Black and white photo of Old City Hall

Happy Subway Day!

The Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) subway, New York’s first underground rapid transit network, opened on October 27, 1904 with 28 stations along a 9.1-mile line. That four-track line began at City Hall, ran under Park Avenue South to Grand Central, across 42nd Street to Times Square, and up Broadway to 145th Street.

Initially, the IRT was a privately owned company. It expanded to the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens in the ensuing years, and was eventually joined by two competing companies, the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) and the city-owned Independent Subway (IND). In 1940, these companies were unified and today they comprise the current New York City subway system. It is the largest 24-hour operating subway in the world, with 472 stations, over 800 track miles and a fleet of over 6,000 passenger cars.

From the Archives

The original IRT stations

Old City Hall Ticket Booth
City Hall Station
Black and white photo of Brooklyn Bridge Station
Brooklyn Bridge Station
Worth Street Station
Worth Street Station
Canal Street Station
Canal Street Station
Spring Street Station
Spring Street Station
Bleecker Street Station
Bleecker Street Station
Astor Place Station
Astor Place Station
14th Street Station
14th Street Station
18th Street Station
18th Street Station
23rd Street Station
23rd Street Station
28th Street Station
28th Street Station
33rd Street Station
33rd Street Station
42nd Street–Times Square Station
42nd Street–Times Square Station
50th Street Station
50th Street Station
Columbus Circle Station
Columbus Circle Station
66th Street Station
66th Street Station
72nd Street Station
72nd Street Station
79th Street Station
79th Street Station
86th Street Station
86th Street Station
91st Street Station
91st Street Station
96th Street Station
96th Street Station
103rd Street Station
103rd Street Station
110th Street Station
110th Street Station
125th Street Station
125th Street Station
137th Street Station
137th Street Station
145th Street Station
145th Street Station

Explore More in our Online Collections Database

On Subway Day in 2022, the New York Transit Museum’s new online collections databasehttp://www.nytransitmuseum.org/onlinecollections launched, allowing access to over 14,000 images, archival materials, and objects to all. It was the biggest update to the Transit Museum’s online collections database in the Museum’s history. 11,276 photographs, 2,987 archival materials (including maps, journals, subway posters and advertisements) and 165 objects are currently available to view, and more content is being added every day.

By providing online collections access, the New York Transit Museum is making a significant portion of the Museum’s collection freely available to the public, scholars, and students, advances its educational mission, and is improving its overall collections management. The site includes an easily searchable database where users can find items via keywords, station or line names, date ranges, names of historic figures in transit history, and more. Featured collections on the homepage provide easy access to subway construction photographs and popular New York Transit Museum Collections such as the Lonto / Watson Collection and Lundin Collection.

Search the Collections