New York Opens Its First Subway

On October 27, 1904, New Yorkers could travel through their city in a new way. They could walk down into a station, board an electric train, and ride beneath busy streets. The opening of the subway marked the beginning of a transportation system that would help the city grow.

A crowded city needs a new route

By the early 1900s, New York City had millions of residents. People traveled to work, shopped, and visited friends along streets crowded with vehicles and pedestrians. Streetcars carried passengers along the roads, and elevated trains ran on tracks above some streets. But as the population grew, the city needed more ways to move large numbers of people.

A subway offered another path: instead of sharing the crowded streets, trains could run below them. They could carry many passengers at once without stopping for street traffic. Parts of the first route also ran aboveground, where the trains crossed valleys or followed elevated tracks.

Building beneath the streets

Construction began in 1900. On much of the route, workers used a method called cut-and-cover. They dug a long trench in the street, built the subway structure inside it, and then covered it so the street could be used again. Workers also had to deal with pipes, sewers, and other structures already underground.