Happy Subway Day!

The NYC Subway Turns 119 on October 27th!

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.

Celebrate with the New York Transit Museum!

Founded in 1976, the New York Transit Museum is dedicated to telling and preserving the stories of mass transportation – extraordinary engineering feats, workers who labored in the tunnels over 100 years ago, communities that were drastically transformed, and the ever-evolving technology, design, and ridership of a system that runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

From the Archives: The Original IRT Stations

City Hall Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


Brooklyn Bridge Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


Worth Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


Canal Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


Spring Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


Bleecker Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


Astor Place Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


14th Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


18th Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


23rd Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


28th Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


33rd Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


42nd Street–Times Square Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


50th Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


Columbus Circle Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


66th Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


72nd Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


79th Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


86th Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


91st Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


96th Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


103rd Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


110th Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


125th Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


137th Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


145th Street Station
New York Transit Museum Collection


Explore More in our Online Collections Database

On Subway Day in 2022, the New York Transit Museum’s new online collections database 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. The new online collections database is available to all at nytransitmuseum.org/onlinecollections.