Section 7, from 103rd Street to 110th Street and Lenox Avenue. Degnon-McLean began work on
24864-617: Was being planned along with the Gateway Project and, if built, would be able to accommodate a projected 38% increase in the number of people commuting between the two states. The 18-month study would include input from the Port Authority, the MTA, and NJ Transit . If the New Jersey subway extension were to be constructed, it could complement the Gateway Project, which might become overcrowded by 2040. Before unification in 1940,
25032-438: Was built at a later date. To connect the outer boroughs, a four-track Brooklyn-Queens crosstown line would be designed, with the possibility for future extensions into the Bronx and Staten Island. In 1926, a loop subway service was planned to be built to New Jersey . The rationale given was: Principal features of a comprehensive plan for passenger transportation between communities in the nine northern counties of New Jersey and
25200-586: Was completed on January 14, 1907, when trains started running across the Harlem Ship Canal on the Broadway Bridge to 225th Street , meaning that 221st Street could be closed. Once the line was extended to 225th Street, the structure of the 221st Street station was dismantled and was moved to 230th Street for a new temporary terminus. Service was extended to the temporary terminus at 230th Street on January 27, 1907. The 207th Street station
25368-638: Was completed when the line was extended from Borough Hall to Atlantic Avenue near the Flatbush Avenue LIRR station . With the opening of the IRT to Brooklyn, ridership fell off on the BRT's elevated and trolley lines over the Brooklyn Bridge as Brooklyn riders chose to use the new subway. In 1903, the New York Rapid Transit Board ordered Chief Engineer Parsons to create a plan for a comprehensive subway system to serve all of New York City. Parsons presented his plan to
25536-414: Was completed, but did not open until April 1, 1907, because the bridge over the Harlem River was not yet completed. The original plan for the West Side Branch had called for it to turn east on 230th Street, running to the New York Central Railroad 's Kings Bridge station at a point just west of Bailey Avenue. An extension of Contract 1, officially Route 14, north to 242nd Street at Van Cortlandt Park
25704-405: Was created to write a bill, based in part on the legislation Hewitt proposed in 1888, to submit to the State Legislature. The new bill, known as the Rapid Transit Act of 1894, was signed into law on May 22, 1894, creating a new Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners, which included the Mayor of New York City. Planning for the system that was built began with this law. The act provided that
25872-634: Was drafted and submitted to the State Legislature in 1888 to allow for competition among companies and people willing to start work on a subway line. However, due to opposition from the Common Council, and Tammany Hall , it was hard to find any legislator to sponsor the bill. The bill failed after the Committee of the Legislature elected not to report the bill back to the New York State Senate . New mayor Hugh J. Grant appointed
26040-524: Was estimated that work to lengthen express platforms to fit ten-car trains would be sufficiently complete to allow for ten-car expresses by February 1, 1911, and that work to lengthen local platforms to fit six-car trains would be sufficiently complete to allow for six-car locals by November 1, 1910. On January 23, 1911, ten-car express trains began running on the Lenox Avenue Line, and on the following day, ten-car express trains were inaugurated on
26208-614: Was estimated to cost $ 9.1 million. While Cornelius Vanderbilt had indicated his intent to continue the underground line to City Hall, there was speculation that he did not intend to build the section south of 42nd Street. William Henry Vanderbilt stated the line would not be as dark as the Metropolitan Railway (now part of the London Underground ), and that there would be stations every eight blocks, or every .5 miles (0.80 km). In January 1873, he expected
26376-654: Was expanded from 69 acres (28 ha) to 172 acres (70 ha). The excavated Manhattan schist was also used to construct buildings for the City College of New York . On New Year's Day 1904, mayor George B. McClellan Jr. and a group of wealthy New Yorkers gathered at the City Hall station and traveled 6 miles (9.7 km) to 125th Street using handcars . The IRT conducted several more handcar trips afterward. The first train to run on its own power traveled from 125th Street to City Hall in April 1904. Operation of
26544-550: Was expected to be no greater than $ 8 million, and added 8 miles (13 km) of trackage. Two contracts were received to construct the line and its terminals. John L. Wells of the Brooklyn Rapid Railroad Company submitted a bid of $ 1 million for terminals, and $ 7 million for construction, while the Rapid Transit Subway Construction Company, which completed Contract 1, bid $ 1 million for terminals, and $ 2 million for construction. As such,Contract 2, giving
26712-487: Was expected to promote the benefits of using the subway for travel to Harlem. On April 28, 1902, Mayor Low signed the ordinance providing for the extension. On January 16, 1903, a modification to Contract 1 was made to allow for the extension of the Lenox Avenue Line from 142nd Street to 148th Street with a stop between 142nd Street and Exterior Street. The stop was placed at 145th Street along tracks that were only intended to lead to Lenox Yard. Also in 1903, residents in
26880-566: Was extended northward to a temporary terminus of 221st Street and Broadway on March 12, 1906. This extension was served by shuttle trains operating between 157th Street and 221st Street. On April 14, 1906, the shuttle trains started stopping at 168th Street . On May 30, 1906, the 181st Street station opened, and the shuttle operation ended. Through service began north of 157th Street, with express trains terminating at 168th Street or 221st Street. The original system as included in Contract 1
27048-637: Was extended to Fulton Street on January 16, 1905, to Wall Street on June 12, 1905, and to Bowling Green and South Ferry on July 10, 1905. The initial segment of the IRT White Plains Road Line opened on November 26, 1904, between Bronx Park/180th Street and Jackson Avenue. Initially, trains on the line were served by elevated trains from the IRT Second Avenue Line and the IRT Third Avenue Line , with
27216-529: Was looked into again. Construction of the Second Avenue Subway started in 2007, and the first phase was completed in 2017. Since the 1990s, public officials and organizations such as the Regional Plan Association have pushed for the further expansion of the system. Projects such as the TriboroRx, a circumferential line connecting the outer boroughs, the reuse of the Rockaway Beach Branch , and
27384-413: Was no signal control between one end of the tracks near Sixth Avenue and Kings Highway . A train was not supposed to enter the block until any train in front of it had departed the block. The express tracks' section on this block was allowed to deteriorate severely as did much of the system from the 1970s on. In 1998, it was decided to rehabilitate the express tracks in this area, with full signaling. Only
27552-498: Was not enough space for side platforms at the Grand Central and 72nd Street stations. Stations north of 96th Street and south of Brooklyn Bridge, which served both local and express trains, typically had two side platforms and two or three tracks. Some exceptions were made to the standard platform design. The now-closed City Hall station contains one balloon loop and was designed in a much more ornate style than all of
27720-449: Was revised in 1932. It differs from the 1929 plan, but there are 60.93 route‑miles (98.06 km) , of which 12.49 miles (20.10 km) are in Manhattan, 12.09 miles (19.46 km) in the Bronx, 13.14 miles (21.15 km) in Brooklyn, and 23.21 miles (37.35 km) in Queens. It would include a new 34th Street crosstown line, a Second Avenue Subway line, a connection to the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway , and extensions of
27888-418: Was said to be able to carry 192,500 passengers per hour, or 4.62 million daily passengers, had it been built. The estimate was based on the operation of 35 trains per hour in each direction, and each train would be eleven cars long and would carry 100 passengers per car. It was to be built as a multi-phase project, wherein the IRT and BMT would work together to build that system to New Jersey. Extensions of
28056-540: Was suggested once again, this time as an alternative to constructing a replacement for the Port Authority Bus Terminal. An alternative would include a new terminal at Secaucus Junction in conjunction with the 7 extension. In February 2018, it was revealed that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had advertised for consultants to write a feasibility study for such an extension, and that it had received bids from several companies. This extension
28224-603: Was suggested that either the New York City Transit Authority, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey or the Bi-State Metropolitan Rapid Transit Commission would do the construction. In 1963, three major commuter groups in New Jersey made expansion proposals. One of them would have involved an extension of the IRT Flushing Line under the Hudson River with a three-track tunnel and then connect with
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