View source for New York City Subway

{{Short description|Rapid transit system in New York City}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
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{{Infobox public transit
| name = New York City Subway
| image = MTA New York City Subway logo.svg
| imagesize = 218px
| alt = 
| caption = 
| image2 = Bombardier R62A “1” Train arriving into 207th Street - November 2022.jpg
| imagesize2 = 300px
| alt2 = A "1" train, composed of R62A cars, is seen above ground entering the 207th Street station. The front of the train contains two white lights providing slight illumination, two windows, a door, and the Symbol for the 1 line on the left window.
| image3 = MTA NYC Subway A train arriving at Broad Channel.jpg
| imagesize3 = 300px
| alt3 = An "A" train, composed of R179 cars, is seen entering the Broad Channel station. The front of the train contains two red tail lights, a window on the left side, the American flag on the right side, and the MTA logo below the flag.
| caption3 = '''Top''': A {{NYCS|1}} train made up of ten [[R62A (New York City Subway car)|Bombardier R62A]] cars enters the [[207th Street station|207th Street Station]] of the [[IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line]].<br />'''Bottom''': An {{NYCS|A}} train made up of ten [[R179 (New York City Subway car)|Bombardier R179]] cars enters the [[Broad Channel station]] of the [[IND Rockaway Line]].
| owner = [[Government of New York City|City of New York]]
| area served = [[The Bronx]], [[Brooklyn]], [[Manhattan]], and [[Queens]]
| locale = New York City
| transit_type = [[Rapid transit]]
| lines = [[List of New York City Subway lines|{{NYCS const|lines}}]] lines<ref group="note">These are the physical tracks that a train "service" runs on. See [[New York City Subway nomenclature]] for more information.</ref><br />[[List of New York City Subway services|{{NYCS const|routes}}]] services<br />(1 planned)<ref group="note">These "services" run on physical tracks. See [[New York City Subway nomenclature]] for more information.</ref>
| line_number = 
| start = 
| end = 
| stations = [[List of New York City Subway stations|{{NYCS const|number|total}}]]<ref name=ridership2014 /> ([[Metropolitan Transportation Authority|MTA]] total count){{#tag:ref|There are 13 stations on the [[Second Avenue Subway|IND Second Avenue Line]] and 1 station on the [[IRT Flushing Line]] planned.
* The Second Avenue Line has 3 active stations<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/capital/sas_docs/final_summary_report.pdf |title=web.mta.info/capital/sas_docs/final_summary_report.pdf |access-date=April 17, 2014 |archive-date=November 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107143807/http://web.mta.info/capital/sas_docs/final_summary_report.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> and 13 planned stations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-releases-avenue-subway-images-article-1.1506866 |title=MTA releases Second Avenue subway images |last1=Hutchinson|first1=Bill|website=[[New York Daily News]] |date=November 5, 2013 |access-date=April 17, 2014 |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124072633/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-releases-avenue-subway-images-article-1.1506866 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* The [[Tenth Avenue (IRT Flushing Line)|Tenth Avenue]] station will be constructed as an in-fill station once funding for it is secured.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100218115623/http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100216/FREE/100219925 "Outcry emerges for 41st St. stop on new 7-line"].</ref>|group=note|name="planned stations"}}{{refn|group=note| name=stationnote|
* Permanently closed stations are not counted.<ref name=stationinfo>{{NYCS const|stationinformation}}</ref>
* Both the [[Chambers Street–World Trade Center (IND Eighth Avenue Line)]] and [[Canal Street (BMT Broadway Line)]] stations are considered two stations each by the MTA.<ref name=stationinfo /> If both of them are counted as one station each, the number of stations in the New York City Subway is {{#expr:{{NYCS const|number|total}}-2}} stations (or {{NYCS const|number|intl}} by international standards).}}<br />{{NYCS const|number|intl}} stations if station complexes are counted as one station <ref group=note name=stationnote /><ref name=ridership2014 /> (per [[list of metro systems|international standards]])<br />14 planned<ref group="note" name="planned stations" />
| ridership = 
| annual_ridership = {{American transit ridership|NY MTA NYCT HR annual}}{{American transit ridership|annualcitation}}{{rp|2}}{{refn|name=ridershipnote|group=note}} ({{American transit ridership|annualdate}})
| chief_executive = 
| website = {{URL|https://new.mta.info/agency/new-york-city-transit}}
| operator = [[New York City Transit Authority]] (NYCTA)
| began_operation = {{start date and age|1904|10|27}}<br />([[Early history of the IRT subway|Original subway]])<br />
{{start date and age|1868|07|03}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Fifty_Years_of_Rapid_Transit_(1918) |title=Fifty Years of Rapid Transit (1918) |access-date=January 5, 2018 |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205221447/https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Fifty_Years_of_Rapid_Transit_(1918) |url-status=live}}</ref><br />(first elevated, rapid transit operation)<br />
{{start date and age|1863|10|09}}<br />(first railroad operation)<ref group="note">The [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company|IRT]] [[Early history of the IRT subway|main line]], which is considered to be the first New York City "subway" line, opened in 1904; the [[IRT Ninth Avenue Line|Ninth Avenue Line]], a predecessor elevated railroad line, operated its first trial run on July 3, 1868, according to ''Facts and Figures 1979–80'', published by the [[New York City Transit Authority]] [http://www.nycsubway.org/irt/9thave/ See also nycsubway.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007173746/http://www.nycsubway.org/irt/9thave/ |date=October 7, 2008 }}; and the [[West End Line (Brooklyn surface)|West End Line]], which opened in 1863. A small portion of the latter line's original right-of-way, part of an extension opened in 1864, is still in daily use near [[Coney Island]]. [http://thethirdrail.net/9909/westend1.htm thethirdrail.net] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060523225752/http://thethirdrail.net/9909/westend1.htm |date=May 23, 2006 }}</ref>
| character = 
| vehicles = 6,787<ref name="20252029capitalplan">{{cite web |url=https://new.mta.info/document/151266 |title=2025–2029 CAPITAL PLAN: The Future Rides With Us |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |access-date=September 18, 2024 |archive-date=September 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240918161115/https://new.mta.info/document/151266 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| train_length = 
| headway = Peak hours: 2–10 minutes<ref name="ALine">{{cite web |url=https://new.mta.info/document/9466 |title=MTA A Subway Timetable |publisher=MTA |access-date=June 26, 2022 |archive-date=December 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212160825/https://new.mta.info/document/9466 |url-status=live}}</ref><br />Off-peak: 8–16 minutes<ref name="ALine" />
| system_length = {{convert|248|mi|km|sortable=on|abbr=on}}<ref name="mtabudget">{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/mta/investor/pdf/2019/2018_CAFR_Final.pdf |title=Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] (MTA) |page=156 |date=June 26, 2019 |access-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-date=October 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023192757/http://web.mta.info/mta/investor/pdf/2019/2018_CAFR_Final.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>{{indent|4}}(route length)<br />{{convert|665|mi|abbr=on}}<ref name="mtabudget" />{{indent|4}}(track length, revenue)<br />{{convert|850|mi|abbr=on}}<ref name="NYCSubway.org" />{{indent|4}}(track length, total)
| notrack = 
| track_gauge = {{RailGauge|ussg|allk=on}}<ref name="NYCSubway.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/faq/factsfigures.html |title=Facts & Figures – Subways |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=March 9, 2014 |archive-date=June 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618055926/http://www.nycsubway.org/faq/factsfigures.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
| el = [[Third rail]], 600–650 V DC (625 V nominal)<ref name="NYCSubway.org" /><ref name="Engineering and Technology History">{{cite web |title=The Railway Power Stations of New York City |website=Engineering and Technology History |url=http://ethw.org/The_Railway_Power_Stations_of_New_York_City |access-date=September 13, 2016 |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311191018/https://ethw.org/The_Railway_Power_Stations_of_New_York_City |url-status=live}}</ref>
| average_speed = {{convert|17.4|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}<ref name="ggw5183" />
| top_speed = {{convert|55|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}<ref name="ggw5183">{{cite web |url=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/5183/average-schedule-speed-how-does-metro-compare/ |title=Average schedule speed: How does Metro compare? |access-date=July 16, 2015 |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208111021/http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/5183/average-schedule-speed-how-does-metro-compare/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
| map = {{switcher
|[[File:NYC subway-5.svg|frameless]]
|Show static map
|{{New York City Subway map|plain=yes}}
|Show interactive map
}}
| map_state = collapsed
}}

{{New York City Subway sidebar}}

The '''New York City Subway''' is a [[rapid transit]] system in [[New York City]], serving four of the city's five [[New York City boroughs|boroughs]]: [[Manhattan]], [[Brooklyn]], [[Queens]], and [[the Bronx]]. It is owned by the [[government of New York City]] and leased to the [[New York City Transit Authority]],<ref name="Hood, Clifton 2004">{{cite book |first=Clifton |last=Hood |title=722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0YfdjUgMAscC |year=2004 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn=978-0-8018-8054-4}}</ref> an affiliate agency of the [[Government of New York (state)|state]]-run [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] (MTA).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/mta/compliance/pdf/Description%20and%20Board%20Structure.pdf |title=Metropolitan Transportation Authority Description and Board Structure Covering Fiscal Year 2009 |date=2009 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |access-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-date=December 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151207202730/http://web.mta.info/mta/compliance/pdf/Description%20and%20Board%20Structure.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Opened on October 27, 1904, the New York City Subway is one of the world's oldest public transit systems, one of the most-used, and the one with the [[List of metro systems|second-most stations]] after the [[Beijing Subway]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.citymetric.com/transport/what-largest-metro-system-world-1361 |title=What is the largest metro system in the world? |website=CityMetric |access-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906151458/http://www.citymetric.com/transport/what-largest-metro-system-world-1361 |url-status=dead}}</ref> with [[New York City Subway stations|472 stations in operation]]<ref name="MTA-HowtoRideSubway">{{cite web |title=How to Ride the Subway |url=https://new.mta.info/guides/riding-the-subway |access-date=May 12, 2013 |archive-date=July 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705162451/https://new.mta.info/guides/riding-the-subway |url-status=live}}</ref> (423, if stations connected by transfers are counted as single stations).<ref name="ridership2014">{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ridership/ |title=Introduction to Subway Ridership |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |access-date=July 12, 2018 |archive-date=September 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912073839/http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ridership/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The system has operated [[24/7 service]] every day of the year throughout most of its history, barring emergencies and disasters. By annual ridership, the New York City Subway is the busiest rapid transit system in both the [[Western Hemisphere]] and the [[Western world]], as well as the [[List of metro systems|ninth-busiest rapid transit rail system]] in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffsubway.htm |title=Subways |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] (MTA) |date=April 2, 2013 |access-date=April 26, 2015 |archive-date=June 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622005105/http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffsubway.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> The subway carried {{American transit ridership|NY MTA NYCT HR annual}} unlinked, non-unique riders in {{American transit ridership|annualdate}}.{{American transit ridership|annualcitation}}{{rp|2}}{{refn|name=ridershipnote|group=note|This figure represents ''unlinked'' ridership, meaning one ride is counted each time a passenger boards a vehicle. The MTA reports a 2023 ridership of 1,151,998,158 based on ''linked'' ridership, meaning each complete journey from beginning to end is counted as one ride, regardless of the number of different vehicles used.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://new.mta.info/agency/new-york-city-transit/subway-bus-ridership-2023 |title=Subway and bus ridership for 2022 |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |website=mta.info |date=2023 |access-date=August 3, 2023 |archive-date=August 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230803032948/https://new.mta.info/agency/new-york-city-transit/subway-bus-ridership-2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}<!--or about {{American transit ridership|NY MTA NYCT HR daily}} per weekday as of {{American transit ridership|dailydateasof}}.--> Daily ridership has been calculated since 1985; the record, over 6.2 million, was set on October 29, 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2015/12/11/10621694/nyc-subway-broke-its-single-day-ridership-record-in-october.html |title=NYC Subway Broke Its Single-Day Ridership Record In October |website=ny.curbed.com |date=December 11, 2015 |access-date=October 30, 2021 |archive-date=February 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225181756/https://ny.curbed.com/2015/12/11/10621694/nyc-subway-broke-its-single-day-ridership-record-in-october |url-status=live}}</ref>

The system is also one of the world's longest. Overall, the system consists of {{convert|248|mi|km}} of routes,<ref name="mtabudget" /> comprising a total of {{convert|665|mi|km}} of revenue track<ref name="mtabudget" /> and a total of {{convert|850|mi|km}} including [[non-revenue track]]age.<ref name="NYCSubway.org" /> Of the system's {{NYCS const|routes}} routes or "services" (which usually share track or "lines" with other services), {{#expr:{{NYCS const|routes}}-3}} pass through Manhattan, the exceptions being the {{NYCS|G}} train, the [[Franklin Avenue Shuttle]], and the [[Rockaway Park Shuttle]]. Large portions of the subway outside Manhattan are elevated, on [[Embankment (transportation)|embankments]], or in [[Cut (earthmoving)|open cuts]], and a few stretches of track run at ground level; 40% of track is above ground.<ref>{{Cite book |title=101 Amazing Facts About New York |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vR62BAAAQBAJ |publisher=Andrews UK Limited |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-78333-305-9 |language=en |first=Jack |last=Goldstein}}</ref> Many lines and stations have both [[Express train|express]] and local services. These lines have three or four tracks. Normally, the outer two are used by local trains, while the inner one or two are used by express trains.<ref name="NYCSubway.org" />

{{As of|2018}}, the New York City Subway's budgetary burden for expenditures was $8.7 billion, supported by collection of fares, bridge tolls, and [[Earmark (finance)|earmarked]] regional taxes and fees, as well as direct funding from state and local governments.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rivoli |first=Dan |title=MTA Budget: Where does the money go? |website=NY Daily News |date=February 13, 2018 |url=http://interactive.nydailynews.com/project/mta-spending/ |access-date=November 3, 2018 |archive-date=November 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103091946/http://interactive.nydailynews.com/project/mta-spending/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|History of the New York City Subway}}
[[File:King's Color-graphs of New York City11.jpg|thumb|Some old pictures from the New York City Subway (1910)]]
[[File:City Hall Subway station.jpg|thumb|The [[City Hall station (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)|City Hall station]] of the [[IRT Lexington Avenue Line]], part of the [[Early history of the IRT subway|first underground line of the subway]] that opened on October 27, 1904]]

[[Alfred Ely Beach]] built the first demonstration for an underground transit system in New York City in 1869 and opened it in February 1870.<ref name="Brennan">{{cite web |url=http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beach/chapter25.html |title="They found the tube in excellent condition" |year=2005 |work=Beach Pneumatic |author=Brennan, Joseph |access-date=January 17, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006030205/http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beach/chapter25.html |archive-date=October 6, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/beach.html |title=Inventor of the Week: Archive – Alfred Beach (1826–1896) |website=Lemelson-MIT Program |access-date=March 18, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306174249/http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/beach.html |archive-date=March 6, 2014}}</ref> His [[Beach Pneumatic Transit]] only extended {{convert|312|ft}} under [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] in [[Lower Manhattan]] operating from Warren Street to Murray Street<ref name="Brennan" /> and exhibited his idea for an [[atmospheric railway]] as a subway. The tunnel was never extended for political and financial reasons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/articles/beach-1870-03-05.html |title="The Pneumatic Tunnel Under Broadway" (1870) |publisher=nycsubway.org |access-date=July 7, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505031528/http://www.nycsubway.org/articles/beach-1870-03-05.html |archive-date=May 5, 2008 |agency=Scientific American |date=March 5, 1870}}</ref> Today, no part of this line remains as the tunnel was completely within the limits of the present-day [[City Hall (BMT Broadway Line)|City Hall station]] under Broadway.<ref>nycsubway.org – "[http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Beach_Pneumatic_Transit Beach Pneumatic Transit]". {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424114041/http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Beach_Pneumatic_Transit |date=April 24, 2021 }}.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/nyc-subway-luxurious-built-illegally-article-1.2547997 |title=NYC's first subway was luxurious, pneumatic and built illegally |last=Blankinger |first=Kari |date=March 1, 2016 |newspaper=New York Daily News |access-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124040316/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/nyc-subway-luxurious-built-illegally-article-1.2547997 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nyt1996">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/17/nyregion/subway-planners-lofty-ambitions-are-buried-as-dead-end-curiosities.html?pagewanted=all |title=Subway Planners' Lofty Ambitions Are Buried as Dead-End Curiosities |date=November 17, 1996 |website=[[The New York Times]] |last1=Martin |first1=Douglas |access-date=June 27, 2015 |archive-date=August 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807023931/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/17/nyregion/subway-planners-lofty-ambitions-are-buried-as-dead-end-curiosities.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nyt 201308">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/nyregion/when-the-new-york-city-subway-ran-without-rails.html?_r=0 |title=When the New York City Subway Ran Without Rails |date=August 14, 2013 |newspaper=The New York Times |last1=Santora |first1=Marc |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=June 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626203739/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/nyregion/when-the-new-york-city-subway-ran-without-rails.html?_r=0 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Great Blizzard of 1888]] helped demonstrate the benefits of an underground transportation system.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_Blizzard_of_1888%3B_the_Impact_of_this_Devastating_Storm_on_New_York_Transit |title=The Blizzard of 1888; the Impact of this Devastating Storm on New York Transit |access-date=February 9, 2016 |website=nycsubway.org |last=Christiano |first=G. J. |archive-date=May 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504003347/https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_Blizzard_of_1888;_the_Impact_of_this_Devastating_Storm_on_New_York_Transit |url-status=live}}</ref> A plan for the construction of the subway was approved in 1894, and construction began in 1900.<ref name="PBS">{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/nyunderground/ |title=American Experience. Technology . New York Underground. About the Program |website=PBS |access-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-date=August 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829200131/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/technology/nyunderground/abprogram.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Even though the underground portions of the subway had yet to be built, several above-ground segments of the modern-day New York City Subway system were already in service by then. The oldest structure still in use opened in 1885 as part of the [[BMT Lexington Avenue Line]] in Brooklyn<ref name="Gates">{{cite bklyn |title=Done at Last |image=50426818 |date=May 13, 1885 |page=1}}</ref><ref name="Brooklyn Daily Eagle1885">{{cite bklyn |title=Halsey Street Station Opened |image=50405675 |date=August 19, 1885 |page=4}}</ref><ref name="Chauncey">{{cite bklyn |title=A New Station Opened |image=50405355 |date=July 18, 1885 |page=4}}</ref><ref name="MBC">{{cite bklyn |title=East New York |image=50427251 |date=June 13, 1885 |page=6}}</ref><ref name="Alabama">{{cite bklyn |title=Still Extending Its Lines |image=50405953 |date=September 5, 1885 |page=6}}</ref> and is now part of the [[BMT Jamaica Line]].<ref name="NYCSorg-BMTJamaica">{{cite web |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/BMT_Nassau_Street-Jamaica_Line |title=www.nycsubway.org: BMT Nassau Street-Jamaica Line |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=February 25, 2016 |archive-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925061649/https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/BMT_Nassau_Street-Jamaica_Line |url-status=live}}</ref> The oldest right-of-way, which is part of the [[BMT West End Line]] near [[Coney Island Creek]], was in use in 1864 as a steam railroad called the [[Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Rail Road]].<ref>{{cite bklyn |title=Opening of a New Railroad |image=50420352 |date=October 5, 1863 |page=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite bklyn |title=Railroads |image=50421043 |date=October 9, 1863 |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Third Rail – Gunther and his Railroad – page 1 |url=http://www.thethirdrail.net/9909/westend1.htm |website=www.thethirdrail.net |access-date=February 14, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229231836/http://www.thethirdrail.net/9909/westend1.htm |archive-date=February 29, 2016}}</ref>

The [[Early history of the IRT subway|first underground line of the subway]] opened on October 27, 1904, almost 36 years after the opening of the first elevated line in New York City (which became the [[IRT Ninth Avenue Line]]).<ref name="Walker1918">{{Cite book |last=Walker |first=James Blaine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lpEgAAAAMAAJ |title=Fifty Years of Rapid Transit, 1864–1917 |date=1918 |publisher=Law Print. Company |language=en}}</ref><ref name="nycsubway">{{cite web |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_9th_Avenue_Elevated-Polo_Grounds_Shuttle |title=The 9th Avenue Elevated-Polo Grounds Shuttle |publisher=nycsubway.org |date=2012 |access-date=July 3, 2014 |archive-date=September 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926070102/http://nycsubway.org/wiki/The_9th_Avenue_Elevated-Polo_Grounds_Shuttle |url-status=live}}</ref> The {{convert|9.1|mi|km|adj=on}} subway line, then called the "Manhattan Main Line", ran from [[City Hall station (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)|City Hall station]] northward under [[Lafayette Street]] (then named Elm Street) and [[Park Avenue]] (then named Fourth Avenue) before turning westward at [[42nd Street (Manhattan)|42nd Street]]. It then curved northward again at [[Times Square]], continuing under [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] before terminating at [[145th Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|145th Street station]] in [[Harlem]].<ref>{{cite web |title=EXERCISES IN CITY HALL.; Mayor Declares Subway Open – Ovations for Parsons and McDonald. |website=The New York Times |date=October 28, 1904 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1904/10/28/archives/exercises-in-city-hall-mayor-declares-subway-open-ovations-for.html |access-date=December 16, 2018 |archive-date=May 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504023722/https://www.nytimes.com/1904/10/28/archives/exercises-in-city-hall-mayor-declares-subway-open-ovations-for.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Its operation was leased to the [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company]] (IRT), and over 150,000 passengers<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/10/28/118948832.pdf |title=Our Subway Open, 150,000 Try It – Mayor McClellan Runs the First Official Train |date=October 28, 1904 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=February 24, 2016 |archive-date=September 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918074759/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/10/28/118948832.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> paid the 5-cent fare (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|0.05|1904}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars {{inflation-fn|US}}) to ride it on the first day of operation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/11/21/specter-of-the-5%c2%a2-fare-haunts-the-current-fare-hike-debate/ |title=Specter of the 5¢ fare haunts the current fare hike debate |website=Second Ave. Sagas |access-date=February 25, 2016 |date=November 21, 2007 |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124103809/https://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/11/21/specter-of-the-5%c2%a2-fare-haunts-the-current-fare-hike-debate/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

By the late 1900s and early 1910s, the lines had been consolidated into two privately owned systems, the IRT and the [[Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company]] (BRT, later [[Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation]], BMT). The city built most of the lines and leased them to the companies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/New_Subways_for_New_York:_The_Dual_System_of_Rapid_Transit_(1913) |title=www.nycsubway.org: New Subways for New York: The Dual System of Rapid Transit (1913) |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=February 26, 2016 |archive-date=August 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120824125607/http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/New_Subways_for_New_York:_The_Dual_System_of_Rapid_Transit_(1913) |url-status=live}}</ref> The first line of the city-owned and operated [[Independent Subway System]] (IND) opened in 1932.<ref name="chambers">{{cite news |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0D13F7395513738DDDA90994D1405B828FF1D3 |title=Gay Midnight Crowd Rides First Trains in New Subway |date=September 10, 1932 |work=The New York Times |page=1 |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=September 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912162150/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0D13F7395513738DDDA90994D1405B828FF1D3 |url-status=live}}</ref> This system was intended to compete with the private systems and allow some of the elevated railways to be torn down but stayed within the core of the city due to its small startup capital.<ref name="Hood, Clifton 2004" /> This required it to be run 'at cost', necessitating fares up to double the five-cent fare of the time, or 10¢ (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|0.1|1905}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars {{inflation-fn|US}}).<ref name="Feinman2000" />

In 1940, the city bought the two private systems. Some elevated lines ceased service immediately while others closed soon after.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Under the Sidewalks of New York: The Story of the Greatest Subway System in the World |last=Cudahy |first=Brian J. |publisher=Fordham University Press |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-8232-1618-5 |page=118 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LYSVd43vZwQC&q=unification+1940+subway |access-date=November 18, 2020 |archive-date=February 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225181822/https://books.google.com/books?id=LYSVd43vZwQC&q=unification+1940+subway#v=snippet&q=unification%201940%20subway&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref> Integration was slow, but [[List of New York City Subway inter-division connections|several connections]] were built between the IND and BMT.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0613FB345E1A7493C0A91789D95F418585F9 |title=Straphangers Sit As Tunnel Opens |date=December 2, 1955 |newspaper=The New York Times |page=29 |access-date=February 13, 2010 |archive-date=November 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102174547/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0613FB345E1A7493C0A91789D95F418585F9 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes-ChrystieStChanges-1967">{{cite web |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1967/11/16/90418352.pdf |title=Subway Changes to Speed Service: Major Alterations in Maps, Routes and Signs Will Take Effect Nov. 26 |date=November 16, 1967 |website=[[The New York Times]] |last1=Perlmutter |first1=Emanuel |access-date=July 7, 2015 |archive-date=October 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030145628/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1967/11/16/90418352.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Raskin-RoutesNotTaken-20132">{{Cite Routes Not Taken}}</ref> These now operate as one division, called the [[B Division (New York City Subway)|B Division]]. Since the former IRT tunnels are narrower, have sharper curves, and shorter station platforms, they cannot accommodate B Division cars, and the former IRT remains its own division, the [[A Division (New York City Subway)|A Division]].<ref>{{cite web |title=A Division |url=http://www.stationreporter.net/adiv.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806194048/http://www.stationreporter.net/adiv.htm |archive-date=August 6, 2011 |date=August 6, 2011 |access-date=February 14, 2016}}</ref> Many passenger transfers between stations of all three former companies have been created, allowing the entire network to be treated as a single unit.<ref name="Sparberg2014">{{cite book |last=Sparberg |first=Andrew J. |title=From a Nickel to a Token: The Journey from Board of Transportation to MTA |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oktGCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA111 |year=2014 |publisher=Fordham University Press |isbn=978-0-8232-6190-1}}</ref>

During the late 1940s, the system recorded high ridership, and on December 23, 1946, the system-wide record of 8,872,249 fares was set.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fg4KAQAAMAAJ&q=%22shuttle%22+%22pelham%22 |title=A History of the New York City Subway System |last1=Cunningham |first1=Joseph |last2=DeHart |first2=Leonard O. |date=1993 |publisher=J. Schmidt, R. Giglio, and K. Lang |language=en |access-date=November 18, 2020 |archive-date=February 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225181823/https://books.google.com/books?id=Fg4KAQAAMAAJ&q=%22shuttle%22+%22pelham%22 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|73}}

The [[New York City Transit Authority]] (NYCTA), a public authority of New York City, was created in 1953 to take over subway, bus, and streetcar operations from the city, and placed under control of the state-level [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] in 1968.<ref name="Sparberg2014" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffhist.htm |title=mta.info {{!}} Facts and Figures |website=web.mta.info |access-date=March 11, 2016 |archive-date=January 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106080642/http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/facts/ffhist.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Heavily tagged subway car in NY.jpg|thumb|left|[[Graffiti]] became a notable symbol of declining service during the 1970s.]]

Organized in 1934 by transit workers of the BRT, IRT, and IND,<ref>{{cite web |title=Transport Workers Union Our History |url=http://www.twu.org/OurUnion/OurHistory.aspx |website=www.twu.org |access-date=February 16, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209215841/http://www.twu.org/OurUnion/OurHistory.aspx |archive-date=February 9, 2016}}</ref> the [[Transport Workers Union of America]] Local 100 remains the largest and most influential local of the labor unions.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=urnIzRzjiNUC |title=In Transit:The Transport Workers Union In New York City, 1933–1966 |last=B. Freeman |first=Joshua |publisher=Temple University Press |year=1989 |isbn=978-1-59213-815-9 |language=en |access-date=February 28, 2016 |archive-date=August 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805203345/https://books.google.com/books?id=urnIzRzjiNUC |url-status=live}}</ref> Since the union's founding, there have been three union strikes over contract disputes with the MTA:<ref>{{cite web |title=A Short History of Recent American Transit Strikes |url=http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2009/08/14/a-short-history-of-recent-american-transit-strikes/ |website=The Transport Politic |access-date=February 16, 2016 |language=en-US |date=August 14, 2009 |archive-date=January 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122043737/https://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2009/08/14/a-short-history-of-recent-american-transit-strikes/ |url-status=live}}</ref> 12 days in [[1966 New York City transit strike|1966]],<ref>{{cite web |title=A look back at the historic 1966 transit strike: Photos and more |url=http://www.amny.com/transit/a-look-back-at-the-1966-transit-strike-that-1.11302919 |website=am New York |date=January 7, 2016 |access-date=February 16, 2016 |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124040317/https://www.amny.com/transit/a-look-back-at-the-1966-transit-strike-that-1.11302919/ |url-status=live}}</ref> 11 days in [[1980 New York City transit strike|1980]],<ref>{{cite web |title=35 Years Ago This Week, the MTA Strikes for 11 Days in NYC Bringing Transit to a Halt |url=http://untappedcities.com/2015/04/07/35-years-ago-this-week-the-mta-strikes-for-11-days-nyc-bringing-transit-to-a-halt/ |website=Untapped Cities |access-date=February 16, 2016 |date=April 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220153934/http://untappedcities.com/2015/04/07/35-years-ago-this-week-the-mta-strikes-for-11-days-nyc-bringing-transit-to-a-halt/ |archive-date=February 20, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and three days in [[2005 New York City transit strike|2005]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Citywide Strike Halts New York Subways and Buses |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/21/nyregion/nyregionspecial3/citywide-strike-halts-new-york-subways-and-buses.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 21, 2005 |access-date=February 16, 2016 |issn=0362-4331 |first=Jennifer |last=Steinhauer |archive-date=July 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704035612/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/21/nyregion/nyregionspecial3/citywide-strike-halts-new-york-subways-and-buses.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=NYC Transit Workers On Strike |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nyc-transit-workers-on-strike-19-12-2005/ |website=CBS News |date=December 19, 2005 |access-date=February 16, 2016 |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124072234/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nyc-transit-workers-on-strike-19-12-2005/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

By the 1970s and 1980s, the New York City Subway was at an all-time low.<ref>nycsubway.org – [http://nycsubway.org/wiki/The_New_York_Transit_Authority_in_the_1970s The New York Transit Authority in the 1970s] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706063843/https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_New_York_Transit_Authority_in_the_1970s |date=July 6, 2022 }}</ref><ref name="nycsubway 1980s">nycsubway.org – [http://nycsubway.org/wiki/The_New_York_Transit_Authority_in_the_1980s The New York Transit Authority in the 1980s] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706063843/https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_New_York_Transit_Authority_in_the_1980s |date=July 6, 2022 }}</ref> Ridership had dropped to 1910s levels, and graffiti and crime were rampant. Maintenance was poor, and delays and track problems were common. Still, the NYCTA managed to open six new subway stations in the 1980s,<ref name="Lorch">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/29/nyregion/the-subway-to-nowhere-now-goes-somewhere.html |title=The 'Subway to Nowhere' Now Goes Somewhere |last=Lorch |first=Donatella |date=October 29, 1989 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=October 20, 2011 |archive-date=March 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110319210859/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/29/nyregion/the-subway-to-nowhere-now-goes-somewhere.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nytimes2">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/09/nyregion/big-changes-for-subways-are-to-begin.html |title=Big Changes For Subways Are to Begin |last=Johnson |first=Kirk |date=December 9, 1988 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=July 5, 2009 |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308122331/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/09/nyregion/big-changes-for-subways-are-to-begin.html |url-status=live}}</ref> make the current fleet of subway cars graffiti-free, as well as order 1,775 new subway cars.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/05/18/graffiti-cleanup-a-shiny-symbol-of-subway-systems-turnaround/ |title=Graffiti Cleanup A Shiny Symbol Of Subway System's Turnaround |last=Lentz |first=Phillip |date=May 18, 1989 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |access-date=March 11, 2016 |archive-date=March 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312021108/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-05-18/news/8902020244_1_subway-cars-graffiti-campaign-transit-system |url-status=live}}</ref> By the early 1990s, conditions had improved significantly, although maintenance backlogs accumulated during those 20 years are still being fixed today.<ref name="nycsubway 1980s" />

[[File:NYCTA-Miller,G CD1-043.jpg|alt=The Cortlandt Street station is seen partially collapsed|thumb|The [[Cortlandt Street (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|Cortlandt Street station]] partially collapsed as a result of the [[collapse of the World Trade Center]].]]
Entering the 21st century, progress continued despite several disasters. The [[September 11 attacks]] resulted in [[Closings and cancellations following the September 11 attacks#NYC Subway|service disruptions]] on lines running through Lower Manhattan, particularly the [[IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line]], which ran directly underneath the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]].<ref name="USDOT">{{cite web |url=http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/repts_te/14129.htm |title=Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: New York City – September 11 |date=April 2002 |author=U.S. Department of Transportation Research and Special Programs Administration, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center |access-date=November 5, 2013 |archive-date=March 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130305144248/http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/repts_te/14129.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> Sections of the tunnel, as well as the [[Cortlandt Street (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|Cortlandt Street]] station, which was directly underneath the Twin Towers, were severely damaged. Rebuilding required the suspension of service on that line south of Chambers Street. Ten other nearby stations were closed for cleanup. By March 2002, seven of those stations had reopened. Except for Cortlandt Street, the rest reopened in September 2002, along with service south of Chambers Street.<ref name="Kennedy">Kennedy, Randy. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E02E1D81730F934A2575AC0A9649C8B63 "Tunnel Vision; With Station's Reopening, Even Commuters Smile"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101143245/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/17/nyregion/tunnel-vision-with-station-s-reopening-even-commuters-smile.html |date=November 1, 2020 }}, ''The New York Times'', September 17, 2002. Accessed October 6, 2007.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://mta.info:80/nyct/service/pdf_f/38_1239se.pdf |title=1 9 2 3 Service Restored |date=September 15, 2002 |website=mta.info |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030716233305/http://mta.info/nyct/service/pdf_f/38_1239se.pdf |archive-date=July 16, 2003 |url-status=dead |access-date=December 25, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Brian Abbott 2004">{{cite web |title=September 11: Three Years Later |website=Brian Abbott |date=September 11, 2004 |url=http://brianabbott.net/observations/2004/09/11/september-11-three-years-later |access-date=March 25, 2016 |archive-date=March 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314061039/http://brianabbott.net/observations/2004/09/11/september-11-three-years-later |url-status=dead}}</ref> Cortlandt Street reopened in September 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Cortlandt Street Station, Damaged on Sept. 11, Reopens 17 Years Later |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 8, 2018 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/nyregion/cortlandt-street-subway-station-911.html |access-date=September 8, 2018 |last1=Fitzsimmons |first1=Emma G. |last2=Hu |first2=Winnie |archive-date=September 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908115446/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/nyregion/cortlandt-street-subway-station-911.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

In October 2012, [[Effects of Hurricane Sandy in New York|Hurricane Sandy]] flooded several underwater tunnels and other facilities near [[New York Harbor]], as well as trackage over [[Jamaica Bay]]. The immediate damage was fixed within six months, but long-term resiliency and rehabilitation projects continued for several years. The recovery projects after the hurricane included the restoration of the new [[South Ferry (IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line)|South Ferry]] station from 2012 to 2017; the full closure of the [[Montague Street Tunnel]] from 2013 to 2014; and the partial [[14th Street Tunnel shutdown]] from 2019 to 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=mta.info: Superstorm Sandy Timeline |url=http://web.mta.info/sandy/timeline.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114173019/http://web.mta.info/sandy/timeline.htm |archive-date=November 14, 2018}}</ref> Annual ridership on the New York City Subway system, which totaled nearly 1.7 billion in 2019, declined dramatically during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and did not surpass one billion again until 2022.<ref name="Brachfeld 2022 k163">{{cite web |last=Brachfeld |first=Ben |date=December 27, 2022 |title=MTA surpasses 1 billion subway riders in 2022, a first in COVID era |url=https://www.amny.com/transit/mta-surpasses-billion-subway-riders-2022/ |access-date=October 3, 2023 |website=amNewYork |archive-date=October 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017233912/https://www.amny.com/transit/mta-surpasses-billion-subway-riders-2022/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Construction methods ===
[[File:7Line 2208 (9124955331).jpg|thumb|A stretch of subway track on the [[7 Subway Extension]]]]
[[File:R-62A_Shuttle_Train_%40_Times_Square-42nd_Street_during_reconstruction.jpg|thumb|R-62A Shuttle Train at Times Square-42nd Street during reconstruction ]]
When the [[Early history of the IRT subway|IRT subway]] debuted in 1904,<ref name="Walker1918" /> the typical tunnel construction method was [[cut-and-cover]].<ref name="Construction">{{cite web |title=The New York Subway: Chapter 02, Types and Methods of Construction |website=nycsubway.org |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_New_York_Subway:_Chapter_02,_Types_and_Methods_of_Construction |access-date=November 1, 2015 |archive-date=February 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217041303/https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_New_York_Subway:_Chapter_02,_Types_and_Methods_of_Construction |url-status=live}}</ref> The street was torn up to dig the tunnel below before being rebuilt from above.<ref name="Construction" /> Traffic on the street above would be interrupted due to the digging up of the street.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-it-was-faster-to-build-subways-in-1900 |title=Why It Was Faster To Build Subways in 1900 |date=October 22, 2015 |website=Atlas Obscura |access-date=April 15, 2016 |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517051027/https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-it-was-faster-to-build-subways-in-1900 |url-status=live}}</ref> Temporary steel and wooden bridges carried surface traffic above the construction.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Design_and_Construction_of_the_IRT:_Civil_Engineering_(Scott) |title=www.nycsubway.org: Design and Construction of the IRT: Civil Engineering (Scott) |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=April 15, 2016 |archive-date=August 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805142603/https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Design_and_Construction_of_the_IRT:_Civil_Engineering_(Scott) |url-status=live}}</ref>

Contractors in this type of construction faced many obstacles, both natural and human-made. They had to deal with rock formations and groundwater, which required pumps. Twelve miles of sewers, as well as water and gas mains, electric conduits, and steam pipes had to be rerouted. Street railways had to be torn up to allow the work. The foundations of tall buildings often ran near the subway construction, and in some cases needed underpinning to ensure stability.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nypl.org/blog/2015/05/04/subway-construction-then-now |title=Subway Construction: Then and Now |website=The New York Public Library |access-date=April 15, 2016 |archive-date=June 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611193059/https://www.nypl.org/blog/2015/05/04/subway-construction-then-now |url-status=live}}</ref>

This method worked well for digging soft dirt and gravel near the street surface.<ref name="Construction" /> [[Tunnelling shield]]s were required for deeper sections, such as the Harlem and [[East River]] tunnels, which used cast-iron tubes. Rock or concrete-lined tunnels were used on segments from 33rd to 42nd streets under [[Park Avenue (Manhattan)|Park Avenue]]; 116th to 120th Streets under [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]]; 145th to [[Dyckman Street]]s (Fort George) under Broadway and [[St. Nicholas Avenue]]; and 96th Street and Broadway to Central Park North and [[Lenox Avenue]].<ref name="Construction" />

About 40% of the subway system runs on surface or elevated tracks, including steel or cast-iron [[elevated railroad|elevated structures]], concrete [[viaduct]]s, [[embankment (transportation)|embankments]], [[Cut (earthmoving)|open cuts]] and surface routes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Subway_FAQ:_Facts_and_Figures |title=Subway FAQ: Facts and Figures |website=nycsubway.org |access-date=February 26, 2016 |archive-date=June 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621052654/http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Subway_FAQ:_Facts_and_Figures |url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2019}}, there are {{convert|168|mi|km}} of elevated tracks.<ref>{{cite web |title=MTA has been leaving dangerous debris exposed for years: conductor |website=New York Post |date=February 23, 2019 |url=https://nypost.com/2019/02/22/mta-has-been-leaving-dangerous-debris-exposed-for-years-conductor/ |access-date=February 23, 2019 |archive-date=February 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223063307/https://nypost.com/2019/02/22/mta-has-been-leaving-dangerous-debris-exposed-for-years-conductor/ |url-status=live}}</ref> All of these construction methods are completely [[grade-separated]] from road and pedestrian crossings, and most crossings of two subway tracks are grade-separated with [[flying junction]]s. The sole exceptions of at-grade junctions of two lines in regular service are the [[IRT Lenox Avenue Line|142nd Street]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/IRT_White_Plains_Road_Line |title=www.nycsubway.org: IRT White Plains Road Line |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=February 26, 2016 |archive-date=May 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514170056/https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/IRT_White_Plains_Road_Line |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Myrtle Avenue (BMT Jamaica Line)|Myrtle Avenue]] junctions, whose tracks intersect at the same level, as well as the same-direction pairs of tracks on the [[IRT Eastern Parkway Line]] at [[Rogers Junction]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.subwaynut.com/bmt/myrtlej/index.php |title=Myrtle Av-Broadway (J, M, Z) – The SubwayNut |last=Cox |first=Jeremiah |website=www.subwaynut.com |access-date=February 26, 2016 |archive-date=March 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312132320/http://subwaynut.com/bmt/myrtlej/index.php |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="tracks">{{NYCS const|trackref|trackbook3}}</ref>

The 7,700 workers who built the original subway lines were mostly [[Immigration to the United States|immigrants]] living in Manhattan.<ref name="PBS" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=DuTemple |first1=Lesley A. |title=The New York Subways |year=2002 |publisher=Twenty-First Century Books |isbn=978-0-8225-0378-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AZ2N5N9zSbIC&q=7700+people+original+subway+construction&pg=PA26 |access-date=January 28, 2016 |archive-date=February 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225181755/https://books.google.com/books?id=AZ2N5N9zSbIC&q=7700+people+original+subway+construction&pg=PA26#v=snippet&q=7700%20people%20original%20subway%20construction&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref>

More recent projects use [[tunnel boring machine]]s, which increase the cost. However, they minimize disruption at street level and avoid already existing utilities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://publictransport.about.com/od/Glossary/a/The-Two-Methods-Of-Subway-Construction.htm |title=The Two Methods of Subway Construction |author=MacKechnie, Christopher |work=[[about.com]] |access-date=May 7, 2014 |quote=In exchange for these advantages are two major disadvantages. One is financial: "deep bore" construction costs significantly more than 'cut and cover' |archive-date=December 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161210162157/http://publictransport.about.com/od/Glossary/a/The-Two-Methods-Of-Subway-Construction.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> Examples of such projects include the [[7 Subway Extension|extension of the IRT Flushing Line]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tienyi.com/rda/trans6.html |title=No. 7 Subway Line Extension |work=Richard Dattner & Partners Architects |access-date=February 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315212612/http://www.tienyi.com/rda/trans6.html |archive-date=March 15, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=West Side Development Project Gets The Green Light |url=http://bronx.ny1.com/content/news_beats/transit/110795/west-side-development-project-gets-the-green-light |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407015716/http://bronx.ny1.com/content/news_beats/transit/110795/west-side-development-project-gets-the-green-light |archive-date=April 7, 2012 |work=[[NY1]] |date=December 21, 2009 |access-date=February 28, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Crews Lower Giant Drill Into 7 Line Tunnel |first=Bobby |last=Cuza |url=http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/transit/94220/crews-lower-giant-drill-into-7-line-tunnel/Default.aspx |work=[[NY1]] |date=February 19, 2009 |access-date=February 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090505113516/http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/transit/94220/crews-lower-giant-drill-into-7-line-tunnel/Default.aspx |archive-date=May 5, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tunnelingonline.com/new-york-state-society-of-professional-engineers-award/ |title=New York State Society of Professional Engineers Recognizes No. 7 Line Project |date=July 3, 2013 |website=Tunnel Business Magazine |access-date=August 20, 2013 |archive-date=April 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424140834/https://tunnelingonline.com/new-york-state-society-of-professional-engineers-award/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[Second Avenue Subway|IND Second Avenue Line]].<ref>{{cite news |title=2nd Ave. Subway Tunnel Dig Begins |first=Andrew |last=Siff |url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/2nd-Ave-Subway-Tunnel-Dig-Begins-93787364.html |publisher=[[WNBC]] |date=May 14, 2010 |access-date=May 14, 2010 |archive-date=August 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805203830/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/2nd-ave-subway-tunnel-dig-begins/1886405/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=MTA {{!}} news {{!}} Tunneling Begins Under Second Avenue |url=http://www.mta.info/news/2010/05/14/tunneling-begins-under-second-avenue |website=www.mta.info |access-date=February 10, 2016 |archive-date=June 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606084216/http://mta.info/news/stories/?story=63 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Various |url=http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2011/09/3473217/second-avenue-subway-has-breakthrough-moment-several-billion-more-a?page=all |title=Second Avenue Subway has a breakthrough moment; several billion more are all the M.T.A. wants |publisher=Capital New York |date=September 23, 2011 |access-date=March 31, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331174958/http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2011/09/3473217/second-avenue-subway-has-breakthrough-moment-several-billion-more-a?page=all |archive-date=March 31, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Expansion ===
{{Main|Proposed expansion of the New York City Subway}}
[[File:Second Avenue Subway Community Information Center vc.jpg|thumb|Second Avenue Subway Community Information Center]]
Since the [[Early history of the IRT subway|opening]] of the original New York City Subway line in 1904,<ref name="Walker1918" /> multiple official and planning agencies have proposed numerous extensions to the subway system. One of the more expansive proposals was the "[[Independent Subway System|IND]] Second System", part of a plan to construct new subway lines in addition to taking over existing subway lines and railroad rights-of-way. The most grandiose IND Second Subway plan, conceived in 1929, was to be part of the city-operated IND, and was to comprise almost {{frac|1|3}} of the current subway system.<ref name=NYTimes-OurGreatSubway-IND2ndSystem-1929 /><ref name="1929-SubwayPlan">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/nyregion/20070408_SUBWAY_DOCS/19290916_subway_doc.pdf |title=100 Miles of Subway in New City Project; 52 of them in Queens |date=September 16, 1929 |access-date=March 25, 2016 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=June 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627230221/https://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/nyregion/20070408_SUBWAY_DOCS/19290916_subway_doc.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> By 1939, with unification planned, all three systems were included within the plan, which was ultimately never carried out.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vanshnookenraggen.com/_index/2010/02/the-futurenycsubway-the-ind-second-system/ |title=The futureNYCSubway: The IND Second System |website=vanshnookenraggen |language=en-US |access-date=March 13, 2016 |date=February 2010 |archive-date=March 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160330051044/http://www.vanshnookenraggen.com/_index/2010/02/the-futurenycsubway-the-ind-second-system/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nycsubway2">nycsubway.org – [http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/History_of_the_Independent_Subway History of the Independent Subway] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225092101/http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/History_of_the_Independent_Subway |date=December 25, 2017 }}</ref> Many different plans were proposed over the years of the subway's existence, but expansion of the subway system mostly stopped during [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2012/jan/03/blog-new-yorks-lost-subways |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809093852/http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2012/jan/03/blog-new-yorks-lost-subways |archive-date=August 9, 2013 |title=Lost Subways: Abandoned Stations and Unbuilt Lines |date=January 3, 2012 |access-date=February 10, 2016 |website=wnyc.org |last=O'Grade |first=Jim}}</ref>

Though most of the routes proposed over the decades have never seen construction, discussion remains strong to develop some of these lines, to alleviate existing subway capacity constraints and overcrowding, the most notable being the [[Unbuilt plans for the Second Avenue Subway|proposals for the Second Avenue Subway]]. Plans for new lines date back to the early 1910s, and expansion plans have been proposed during many years of the system's existence.<ref name="Raskin-RoutesNotTaken-20132" /><ref name="NYTimes-OurGreatSubway-IND2ndSystem-1929">{{Cite news |last1=Duffus |first1=R.L. |title=Our Great Subway Network Spreads Wider – New Plans of Board of Transportation Involve the Building of More Than One Hundred Miles of Additional Rapid Transit Routes for New York |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C0CE4D71530E73ABC4A51DFBF668382639EDE |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=August 19, 2015 |date=September 22, 1929 |archive-date=September 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927200458/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C0CE4D71530E73ABC4A51DFBF668382639EDE |url-status=live}}</ref>

After the [[IND Sixth Avenue Line]] was completed in 1940,<ref name="SixthAvenueOpening">{{cite news |title=New Subway Line on 6th Ave. Opens at Midnight Fete |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/12/15/archives/new-subway-line-on-6th-ave-opens-at-midnight-fete-mayor-and-2000.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 15, 1940 |page=1 |access-date=October 7, 2011 |archive-date=December 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213213358/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/12/15/archives/new-subway-line-on-6th-ave-opens-at-midnight-fete-mayor-and-2000.html |url-status=live}}</ref> the city went into [[History of New York City (1946–77)|great debt]], and only 33 new stations have been added to the system since, nineteen of which were part of defunct railways that already existed. Five stations were on the abandoned [[New York, Westchester and Boston Railway]], which was incorporated into the system in 1941 as the [[IRT Dyre Avenue Line]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/05/16/archives/rail-line-is-added-to-subway-system-old-westchester-and-boston-road.html |title=Rail Line is Added to Subway System |date=May 16, 1941 |newspaper=The New York Times |page=25 |access-date=October 4, 2011 |archive-date=August 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220802162721/https://www.nytimes.com/1941/05/16/archives/rail-line-is-added-to-subway-system-old-westchester-and-boston-road.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Fourteen more stations were on the abandoned LIRR [[Rockaway Beach Branch]] (now the [[IND Rockaway Line]]), which opened in 1955.<ref name="NYTimes-INDRkwyOpen-1956">{{cite web |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1956/06/28/84703811.pdf |title=Rockaway Trains to Operate Today |date=June 28, 1956 |website=[[The New York Times]] |last1=Freeman |first1=Ira Henry |access-date=June 29, 2015 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520042015/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1956/06/28/84703811.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</ref> Two stations ([[57th Street (IND Sixth Avenue Line)|57th Street]] and [[Grand Street (IND Sixth Avenue Line)|Grand Street]]) were part of the [[Chrystie Street Connection]], and opened in 1968;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thejoekorner.com/brochures/index-chrystie.html |title=Rapid Transit Service Coming Brochure |date=July 1, 1968 |website=www.thejoekorner.com |publisher=New York City Transit Authority |access-date=January 24, 2016 |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208125457/http://www.thejoekorner.com/brochures/index-chrystie.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thejoekorner.com/brochures/index-chrystie.html |title=KK a new service |date=July 1, 1968 |website=www.thejoekorner.com |publisher=New York City Transit Authority |access-date=January 24, 2016 |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208125457/http://www.thejoekorner.com/brochures/index-chrystie.html |url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Harlem–148th Street (IRT Lenox Avenue Line)|Harlem–148th Street]] terminal opened that same year in an unrelated project.<ref name="NYTImes-148LenoxOpen-1968">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/05/14/archives/irt-passengers-get-new-148th-st-station.html |title=IRT Passengers Get New 148th St. Station |date=May 14, 1968 |newspaper=The New York Times |page=95 |access-date=October 4, 2011 |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221185250/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/05/14/archives/irt-passengers-get-new-148th-st-station.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Six more new stations were built as part of a [[Program for Action|1968 plan]]: three on the [[Archer Avenue Lines]], opened in 1988,<ref name="nytimes2"/> and three on the [[63rd Street Lines]], opened in 1989.<ref name="Lorch"/> The new [[South Ferry (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|South Ferry]] station was built and connected to the existing [[Whitehall Street–South Ferry (BMT Broadway Line)|Whitehall Street–South Ferry]] station in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-opens-new-530m-south-ferry-station-easing-commuters-hassle-article-1.372235 |title=MTA opens new $530M South Ferry station |last=Donohue |first=Pete |date=March 17, 2009 |website=New York Daily News |access-date=July 21, 2016 |archive-date=August 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817135752/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-opens-new-530m-south-ferry-station-easing-commuters-hassle-article-1.372235 |url-status=live}}</ref> The one-stop [[7 Subway Extension]] to the [[West Side (Manhattan)|west side]] of Manhattan, consisting of the [[34th Street–Hudson Yards (IRT Flushing Line)|34th Street–Hudson Yards]] station, was opened in 2015,<ref>{{cite web |last=Fitzsimmons |first=Emma G. |title=Subway Station for 7 Line Opens on Far West Side |website=The New York Times |date=September 10, 2015 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/14/nyregion/no-7-subway-station-far-west-side-manhattan.html |access-date=September 13, 2015 |archive-date=September 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914231924/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/14/nyregion/no-7-subway-station-far-west-side-manhattan.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="mta.info 2015">{{cite web |title=Capital Programs 7 Line Extension |website=mta.info |date=September 13, 2015 |url=http://web.mta.info/capital/no7_alt.html |access-date=March 25, 2016 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304003930/http://web.mta.info/capital/no7_alt.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref group="note">There is one station ([[10th Avenue (IRT Flushing Line)|10th Avenue]]) planned as a future infill station. See [https://web.archive.org/web/20100218115623/http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100216/FREE/100219925 Outcry emerges for 41st St. stop on new 7-line]</ref> and three stations on the [[Second Avenue Subway]] on the [[Upper East Side]] were opened as part of [[construction of the Second Avenue Subway#Phase 1|Phase 1 of the line]] at the beginning of 2017.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ingram |first=David |title=New York tale: a century-old subway dream becomes reality |website=Yahoo |date=December 31, 2016 |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/york-opens-subway-line-dreamed-1920s-163028341.html |access-date=January 1, 2017 |archive-date=June 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608154935/https://www.yahoo.com/news/york-opens-subway-line-dreamed-1920s-163028341.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Lines and routes ==
{{Main|A Division (New York City Subway)|B Division (New York City Subway)}}
{{See also|List of New York City Subway services|List of New York City Subway lines}}
{{NYCS const|ridership}}
[[File:R142 LCD Sign 5 Train.jpg|thumb|A digital sign on the side of a [[R142 (New York City Subway car)|Bombardier R142]] train on the {{NYCS|5}}|alt=Digital sign on side of an R142 train]]
[[File:MTA125.JPG|thumb|The [[125th Street (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|125th Street]] station on the [[IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line]] in 2007]]

Many rapid transit systems run relatively static routings, so that a train "line" is more or less synonymous with a train "route". In New York City, routings change often, for various reasons. Within the [[New York City Subway nomenclature|nomenclature of the subway]], the "line" describes the physical railroad track or series of tracks that a train "route" uses on its way from one terminal to another. "Routes" (also called "services") are distinguished by a letter or a number and "lines" have names. Trains display their route designation.<ref name=MTA-HowtoRideSubway />

There are [[List of New York City Subway services|{{NYCS const|routes}} train services]] in the subway system, including [[S (New York City Subway service)|three short shuttles]]. Each route has a color and a local or express designation representing the Manhattan trunk line of the service.<ref>{{YouTube|yZ83UhBJFP0|Subway Colors and Names}} MTA YouTube Web Page. Made July 15, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.</ref><ref name="Metropolitan Transportation Authority2019">{{NYCS const|serviceguide}}</ref> New York City residents seldom refer to services by color (e.g., "blue line" or "green line") but out-of-towners and tourists often do.<ref name="MTA-HowtoRideSubway" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Cox |first=Bobby |title=New York City Subway |url=http://www.deafecho.com/2005/12/new-york-city-subway/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102050242/http://www.deafecho.com/2005/12/new-york-city-subway/ |archive-date=November 2, 2014 |work=Deaf Echo |access-date=February 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Rules of The Subway |url=http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/rules-of-the-subway-168800-3.cfm |work=Fodors |access-date=September 21, 2013 |archive-date=July 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704231355/http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/rules-of-the-subway-168800-3.cfm |url-status=live}}</ref>

The {{NYCS|1}}, {{NYCS|C}}, {{NYCS|G}}, {{NYCS|L}}, {{NYCS|M}}, {{NYCS|R}}, and {{NYCS|W}} trains are fully local and make all stops. The {{NYCS|2}}, {{NYCS|3}}, {{NYCS|4}}, {{NYCS|5}}, {{NYCS|A}}, {{NYCS|B}}, {{NYCS|D}}, {{NYCS|E}}, {{NYCS|F}}, {{NYCS|N}}, and {{NYCS|Q}} trains have portions of [[Express train|express]] and local service. {{NYCS|J}}, {{NYCS|Z}}, {{NYCS|6}}, and {{NYCS|7}} trains vary by direction, day, or time of day. The letter {{NYCS|S}} is used for three shuttle services: [[Franklin Avenue Shuttle]], [[Rockaway Park Shuttle]], and [[42nd Street Shuttle]].<ref name="Metropolitan Transportation Authority2019" /><ref name="NYCS const|map">{{NYCS const|map}}</ref>

Though the subway system [[24/7|operates on a 24-hour basis]],<ref name="MTA-HowtoRideSubway" /> during late night hours some of the designated routes do not run, run as a shorter route (often referred to as the "shuttle train" version of its full-length counterpart) or run with a different stopping pattern. These are usually indicated by smaller, secondary route signage on station platforms.<ref name="Metropolitan Transportation Authority2019" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/maps/night_map.pdf |title=Late Night Subway Service September 2015 |date=September 2015 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |access-date=February 29, 2016 |archive-date=April 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422184317/http://web.mta.info/maps/night_map.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Because there is no nightly system shutdown for maintenance, tracks and stations must be maintained while the system is operating. This work sometimes necessitates service changes during midday, overnight hours, and weekends.<ref name="Haberman 2008">{{cite news |last=Haberman |first=Clyde |title=Train Skip Your Stop? It's No Mistake, It's Just the Weekend |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 4, 2008 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/nyregion/04nyc.html |access-date=March 25, 2016 |archive-date=July 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707205032/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/nyregion/04nyc.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Tangel">{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-yorks-subway-system-cant-keep-pace-with-growing-number-of-riders-1458762858 |title=New York's Subway System Can't Keep Pace With Growing Number of Riders |last=Tangel |first=Andrew |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |access-date=March 25, 2016 |archive-date=August 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820001523/https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-yorks-subway-system-cant-keep-pace-with-growing-number-of-riders-1458762858 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref group=note>See also [[#Modernization|FASTRACK]]</ref>

When parts of lines are temporarily shut down for construction purposes, the transit authority can substitute free [[shuttle bus service|shuttle buses]] (using [[MTA Regional Bus Operations bus fleet]]) to replace the routes that would normally run on these lines.<ref>Finnegan, Jack, Belden Merims and Jennifer Cecil (2007). ''Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in New York City: Including Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, and Northern New Jersey''. Portland, OR: First Books Inc. {{ISBN|978-0912301723}}. p. 336.</ref> The Transit Authority announces planned service changes through its website,<ref>{{cite web |title=NYCT – Service Advisory |url=http://travel.mtanyct.info/serviceadvisory/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006085134/http://travel.mtanyct.info/serviceadvisory/ |archive-date=October 6, 2021 |access-date=February 10, 2016 |website=travel.mtanyct.info}}</ref> via placards that are posted on station and interior subway-car walls,<ref>{{cite web |title=MTA/New York City Transit – Subway Service Information |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/servInfo/PresidentLetter_servInfo.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220211646/http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/servInfo/PresidentLetter_servInfo.htm |archive-date=December 20, 2010 |date=December 20, 2010 |access-date=February 10, 2016}}</ref> and through its [[Twitter]] page.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/NYCTSubway |title=NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) – Twitter |access-date=February 13, 2014 |archive-date=October 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001174031/https://twitter.com/nyctsubway |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Nomenclature ===
{{Main|New York City Subway nomenclature}}
<div align=center>
{{NYCS const/table|style=margin:0 0 1 0}}
</div>

=== Subway map ===
{{Main|New York City Subway map}}
[[File:Official New York City Subway Map 2013 vc.jpg|thumb|right|The official New York City Subway map from June 2013. This is not the current map.]]
Since 2025, the [[New York City Subway map|official transit maps of the New York City Subway]] have been based on a 1972 design by [[Massimo Vignelli]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chen |first=Stefanos |date=2025-04-02 |title=NYC's First New Subway Map in Decades Looks Mighty Familiar |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/nyregion/nyc-new-subway-map.html |access-date=2025-04-02 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Subway routes are grouped into colors and are arranged into horizontal, vertical, and diagonal strokes.<ref name="Hernandez f085">{{cite web |last=Hernandez |first=Estefania |date=April 2, 2025 |title=MTA unveils first 'major' subway map redesign in nearly 50 years |url=https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/transit/2025/04/02/mta-unveils-first--major--subway-map-redesign-in-nearly-50-years |access-date=April 2, 2025 |website=Spectrum News NY1}}</ref><ref name="Ginsburg q217">{{cite web |last=Ginsburg |first=Aaron |date=April 2, 2025 |title=MTA unveils first new NYC subway map in 50 years |url=https://www.6sqft.com/mta-releases-new-design-nyc-subway-map-in-50-years/ |access-date=April 2, 2025 |website=6sqft}}</ref> The map uses a white background, black dots for stations, and horizontal labels.<ref name="Russo-Lennon l471">{{cite web |last=Russo-Lennon |first=Barbara |date=April 2, 2025 |title=MTA unveils redesigned NYC subway map for first time in 50 years |url=https://www.amny.com/news/new-subway-map-in-nyc-arrives/ |access-date=April 2, 2025 |website=amNewYork}}</ref>

Earlier diagrams of the subway, the first being produced in 1958, had the perception of being more geographically inaccurate than the diagrams today. The first iteration of the subway map by Vignelli, published by the MTA between 1972 and 1979, has become a modern classic but the MTA deemed the map flawed due to its placement of geographical elements.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/the-mostly-true-story-of-helvetica-and-the-new-york-city-subway?pp=1 |title=The (Mostly) True Story of Helvetica and the New York City Subway |work=[[AIGA]] |date=November 18, 2008 |publisher=aiga.org |access-date=February 4, 2009 |archive-date=April 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110421030210/http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/the-mostly-true-story-of-helvetica-and-the-new-york-city-subway?pp=1 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Hertz-Gothamist">{{cite web |first=Dave |last=Hogarty |url=http://gothamist.com/2007/08/03/michael_hertz_d.php |title=Michael Hertz, Designer of the NYC Subway Map |work=[[Gothamist]] |date=August 3, 2007 |access-date=July 4, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090818012400/http://gothamist.com/2007/08/03/michael_hertz_d.php |archive-date=August 18, 2009}}</ref> In 1979, the design was replaced by one from [[Michael Hertz Associates]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/hertz-death-subway-map-style/index.html |title=Michael Hertz, who helped design New York City's subway map, dies at 87 |author1=Taylor Romine |author2=Laura Ly |work=CNN |date=February 27, 2020 |location=New York |language=en |access-date=March 1, 2020 |archive-date=March 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301014402/https://www.cnn.com/style/article/hertz-death-subway-map-style/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> which was used until 2025.<ref name="Hernandez f085" /><ref name="Ginsburg q217" /> The Hertz maps are not geographically accurate due to the complexity of the system (Manhattan being the smallest borough, but having the most services), but they do show major city streets as an aid to navigation. The newest edition took effect on June 27, 2010, and makes Manhattan bigger and Staten Island smaller, with minor tweaks happening to the map when more permanent changes occur.<ref name="NYCS const|map" /><ref>{{cite press release |url=http://mta.info/news/stories/?story=77 |title=New Subway Map is Here |access-date=June 18, 2010 |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |location=[[New York City|New York]] |archive-date=September 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926105836/http://mta.info/news/stories/?story=77 |url-status=live}}</ref> 

A late night-only version of the map was introduced on January 30, 2012.<ref>{{NYCS const|latenightmap}}</ref> On September 16, 2011, the MTA introduced a Vignelli-style interactive subway map, "The Weekender",<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/16/nyregion/new-subway-map-to-help-riders-with-weekend-service-changes.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion |title=Aid for Baffled Weekend Subway Riders |newspaper=The New York Times |location=New York |first=Michael |last=Grynbaum |date=September 15, 2011 |access-date=September 30, 2011 |archive-date=June 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626203702/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/16/nyregion/new-subway-map-to-help-riders-with-weekend-service-changes.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion |url-status=live}}</ref> an [[online map]] that provides information about any planned work, from late Friday night to early Monday morning.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 16, 2011 |title=Introducing 'The Weekender' |work=MTA.info |url=http://mta.info/news/stories/?story=384 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923145723/http://mta.info/news/stories/?story=384 |access-date=May 12, 2023 |archive-date=September 23, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ny1.com/content/147316/mta-launches-interactive-online-map-ahead-of-difficult-weekend-for-subways/ |title=MTA Launches Interactive Online Map Ahead Of Difficult Weekend For Subways |work=[[NY1]] |date=September 16, 2011 |access-date=September 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140628162305/http://www.ny1.com/content/147316/mta-launches-interactive-online-map-ahead-of-difficult-weekend-for-subways/ |archive-date=June 28, 2014}}</ref> In October 2020, the MTA launched a digital version of the map showing real-time service patterns and service changes, designed by [[Work & Co]].<ref name="6sqft 2020">{{cite web |date=October 20, 2020 |title=MTA launches first real-time digital subway map |url=https://www.6sqft.com/mta-launches-first-real-time-digital-subway-map/ |access-date=October 20, 2020 |website=6sqft |archive-date=May 23, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250523175440/https://www.6sqft.com/mta-launches-first-real-time-digital-subway-map/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Bonanos 2020">{{cite web |last=Bonanos |first=Christopher |date=October 20, 2020 |title=First Look: New York's Digital Subway Map Comes Alive Today |url=https://www.curbed.com/2020/10/first-look-new-yorks-digital-subway-map-comes-alive-today.html |access-date=October 20, 2020 |website=Curbed}}</ref>

Several privately produced schematics are available online or in printed form, such as those by [[Hagstrom Map]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100531155230/http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/119467/subway-map-gets-a-makeover Subway Map Gets A Makeover] [[NY1]] local news channel. Retrieved May 28, 2010.</ref>

<gallery class="center">
File:NYC subway late night map.svg|Late night subway service map
File:Nyc subway underground or overground track position.svg|A map of line elevation in relation to the ground. Underground segments are in orange. Above-ground segments are in blue, whether they are elevated, embanked, graded or open cut
</gallery>

== Stations ==
{{Main|New York City Subway stations}}
{{See also|List of New York City Subway stations}}
[[File:7train arriving.ogv|thumb|[[R62A]] {{NYCS|7}} train arriving at [[Vernon Boulevard&nbsp;– Jackson Avenue (IRT Flushing Line)|Vernon Boulevard&nbsp;– Jackson Avenue]] station (43s)]]

Out of the [[New York City Subway stations#List of stations|472 stations]], 470 are served 24 hours a day.{{refn|group="note"|The [[Times Square (IRT 42nd Street Shuttle)|Times Square]] and [[Grand Central (IRT 42nd Street Shuttle)|Grand Central]] stations of the [[IRT 42nd Street Shuttle]] are closed during late nights.}} Underground stations in the New York City Subway are typically accessed by staircases going down from street level. Many of these staircases are painted in a common shade of green, with slight or significant variations in design.<ref name="FNY-SubwayEntranceStylings">{{cite web |title=Subway Entrance Stylings |url=http://forgotten-ny.com/2005/02/down-in-the-hole-the-many-styles-of-subway-entrances/ |publisher=Forgotten New York |access-date=December 6, 2015 |date=February 14, 2005 |archive-date=July 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715113420/https://forgotten-ny.com/2005/02/down-in-the-hole-the-many-styles-of-subway-entrances/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Other stations have unique entrances reflective of their location or date of construction. Several station entrance stairs, for example, are built into adjacent buildings.<ref name=FNY-SubwayEntranceStylings /> Nearly all station entrances feature [[New York City Subway stations#Lamps|color-coded globe or square lamps]] signifying their status as an entrance.<ref name="nytimes 20020813">{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980DE2DF113AF930A2575BC0A9649C8B63 |title=Tunnel Vision; The Light at the Top of the Subway Stairs |last=Kennedy |first=Randy |date=August 13, 2002 |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 7, 2008 |archive-date=August 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805203831/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/13/nyregion/tunnel-vision-the-light-at-the-top-of-the-subway-stairs.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The current number of stations is smaller than the peak of the system. In addition to the demolition of former elevated lines, which collectively have resulted in the demolition of over a hundred stations, other [[List of closed New York City Subway stations|closed stations]] and unused portions of existing stations remain in parts of the system.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 23, 2021 |title=Explore the Abandoned Subway Stations of NYC |url=https://untappedcities.com/2021/02/23/abandoned-subway-stations-nyc/ |access-date=March 19, 2021 |website=Untapped New York |language=en-US |archive-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311152628/https://untappedcities.com/2021/02/23/abandoned-subway-stations-nyc/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:West 4 St mezzanine vc.jpg|thumb|left|The long and wide mezzanine in the [[West Fourth Street–Washington Square (New York City Subway)|West Fourth Street]] station in [[Greenwich Village]]|alt=The mezzanine at West Fourth Street station]]

=== Concourse ===
[[File:Times Square-42nd Street Entrance.JPG|left|thumb|An entrance to the {{stn|Times Square–42nd Street}} and [[42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal|Port Authority Bus Terminal]] stations]]Many stations in the subway system have [[mezzanine (architecture)|mezzanines]].<ref name=PCAC-ClosedSubwayEntrance-2001 /> Mezzanines allow for passengers to enter from multiple locations at an intersection and proceed to the correct platform without having to cross the street before entering. Inside mezzanines are [[Paid area|fare control]] areas, where passengers physically pay their fare to enter the subway system.<ref name="PCAC-ClosedSubwayEntrance-2001">{{cite web |title=Reopening Closed Subway Entrances |url=http://www.pcac.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/2001-Reopening-Closed-Entrances.pdf |website=pcac.org |publisher=New York City Transit Riders Council |access-date=December 6, 2015 |date=November 2001 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222153323/http://www.pcac.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/2001-Reopening-Closed-Entrances.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="MTA-JayLawrenceMetroTech">{{cite web |title=MTA New York City Transit Jay Street / Lawrence Street Stations Contract A-35913 / A-35914 / A-35927 / A-35978 |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/procure/miscproj/a35913.pdf |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |access-date=December 6, 2015 |archive-date=June 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628023219/http://web.mta.info/nyct/procure/miscproj/a35913.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> In many older stations, the fare control area is at platform level with no mezzanine crossovers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/IRT_West_Side_Line |title=www.nycsubway.org: IRT West Side Line |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=February 24, 2016 |archive-date=January 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106212734/http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/IRT_West_Side_Line |url-status=live}}</ref> Many [[side platform]]ed elevated stations also have platform-level fare control with no common station house between directions of service.<ref name=NYCSorg-BMTJamaica />

Upon entering a station, passengers may use station booths (formerly known as token booths)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/metrocard/buybooth.htm |title=MTA/New York City Transit – Subway Station Booth |website=web.mta.info |access-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124072428/http://web.mta.info/metrocard/buybooth.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> or vending machines to buy their fare, which is currently stored in a [[MetroCard]] or [[OMNY]] card. Each station has at least one booth, typically located at the busiest entrance.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/nyregion/09subway.html |title=M.T.A. Station Agent Cuts Leave Riders Lost |last=Grynbaum |first=Michael M. |date=October 8, 2009 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621071952/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/nyregion/09subway.html |url-status=live}}</ref> After swiping the card at a turnstile, customers enter the fare-controlled area of the station and continue to the platforms.<ref name=MTA-HowtoRideSubway /> Inside fare control are "Off-Hours Waiting Areas", which consist of benches and are identified by a yellow sign.<ref name=MTA-HowtoRideSubway /><ref name="MTA-RidingSafely">{{cite web |title=Riding Safely |url=https://new.mta.info/safety-and-security |access-date=December 6, 2015 |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |archive-date=November 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121194339/https://new.mta.info/safety-and-security |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/03/08/nyregion/for-off-hours-subway-zones-for-safer-wait.html |title=For Off-Hours, Subway Zones for Safer Wait |last=Goldman |first=Ari L. |date=March 8, 1982 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=April 15, 2016 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124041840/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/03/08/nyregion/for-off-hours-subway-zones-for-safer-wait.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Platforms ===
[[File:59th Street–Columbus Circle (New York City Subway) by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|The [[IND Eighth Avenue Line]] station at [[59th Street&nbsp;– Columbus Circle (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|59th Street&nbsp;– Columbus Circle]]]]

A typical subway station has waiting platforms ranging from {{convert|480|to|600|ft}} long. Some are longer.<ref name="Feinman2000">{{cite web |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/History_of_the_Independent_Subway |title=History of the Independent Subway |work=nycsubway.org |access-date=February 10, 2016 |last=Feinman |first=Mark S. |date=2000 |archive-date=December 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225092101/http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/History_of_the_Independent_Subway |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=IND STation Lengths |url=http://www.stationreporter.net/indlengths.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806194606/http://www.stationreporter.net/indlengths.htm |archive-date=August 6, 2011 |date=August 6, 2011 |access-date=February 14, 2016}}</ref> Platforms of former commuter rail stations—such as those on the [[IND Rockaway Line]], are even longer. With the many different lines in the system, one platform often serves more than one service. Passengers need to look at the overhead signs to see which trains stop there and when, and at the arriving train to identify it.<ref name=MTA-HowtoRideSubway />

There are several common platform configurations. On a double track line, a station may have one [[island platform|center island platform]] used for trains in both directions, or two [[side platform]]s, one for each direction. For lines with three or four tracks with express service, local stops will have side platforms and the middle one or two tracks will not stop at the station. On these lines, express stations typically have two island platforms, one for each direction. Each island platform provides a [[cross-platform interchange]] between local and express services. Some four-track lines with express service have two tracks each on two levels and use both island and side platforms.<ref name=MTA-HowtoRideSubway />

=== Accessibility ===
[[File:14-6 elevator.jpg|left|thumb|Street elevator serving as one of three accessible entrances to the [[14th Street/Sixth Avenue station|14th Street/6th Avenue]] station]]
{{Main|Accessibility of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority}}

Since the majority of the system was built before 1990, the year the [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990|Americans with Disabilities Act]] (ADA) went into effect, many New York City Subway stations were not designed to be accessible to all.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150608/bushwick/map-subway-map-showing-only-wheelchair-accessible-stations |title=Map Reveals Shortage of Wheelchair-Accessible NYC Subway Stations |website=DNAinfo New York |access-date=February 28, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306224732/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150608/bushwick/map-subway-map-showing-only-wheelchair-accessible-stations |archive-date=March 6, 2016 }}</ref> Since then, elevators have been built in newly constructed stations to comply with the ADA. (Most grade-level stations required little modification to meet ADA standards.) Many accessible stations have [[MetroCard (New York City)#Disabled/Senior Citizen Reduced-Fare MetroCard|AutoGate]] access.<ref name="MTA-HowtoRideSubway" /><ref>{{cite web |title=mta.info {{!}} Accessibility |url=https://new.mta.info/accessibility/stations |access-date=February 10, 2016 |website=new.mta.info |archive-date=December 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210123258/https://new.mta.info/accessibility/stations |url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, the MTA identified "key stations", high-traffic and/or geographically important stations, which must conform to the ADA when they are extensively renovated. Under plans from the MTA in 2016, the number of ADA accessible stations would go up to 144 by 2020.<ref>{{cite web |date=February 2016 |title=NYC Subway Needs $1.7 Billion In New Elevators, Feds Say |url=http://ny.curbed.com/2016/2/1/10887202/nyc-subway-needs-1-7-billion-in-new-elevators-feds-say |access-date=February 29, 2016 |website=Curbed NY |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124040310/https://ny.curbed.com/2016/2/1/10887202/nyc-subway-needs-1-7-billion-in-new-elevators-feds-say |url-status=live}}</ref> {{NYCS const|acc_as_of}}, there were {{NYCS const|number|accessible}} ADA-accessible stations.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sequeira |first=Robbie |date=September 22, 2021 |title=Six Bronx subway stations could be ADA-accessible under MTA proposal |work=[[Bronx Times]] |url=https://www.bxtimes.com/six-bronx-subway-stations-could-be-ada-accessible-under-mta-proposal/ |access-date=February 23, 2022 |archive-date=February 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224023524/https://www.bxtimes.com/six-bronx-subway-stations-could-be-ada-accessible-under-mta-proposal/ |url-status=live}}</ref> There are also 284 escalators in the subway system {{As of|2019|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Martinez |first1=Jose |last2=Choi |first2=Ann |date=September 24, 2019 |title=The 232 escalators maintained by the MTA are functional only about 87% of the time, according to new figures |url=https://www.thecity.nyc/2019/09/24/the-fault-in-our-stairs-subway-escalator-reliability-plunges/ |access-date=December 14, 2025 |website=THE CITY - NYC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Fitzsimmons |first=Emma G. |date=May 6, 2019 |title=Another Way the Subway Fails Riders: Broken Escalators |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/06/nyregion/mta-escalators-broken-subways.html |access-date=December 14, 2025 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>

Over the years, the MTA has been involved in a number of lawsuits over the lack of accessibility in its stations. The Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association filed what may have been the first of these suits in 1979, based on state law.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Maitland |first=Leslie |date=October 1, 1979 |title=Suit Asserts M.T.A. Fails To Provide for Disabled |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/01/archives/suit-asserts-mta-fails-to-provide-for-disabled-discrimination.html |access-date=February 24, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110100359/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/01/archives/suit-asserts-mta-fails-to-provide-for-disabled-discrimination.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The lawsuits have relied on a number of different legal bases, but most have centered around the MTA's failure to include accessibility as a part of its plans for remodeling various stations.<ref name="Rosenberg2017">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/25/nyregion/new-york-subway-disability-lawsuit.html |title=New York City's Subway System Violates Local and Federal Laws, Disability Groups Say |last=Rosenberg |first=Eli |date=April 25, 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 26, 2017 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110100414/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/25/nyregion/new-york-subway-disability-lawsuit.html |url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|January 2022}}, ADA-accessibility projects are expected to be started or completed at 51 stations as part of the 2020–2024 Capital Program.<ref name="MassapequaPark">{{cite report |url=https://new.mta.info/document/69176 |page=53 |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |location=New York |title=Notice of Public Hearing and Description of Projects |date=January 2022 |access-date=January 20, 2022 |archive-date=January 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106205923/https://new.mta.info/document/69176 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/22/nyregion/nyc-subway-byford-proposal.html |title=A Sweeping Plan to Fix the Subways Comes With a $19 Billion Price Tag |date=May 22, 2018 |work=The New York Times |access-date=May 23, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110100344/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/22/nyregion/nyc-subway-byford-proposal.html |url-status=live}}</ref> This would allow one of every two to four stations on every line to be accessible, so that all non-accessible stops would be a maximum of two stops from an accessible station.<ref name="fastforward">{{cite web |title=Transform the Subway |website=Fast Forward |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |date=May 23, 2018 |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5afef986c3c16a2dc6705929/t/5b056a55aa4a99ccc11291bc/1527081560241/Fast+Forward+The+Plan+to+Modernize+NYCT.pdf |access-date=May 23, 2018 |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110100352/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5afef986c3c16a2dc6705929/t/5b056a55aa4a99ccc11291bc/1527081560241/Fast+Forward+The+Plan+to+Modernize+NYCT.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|page=39}}

In 2022, the MTA agreed in a settlement to make 95 percent of subway and Staten Island Railway stations accessible by 2055.<ref name="nyt-2022-06-222">{{Cite news |last=Gold |first=Michael |date=June 22, 2022 |title=New York's Subway System Vows to Be 95 Percent Accessible by 2055 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/22/nyregion/nyc-subway-accessibility-disabilities-elevators.html |access-date=June 22, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622135107/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/22/nyregion/nyc-subway-accessibility-disabilities-elevators.html |url-status=live}}</ref> By comparison, all but one of Boston's [[MBTA subway]] stations are accessible, the [[Chicago "L"]] plans all stations to be accessible in the 2030s,<ref>{{Cite web |title=All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) |url=https://www.transitchicago.com/accessibility/asap/ |access-date=July 27, 2023 |website=CTA |language=en |quote=In July 2018, we reached an important milestone in our commitment towards making the rail system accessible to everyone by releasing the All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) Strategic Plan – our blueprint for making the remaining 42 rail stations fully accessible over the next two decades. |archive-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727075117/https://www.transitchicago.com/accessibility/asap/ |url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Toronto subway]] will be fully accessible by 2025,<ref name="TTC-2021-06-23">{{cite web |date=June 23, 2022 |title=2022 Accessibility Plan Status Update |url=https://ttc-cdn.azureedge.net/-/media/Project/TTC/DevProto/Documents/Home/Public-Meetings/Board/2022/June-23/11_2022_Accessibility_Plan_Status_Update.pdf?rev=93faffcb7ac44609a8e0be1d2685e720&hash=0784D6A852739F383C3D55DCC1D21D37 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726155357/https://ttc-cdn.azureedge.net/-/media/Project/TTC/DevProto/Documents/Home/Public-Meetings/Board/2022/June-23/11_2022_Accessibility_Plan_Status_Update.pdf?rev=93faffcb7ac44609a8e0be1d2685e720&hash=0784D6A852739F383C3D55DCC1D21D37 |archive-date=July 26, 2022 |access-date=June 23, 2022 |publisher=[[Toronto Transit Commission]] |quote=The TTC continues to plan for all of its subway stations to be accessible by 2025.}}</ref> and [[Montreal Metro]] plans all stations to be accessible by 2038.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 7, 2017 |title=STM Metro accessibility plan will mean more elevators, ramps |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/stm-metro-accessibility-plan-will-mean-more-elevators-ramps-1.4013361 |access-date=August 4, 2020 |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |quote=Schnobb said at that time the entire underground network should be accessible by 2038. |archive-date=January 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111035523/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/stm-metro-accessibility-plan-will-mean-more-elevators-ramps-1.4013361 |url-status=live}}</ref> Both the Boston and Chicago systems are as old or older than the New York City Subway, though each of these systems has fewer stations than the New York City Subway.<ref name="NYDN-GroupsSueMTA-2016">{{cite news |last1=Ross |first1=Barbara |last2=Gregorian |first2=Dareh |date=June 29, 2016 |title=Disability rights groups sue MTA over inaccessible subway station |newspaper=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/disability-rights-groups-sue-mta-inaccessible-subway-station-article-1.2693061 |url-status=live |access-date=September 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202012413/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/disability-rights-groups-sue-mta-inaccessible-subway-station-article-1.2693061 |archive-date=February 2, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Office of the New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer 2018">{{cite web |date=July 17, 2018 |title=Service Denied: Accessibility and the New York City Subway System |url=https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/service-denied-accessibility-and-the-new-york-city-subway-system/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110100410/https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/service-denied-accessibility-and-the-new-york-city-subway-system/ |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |access-date=July 21, 2018 |website=Office of the New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer}}</ref> Newer systems, such as the [[Washington Metro]] and [[Bay Area Rapid Transit]], have been fully accessible from their opening in the 1970s.<ref name="Chang 2020 s188">{{cite web |last=Chang |first=Sophia |title=MTA's Long History Of Being Sued Over Subway Accessibility |website=Gothamist |date=March 3, 2020 |url=https://gothamist.com/news/mtas-long-history-being-sued-over-subway-accessibility |access-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727130922/https://gothamist.com/news/mtas-long-history-being-sued-over-subway-accessibility |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Rolling stock ==
[[File:Views From The Rockaways.jpg|alt=|thumb|A train of [[R46 (New York City Subway car)|R46]] cars on the {{NYCS|A}} train]]
[[File:Empty subway in NYC.jpg|thumb|Interior of an [[R142A (New York City Subway car)|R142A]] car on the {{NYCS|4}} train|alt=The interior of an R142A car on the 4 train.]]
[[File:MTA NYC Subway R62A interior.jpg|thumb|Interior of an [[R62A]] car on the [[1 (New York City Subway service)|1]] train|alt=The interior of an R62A car on the 1 train. Its seats are yellow, red, and orange, and it has several advertisements hanging above.]]
[[File:NYC N train cockpit.jpg|thumb|right|Driver's cab of an [[R160 (New York City Subway car)|R160B]] subway car on the {{NYCS|N}} train]]
{{Main|New York City Subway rolling stock}}

In November 2016, the New York City Subway had {{NYCS const|subwaycartotal}} cars on the roster.<ref group="note">See:
* {{NYCS const|thejoekorner|A}}
* {{NYCS const|thejoekorner|B}}</ref>
A typical New York City Subway train consists of 8 to 11 cars, although shuttles can have as few as two, and the train can range from {{convert|150|to|600|ft}} in length.<ref>{{cite web |title=BMT-IND Car Assignments – December 6, 2015 |url=http://www.thejoekorner.com/carassignments/bmt-ind-2015-12-06.html |website=www.thejoekorner.com |access-date=February 14, 2016 |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308150616/http://www.thejoekorner.com/carassignments/bmt-ind-2015-12-06.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The system maintains two separate fleets of cars, one for the A Division routes and another for the B Division routes.<ref name="www.thejoekorner.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.thejoekorner.com/cars/carsrtyp.htm |title=R-Type Cars 1932 to 1987 |website=www.thejoekorner.com |access-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-date=August 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817010043/http://www.thejoekorner.com/cars/carsrtyp.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> A Division equipment is approximately {{convert|8|ft|9|in}} wide and {{convert|51|ft|4|in}} long, whereas B Division equipment is about {{convert|10|ft|2}} wide and either {{convert|60|ft|6|in}} or {{convert|75|ft|2}} long.<ref>[[Second Avenue Subway]] [http://web.mta.info/capital/sas_docs/sdeis.htm Draft Environmental Impact Statement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419190922/http://web.mta.info/capital/sas_docs/sdeis.htm |date=April 19, 2019 }}, {{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/capital/sas_docs/sdeis/glossary.pdf |title=Glossary |access-date=July 14, 2016 |archive-date=February 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226132855/http://web.mta.info/capital/sas_docs/sdeis/glossary.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> 75-foot cars cannot be used over the [[New York City Subway nomenclature#BMT|BMT Eastern Division]] in regular service due to tight turning radii on Eastern Division lines;<ref name=DCP-Broadway-Junction-Pt3>{{cite web |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/transportation/broadway_junction_pt3.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100606141009/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/transportation/broadway_junction_pt3.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 6, 2010 |title=3.3.3 A, C (Fulton Street) Line Services and Structural Issues |date=2007 |access-date=February 9, 2016 |location=New York |publisher=New York City Department of City Planning}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.erictb.info/carhistory.html |title=Car History |website=www.erictb.info |access-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316051730/http://www.erictb.info/carhistory.html |url-status=live}}</ref> the turning radii for curves on Eastern Division lines are as tight as {{convert|175|ft}}.<ref name=DCP-Broadway-Junction-Pt3 /> Each train typically has two staff members on board: an operator at the front, who drives the train, and a conductor at the center, who makes announcements, assists operators, and is responsible for passenger safety and service.<ref>{{cite web | first1=Mickey |last1=Todiwala | first2=Jennifer |last2=Liu | title=On the job: What it takes to earn $86,000 a year as a subway conductor in New York City | website=CNBC | date=March 7, 2023 | url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/07/on-the-job-earning-86k-a-year-as-a-subway-conductor-in-new-york-city.html | access-date=August 18, 2025}}</ref>

Cars purchased by the City of New York since the inception of the IND and the other divisions beginning in 1948 are identified by the letter "R" followed by a number; e.g.: [[R32 (New York City Subway car)|R32]].<ref name="www.thejoekorner.com" /> This number is the contract number under which the cars were purchased.<ref name="joekorner">{{cite web |url=http://www.thejoekorner.com/cars/carsrtyp.htm |title=R-Type Cars 1932 to 1987 |work=thejoekorner.com |access-date=February 28, 2016 |archive-date=August 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817010043/http://www.thejoekorner.com/cars/carsrtyp.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> Cars with nearby contract numbers (e.g.: [[R1 (New York City Subway car)|R1]] through [[R9 (New York City Subway car)|R9]], or [[R26 (New York City Subway car)|R26]] through [[R29 (New York City Subway car)|R29]], or [[R143]] through [[R179]]) may be relatively identical, despite being purchased under different contracts and possibly built by different manufacturers.<ref name="NYTimes-NYCSPromiseInfo-Nov2005">{{cite news |last=Chan |first=Sewell |author-link=Sewell Chan |title=New Subway Cars Promise All Kinds of Information |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 30, 2005 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/30/nyregion/30car.html |access-date=October 27, 2007 |archive-date=March 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315015712/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/30/nyregion/new-subway-cars-promise-all-kinds-of-information.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

From 2000 to 2024, the [[R142 (New York City Subway car)|R142]], [[R142A (New York City Subway car)|R142A]], [[R143 (New York City Subway car)|R143]], [[R160 (New York City Subway car)|R160]], [[R179 (New York City Subway car)|R179]], [[R188 (New York City Subway car)|R188]] and [[R211 (New York City Subway car)|R211]] were placed into service.<ref>*R142/A: {{cite news |last1=Siegal |first1=Nina |title=Neighborhood Report: New York Underground; 2 New Trains in the Subways: Catch Them if You Can |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/01/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-underground-2-new-trains-subways-catch-them-if-you.html |access-date=January 24, 2016 |work=The New York Times |date=October 1, 2000 |archive-date=February 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203195643/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/01/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-underground-2-new-trains-subways-catch-them-if-you.html |url-status=live}}
* R143: {{cite journal |title=Kawasaki completes NYCT R143 order. (Market).(New York City Transit)(subway cars contract) |journal=[[Railway Age]] |date=March 1, 2003 |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-99553181.html |access-date=July 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220180307/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-99553181.html |archive-date=February 20, 2016 |url-status=dead}}
* R160: {{cite news |last1=Lueck |first1=Thomas J. |title=City Subways Put New Cars Into Service as a Test Run |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/18/nyregion/18cars.html |access-date=January 24, 2016 |work=The New York Times |date=August 18, 2006 |archive-date=May 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510083752/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/18/nyregion/18cars.html |url-status=live}}
* R179: {{cite news |last1=Barone |first1=Vincent |title=New MTA subway cars to arrive for testing, will replace oldest fleet |url=http://www.amny.com/transit/new-mta-subway-cars-to-arrive-for-testing-will-replace-oldest-fleet-1.12276227 |access-date=September 8, 2016 |work=[[AM New York]] |date=September 6, 2016 |archive-date=September 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160907213219/http://www.amny.com/transit/new-mta-subway-cars-to-arrive-for-testing-will-replace-oldest-fleet-1.12276227 |url-status=live}}
* R188: {{cite web |url=http://www.mta.info/news/2013/11/18/new-subway-cars-being-put-test |title=MTA &#124; news &#124; New Subway Cars Being Put to the Test |publisher=New.mta.info |date=November 18, 2013 |access-date=August 24, 2014 |archive-date=May 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140515152907/http://www.mta.info/news/2013/11/18/new-subway-cars-being-put-test |url-status=dead}}
* R211: {{cite web |last=Lin |first=Sarah Belle |date=March 10, 2023 |title=Latest subway cars roll into service, start their journey on the A line |url=https://www.amny.com/news/new-mta-subway-cars-are-online-and-beginning-their-journey-on-the-a-line/ |access-date=March 10, 2023 |website=amNewYork |archive-date=March 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310233024/https://www.amny.com/news/new-mta-subway-cars-are-online-and-beginning-their-journey-on-the-a-line/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="MTA-R160-NTT-E-Dec2008" /> These cars are collectively known as [[New Technology Train]]s (NTTs) due to modern innovations such as information screens, recorded train announcements, and the ability to facilitate [[Communication-based train control|Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC)]].<ref name="MTA-R160-NTT-E-Dec2008">{{cite web |title=New Technology Train Rolled Out This Morning Along the E Line |url=http://www.mta.info/press-release/nyc-transit/new-technology-train-rolled-out-morning-along-e-line |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |access-date=December 7, 2015 |date=December 22, 2008 |archive-date=October 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026212616/https://www.mta.info/press-release/nyc-transit/new-technology-train-rolled-out-morning-along-e-line |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="NYPress-NYCSNTTVoice-2003">{{cite web |title=The voice behind the closing doors would like to clear something up. |url=http://www.nypress.com/the-voice-behind-the-closing-doors-would-like-to-clear-something-up/ |website=nypress.com |publisher=Straus News |access-date=December 7, 2015 |date=March 18, 2003 |archive-date=September 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920112036/http://www.nypress.com/the-voice-behind-the-closing-doors-would-like-to-clear-something-up/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

As part of the 2017–2020 MTA Financial Plan, 600 subway cars will have electronic display signs installed to improve customer experience.<ref name="mta.info2016">{{cite web |date=November 16, 2016 |title=MTA 2017 Final Proposed Budget November Financial Plan 2017–2020, Volume 2 |url=http://web.mta.info/news/pdf/MTA%202017%20Final%20Proposed%20Budget%20November%20Financial%20Plan%202017-2020%20Volume%202.pdf |access-date=November 17, 2016 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |archive-date=May 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517072012/http://web.mta.info/news/pdf/MTA%202017%20Final%20Proposed%20Budget%20November%20Financial%20Plan%202017-2020%20Volume%202.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Fares ==
{{Main|New York City transit fares}}

Riders pay a single fare to enter the subway system and may transfer between trains at no extra cost until they exit via station turnstiles; the fare is a flat rate regardless of how far or how long the rider travels. Thus, riders must swipe their [[MetroCard]] or tap a contactless payment card or smartphone on an [[OMNY]] reader upon entering the subway system, but not a second time upon leaving.<ref name="web.mta.info">{{cite web |title=MTA/New York City Transit – Fares and MetroCard |url=http://web.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm |website=web.mta.info |access-date=February 10, 2016 |archive-date=September 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915224327/http://web.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{As of|2023|August}}, nearly all fares are paid by MetroCard or OMNY.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hallum |first=Mark |date=August 12, 2020 |title=OMNY payment system now at turnstiles in most subway stations: MTA |url=https://www.amny.com/transit/omny-payment-system-now-at-turnstiles-in-most-subway-stations-mta/ |access-date=September 23, 2020 |website=amNewYork |language=en-US |archive-date=September 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928095745/https://www.amny.com/transit/omny-payment-system-now-at-turnstiles-in-most-subway-stations-mta/ |url-status=live}}</ref> As of August 2023, the base fare is $2.90. Fares can be paid with most credit or debit cards using the OMNY readers, with a reusable MetroCard,<ref name="web.mta.info" /> or with single-use tickets. The MTA offers 7-day and 30-day unlimited ride programs that can lower the effective per-ride fare significantly.<ref name="MetroCard">{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm#unlimited |title=MTA/New York City Transit – Fares and MetroCard |work=mta.info |access-date=April 10, 2014 |archive-date=September 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915224327/http://web.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm#unlimited |url-status=live}}</ref> Reduced fares are available for the elderly and people with disabilities.<ref name="MTA-HowtoRideSubway" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/fare/rfindex.htm |title=mta.info – Reduced-Fare |work=mta.info |access-date=April 10, 2014 |archive-date=May 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506180414/http://web.mta.info/nyct/fare/rfindex.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

Fares were stored in a money room at [[370 Jay Street]] in [[Downtown Brooklyn]] starting in 1951, when the building opened as a headquarters for the [[New York City Board of Transportation]].<ref>*{{cite news |title=New Home Ready for Transit Board |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/03/25/87191560.pdf |access-date=October 14, 2016 |work=The New York Times |date=March 25, 1951 |archive-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513041646/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/03/25/87191560.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}<br />{{cite news |title=City Board Rushes Move to New Site: Transportation Unit Receives U.S. Order to Vacate and Speeds to Brooklyn |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/03/31/89787570.pdf |access-date=October 14, 2016 |work=The New York Times |date=March 31, 1951 |archive-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513041704/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/03/31/89787570.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}<br />{{cite news |title=Transit Board Now In Its New Building |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/04/03/81772365.pdf |access-date=October 14, 2016 |work=The New York Times |date=April 3, 1951}}</ref> The building is close to the lines of all three subway divisions (the IRT, BMT, and IND) and thus was a convenient location to collect fares, including tokens and cash, via [[money train]]s. Passageways from the subway stations, including a visible door in the Jay Street IND station, lead to a money sorting room in the basement of the building.<ref name=utc20160212 /><ref name="Atlas-370JaySt-Nov2015" /> The money trains were replaced by [[armored truck]]s in 2006.<ref name="utc20160212">{{cite news |last1=Young |first1=Michelle |title=The MTA's Special Armored Money Train that Ran from 1951 to 2006 in NYC |url=http://untappedcities.com/2016/02/12/the-mtas-special-armored-money-train-that-ran-from-1951-to-2006-in-nyc/ |access-date=October 14, 2016 |work=Untapped cities |date=February 12, 2016 |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109062120/https://untappedcities.com/2016/02/12/the-mtas-special-armored-money-train-that-ran-from-1951-to-2006-in-nyc/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Atlas-370JaySt-Nov2015">{{cite news |last1=Zimmerman |first1=Alex |title=Inside the Brooklyn Building that Held the Subway's Secrets |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/inside-the-brooklyn-building-that-held-the-subways-secrets |access-date=October 14, 2016 |work=Atlas Obscura |date=November 30, 2015 |archive-date=October 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018212605/http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/inside-the-brooklyn-building-that-held-the-subways-secrets |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Chung |first1=Jen |title=Money Train Retires |url=http://gothamist.com/2006/01/16/money_train_ret.php |access-date=October 14, 2016 |work=[[Gothamist]] |date=January 16, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151204041531/http://gothamist.com/2006/01/16/money_train_ret.php |archive-date=December 4, 2015}}</ref>

=== MetroCard ===

{{Main|MetroCard}}

[[File:MetroCard.SVG|left|thumb|The current MetroCard design]]

In June 1993, a fare system called the [[MetroCard]] was introduced, which allows riders to use [[magnetic stripe card]]s that store the value equal to the amount paid to a subway station booth clerk or vending machine.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7DC143BF931A35755C0A965958260 |first=Seth |last=Faison |newspaper=The New York Times |title=3,000 Subway Riders, Cards in Hand, Test New Fare System |date=June 2, 1993 |access-date=April 25, 2010 |archive-date=August 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805203830/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/02/nyregion/3000-subway-riders-cards-in-hand-test-new-fare-system.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The MetroCard was enhanced in 1997 to allow passengers to make free transfers between subways and buses within two hours and several MetroCard-only [[List of New York City Subway transfer stations|transfers between subway stations]] were added in 2001.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/push-free-g-to-j-m-transfer-permanent-article-1.1917910 |title=With work on Greenpoint Tube set to end, advocates want free G-to-J/M transfer to be permanent |last=Donohue |first=Pete |date=August 26, 2014 |newspaper=New York Daily News |access-date=February 28, 2016 |archive-date=January 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120034410/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/push-free-g-to-j-m-transfer-permanent-article-1.1917910 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/G_LineReview_7_10_13.pdf |title=NYC Transit G Line Review |date=July 10, 2013 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |access-date=February 28, 2016 |archive-date=December 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224164006/http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/G_LineReview_7_10_13.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> With the addition of unlimited-ride MetroCards in 1998, the New York City Transit system was the last major transit system in the United States with the exception of [[BART]] in [[San Francisco]] to introduce passes for unlimited bus and rapid transit travel.<ref>{{cite news |first=Andy |last=Newman |title=Hop On, Hop Off: The Unlimited Metrocard Arrives |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/03/nyregion/hop-on-hop-off-the-unlimited-metrocard-arrives.html |date=July 3, 1998 |access-date=January 8, 2010 |archive-date=August 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220831233932/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/03/nyregion/hop-on-hop-off-the-unlimited-metrocard-arrives.html |url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2024}}, MetroCard is to be retired at an undetermined date.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brachfeld |first=Ben |date=April 24, 2023 |title=OMNY machines rolling out at subway stations this summer as phase-out of MetroCard delayed indefinitely |work=amNewYork |url=https://www.amny.com/transit/omny-machines-rollout/ |access-date=July 27, 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010215307/https://www.amny.com/transit/omny-machines-rollout/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{clear}}

=== OMNY ===
{{Main|OMNY}}

[[File:OMNY reader in NYC subway.jpg|thumb|OMNY will replace the MetroCard in 2026]]
On October 23, 2017, it was announced that the MetroCard would be phased out and replaced by [[OMNY]], a [[Contactless payment|contactless fare payment]] system by [[San Diego]]-based [[Cubic Transportation Systems]], with fare payment being made using [[Apple Pay]], [[Google Pay (payment method)|Google Pay]], debit/credit cards with [[near-field communication]] technology, or [[radio-frequency identification]] cards.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-approves-plan-scrap-metrocards-tap-payment-system-article-1.3584098 |title=MTA approves plan to scrap MetroCards for 'tap' payment system |last=Rivoli |first=Dan |date=October 23, 2017 |work=NY Daily News |access-date=October 24, 2017 |language=en |archive-date=October 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024051957/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-approves-plan-scrap-metrocards-tap-payment-system-article-1.3584098 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":2a">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/23/nyregion/metrocard-subway-new-york.html |title=New York to Replace MetroCard With Modern Way to Pay Transit Fares |last=Barron |first=James |date=October 23, 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=October 24, 2017 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023235701/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/23/nyregion/metrocard-subway-new-york.html |url-status=live}}</ref> OMNY was available on all MTA buses and at all subway stations by December 31, 2020,<ref name="cbs20201231">{{cite web |title=MTA: Every NYC Subway Station Now Equipped With OMNY Contactless Payment System |website=CBS New York – Breaking News, Sports, Weather, Traffic And The Best of NY |date=December 31, 2020 |url=https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2020/12/31/omny-rollout/ |access-date=January 1, 2021 |archive-date=January 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101010231/https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2020/12/31/omny-rollout/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and the MTA plans to stop selling MetroCards on December 31, 2025.<ref>{{cite web | last=Fadulu | first=Lola | title=The MetroCard Goes the Way of the Token as M.T.A. Announces End of Sales | website=The New York Times | date=March 19, 2025 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/nyregion/nyc-subway-metro-card.html | access-date=March 19, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Spivack | first=Caroline | title=MTA plans MetroCard retirement | website=Crain&#039;s New York Business | date=March 18, 2025 | url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/transportation/mta-plans-metrocard-retirement | access-date=March 19, 2025}}</ref>

== Modernization ==
[[File:Reopening of 53rd St ESI Station (36710339210).jpg|thumb|A subway station rebuilt under the Enhanced Station Initiative]]
{{Main|Technology of the New York City Subway}}

Since the late 20th century, the MTA has started several projects to maintain and improve the subway. In the 1990s, it started converting the [[BMT Canarsie Line]] to use [[communications-based train control]], utilizing a [[moving block]] signal system that allowed more trains to use the tracks and thus increasing passenger capacity.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/14/nyregion/14subway.html |title=Subways Run by Computers Start on L Line This Summer |access-date=May 24, 2007 |first=Sewell |last=Chan |author-link=Sewell Chan |date=January 14, 2005 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=August 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805203829/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/14/nyregion/subways-run-by-computers-start-on-l-line-this-summer.html |url-status=live}}</ref> After the Canarsie Line tests were successful, the MTA expanded the automation program in the 2000s and 2010s to include other lines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/mta/pdf/CP/NeedsAssessment.pdf |title=Twenty-Year Capital Needs Assessment |website=mta.info |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |date=August 2009 |access-date=September 12, 2016 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904044032/http://web.mta.info/mta/pdf/CP/NeedsAssessment.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/capital/sas_docs/feis/chapter02.pdf#page=4 |title=Chapter 2: Project Alternatives |page=4 |website=mta.info |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |access-date=September 12, 2015 |archive-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005164409/http://web.mta.info/capital/sas_docs/feis/chapter02.pdf#page=4 |url-status=live}}</ref> As part of another program called FASTRACK, the MTA started closing sections of lines during weekday nights in 2012,
in order to allow workers to clean these lines without being hindered by train movements.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/01/09/fastrack-repairs-mean-service-disruptions-on-4-5-and-6-subway/ |title='FASTRACK' Repairs Mean Service Disruptions On 4, 5 And 6 Subway |date=January 1, 2012 |website=CBS New York |access-date=September 8, 2017 |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124072228/https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/01/09/fastrack-repairs-mean-service-disruptions-on-4-5-and-6-subway/ |url-status=live}}</ref> It expanded the program beyond Manhattan the next year after noticing how efficient the FASTRACK program was compared to previous service diversions.<ref>{{cite web |title=MTA Fastrack To Expand To Beyond Manhattan |website=WNYC |date=May 14, 2012 |url=http://www.wnyc.org/story/284656-mta-fastrack-to-expand-to-beyond-manhattan/ |access-date=September 8, 2017 |archive-date=September 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912014043/http://www.wnyc.org/story/284656-mta-fastrack-to-expand-to-beyond-manhattan/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015, the MTA announced a wide-ranging improvement program as part of the 2015–2019 Capital Program. Thirty stations would be extensively rebuilt under the [[Enhanced Station Initiative]], and new [[R211 (New York City Subway car)|R211]] subway cars would be able to fit more passengers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/cuomo-unveils-new-designs-aimed-fix-mta-subway-crowding-article-1.2716100 |title=Cuomo unveils new designs aimed to fix MTA subway crowding |last=Rivoli |first=Dan |date=July 18, 2016 |website=NY Daily News |access-date=July 19, 2016 |archive-date=July 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160719134514/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/cuomo-unveils-new-designs-aimed-fix-mta-subway-crowding-article-1.2716100 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/19/nyregion/cuomo-details-redesigned-subway-cars-and-major-station-renovations.html |title=Cuomo Details Redesigned Subway Cars and Major Station Renovations |last=Schmidt |first=Samantha |date=July 18, 2016 |access-date=July 19, 2016 |website=The New York Times |archive-date=July 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160721011457/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/19/nyregion/cuomo-details-redesigned-subway-cars-and-major-station-renovations.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The MTA has also started some projects to improve passenger amenities. It added train arrival "countdown clocks" to most [[A Division (New York City Subway)|A Division]] stations (except on the [[IRT Flushing Line]], serving the {{NYCS trains|Flushing}}) and the [[BMT Canarsie Line]] ({{NYCS trains|Canarsie}}) by late 2011, allowing passengers on these routes to see train arrival times using real-time data.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/countdwn_clocks.htm |title=Innovation |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |access-date=September 11, 2017 |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714214034/http://web.mta.info/countdwn_clocks.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> A similar countdown-clock project for the [[B Division (New York City Subway)|B Division]] and the Flushing Line was deferred<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/mta-board-approves-26-billion-capital-spending-plan-1446052998 |title=More NYC Subway Countdown Clocks Won't Arrive Anytime Soon |last=Tangel |first=Andrew |date=October 28, 2015 |website=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=October 29, 2015 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904043958/https://www.wsj.com/articles/mta-board-approves-26-billion-capital-spending-plan-1446052998 |url-status=live}}</ref> until 2016, when a new [[Bluetooth]]-based clock system was tested successfully.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wolfe |first=Jonathan |title=New York Today: New Subway Clocks |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 7, 2017 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/07/nyregion/new-york-today-new-subway-clocks.html |access-date=September 11, 2017 |archive-date=September 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912015935/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/07/nyregion/new-york-today-new-subway-clocks.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Beginning in 2011, the MTA also started "Help Point" to aid with emergency calls or station agent assistance.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20110405/manhattan/new-help-point-intercoms-head-from-moma-subway |title=New 'Help Point' Intercoms Head from MoMa to the Subway |work=DNAinfo |date=April 5, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912012043/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20110405/manhattan/new-help-point-intercoms-head-from-moma-subway |archive-date=September 12, 2017}}</ref> The Help Point project was deemed successful, and the MTA subsequently installed Help Points in all stations.<ref name="Smith Insider 20161">{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Dave |title=All New York City subway stations will have WiFi by the end of this year |website=Business Insider |date=January 11, 2016 |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/all-nyc-subway-stations-getting-wifi-2016-1 |access-date=September 11, 2017 |archive-date=September 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912055333/http://www.businessinsider.com/all-nyc-subway-stations-getting-wifi-2016-1 |url-status=live}}</ref> Interactive [[touchscreen]] "On The Go! Travel Station" kiosks, which give station advisories, itineraries, and timetables, were installed starting in 2011,<ref>{{cite web |title=MTA Unveils New "On The Go" Touch-Screen Plaything At Bowling Green Subway Station |url=http://gothamist.com/2011/09/19/mta_unveils_new_touch-screen_playth.php |website=Gothamist |access-date=February 10, 2016 |first=Sarah |last=Nelson |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216232301/http://gothamist.com/2011/09/19/mta_unveils_new_touch-screen_playth.php |archive-date=February 16, 2016}}</ref> with the program also being expanded after a successful pilot.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/news/pdf/MTA%202017%20Final%20Proposed%20Budget%20November%20Financial%20Plan%202017-2020%20Volume%202.pdf |title=MTA 2017 Final Proposed Budget November Financial Plan 2017–2020, Volume 2 |date=November 16, 2016 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |access-date=November 17, 2016 |archive-date=May 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517072012/http://web.mta.info/news/pdf/MTA%202017%20Final%20Proposed%20Budget%20November%20Financial%20Plan%202017-2020%20Volume%202.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Cellular phone and wireless data in stations, first installed in 2011 as part of yet another pilot program,<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.amny.com/transit/wi-fi-in-underground-subway-stations-still-on-track-for-completion-source-says-1.12713110 |title=Source: MTA on track with subway station Wi-Fi goal |last=Barone |first=Vincent |date=December 8, 2016 |newspaper=am New York |access-date=December 8, 2016 |archive-date=December 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207174942/http://www.amny.com/transit/wi-fi-in-underground-subway-stations-still-on-track-for-completion-source-says-1.12713110 |url-status=live}}</ref> was also expanded systemwide due to positive passenger feedback.<ref name="Smith Insider 20161" /> Finally, credit-card trials at several subway stations in 2006 and 2010<ref>{{Cite news |title=A Test at 25 Stations Subway Riding Without the Swiping |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/31/nyregion/31fare.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 31, 2006 |access-date=February 10, 2016 |issn=0362-4331 |first=Sewell |last=Chan |archive-date=October 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023200233/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/31/nyregion/31fare.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kaminer |first=Ariel |title=Testing PayPass on New York's Buses and Trains |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 11, 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/nyregion/13critic.html |access-date=March 25, 2016 |archive-date=January 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109181702/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/nyregion/13critic.html |url-status=live}}</ref> led to proposals for [[contactless payment]] to replace the aging MetroCard.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rivoli |first1=Dan |last2=Gregorian |first2=Dareh |date=April 12, 2016 |title=MTA to solicit proposals for 'New Fare Payment System,' taking first step in finding MetroCard replacement |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-takes-step-replacing-metrocard-article-1.2598346 |newspaper=New York Daily News |access-date=November 30, 2016 |archive-date=December 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201075727/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-takes-step-replacing-metrocard-article-1.2598346 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Safety and security ==
=== Signaling ===
{{Main|Signaling of the New York City Subway}}

Signaling has evolved during a century of operation, and MTA uses a mixture of old and new systems. Most routes use [[block signaling]] but a few routes are also being retrofitted with [[communications-based train control]] (CBTC), which would allow trains to run without train operator input.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjx3S3UjmnA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/Mjx3S3UjmnA |archive-date=October 29, 2021 |title=CBTC: Communications-Based Train Control |date=July 20, 2015 |author=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |type=video |language=en-US |publisher=[[YouTube]] |access-date=April 30, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=rpa-signals />

==== Wayside block signaling ====
[[File:34 St-Hudson Yards Station (21389427245).jpg|thumb|Example of a wayside block signal at the [[34th Street–Hudson Yards (IRT Flushing Line)|34th Street–Hudson Yards]] station]]

The system currently uses [[automatic block signaling]] with fixed wayside signals and automatic [[train stop]]s to provide safe train operation across the whole system.<ref name="rpa-signals">{{cite web |url=http://library.rpa.org/pdf/RPA-Moving-Forward.pdf |title=Moving Forward: Accelerating the Transition to Communications-Based Train Control for New York City's Subways |website=rpa.org |publisher=[[Regional Plan Association]] |date=May 2014 |access-date=September 12, 2016 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304091527/http://library.rpa.org/pdf/RPA-Moving-Forward.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> The New York City Subway system has, for the most part, used block signaling since its first line opened, and many portions of the current signaling system were installed between the 1930s and 1960s. These signals work by preventing trains from entering a "block" occupied by another train. Typically, the blocks are {{convert|1000|ft}} long.<ref name="Somers2015">{{cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/11/why-dont-we-know-where-all-the-trains-are/415152/ |title=Why New York Subway Lines Are Missing Countdown Clocks |last=Somers |first=James |website=The Atlantic |language=en-US |access-date=February 28, 2016 |date=November 13, 2015 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304100700/http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/11/why-dont-we-know-where-all-the-trains-are/415152/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Red and green lights show whether a block is occupied or vacant. The train's maximum speed will depend on how many blocks are open in front of it. The signals do not register a train's speed, nor where in the block the train is located.<ref name="RPA-Moving Forward">{{cite web |url=http://library.rpa.org/pdf/RPA-Moving-Forward.pdf |title=Moving Forward Accelerating the Transition to Communications-Based Train Control for New York City's Subways |publisher=Regional Plan Association |date=May 2014 |access-date=March 25, 2016 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304091527/http://library.rpa.org/pdf/RPA-Moving-Forward.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thejoekorner.com/out-the-front/index-signals.shtm |title=The JoeKorNer – Looking out the Front – Signals |website=www.thejoekorner.com |access-date=February 28, 2016 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305025828/http://www.thejoekorner.com/out-the-front/index-signals.shtm |url-status=live}}</ref>

Subway trains are stopped mechanically at all signals showing "stop". To make [[train protection system|train stops]] safe and effective, wayside trippers must not be moved to trip ("stop") position until the train has fully passed.<ref name="Somers2015" /><ref name="Trip Stop">{{cite web |title=www.nycsubway.org: Subway Signals: Train Stops |website=www.nycsubway.org |date=October 21, 2015 |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Subway_Signals:_Train_Stops |access-date=October 21, 2015 |archive-date=October 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019074025/http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Subway_Signals:_Train_Stops |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Communications-based train control ====
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the MTA began automating the subway by installing CBTC, which supplements rather than replaces the fixed-block signal system; it allows trains to operate more closely together with lower [[headway]]s. The [[BMT Canarsie Line]], on which the {{NYCS trains|Canarsie}} runs, was chosen for pilot testing because it is a self-contained line that does not operate in conjunction with other lines. CBTC became operational in February 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/communications/mta-l-line-trains-go-to-full-cbtc.html |title=MTA L Line trains go to full CBTC |first=William C. |last=Vantuono |website=www.railwayage.com |access-date=March 13, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314063159/http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/communications/mta-l-line-trains-go-to-full-cbtc.html |archive-date=March 14, 2016 |date=February 24, 2009}}</ref> Due to an unexpected ridership increase, the MTA ordered additional cars, and increased service from 15 trains to 26 trains per hour, an achievement beyond the capability of the block system.<ref name="neuman-May22">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/nyregion/22subway.html |url-access=subscription |title=For Less Crowding on L Train, Think 2010, Report Says |access-date=May 24, 2007 |first=William |last=Neuman |date=May 22, 2007 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=November 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114004056/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/nyregion/22subway.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The total cost of the project was $340&nbsp;million.<ref name="Somers2015" />

After the success of the BMT Canarsie Line automation, the [[IRT Flushing Line]], carrying the {{NYCS trains|Flushing}}, was next chosen to get CBTC.<ref>{{cite web |title=New Tech Promises Less Subway Crowding, If Albany Doesn't Beggar the MTA |website=Streetsblog New York City |first1=Josef |last1=Szende |first2=Charles |last2=Komanoff |url=http://www.streetsblog.org/2011/10/13/new-tech-promises-less-subway-crowding-if-albany-doesnt-beggar-the-mta/ |access-date=February 10, 2016 |date=October 13, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215174144/http://www.streetsblog.org/2011/10/13/new-tech-promises-less-subway-crowding-if-albany-doesnt-beggar-the-mta/ |archive-date=February 15, 2016}}</ref> Estimated to cost US$1.4&nbsp;billion,<ref>{{cite web |title=2008–2013 MTA Capital Program Accelerated Program Presentation to the Board |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |date=February 27, 2008 |url=http://web.mta.info/mta/news/public/ppt/Accelerated%20Program%20Presentation%20for%20Boardjss2.ppt |format=PPT |access-date=February 28, 2008 |pages=15–16 |archive-date=August 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140815154617/http://web.mta.info/mta/news/public/ppt/Accelerated%20Program%20Presentation%20for%20Boardjss2.ppt |url-status=live}}</ref> the project was completed in November 2018.<ref name="MTA-CPOC-Nov2018">{{Cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/181113_1400_CPOC.pdf |title=Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting November 2018 |date=November 13, 2018 |access-date=April 20, 2018 |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |archive-date=July 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717073555/http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/181113_1400_CPOC.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|11–12}} By 2018, CBTC was in the process of being installed on several other routes as well, particularly the [[IND Queens Boulevard Line]] ({{NYCS trains|Queens}}) and [[IND Culver Line]] ({{NYCS trains|Culver IND north}}).<ref name="MTA-CPOC-Nov2018" /> The total cost for the entire Queens Boulevard Line is estimated at over $900&nbsp;million,<ref>{{cite web |title=MTA 2010–2014 Capital Program Questions and Answers |url=http://mta.info/mta/pdf/2010-14questions_and_answers_v2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302010603/http://mta.info/mta/pdf/2010-14questions_and_answers_v2.pdf |archive-date=March 2, 2012 |access-date=March 16, 2016 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority}}</ref> and the Queens Boulevard CBTC project was completed in 2022.<ref name="mta.info2016" /> Funding for CBTC on the [[IND Eighth Avenue Line]] is also provided in the 2015–2019 capital plan,<ref>{{cite report |url=http://web.mta.info/mta/capital/pdf/TYN2015-2034.pdf |title=MTA Twenty-Year Capital Needs Assessment 2015–2034 |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |location=New York |access-date=March 18, 2016 |archive-date=March 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329000909/http://web.mta.info/mta/capital/pdf/TYN2015-2034.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[IND Crosstown Line]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 18, 2022 |title=MTA 2022 Adopted Budget February Financial Plan 2022–2025 February 2022 |url=https://new.mta.info/document/76706#page=91 |access-date=July 14, 2022 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |page=V-3 |archive-date=July 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714163139/https://new.mta.info/document/76706#page=91 |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[IND Fulton Street Line]] were also being equipped with CBTC {{As of|2022|lc=y}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 9, 2022 |title=Solicitation Title: S48019 Design-Build Services for Communication Based Train Control Fulton Line in Brooklyn |url=https://new.mta.info/document/99396 |access-date=November 9, 2022 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |archive-date=November 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109225248/https://new.mta.info/document/99396 |url-status=live}}</ref> The widespread installation of CBTC includes retrofitting many newer subway cars and replacement of older cars.<ref name="Daily Intelligencer2016">{{cite web |date=February 23, 2016 |title=How a Single Mechanical Failure Sparked 625 MTA Delays |url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/02/mta-one-day-625-delays.html |access-date=February 29, 2016 |website=Daily Intelligencer |archive-date=March 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301013939/http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/02/mta-one-day-625-delays.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Eventually, the MTA has plans to automate a much larger portion, using [[One Person Train Operation]] (OPTO) in conjunction with CBTC. At the current pace of installation, it would take 175 years for CBTC to be installed at a cost of $20&nbsp;billion.<ref name="Somers2015" /> The Flushing line operated at almost 30 trains an hour using the signal system installed when the line was built, but after the CBTC installation it became possible that an additional two trains per hour could be operated.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NbYqQSQcE2MC |title=Rail Transit Capacity |last1=Parkinson |first1=Tom |last2=Fisher |first2=Ian |date=1996 |publisher=Transportation Research Board |isbn=978-0-309-05718-9 |language=en}}</ref> In March 2018, [[New York City Transit Authority]] president [[Andy Byford]] announced a new plan for resignaling the subway with CBTC, which would only take 10 to 15 years, compared to the previous estimate of 40 years. This would cost $8 to $15&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-transit-chief-says-signal-overhaul-could-be-completed-in-10-to-15-years-1522315801 |title=New York City Transit Chief: Subway Signal Overhaul Could Be Done in 10 to 15 Years |last=Berger |first=Paul |date=March 29, 2018 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |access-date=March 30, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=March 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329222624/https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-transit-chief-says-signal-overhaul-could-be-completed-in-10-to-15-years-1522315801 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2018/3/29/17176200/new-york-subway-signal-repairs-timeline |title=NYC subway's aging signals could be fixed in 10–15 years, says transit head |last=Rosenberg |first=Zoe |date=March 29, 2018 |work=Curbed NY |access-date=March 30, 2018 |archive-date=March 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329191626/https://ny.curbed.com/2018/3/29/17176200/new-york-subway-signal-repairs-timeline |url-status=live}}</ref>

The New York City Subway uses a system known as Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) for dispatching and train routing on the [[A Division (New York City Subway)|A Division]]<ref name="ats">{{cite web |url=http://www.mta.info/news/2012/12/28/know-you-go-mta-subway-time%E2%84%A2 |title=MTA &#124; news &#124; Know Before You Go with MTA Subway Time™ |publisher=Mta.info |date=December 28, 2012 |access-date=April 11, 2014 |archive-date=March 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150312173309/http://www.mta.info/news/2012/12/28/know-you-go-mta-subway-time%E2%84%A2 |url-status=dead}}</ref> (the Flushing line and the trains used on the {{NYCS trains|Flushing|type=service|time=nolink}} do not have ATS.)<ref name="ats" /> ATS allows dispatchers in the Operations Control Center (OCC) to see where trains are in real time, and whether each individual train is running early or late.<ref name="ats" /> Dispatchers can hold trains for connections, re-route trains, or short-turn trains to provide better service when a disruption causes delays.<ref name="ats" />

=== Train accidents ===
{{Main|History of the New York City Subway#Accidents|l1 = New York City Subway accidents}}

Despite the signal system, there have been at least 64 major train accidents since 1918, when a train bound for [[South Ferry (IRT elevated station)|South Ferry]] collided with two trains halted near [[Jackson Avenue (IRT White Plains Road Line)|Jackson Avenue]] on the [[IRT White Plains Road Line]] in the Bronx.<ref name="Accidents">{{cite web |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/faq/accidents.html |title=NYC Subway accidents |publisher=nycsubway.org |year=2009 |access-date=December 12, 2009 |archive-date=August 12, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060812000408/http://www.nycsubway.org/faq/accidents.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Several accidents resulted when the train operator ran through red signals and rear-ended the subway train in front of it; this resulted from the signaling practice of "keying by", which allowed train operators to bypass red signals. The deadliest accident, the [[Malbone Street Wreck]], occurred on November 1, 1918, beneath the intersection of [[Flatbush Avenue]], [[Ocean Avenue (Brooklyn)|Ocean Avenue]], and Malbone Street (the latter of which is now Empire Boulevard) near the [[Prospect Park (BMT Brighton Line)|Prospect Park]] station of the then-BRT [[BMT Brighton Line|Brighton Line]] in Brooklyn, killing 93 people.<ref>{{Cite news |title=The Mayor to Begin B.R.T Inquiry Today |newspaper=The New York Times |page=24 |date=November 1, 1918 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/11/04/97041214.pdf |access-date=December 12, 2009 |archive-date=September 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918074559/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/11/04/97041214.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> As a result of accidents, especially more recent ones such as the [[1995 Williamsburg Bridge crash]], timer signals were installed. These signals have resulted in reduced speeds across the system. Accidents such as [[derailment]]s are also due to broken equipment, such as the rails and the train itself.<ref name="Accidents" />

=== Passenger safety ===
[[File:168th Street IRT Broadway 2.JPG|thumb|Yellow platform edges, yellow staircase steps and yellow railings, painted for safety, at the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line platform at 168th Street]]

==== Track safety and suicides{{Anchor|Track safety|Suicides}} ====
A portion of subway-related deaths in New York consists of [[suicides]] committed by jumping in front of an oncoming train. Between 1990 and 2003, 343 subway-related suicides were registered out of a citywide total of 7,394 (4.6%) and subway-related suicides increased by 30%, despite a decline in overall suicide numbers.<ref>{{cite web |last=Galea |first=Sandro |author2=Tracy, M |author3=Piper, T.M. |author4=Bucciarelli, A.M. |author5=Tardiff, K. |author6=Gershon, R |author7=Vlahov, D |title=Epidemiology of suicide in the New York City subway system |publisher=[[American Public Health Association]] |date=November 4, 2009 |url=http://apha.confex.com/apha/134am/techprogram/paper_133195.htm |access-date=November 27, 2009 |archive-date=August 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811144641/http://apha.confex.com/apha/134am/techprogram/paper_133195.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

Due to increase in people hit by trains in 2013,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-subway-train-deaths-decrease-2013-mta-article-1.1562928 |title=Deaths by New York subway train strikes shrank slightly for 2013, MTA says |newspaper=NY Daily News |date=December 31, 2013 |access-date=April 13, 2014 |archive-date=April 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140414094337/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-subway-train-deaths-decrease-2013-mta-article-1.1562928 |url-status=live}}</ref> in late 2013 and early 2014 the MTA started a test program, with four systems installed and strategies instituted to eliminate the number of people hit by trains. [[Closed-circuit television camera]]s, a web of [[laser beam]]s stretched across the tracks, [[Radio frequency|radio frequencies]] transmitted across the tracks, and [[thermal imaging camera]]s focused on the station's tracks were installed.<ref name="thestreet">{{cite web |last=Sozzi |first=Brian |title=Sozzi: The Boring Old Subway is Now Digital, and That's Pretty Awesome |website=TheStreet |date=April 21, 2014 |url=http://www.thestreet.com/story/12670911/1/sozzi-the-boring-old-subway-is-now-digital-and-thats-pretty-awesome.html |access-date=March 25, 2016 |archive-date=January 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121174654/http://www.thestreet.com/story/12670911/1/sozzi-the-boring-old-subway-is-now-digital-and-thats-pretty-awesome.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The tests were successful enough that the 2015–2019 capital program included similar installations system-wide.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-testing-systems-save-people-fall-subway-tracks-article-1.1898975 |title=MTA is testing sensors, video systems that would save people who fall on subway tracks |work=NY Daily News |author=Donohhue, Pete |date=August 11, 2014 |access-date=August 18, 2014 |archive-date=August 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140818043152/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-testing-systems-save-people-fall-subway-tracks-article-1.1898975 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The MTA also expressed interest in starting a pilot program to install [[platform edge doors]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-tests-technology-save-fallen-straphangers-subway-trains-article-1.1545244 |title=MTA tests motion sensing lasers, thermal image cameras to save fallen straphangers from subway trains |newspaper=NY Daily News |date=December 12, 2013 |access-date=April 13, 2014 |archive-date=June 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140620075857/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-tests-technology-save-fallen-straphangers-subway-trains-article-1.1545244 |url-status=live}}</ref> Several planned stations in the New York City Subway may possibly feature [[platform screen doors]], including at future stations such as those part of the [[Second Avenue Subway]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/nyregion/05doors.html |title=2nd Ave. Subway Platforms May Get Glass Walls and Sliding Doors |last=Neuman |first=William |date=April 5, 2007 |access-date=February 10, 2016 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=April 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422012313/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/nyregion/05doors.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2017, it was announced that as part of a [[Pilot experiment|pilot program]], the [[Third Avenue (BMT Canarsie Line)|Third Avenue]] station would be refitted with platform screen doors during the [[14th Street Tunnel shutdown]] in 2019–2020.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.amny.com/transit/subway-platform-screen-doors-1.14605599 |title=Platform door pilot heads to L train station |last=Barone |first=Vin |date=October 24, 2017 |work=am New York |access-date=October 25, 2017 |language=en |archive-date=October 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025183635/https://www.amny.com/transit/subway-platform-screen-doors-1.14605599 |url-status=live}}</ref> The $30 million for the platform edge door pilot program was diverted to another project in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/mta-postpones-platform-safety-pilot-program-1530033174 |title=MTA Postpones Platform-Safety Pilot Program |last=Berger |first=Paul |date=June 26, 2018 |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=June 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110100427/https://www.wsj.com/articles/mta-postpones-platform-safety-pilot-program-1530033174 |url-status=live}}</ref> Following a series of incidents, MTA announced another PSD pilot program at three stations in February 2022: the {{NYCS trains|Flushing|apos=y}} platform at [[Times Square (IRT Flushing Line)|Times Square]]; the {{NYCS trains|Archer IND|apos=y}} platform at [[Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport (IND Archer Avenue Line)|Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport]]; and the Third Avenue station.<ref name=nyt-2022-02-23>{{Cite news |last=Gold |first=Michael |date=February 23, 2022 |title=Subway Will Test Platform Doors at 3 Stations |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/23/nyregion/nyc-subway-barriers.html |access-date=February 23, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=February 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223165102/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/23/nyregion/nyc-subway-barriers.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Numerous challenges come with platform doors. Some subway lines operate multiple subway car models, and their doors do not align.<ref name="wsj.com">{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/subway-train-drags-woman-to-death-11555892150 |title=Subway Train Drags Woman to Death |last=Honan |first=Katie |date=April 22, 2019 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |access-date=April 28, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=April 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429051835/https://www.wsj.com/articles/subway-train-drags-woman-to-death-11555892150 |url-status=live}}</ref> Many platforms are not strong enough to hold the additional weight of a platform barrier, thus requiring extensive renovations if they were to be installed.<ref name="wsj.com" />

==== Crime ====
{{Main|History of the New York City Subway#Crime}}

Crime rates have varied, but there was a downward trend from the 1990s to 2014.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/daily-news-analysis-reveals-crime-rankings-city-subway-system-article-1.1836918 |title=Safest and riskiest areas of New York's subway system revealed in Daily News investigation |date=June 22, 2014 |newspaper=New York Daily News |access-date=March 18, 2016 |archive-date=March 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327120346/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/daily-news-analysis-reveals-crime-rankings-city-subway-system-article-1.1836918 |url-status=live}}</ref> To fight crime, various approaches have been used over the years, including an "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign<ref name="MTA.info (YouTube)2011">{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8eoTCEn2bY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/z8eoTCEn2bY |archive-date=October 29, 2021 |title=If You See Something, Say Something – Subway – Spring 2011 |work=MTA.info (YouTube) |date=April 19, 2011 |access-date=April 19, 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and, starting in 2016, banning people who commit a crime in the subway system from entering the system for a certain length of time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gothamist.com/2016/01/30/nypd_reportedly_wants_to_ban_career.php |title=NYPD Reportedly Wants To Ban "Career Criminals" From Subways |last=Yakas |first=Ben |website=Gothamist |access-date=March 18, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185223/http://gothamist.com/2016/01/30/nypd_reportedly_wants_to_ban_career.php |archive-date=March 3, 2016}}</ref>

In July 1985, the [[Citizens Crime Commission of New York City]] published a study showing riders abandoning the subway, fearing the frequent robberies and generally bad circumstances.<ref name="City">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iGpPAAAAMAAJ |title=Downtown safety, security, and economic development: a joint report |last1=City |first1=Citizens Crime Commission of New York |last2=NY |first2=Regional Plan Association |date=1985 |publisher=Downtown Research & Development Center |isbn=978-0-915910-22-9 |language=en}}</ref> Crime rates in the subway and the city dropped in 1993, part of a larger citywide decrease in crime.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wolff |first=Craig |title=Subway Crime Declining, New Transit Figures Show |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 12, 1993 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/12/nyregion/subway-crime-declining-new-transit-figures-show.html |access-date=November 26, 2009 |archive-date=April 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429202619/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/12/nyregion/subway-crime-declining-new-transit-figures-show.html |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Michael Bloomberg]] stated in a November 2004 press release: "Today, the subway system is safer than it has been at any time since we started tabulating subway crime statistics nearly 40 years ago."<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg testifies before the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board |date=November 9, 2004 |url=http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&catID=1194&doc_name=http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/html/2004b/pr298-04.html&cc=unused1978&rc=1194&ndi=1 |access-date=November 26, 2009 |archive-date=June 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628221711/http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&catID=1194&doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2F2004b%2Fpr298-04.html&cc=unused1978&rc=1194&ndi=1 |publisher=NYC Department of Records and Information Services |location=New York |url-status=dead}}</ref> Although ridership decreased by 40 percent from 2019 to 2022, the number of crimes in the system remained roughly the same, prompting riders to express concerns over increased crime.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Watkins |first=Ali |date=August 8, 2022 |title=Along a Subway Line's 31 Miles, Nagging Crime Fears Test Riders' Resolve |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/08/nyregion/subway-crime-ridership-nyc.html |access-date=October 19, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019075843/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/08/nyregion/subway-crime-ridership-nyc.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NPR.org 2022">{{cite news |title=A spate of horrific attacks in New York has people fearful of returning to work |work=NPR |last=Gura |first=David |date=August 14, 2022 |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/08/14/1116495985/return-to-office-work-pandemic-crime-remote-work-public-safety-new-york-city-nyc |access-date=October 19, 2022 |archive-date=October 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019135219/https://www.npr.org/2022/08/14/1116495985/return-to-office-work-pandemic-crime-remote-work-public-safety-new-york-city-nyc |url-status=live}}</ref> The subway recorded eight murders in 2021, the highest annual total in 25 years;<ref name="Guse 2022">{{cite news |last=Guse |first=Clayton |title=NYC ends 2021 with uptick in violent crime in subways – assault and homicide numbers not seen in 25 years |newspaper=New York Daily News |date=January 22, 2022 |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-subway-violent-crime-uptick-20220122-wb2wcqun7vgt5dlfafq2sbbvtu-story.html |access-date=October 24, 2022 |archive-date=October 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024213653/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-subway-violent-crime-uptick-20220122-wb2wcqun7vgt5dlfafq2sbbvtu-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref> by October 2022, nine people had been murdered that year alone.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Miller |first=John |date=October 23, 2022 |title=New York subway crime: What is perception, what is real, and how to fix it |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/23/us/new-york-subway-crime-adams-miller/index.html |access-date=October 24, 2022 |work=CNN |publisher=Warner Bros. Discovery |location=New York |language=en |archive-date=October 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024000552/https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/23/us/new-york-subway-crime-adams-miller/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Fitzsimmons |first=Emma G. |date=October 23, 2022 |title=New York City Will Increase Police Presence in Subways to Combat Crime |language=en-US |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/22/nyregion/nyc-subway-police-combat-crime.html |access-date=October 24, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024001450/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/22/nyregion/nyc-subway-police-combat-crime.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The subway system has been the target of some mass attacks, though such attacks are relatively rare.<ref name="Chang 2022">{{cite web |last=Chang |first=Sophia |title=NYC Subway system's history as a rare target of mass violence |website=Gothamist |date=April 12, 2022 |url=https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-subway-systems-history-as-a-rare-target-of-mass-violence |access-date=April 12, 2022 |archive-date=April 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412201610/https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-subway-systems-history-as-a-rare-target-of-mass-violence |url-status=live}}</ref> On December 11, 2017, there was an attempted bombing at the [[Times Square–42nd Street station]], injuring four people including the attacker.<ref>{{cite web |title=Four Injured, Including Attacker in NYC Subway Bombing |url=https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/four-injured-including-attacker-in-nyc-subway-bombing/vp-BBGCIWJ |website=msn.com |access-date=April 12, 2022 |archive-date=July 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180721221808/https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/four-injured-including-attacker-in-nyc-subway-bombing/vp-BBGCIWJ |url-status=live}}</ref> On April 12, 2022, a [[2022 New York City Subway attack|shooting attack]] occurred on the [[N (New York City Subway service)|N train]], injuring 29 people including 10 who were shot.<ref name="Shapiro Katersky 2022">{{cite news |last1=Shapiro |first1=Emily |last2=Katersky |first2=Aaron |title=NYC subway shootings updates: Multiple shot, suspect at large |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/multiple-shot-separate-incidents-involving-york-city-subway/story?id=84030707 |access-date=April 12, 2022 |work=ABC News |location=New York |date=April 12, 2022 |archive-date=April 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412140757/https://abcnews.go.com/US/multiple-shot-separate-incidents-involving-york-city-subway/story?id=84030707 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Since January 2025, two NYPD officers have patrolled each train between 9 p.m. and the following day at 5 a.m. The police move from car to car each time the train pulls into a station.<ref>{{cite web | last=Anderson | first=Renee | title=NYPD officers will be stationed on subways overnight starting Monday, Gov. Hochul says | website=CBS New York | date=January 16, 2025 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nyc-subway-crime-overnight-police-officers/ | access-date=May 5, 2025 | archive-date=June 1, 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250601083557/https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nyc-subway-crime-overnight-police-officers/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Miles | first=Darla | title=NYPD officers will be stationed on NYC subway trains starting Monday | website=ABC7 New York | date=January 21, 2025 | url=https://abc7ny.com/post/nypd-officers-will-stationed-nyc-subway-trains-starting-monday/15819915/. | access-date=May 5, 2025}}</ref>

==== Photography ====
After the September 11, 2001, attacks, the MTA exercised extreme caution regarding anyone taking photographs or recording video inside the system and proposed banning all photography and recording in a meeting around June 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0423,haber,54075,15.html |title=village voice > nyclife > Forbidden Photos, Anyone? by Matt Haber |date=February 28, 2005 |access-date=March 18, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050228050013/http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0423%2Chaber%2C54075%2C15.html |archive-date=February 28, 2005}}</ref> Due to strong response from both the public and from civil rights groups, the rule of conduct was dropped. In November 2004, the MTA again put this rule up for approval, but was again denied,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gothamist.com/2004/11/30/threat_of_subway_photo_ban_riseth_again.php |title=Threat Of Subway Photo Ban Riseth Again |work=Gothamist |date=November 30, 2004 |access-date=July 7, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420084907/http://gothamist.com/2004/11/30/threat_of_subway_photo_ban_riseth_again.php |archive-date=April 20, 2008}}</ref> though many police officers and transit workers still confront or harass people taking photographs or videos.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kabak |first1=Benjamin |title=Unlawful arrest for subway photography costs city $30K |url=http://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/02/10/unlawfuly-arrest-for-subway-photography-costs-city-30k/ |website=Second Ave. Sagas |access-date=November 24, 2015 |date=February 10, 2010 |archive-date=November 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125060214/http://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/02/10/unlawfuly-arrest-for-subway-photography-costs-city-30k/ |url-status=live}}</ref> On April 3, 2009, the NYPD issued a directive to officers stating that it is legal to take pictures within the subway system so long as it is not accompanied with suspicious activity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oItWZ7u21Rc/SvhNC98PJ0I/AAAAAAAAASs/TOJYqNO6a6g/s1600/NYPD+directive.jpg4-3-09 |title=Investigation of Individuals engaged in suspicious photography and video surveillance |publisher=New York City Police Department |date=April 3, 2009 |access-date=March 25, 2016 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304211432/http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oItWZ7u21Rc/SvhNC98PJ0I/AAAAAAAAASs/TOJYqNO6a6g/s1600/NYPD+directive.jpg4-3-09 |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{As of|2021}}, the MTA Rules of Conduct, Restricted Areas and Activities section states that anyone may take pictures or record videos, provided that they do not use any of three tools: lights, reflectors, or tripods. These three tools are permitted only by members of the press who have identification issued by the NYPD.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://new.mta.info/document/36821 |title=Rules of Conduct Section 1050.9(c) Restricted areas and activities |date=April 5, 2021 |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |access-date=June 6, 2021 |format=PDF |archive-date=June 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606113024/https://new.mta.info/document/36821 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Terrorism prevention ====
{{See also|New York City Transit Police}}

On July 22, 2005, in response to [[July 2005 London bombings|bombings in London]], the [[New York City Police Department]] introduced a new policy of randomly searching passengers' bags as they approached turnstiles. The NYPD claimed that no form of [[racial profiling]] would be conducted when these searches actually took place. The NYPD has come under fire from some groups that claim purely random searches without any form of [[threat assessment]] would be ineffectual. Donna Lieberman, executive director of the [[NYCLU]], stated, "This NYPD bag search policy is unprecedented, unlawful and ineffective. It is essential that police be aggressive in maintaining security in public transportation. But our very real concerns about terrorism do not justify the NYPD subjecting millions of innocent people to suspicionless searches in a way that does not identify any person seeking to engage in terrorist activity and is unlikely to have any meaningful deterrent effect on terrorist activity."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aclu.org/police/searchseizure/20054prs20050804.html |title=American Civil Liberties Union : NYCLU Sues New York City Over Subway Bag Search Policy |date=November 1, 2009 |access-date=March 18, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091101150005/http://www.aclu.org/police/searchseizure/20054prs20050804.html |archive-date=November 1, 2009}}</ref> The searches were upheld by the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit]] in ''MacWade v. Kelly''.<ref>{{cite web |title=MacWade v. Kelly (Challenging the NYPD's subway bag-search program) |url=http://www.nyclu.org/case/macwade-v-kelly-challenging-nypds-subway-bag-search-program |website=New York Civil Liberties Union |access-date=November 24, 2015 |date=July 6, 2007 |archive-date=June 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611050342/http://www.nyclu.org/case/macwade-v-kelly-challenging-nypds-subway-bag-search-program |url-status=live}}</ref>

On April 11, 2008, MTA received a [[Ferrara Fire Apparatus]] [[Dangerous goods|Hazardous Materials Response Truck]], which went into service three days later. It will be used in the case of a [[chemical warfare|chemical]] or [[bioterrorism|bioterrorist]] attack.<ref>{{cite news |title=MTA NYC Transit Introduces New Hazmat Response Vehicle |date=April 11, 2008 |url=http://www.railpace.com/hotnews/ |access-date=April 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509090800/http://www.railpace.com/hotnews/ |archive-date=May 9, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Najibullah Zazi]] and others were arrested in September 2009 and pleaded guilty in 2010 to being part of an [[al-Qaeda]] plan to undertake suicide bombings on the New York City subway system.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/nyregion/16terror.html |title=Man in Queens Raids Denies Any Terrorist Link |last1=Zraick |first1=Karen |last2=Johnston |first2=David |date=September 15, 2009 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=January 30, 2014 |archive-date=March 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306021256/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/nyregion/16terror.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/n-y-c-bomb-plot-suspect-zazi-pleads-guilty-1.883116 |title=N.Y.C. bomb plot suspect Zazi pleads guilty |agency=Associated Press News |publisher=CBC |date=February 20, 2010 |access-date=January 30, 2014 |archive-date=February 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203010356/http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/n-y-c-bomb-plot-suspect-zazi-pleads-guilty-1.883116 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Challenges ==
=== 2009–2010 budget cuts ===
[[File:NYC MTA no W.jpg|thumb|[[28th Street (BMT Broadway Line)|28th Street]] station after the [[W (New York City Subway service)|W]] train was discontinued in mid-2010. Note the dark grey tape masked over the W bullet. (This sign has since been replaced due to the restoration of the W in 2016.)]]

The MTA faced a budget deficit of US$1.2&nbsp;billion in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |title=M.T.A. Faces $1.2 Billion Deficit |url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/mta-faces-12-billion-deficit/?_r=0 |website=City Room |access-date=February 9, 2016 |first=Sewell Chan and William |last=Neuman |date=November 10, 2008 |archive-date=April 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424180002/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/mta-faces-12-billion-deficit/?_r=0 |url-status=live}}</ref> This resulted in fare increases (three times from 2008 to 2010)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/straphangers-awake-fare-hiked-time-8-years-article-1.2159111 |title=City straphangers feel sting as fares hiked again |website=NY Daily News |date=March 23, 2015 |access-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124072644/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/straphangers-awake-fare-hiked-time-8-years-article-1.2159111 |url-status=live}}</ref> and service reductions (including the elimination of two part-time subway services, the {{NYCS|V}} and {{NYCS|W}}). Several other routes were modified due to the deficit. The {{NYCS|N}} was made a full-time local in Manhattan (in contrast to being a weekend local/weekday express before 2010), while the {{NYCS|Q}} was extended nine stations north to [[Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard (BMT Astoria Line)|Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard]] on weekdays, both to cover the discontinued {{NYCS|W}}. The {{NYCS|M}} was combined with the {{NYCS|V}}, routing it over the [[Chrystie Street Connection]], [[IND Sixth Avenue Line]] and [[IND Queens Boulevard Line]] to [[Forest Hills–71st Avenue (IND Queens Boulevard Line)|Forest Hills–71st Avenue]] on weekdays instead of via the [[BMT Fourth Avenue Line]] and [[BMT West End Line]] to Bay Parkway. The {{NYCS|G}} was truncated to [[Court Square (IND Crosstown Line)|Court Square]] full-time. Construction headways on eleven routes were lengthened, and off-peak service was lengthened on seven routes.<ref name="MTA 2010">{{cite web |title=MTA/New York City Transit – NYC Transit 2010 Service Reduction Proposals |website=MTA |date=March 19, 2010 |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/ServiceReduction/part1.htm |access-date=March 25, 2016 |archive-date=April 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406185727/http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/ServiceReduction/part1.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2017–2021 state of emergency ===
{{Main|2017–2021 New York City transit crisis}}

In June 2017, Governor [[Andrew Cuomo]] signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency for the New York City Subway<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/29/nyregion/cuomo-declares-a-state-of-emergency-for-the-subway.html |title=Cuomo Declares a State of Emergency for New York City Subways |last=Fitzsimmons |first=Emma G. |date=June 29, 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 25, 2017 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119105256/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/29/nyregion/cuomo-declares-a-state-of-emergency-for-the-subway.html |url-status=live}}</ref> after a series of derailments,<ref name="Santora2017">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/nyregion/subway-train-derails-in-manhattan.html |title=Subway Derailment in Manhattan Injures Dozens |last1=Santora |first1=Marc |date=June 27, 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 25, 2017 |last2=Fitzsimmons |first2=Emma G. |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120094721/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/nyregion/subway-train-derails-in-manhattan.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Fitzsimmons2017b">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/21/nyregion/subway-derailment-brooklyn.html |title=Subway Train Derails in Brooklyn, Disrupting Morning Commute |last=Fitzsimmons |first=Emma G. |date=July 21, 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 26, 2017 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415133721/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/21/nyregion/subway-derailment-brooklyn.html |url-status=live}}</ref> track fires,<ref name="Fitzsimmons2017a">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/17/nyregion/subway-track-fire-sends-9-to-hospital-and-snarls-morning-commute.html |title=Subway Track Fire Sends 9 to Hospital and Snarls Morning Commute |last=Fitzsimmons |first=Emma G. |date=July 17, 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 26, 2017 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415135505/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/17/nyregion/subway-track-fire-sends-9-to-hospital-and-snarls-morning-commute.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/07/track-fire-disrupts-subway-service.html |title=Track Fire Is the Latest Subway Disaster |last=Kirby |first=Jen |date=July 17, 2017 |work=Daily Intelligencer |access-date=July 26, 2017 |language=en |archive-date=July 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170722070530/http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/07/track-fire-disrupts-subway-service.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and overcrowding incidents.<ref name="Fitzsimmons2017a" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-subway-a-train-delay-trash-fire-2017-7 |title=These photos sum up just how bad New York's commuter nightmare has gotten |last=Muoio |first=Danielle |date=July 16, 2017 |work=Business Insider |access-date=July 26, 2017 |language=en |archive-date=April 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424161932/https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-subway-a-train-delay-trash-fire-2017-7 |url-status=live}}</ref> On June 27, 2017, thirty-nine people were injured when an [[A (New York City Subway service)|A]] train derailed at [[125th Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|125th Street]],<ref name="NY120172">{{cite news |url=http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/transit/2017/06/27/a-train-derailment-cause-mta.html |title=MTA: Unsecure Rail Stored on Tracks Caused Harlem Subway Derailment |date=June 28, 2017 |access-date=June 29, 2017 |agency=[[NY1]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628092936/http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/transit/2017/06/27/a-train-derailment-cause-mta.html |archive-date=June 28, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/mta-train-derailment-caused-by-improperly-secured-rail/2017/06/28/84743d9a-5bb8-11e7-aa69-3964a7d55207_story.html |title=l Supervisors suspended amid NYC subway derailment probe |last1=Armstrong |first1=Kiley |date=June 28, 2017 |access-date=June 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628053715/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/mta-train-derailment-caused-by-improperly-secured-rail/2017/06/28/84743d9a-5bb8-11e7-aa69-3964a7d55207_story.html |archive-date=June 28, 2017 |url-status=dead |agency=[[The Washington Post]] |last2=Eltman |first2=Frank}}</ref> damaging tracks and signals<ref name="Santora2017" /> then catching fire.<ref name="Santora2017" /><ref name="Santora">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/nyregion/subway-train-derails-in-manhattan.html |title=Subway Derailment in Manhattan Injures Dozens |last1=Santora |first1=Marc |date=June 27, 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 27, 2017 |last2=Ferré-sadurní |first2=Luis |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120094721/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/nyregion/subway-train-derails-in-manhattan.html |url-status=live}}</ref> On July 21, 2017, the second set of wheels on a southbound [[Q (New York City Subway service)|Q]] train jumped the track near [[Brighton Beach (BMT Brighton Line)|Brighton Beach]], with nine people suffering injuries<ref name="Fitzsimmons2017b" /> due to improper maintenance of the car in question.<ref name="Honan">{{Cite web |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170724/sheepshead-bay/q-train-brighton-beach-sheepshead-bay-derailment-cause-mta |title='Abnormal Condition' on Car Caused Q Train Derailment, MTA Official Says |last=Honan |first=Katie |date=July 24, 2017 |website=DNAinfo New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815063406/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170724/sheepshead-bay/q-train-brighton-beach-sheepshead-bay-derailment-cause-mta |archive-date=August 15, 2017 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 26, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Cook">{{Cite news |url=http://www.amny.com/transit/q-train-derailment-caused-by-improper-maintenance-resulting-in-abnormal-condition-on-car-mta-says-1.13820227 |title=Q train derailment caused by improper maintenance: MTA |last=Cook |first=Lauren |date=July 24, 2017 |work=am New York |access-date=July 26, 2017 |language=en |archive-date=July 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170725225329/http://www.amny.com/transit/q-train-derailment-caused-by-improper-maintenance-resulting-in-abnormal-condition-on-car-mta-says-1.13820227 |url-status=live}}</ref> To solve the system's problems, the MTA officially announced the [[Genius Transit Challenge]] on June 28, where contestants could submit ideas to improve signals, communications infrastructure, or rolling stock.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/29/nyregion/mta-subway-contest-million-dollar-prize.html |title=M.T.A. Asks Transit Fans, 'Who Wants to Be a Subway-Saving Millionaire?' |last=Barron |first=James |date=June 29, 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 26, 2017 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415141117/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/29/nyregion/mta-subway-contest-million-dollar-prize.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-seeks-genius-fix-subways-1m-prize-article-1.3289143 |title=MTA seeks 'genius' to fix subways for $1M prize |last1=Gabrielli |first1=Sarah |date=June 29, 2017 |work=NY Daily News |access-date=July 26, 2017 |last2=McShane |first2=Larry |language=en |archive-date=April 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424125645/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-seeks-genius-fix-subways-1m-prize-article-1.3289143 |url-status=live}}</ref>

On July 25, 2017, Chairman [[Joe Lhota]] announced a two-phase, $9&nbsp;billion New York City Subway Action Plan to stabilize the subway system and to prevent the continuing decline of the system.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/25/nyregion/subway-rescue-plan-mta.html |title=Rescue Plan to Improve Subways Includes Removing Seats |last=Fitzsimmons |first=Emma G. |date=July 25, 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 25, 2017 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415133708/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/25/nyregion/subway-rescue-plan-mta.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="www.mta.info">{{Cite web |url=http://www.mta.info/press-release/mta-headquarters/mta-chairman-joseph-lhota-unveils-new-york-city-subway-action-plan |title=MTA {{!}} Press Release {{!}} MTA Headquarters {{!}} MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota Unveils New York City Subway Action Plan |website=www.mta.info |access-date=July 25, 2017 |archive-date=April 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424164852/https://www.mta.info/press-release/mta-headquarters/mta-chairman-joseph-lhota-unveils-new-york-city-subway-action-plan |url-status=dead}}
* See also: {{Cite news |url=http://www.mtamovingforward.com/ |title=NYC Subway Action Plan |access-date=July 25, 2017 |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122212749/http://www.mtamovingforward.com/ |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="NBC New York2017">{{Cite news |url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Subway-Audit-State-of-Emergency-MTA-Plan-Modernize-Lhota-Cuomo-436541583.html |title=MTA Chair Unveils $836 Million Subway Stabilization Plan |date=July 25, 2017 |work=NBC New York |access-date=July 26, 2017 |language=en |archive-date=June 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621025039/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Subway-Audit-State-of-Emergency-MTA-Plan-Modernize-Lhota-Cuomo-436541583.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Clark2017">{{Cite news |url=http://abc7ny.com/traffic/mta-chairman-unveils-plan-to-fix-nyc-subway-system/2248102/ |title=MTA chairman unveils plan to fix NYC subway system |last=Clark |first=Dray |date=July 25, 2017 |work=ABC7 New York |access-date=July 26, 2017 |language=en-US |archive-date=April 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424184837/https://abc7ny.com/traffic/mta-chairman-unveils-plan-to-fix-nyc-subway-system/2248102/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The first phase, costing $836&nbsp;million, consisted of five categories of improvements in Signal and Track Maintenance, Car Reliability, System Safety and Cleanliness, Customer Communication, and Critical Management Group. The $8&nbsp;billion second phase would implement the winning proposals from the Genius Transit Challenge and fix more widespread problems.<ref name="www.mta.info" /><ref name="NBC New York2017" /><ref name="Clark2017" /> Six winning submissions for the Genius Transit Challenge were announced in March 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rtands.com/index.php/passenger/commuter-regional/mta-genius-transit-challenge-winners-announced.html |title=MTA Genius Transit Challenge winners announced |last=Vantuono |first=William |date=March 12, 2018 |website=Railway Track & Structures |access-date=March 14, 2018 |archive-date=March 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315113548/http://www.rtands.com/index.php/passenger/commuter-regional/mta-genius-transit-challenge-winners-announced.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

In October 2017, city comptroller [[Scott Stringer]] released an analysis that subway delays could cost up to $389&nbsp;million or $243.1&nbsp;million or $170.2&nbsp;million per year depending on the length of the delays.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/the-economic-cost-of-subway-delays/ |title=The Economic Cost of Subway Delays |last=Stringer |first=Scott M. |date=October 1, 2017 |location=New York |publisher=Office of the [[New York City Comptroller]] |language=en-US |access-date=October 4, 2017 |archive-date=April 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415020138/https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/the-economic-cost-of-subway-delays/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In November 2017, ''The New York Times'' published its investigation into the crisis. It found that the crisis had arisen as a result of financially unsound decisions by local and state politicians from both the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] parties. According to the ''Times'', these decisions included overspending; overpaying unions and interest groups; advertising superficial improvement projects while ignoring more important infrastructure; and agreeing to high-interest loans that would have been unnecessary without these politicians' other interventions. By this time, the subway's 65% average on-time performance was the lowest among all major cities' transit systems, and every non-shuttle subway route's on-time performance had declined in the previous ten years.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/18/nyregion/new-york-subway-system-failure-delays.html |title=How Politics and Bad Decisions Starved New York's Subways |last1=Rosenthal |first1=Brian M. |date=November 18, 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 18, 2017 |last2=Fitzsimmons |first2=Emma G. |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |last3=LaForgia |first3=Michael |archive-date=March 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305191835/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/18/nyregion/new-york-subway-system-failure-delays.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The state of emergency ended on June 30, 2021, after previously being renewed 49 times.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://gothamist.com/news/mta-no-longer-state-emergency-cuomo-seeks-greater-control-top-positions |title=MTA Is No Longer In A "State of Emergency," But Cuomo Seeks Greater Control Of Top Positions |last=Nessen |first=Stephen |date=July 9, 2021 |work=Gothamist |access-date=July 17, 2021 |language=en-US |archive-date=July 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718010221/https://gothamist.com/news/mta-no-longer-state-emergency-cuomo-seeks-greater-control-top-positions |url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|October 2021}}, on-time performance across all routes is at 80.6&nbsp;percent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Duggan |first=Kevin |date=October 17, 2021 |title='C' you later! This subway line had one in five trips canceled last month |url=https://www.amny.com/transit/c-ya-later-one-fifth-of-c-train-trips-canceled-in-september-due-to-mta-crew-shortages/ |access-date=October 21, 2021 |website=The Villager |language=en |archive-date=October 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020092105/https://www.amny.com/transit/c-ya-later-one-fifth-of-c-train-trips-canceled-in-september-due-to-mta-crew-shortages/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Worsening subway reliability and service cuts in the early 2020s have been attributed to chronic mismanagement at the agency and a botched restructuring plan that was implemented under former [[Governor of New York|Governor]] [[Andrew Cuomo]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 20, 2021 |title=How the MTA Spent Millions on a Cuomo Cost-Cutting Effort That Spurred a Worker Shortage |url=https://www.thecity.nyc/2021/10/20/22737080/mta-spent-millions-on-cuomo-plan-subway-bus-delays |access-date=July 25, 2022 |website=The City |language=en |archive-date=July 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725192445/https://www.thecity.nyc/2021/10/20/22737080/mta-spent-millions-on-cuomo-plan-subway-bus-delays |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Capacity constraints ===
[[File:Downtown Q Train Rush Hour.jpg|thumb|The interior of a {{NYCS|Q}} train during afternoon rush hour|alt=The Q train filled with commuters, many within one inch of each other. Several commuters are seen using smartphones; others are holding on to the train while standing.]]
Several subway lines have reached their operational limits in terms of train frequency and passengers, according to data released by the Transit Authority. By 2007, the E, L, and all [[A Division (New York City Subway)|A Division]] services except the [[42nd Street Shuttle]] were beyond capacity, as well as portions of the {{NYCS|N}} train.<ref name="NYTimes-NYCS-packed-2008">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/26/nyregion/26mta.html |title=Some Subways Found Packed Past Capacity |work=The New York Times |date=June 26, 2007 |access-date=July 7, 2008 |first=William |last=Neuman |archive-date=August 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817095504/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/26/nyregion/26mta.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/brt_phase2_appendix.pdf |title=Appendix A: Service Needs Assessment Methodology MTA New York City Transit New York City Department of Transportation April 2009 |publisher=Department of Transportation |location=New York |date=April 2009 |access-date=March 25, 2016 |archive-date=March 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311180721/http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/brt_phase2_appendix.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> In April 2013, [[New York (magazine)|''New York'' magazine]] reported that the system was more crowded than it had been in the previous 66 years.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://nymag.com/arts/all/approvalmatrix/approval-matrix-2013-4-22/ |title=The Approval Matrix, bottom left quadrant |magazine=New York |date=April 22, 2013 |access-date=February 21, 2020 |archive-date=December 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224163710/http://nymag.com/arts/all/approvalmatrix/approval-matrix-2013-4-22/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The subway reached a daily ridership of 6&nbsp;million for 29 days in 2014, and was expected to record a similar ridership level for 55 days in 2015; by comparison, in 2013, daily ridership never reached 6&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news |last=Harshbarger |first=Rebecca |title=Ridership below prediction at new 7 train station |newspaper=AM New York |date=September 21, 2015 |url=http://www.amny.com/transit/ridership-below-prediction-at-new-7-train-station-1.10874281 |access-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923060115/http://www.amny.com/transit/ridership-below-prediction-at-new-7-train-station-1.10874281 |url-status=live}}</ref> In particular, the express tracks of the [[IRT Lexington Avenue Line]] and [[IND Queens Boulevard Line]] are noted for operating at full capacity during peak hours.<ref name=NYTimes-NYCS-packed-2008 /><ref name="MTA-CBTC-July2015">{{cite web |date=July 20, 2015 |title=MTA – news – $205.8M in Contracts Approved to Install Communications-Based Train Control System |url=http://www.mta.info/news-cbtc-new-york-city-transit-subway-l-7/2015/07/20/2058m-contracts-approved-install |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728222048/http://www.mta.info/news-cbtc-new-york-city-transit-subway-l-7/2015/07/20/2058m-contracts-approved-install |archive-date=July 28, 2016 |access-date=January 28, 2016 |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]}}</ref> The [[Long Island Rail Road]] [[East Side Access]] project, which opened in January 2023,<ref name="Brachfeld 2023">{{cite web |last=Brachfeld |first=Ben |title=FINALLY! Grand Central Madison station opens after decades of planning and construction |website=amNewYork |date=January 24, 2023 |url=https://www.amny.com/transit/grand-central-madison-finally-open-jan-25/ |access-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-date=January 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126164116/https://www.amny.com/transit/grand-central-madison-finally-open-jan-25/ |url-status=live}}</ref> was expected to bring many more commuters to the Lexington Avenue Line.<ref>{{cite web |title=MTR 124, Whose Mega-Project ? – Planners Say LIRR-Grand Central Project Folly Without Better East Side Transit |url=http://www.tstc.org/bulletin/19970502/mtr12403.htm |website=www.tstc.org |access-date=February 9, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215221222/http://www.tstc.org/bulletin/19970502/mtr12403.htm |archive-date=February 15, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nysun.com/new-york/east-side-access-draws-opponents/8991/ |title=East Side Access Draws Opponents |last=Yates |first=Laura |publisher=New York Sun |location=New York |access-date=April 15, 2016 |archive-date=October 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031214103/http://www.nysun.com/new-york/east-side-access-draws-opponents/8991/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Second Avenue Subway]] was built to relieve pressure on the Lexington Avenue Line ({{NYCS trains|Lexington}}) by shifting an estimated 225,000 passengers.<ref name="Daily Intelligencer2016" /> Following the onset of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in New York City]] in 2020, there was enough of a ridership decrease that these routes were no longer crammed to capacity during rush hours, although they still experienced some crowding.<ref name="Bonanos 2022 y888">{{cite web |last=Bonanos |first=Christopher |title=The Era of the Not-Too-Empty, Not-Too-Crowded Subway |website=Curbed |date=September 16, 2022 |url=https://www.curbed.com/2022/09/subway-crowding-return-empty-full-budget.html |access-date=October 3, 2023}}</ref>

By early 2016, delays as a result of overcrowding were up to more than 20,000 every month, four times the amount in 2012. The overcrowded trains have resulted in an increase of assaults. With less platform space, more passengers are forced to be on the edge of the platform resulting in the increased possibility of passengers falling on the track. The MTA is considering [[platform screen doors]], which exist on the [[AirTrain JFK]] to prevent passengers falling onto the tracks.<ref name="Fitzsimmons2016">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/04/nyregion/surge-in-ridership-pushes-new-york-subway-to-limit.html |title=Surge in Ridership Pushes New York Subway to Limit |last=Fitzsimmons |first=Emma G. |date=May 3, 2016 |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=May 3, 2016}}</ref> {{As of|February 2022}}, platform screen doors were planned to be installed in three stations, following an increase in people being pushed onto the tracks.<ref name=nyt-2022-02-23 /><ref name="Brosnan 2022">{{cite news |last=Brosnan |first=Erica |title=MTA: Platform barrier pilot program to launch in three stations |work=NY1 |location=New York |publisher=Charter Communications |date=February 23, 2022 |url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2022/02/23/mta-to-launch-platform-barrier-pilot-program-at-3-stations |access-date=February 23, 2022}}</ref>

==== Expanding service frequency via CBTC ====
{{Further|Signaling of the New York City Subway#Automation}}
The MTA has sought to relieve overcrowding by upgrading signaling systems on some lines to use communications-based train control.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fitzsimmons |first=Emma G. |date=May 1, 2017 |title=Key to Improving Subway Service in New York? Modern Signals |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/nyregion/new-york-subway-signals.html |access-date=October 3, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> CBTC installation on the [[IRT Flushing Line|Flushing Line]] is expected to increase the rate of trains per hour on the {{NYCS trains|Flushing}}, but little relief will come to other crowded lines until later.<ref name="mta.info2016" /> The {{NYCS trains|Canarsie}}, which is overcrowded during rush hours, already has CBTC operation.<ref name="chan-January14">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/14/nyregion/14subway.html |title=Subways Run by Computers Start on L Line This Summer |access-date=May 24, 2007 |first=Sewell |last=Chan |author-link=Sewell Chan |date=January 14, 2005 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> The installation of CBTC has reduced the L's running time by 3%.<ref name="Daily Intelligencer2016" /> Even with CBTC, there are limits on the potential increased service. For L service to be increased further, a power upgrade as well as additional space for the L to turn around at its Manhattan terminus, [[14th Street–Eighth Avenue (New York City Subway)|Eighth Avenue]], are needed.<ref name="Tangel" />

==== Service frequency and car capacity ====
Due to an increase of ridership, the MTA has tried to increase capacity wherever possible by adding more frequent service, specifically during the evening hours. This increase is not likely to keep up with the growth of subway ridership.<ref name="Fitzsimmons2016" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.streetsblog.org/2015/10/26/mta-service-bump-next-june-wont-keep-up-with-growth-in-subway-trips/ |title=MTA Service Bump Next June Won't Keep Up With Growth in Subway Trips |website=Streetsblog New York City |access-date=March 13, 2016 |date=October 26, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://gothamist.com/2015/10/22/mta_subway_more.php |title=MTA Announces More Frequent Service On 11 Subway Lines, Plus The Times Square Shuttle |last=Whitford |first=Emma |website=Gothamist |access-date=March 13, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301162736/http://gothamist.com/2015/10/22/mta_subway_more.php |archive-date=March 1, 2016}}</ref> Some lines have capacity for additional trains during peak times, but there are too few subway cars for this additional service to be operated.<ref name="Tangel" />

[[File:R211T soft shell open gangway.jpg|thumb|View of an open-gangway used on the R211T subway car]]

As part of the [[R211 (New York City Subway car)|R211]] subway car order, the MTA is planning to test a train of 20 [[Articulated train|open-gangway]] experimental prototype cars, which could increase capacity by up to 10% by utilizing space between cars. The order could be expanded to include up to 750 open-gangway cars.<ref name="MTACapital-15-19-2015">{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/capital/pdf/CapitalProgram2015-19_WEB%20v4%20FINAL_small.pdf |title=MTA Capital Program 2015–2019 |date=October 28, 2015 |website=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority|mta.info]] |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |access-date=October 28, 2015 |archive-date=November 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106022734/http://web.mta.info/capital/pdf/CapitalProgram2015-19_WEB%20v4%20FINAL_small.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="MTA-CapitalOversight-Jan2016">{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/160125_1345_CPOC.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129071849/http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/160125_1345_CPOC.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 29, 2016 |title=MTA Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting: January 2016 |date=January 2016 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |access-date=January 23, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.citylab.com/commute/2016/02/nyc-finally-gets-on-board-with-the-subway-car-of-the-future-open-gangway/459300/ |title=NYC: Look Forward to Finally Riding the Subway Car of the Future |newspaper=Bloomberg.com |date=February 2016 |language=en-US |access-date=February 29, 2016}}</ref> On December 16, 2024, the MTA Board voted to approve the second option order of R211s, which would contain 80 additional open-gangway trains.<ref name="Spivack w509">{{cite web |last=Spivack |first=Caroline |date=December 16, 2024 |title=MTA readies $1.2B order for hundreds of new subway cars |url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/transportation/new-yorks-mta-set-order-hundreds-new-subway-cars |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=Crain's New York Business}}</ref><ref name="Russo-Lennon i775">{{cite web | last=Russo-Lennon | first=Barbara | title=Hundreds of open gangway subway cars to start rolling by 2027 | website=amNewYork | date=December 16, 2024 | url=https://www.amny.com/nyc-transit/new-open-gangway-subway-cars-coming-2027/ | access-date=December 18, 2024}}</ref>

==== Platform crowd control ====
The MTA is also testing smaller ideas on some services. Starting in late 2015, 100 "station platform controllers" were deployed for the [[F (New York City Subway service)|F]], [[6 (New York City Subway service)|6]], and [[7 (New York City Subway service)|7]] trains, to manage the flow of passengers on and off crowded trains during morning rush hours. There were a total of 129 such employees, who also answer passengers' questions about subway directions, rather than having conductors answer them and thus delaying the trains.<ref>{{Citation |last=mtainfo |title=Platform Controller Program |date=November 16, 2015 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlc9Q5MVZXw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/Tlc9Q5MVZXw |archive-date=October 29, 2021 |access-date=December 13, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/YourRideMatters/platformControllers.htm |title=Your Ride Matters Platform Controllers |date=2015 |website=web.mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |access-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-date=March 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314054308/http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/YourRideMatters/platformControllers.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/YourRideMatters/StrategiesforImprovingService.htm |title=Your Ride Matters Working to Improve Your Ride |date=2015 |website=web.mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |access-date=March 13, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Harshbarger2015">{{cite web |url=https://nypost.com/2015/05/18/mta-fights-overcrowding-by-getting-trains-out-of-stations-faster/ |title=MTA to fight overcrowding by getting trains out of stations faster |last=Harshbarger |first=Rebecca |date=May 18, 2015 |website=New York Post |access-date=December 13, 2016}}</ref> In early 2017, the test was expanded to the afternoon peak period with an increase of 35 platform conductors.<ref name="mta.info2016" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/mta/budget/pdf/MTA%202017%20Budget%20and%202017-2020%20Financial%20Plan%20Adoption%20Materials.pdf |title=MTA 2017 Budget and 2017–2020 Financial Plan Adoption Materials |date=December 12, 2016 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |access-date=December 13, 2016}}</ref> In November of the same year, 140 platform controllers and 90 conductors gained [[iPhone 6S]] devices so they could receive notifications of, and tell riders about, subway disruptions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/amp/new-york/mta-workers-iphones-riders-informed-delays-article-1.3617315 |title=MTA workers to get iPhones to keep riders informed during delays |last=Rivoli |first=Dan |date=November 7, 2017 |website=New York Daily News |language=en |access-date=November 8, 2017}}</ref> Subway guards, the predecessors to the platform controllers, were first used during the [[Great Depression]] and [[World War II]].<ref name="Fitzsimmons2016" />

Shortened "next stop" announcements on trains were being tested on the [[2 (New York City Subway service)|2]] and [[5 (New York City Subway service)|5]] trains. "Step aside" signs on the platforms, reminding boarding passengers to let departing passengers off the train first, were tested at [[Grand Central–42nd Street (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)|Grand Central–42nd Street]], [[51st Street (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)|51st Street]], and [[86th Street (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)|86th Street]] on the Lexington Avenue Line.<ref name="Harshbarger2015" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/YourRideMatters/StepAside.htm |title=mta.info {{!}} Your Ride Matters |website=web.mta.info |access-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-date=March 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314054421/http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/YourRideMatters/StepAside.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Cameras would also be installed so the MTA could observe passenger overcrowding.<ref name="Daily Intelligencer2016" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amny.com/transit/nyc-subway-overcrowding-plan-to-be-tested-out-on-some-lines-1.10447588 |title=NYC subway overcrowding plan to be tested out on some lines |work=AM New York |date=May 19, 2015 |access-date=May 19, 2015 |author=Rivoli, Dan}}</ref><ref name="Scribd 2015">{{cite web |title=Subway Delay Presentation |website=Scribd |date=May 18, 2015 |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/265785364/Subway-Delay-Presentation |access-date=March 25, 2016}}</ref>

In systems like the [[London Underground]], stations are simply closed off when they are overcrowded; that type of restriction is not necessary yet on the New York City Subway, according to MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz.<ref name="Fitzsimmons2016" />

=== Subway flooding ===
[[File:New York City Subway 100 1888 edited.JPG|thumb|left|Rain from [[drainage]] pipes entering a subway car|alt=Rain from drainage pipes entering a subway car]]
Service on the subway system is occasionally disrupted by flooding from rainstorms, even minor ones.<ref name="Mancini 2010">{{cite web |last=Mancini |first=John |title=Search Results |website=TWC News |date=October 2, 2010 |url=http://www.twcnews.com/archives/nyc/all-boroughs/2010/10/1/latest-rainstorm-no-match-for-city-s-subway-pumps-NYC_126428.old.html |access-date=March 25, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306201115/http://www.twcnews.com/archives/nyc/all-boroughs/2010/10/1/latest-rainstorm-no-match-for-city-s-subway-pumps-NYC_126428.old.html |archive-date=March 6, 2016 }}</ref> Rainwater can disrupt signals underground and require the electrified [[third rail]] to be shut off. {{as of|2007}}, the MTA moves {{convert|13|e6gal|e6l|abbr=off}} of water daily when it is not raining.<ref name="Subway Flooding">{{cite web |url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/why-do-the-subways-flood/ |title=Why the Subways Flood |last=Chan |first=Sewell |website=City Room |access-date=February 28, 2016 |date=August 8, 2007}}</ref> The pumps and drainage system can handle a rainfall rate of {{convert|1.75|in|mm}} per hour.<ref name="Subway Flooding" /><ref name="flood report">{{cite web |title=August 8, 2007 Storm Report |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |date=September 20, 2007 |url=http://mta.info/mta/pdf/storm_report_2007.pdf |access-date=October 27, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029025238/http://mta.info/mta/pdf/storm_report_2007.pdf |archive-date=October 29, 2007}}</ref>{{Rp|10}} Since 1992, $357&nbsp;million has been used to improve 269 pump rooms. By August 2007, $115&nbsp;million was earmarked to upgrade the remaining 18 pump rooms.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Donohue |first=Pete |title=Downpour swamps subways, stranding thousands of riders |newspaper=[[New York Daily News]] |date=August 9, 2007 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/08/09/2007-08-09_its_transit_hell_from_heavens.html |access-date=August 23, 2007 |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930055635/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/08/09/2007-08-09_its_transit_hell_from_heavens.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Despite these improvements, the transit system continues to experience flooding problems. On August 8, 2007, after more than {{convert|3|in|mm}} of rain fell within an hour, the subway system flooded, causing almost every subway service to either be disabled or seriously disrupted, effectively halting the morning rush.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2007/mta_updates.html |title=MTA Evening Update |date=August 8, 2007 |website=www.nyc.gov |access-date=March 13, 2016}}</ref> On September 1, 2021, when {{convert|3|to|5|in|mm}} of rain per hour fell during [[Hurricane Ida]], service on the entire subway system was suspended.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kriegstein |first1=Brittany |last2=Parisienne |first2=Theodore |last3=Parnell |first3=Wes |last4=Tracy |first4=Thomas |last5=Gartland |first5=Michael |title=At least nine dead, including 2-year-old boy, after record rains from Hurricane Ida remnants flood NYC |website=New York Daily News |date=September 2, 2021 |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-hurricane-ida-rain-flooding-dead-20210902-moja6dep2renjlivacy3vyk6qi-story.html |access-date=September 2, 2021}}</ref>

As part of a $130&nbsp;million and an estimated 18-month project, the MTA began installing new subway grates in September 2008 in an attempt to prevent rain from overflowing into the subway system. The metallic structures, designed with the help of architectural firms and meant as a piece of public art, are placed atop existing grates but with a {{convert|3|to|4|in|mm|adj=on}} sleeve to prevent debris and rain from flooding the subway. The racks will at first be installed in the three most flood-prone areas as determined by hydrologists: [[Jamaica, Queens|Jamaica]], [[Tribeca]], and the [[Upper West Side]]. Each neighborhood has its own distinct design, some featuring a wave-like deck which increases in height and features seating (as in Jamaica), others with a flatter deck that includes seating and a bike rack.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |title=New Subway Grates Add Aesthetics to Flood Protection |work=The New York Times |date=September 19, 2008 |url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/new-subway-grates-add-aesthetics-to-flood-protection/ |access-date=October 7, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Jennifer |title=Three in One – Flood Protection, Benches and Bike Parking |work=The New York Times |date=October 1, 2008 |url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/three-in-one-flood-protection-benches-and-bike-parking-in-a-new-design/ |access-date=October 7, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/04/16/new-raised-storm-grates-earn-architectural-praise/ |title=New raised storm grates earn architectural praise |website=Second Ave. Sagas |access-date=March 13, 2016 |date=April 16, 2010}}</ref>

In October 2012, [[Hurricane Sandy]] caused [[Hurricane Sandy in New York|significant damage to New York City]], and many subway tunnels were inundated with floodwater. The subway opened with limited service two days after the storm and was running at 80 percent capacity within five days; some infrastructure needed years to repair. A year after the storm, MTA spokesperson Kevin Ortiz said, "This was unprecedented in terms of the amount of damage that we were seeing throughout the system."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Boissoneault |first1=Lorraine |title=Superstorm Sandy Anniversary – How the Subway Survived |url=http://www.weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/devastating-effects-water-how-superstorm-sandy-shut-down-subway-swamped-city |website=The Weather Channel |date=October 30, 2013 |access-date=November 24, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Cox">{{cite web |url=http://subwaynut.com/sandy/ |title=Hurricane Sandy: Effects on Subway & Rail Service |last=Cox |first=Jeremiah |website=subwaynut.com |access-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-date=March 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309082154/http://subwaynut.com/sandy/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> The storm flooded nine of the system's 14 underwater tunnels, many subway lines, and several subway yards, as well as completely destroying a portion of the [[IND Rockaway Line]] and much of the [[South Ferry (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|South Ferry]] terminal station. Reconstruction required many partial or total closures on several lines and tunnels.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/sandy/nyct_girds.htm |title=mta.info {{!}} Superstorm Sandy: One Year Later |website=web.mta.info |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |access-date=July 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803224532/http://web.mta.info/sandy/nyct_girds.htm |archive-date=August 3, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Heavy flooding also occurred in September 2021 during [[Hurricane Ida]]<ref name="NPR 2021 m246">{{cite web |title=NYC's Subway Flooding Isn't A Fluke. It's The Reality For Cities In A Warming World |website=NPR |date=September 2, 2021 |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/09/02/1021185475/climate-change-means-more-subway-flooding-worldwide-like-new-york-just-experienc |access-date=October 3, 2023}}</ref> and [[September 2023 New York floods|in September 2023]] during the aftermath of [[Tropical Storm Ophelia (2023)|Tropical Storm Ophelia]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ley |first=Ana |date=September 29, 2023 |title=Rain Wreaks Havoc on New York's Mass Transit System |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/29/nyregion/nyc-flood-mta-subway.html |access-date=October 3, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Pumping125Street.jpg|Flooding at [[125th Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|125th Street]] after a water main break
File:Bowling Green Station Entrance in Flood Prep vc.jpg|Preparations for [[Hurricane Sandy]] at [[Bowling Green (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)|Bowling Green]]
File:South Ferry Subway Station Entrance under Water vc.jpg|alt=New South Ferry station after Hurricane Sandy|[[South Ferry (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|South Ferry]] after Hurricane Sandy
File:Pump Train in Cranberry Street Tunnel after Hurricane Sandy vc.jpg|alt=A pump train is seen removing water from the Cranberry Street Tube shortly after Hurricane Sandy. The water is brown in color.|Pump train in the [[Cranberry Street Tunnel|Cranberry Street Tube]] after Hurricane Sandy
</gallery>

=== Full and partial subway closures ===
[[File:MTA New York City Transit Sanitizes Stations and Subway Cars (49618677077).jpg|thumb|Disinfection of New York City Subway cars against [[Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2|coronavirus]] during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in New York City]]]]
Before 2011, there have been some full subway closures for transit strikes ([[1966 New York City transit strike|January 1–13, 1966]],<ref>{{cite web |title=A look back at the 1966 transit strike that shut down NYC |website=amNewYork |date=January 7, 2016 |url=https://www.amny.com/transit/a-look-back-at-the-1966-transit-strike-that-1-11302919/ |access-date=May 8, 2020}}</ref> [[1980 New York City transit strike|April 1–11, 1980]],<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1980/04/13/114042458.pdf |title=Transit System Rolls Amid Debate On Contract and Fate of 50 Fare; Fare Outlook Is Gloomy CITY TRANSIT ROLLS AS PACT IS DEBATED Union Is Deeply Divided Hearing on New Penalties Put Off Savings in 'Break' Time |date=April 13, 1980 |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 11, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> [[2005 New York City transit strike|December 20–22, 2005]])<ref>{{cite web |title=Buses, subways on the move again in New York – Dec 23, 2005 |website=CNN |date=December 23, 2005 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/23/nyc.transit/ |access-date=May 8, 2020}}</ref> and blackouts ([[Northeast blackout of 1965|November 9–10, 1965]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Pressman |first=Gabe |title=Remembering When the Lights Went Out in 1965 |website=NBC New York |date=November 8, 2011 |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/when-the-lights-went-out-in-1965/1932524/ |access-date=May 8, 2020}}</ref> [[New York City blackout of 1977|July 13–14, 1977]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Norman |first=Derek M. |date=July 14, 2019 |title=The 1977 Blackout in New York City Happened Exactly 42 Years Ago |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/14/nyregion/1977-blackout-photos.html |access-date=May 8, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> [[Northeast blackout of 2003|August 14–16, 2003]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=Janny |date=August 15, 2003 |title=THE BLACKOUT OF 2003: THE STRANDED; In Subways, in Traffic In Elevators: All Stuck |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/15/nyregion/the-blackout-of-2003-the-stranded-in-subways-in-traffic-in-elevators-all-stuck.html |access-date=May 8, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>).

On August 27, 2011, due to the approach of [[Hurricane Irene (2011)|Hurricane Irene]], the MTA suspended subway service at noon in anticipation of heavy flooding on tracks and in tunnels. It was the first weather-caused shutdown in the history of the system.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mass_transit_shutdown_mode_ge2t81TM8fgggFhhBkbHoJ |title=Hurricane Irene halts NY, NJ mass transit |newspaper=The New York Post |publisher=News Corp |author1=Aaron Feis, Sabrina Ford |author2=Jennifer Fermino |name-list-style=amp |date=August 27, 2011 |access-date=August 28, 2011}}</ref> Service was restored by August 29.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/nycs-subway-service-running-ok-monday-after-irene/2011/08/29/gIQA1NnInJ_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines |title=NYC's subway service running OK Monday after Irene |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=August 29, 2011 |access-date=August 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714090148/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/nycs-subway-service-running-ok-monday-after-irene/2011/08/29/gIQA1NnInJ_story.html%3Fwpisrc%3Dnl_headlines |archive-date=July 14, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/145962/straphangers-have-relatively-easy-monday-morning-rush |title=Straphangers Have Relatively Easy Monday Morning Rush |work=[[NY1]] |location=New York |publisher=Charter Communications |first=Roger |last=Clark |date=August 29, 2011 |access-date=August 30, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005120801/http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/145962/straphangers-have-relatively-easy-monday-morning-rush |archive-date=October 5, 2012}}</ref>

On October 29, 2012, a full closure was ordered before the arrival of [[Hurricane Sandy]].<ref name="Cox" /> All services on the subway, the [[Long Island Rail Road]] and [[Metro-North]] were gradually shut down by 7:00 P.M. to protect passengers, employees, and equipment from the coming storm.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/28/mta-shutdown-hurricane-sandy-subway-cuomo_n_2034337.html |title=MTA Shuts Down Sunday Night, As Hurricane Nears |newspaper=Huffington Post |access-date=February 28, 2016 |date=October 28, 2012}}</ref> The storm [[Effects of Hurricane Sandy in New York|caused serious damage]] to the system, especially the [[IND Rockaway Line]], upon which many sections between [[Howard Beach–JFK Airport (IND Rockaway Line)|Howard Beach–JFK Airport]] and [[Hammels Wye]] on the [[Rockaway, Queens|Rockaway Peninsula]] were heavily damaged, leaving it essentially isolated from the rest of the system.<ref name="asandy">{{cite web |url=http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/RebuildingRockawaysAfterHurricanSandy.htm |title=Rebuilding the Rockaways After Hurricane Sandy |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |work=mta.info |access-date=November 18, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111173605/http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/RebuildingRockawaysAfterHurricanSandy.htm |archive-date=November 11, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/05/16/cuomo-mta-to-restore-a-train-subway-service-to-the-rockaways/ |title=Cuomo: MTA To Restore A Train Subway Service To The Rockaways |website=CBS News |location=New York |date=May 16, 2013}}</ref> This required the NYCTA to truck in 20 [[R32 (New York City Subway car)|R32]] subway cars to the line to provide some interim service (temporarily designated the {{NYCS|H}}).<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=MTAInsider |number=270625005337993216 |title=.@NYGovCuomo: Tomorrow at 4am, the MTA will begin providing a free subway shuttle between Far Rockaway & Beach 90th St. It's the #H train. |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority}}</ref><ref name="SandyRecoveryMap">{{cite web |date=November 20, 2012 |title=Hurricane Sandy Recovery Service As of November 20 |url=http://alert.mta.info/sites/default/files/pdf/hurricane_recovery_map_bw_Nov_20_rock_shtl.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123125002/http://alert.mta.info/sites/default/files/pdf/hurricane_recovery_map_bw_Nov_20_rock_shtl.pdf |archive-date=January 23, 2013 |access-date=March 25, 2016 |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=MTA News |url=http://mta.info/news/stories/?story=878 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122162108/http://mta.info/news/stories/?story=878 |archive-date=November 22, 2012 |work=mta.info}}</ref> Also, several of the system's tunnels under the [[East River]] were flooded by the storm surge.<ref>{{YouTube|mhJrrGNvcFk|Raw: Sandy Leaves NYC Subways Flooded}}</ref> [[South Ferry (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|South Ferry]] suffered serious water damage and did not reopen until April 4, 2013, by restoring service to the older [[South Ferry loops|loop-configured station]] that had been replaced in 2009;<ref name="Mann 2013">{{cite web |last=Mann |first=Ted |title=Downtown, Old Stop on Subway to Reopen |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal & Company |location=New York |date=March 8, 2013 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323628804578346922530133006 |access-date=March 25, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/08/old-subway-station-will-temporarily-replace-new-station-damaged-by-sandy/ |title=Storm Damage Prompts Return of Old Subway Stop |last=Flegenheimer |first=Matt |date=March 8, 2013 |newspaper=The New York Times |location=New York}}</ref> the stub-end terminal tracks remained out of service until June 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/RestoringSouthFerryStation.htm |title=mta.info – Restoring South Ferry Station |work=mta.info |access-date=June 21, 2014 |archive-date=January 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105022326/http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/RestoringSouthFerryStation.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/SouthFerryStationReopenApril2013.htm |title=mta.info – Old South Ferry Station to Reopen for Service |work=mta.info |access-date=June 21, 2014 |archive-date=June 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601204432/http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/SouthFerryStationReopenApril2013.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="bidprocessouthferry">{{cite news |last1=Donohue |first1=Peter |title=$194 million contract awarded to upgrade South Ferry subway station |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/194-million-contract-awarded-upgrade-south-ferry-station-article-1.2037938 |access-date=February 7, 2015 |work=Daily News |publisher=New York Daily News |date=December 8, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Furfaro |first=Danielle |title=Sandy-ravaged subway entrance to be closed 9 months |website=New York Post |date=October 29, 2015 |url=https://nypost.com/2015/10/29/sandy-ravaged-subway-station-to-be-closed-for-nearly-a-year/ |access-date=October 31, 2015}}</ref>

Since 2015, there have been several blizzard-related subway shutdowns. On January 26, 2015, another full closure was ordered by [[New York Governor]] [[Andrew Cuomo]] due to the [[January 2015 nor'easter]], originally projected to leave New York City with {{convert|20|to|30|in|cm}} of snow; this was the first shutdown in the system's history to be ordered due to snow.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/27/nyregion/new-york-blizzard.html?_r=0 |title=Snowstorm Barrels Into Northeast; New York City Subways and Buses Are Halted |work=NY Times |date=January 26, 2015 |access-date=January 26, 2015 |author=Marc Santora}}</ref> The next day, the subway system was partially reopened.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gothamist.com/2015/01/27/snowpe_back_to_work.php |title=[Update] NYC Travel Ban Lifted, MTA Service Will Resume This Morning |work=Gothamist |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129020044/http://gothamist.com/2015/01/27/snowpe_back_to_work.php |archive-date=January 29, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/blizzard-2015-travel-bans-lifted-snowfall-totals-fall/story?id=28505431 |title=Blizzard 2015: New England Gets Walloped by More Than 2 Feet of Snow |author=<!--Not stated--> |work=ABC News |date=January 28, 2015}}</ref> Several residents criticized the decision to shut down the subway system due to snow, as the nor'easter dropped much less snow in the city than originally expected, totaling only {{convert|9.8|in|cm}} in [[Central Park]].<ref name="controversy">{{cite news |last1=Flegenheimer |first1=Matt |title=Leaders in New York and New Jersey Defend Shutdown for a Blizzard That Wasn't |url=https://nytimes.com/2015/01/28/nyregion/new-york-blizzard.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 27, 2015 |location=New York |access-date=January 28, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Dolce |first1=Chris |last2=Lam |first2=Linda |last3=Wiltgen |first3=Nick |title=Juno: Heavy Snow Continues in New England |url=http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-juno-blizzard-boston-nyc-new-england |publisher=The Weather Channel |location=New York |access-date=January 28, 2015}}</ref> For subsequent snowstorms, the MTA published a winter underground-only subway service plan. When this plan is in effect, all above-ground stations would be closed and all above-ground service suspended, except at [[125th Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|125th Street and Broadway]], where {{NYCS|1}} trains would run above ground but skip the station. Underground service would remain operational, except at a small number of stations that would be closed because of their proximity to above-ground portions of the system.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://new.mta.info/map/9471 |title=Late Night Subway Service |access-date=January 26, 2021 |date=December 2020 |format=[[PDF]] |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]}}</ref> This plan was first used on January 23, 2016, during the [[January 2016 United States blizzard]];<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/01/23/winter-storn-jonas-shuts-down-nyc/79226352/ |title=NYC grinds to a halt amid deadly East Coast blizzard |date=January 23, 2016 |last=McCoy |first=Kevin |newspaper=USA Today |location=New York}}</ref> it was also used on March 14, 2017, due to the [[March 2017 nor'easter]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170313/cobble-hill/snow-commute-subway-bus-de-blasio-ferry-lirr-metro-north-mta |title=Above-Ground Subway Service Shuts Down at 4 a.m. Tuesday, Cuomo Says |last1=Gardiner |first1=Aidan |last2=Honan |first2=Katie |date=March 13, 2017 |website=DNAinfo New York |access-date=March 14, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314154944/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170313/cobble-hill/snow-commute-subway-bus-de-blasio-ferry-lirr-metro-north-mta |archive-date=March 14, 2017}}</ref> On August 4, 2020, service at above-ground stations was suspended due to the high wind gusts brought by [[Hurricane Isaias|Tropical Storm Isaias]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Troutman |first=Matt |date=August 4, 2020 |title=MTA Suspends Outdoor Train Service Over Isaias High Winds |url=https://patch.com/new-york/new-york-city/mta-suspends-outdoor-subway-service-over-isaias-high-winds |access-date=August 5, 2020 |location=New York |publisher=Patch |language=en}}</ref>

Starting on May 6, 2020, as a result of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in New York City]], stations were closed between 1:00&nbsp;a.m. and 5:00&nbsp;a.m. for cleaning and disinfecting.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldbaum |first=Christina |date=April 30, 2020 |title=N.Y.C.'s Subway, a 24/7 Mainstay, Will Close for Overnight Disinfection |language=en-US |newspaper=The New York Times |location=New York |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/30/nyregion/subway-close-cuomo-coronavirus.html |access-date=April 30, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://new.mta.info/coronavirus |title=MTA service during the coronavirus pandemic}}</ref> Nevertheless, over 500 trains continued running every 20 minutes between 1&nbsp;a.m. and 5&nbsp;a.m., carrying only transit workers and emergency personnel. The trains kept running because there was not enough space in the system to store all trains simultaneously, and also so that they could easily resume service upon the start of rush hour at 5&nbsp;a.m.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Meyer |first=David |date=May 6, 2020 |title=Why 'ghost trains' still run during nightly coronavirus subway shutdowns |url=https://nypost.com/2020/05/06/why-nyc-ghost-trains-run-during-coronavirus-subway-shutdowns/ |access-date=December 6, 2020 |newspaper=New York Post |location=New York |publisher=News Corp |language=en-US}}</ref> In February 2021, the overnight closures were shortened to between 2&nbsp;and 4&nbsp;a.m.,<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Goldbaum |first1=Christina |last2=Rosenthal |first2=Brian M. |date=February 15, 2021 |title=N.Y.C.'s Subway Will Run Longer Into Night Next Week |language=en-US |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/15/world/mta-subway-hours.html |access-date=February 16, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Guse |first=Clayton |title=Overnight closure of NYC subway to scale back to 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. starting Feb. 22 |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-covid-cuomo-subway-reopening-mta-overnight-20210215-pb3wpoi7bzfmdizfmloao4kqrq-story.html |access-date=February 16, 2021 |newspaper=New York Daily News}}</ref> and in May 2021, Cuomo announced that 24-hour service would resume on May 17.<ref name="Slattery Sommerfeldt Guse 2021">{{cite news |last1=Slattery |first1=Denis |last2=Sommerfeldt |first2=Chris |last3=Guse |first3=Clayton |date=May 3, 2021 |title=MTA to restore NYC's 24-hour subway service on May 17 |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-nyc-mta-overnight-subway-service-returns-20210503-cmguz5wue5ehvnbpud7wlb4fx4-story.html |access-date=May 5, 2021 |newspaper=New York Daily News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Hu |first1=Winnie |last2=Ferré-Sadurní |first2=Luis |date=May 3, 2021 |title=New York Region to Accelerate Reopening, Raising Hopes and Anxiety |language=en-US |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/03/nyregion/nyc-reopening.html |access-date=May 5, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> This was the longest shutdown in the subway's history.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Hu |first1=Winnie |last2=Schweber |first2=Nate |last3=Piccoli |first3=Sean |date=May 17, 2021 |title=N.Y.C. Subway Returns to 24-Hour Service After More Than a Year |language=en-US |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/nyregion/nyc-subway-full-service-24-hours.html |access-date=May 17, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Snow Removal on Subways (12507867423).jpg|Snow removal during the 2014 snow storm
File:Subway Closure Night 2 - Coney Island Terminal (49866371657).jpg|Closed turnstiles during the COVID-19 pandemic
File:Sheepshead Bay Isaias vc.jpg|Fallen tree during Hurricane Isaias
</gallery>

=== Litter and rodents ===
{{Further|Rats in New York City}}
Litter accumulation in the subway system is perennial. In the 1970s and 1980s, dirty trains and platforms, as well as graffiti, were a serious problem. The situation had improved since then, but the 2010 budget crisis, which caused over 100 of the cleaning staff to lose their jobs, threatened to curtail trash removal.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kabak |first1=Benjamin |title=Less Transit money leads to dirtier stations |url=http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/06/22/less-transit-money-leads-to-dirtier-stations/ |website=Second Ave. Sagas |access-date=November 24, 2015 |date=June 22, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kabak |first1=Benjamin |title=ABC 7: MTA cleaners slacking on the job |url=http://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/09/30/abc-7-mta-cleaners-slacking-on-the-job/ |website=Second Ave. Sagas |access-date=November 24, 2015 |date=September 30, 2010}}</ref> Every day, the MTA removes 40 tons of trash from 3,500 trash receptacles.<ref name="Barone2017">{{Cite news |url=http://www.amny.com/transit/mta-ends-trash-can-removal-pilot-program-in-subway-stations-1.13330827 |title=MTA trashes pilot program that removed bins from stations |last=Barone |first=Vincent |date=March 28, 2017 |work=am New York |access-date=April 2, 2017 |language=en}}</ref>

The New York City Subway system is infested with [[rat]]s.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/03/24/NYC-takes-aim-at-subway-rats/UPI-79751237928283/ |title=NYC takes aim at subway rats |work=[[United Press International]] |date=March 24, 2009 |access-date=June 27, 2009}}</ref> Rats are sometimes seen on platforms,<ref>"[http://www.newsday.com/long-island/transportation/rats-rule-the-subway-rails-platforms-1.883713 Rats rule the subway rails, platforms"], Matthew Sweeney, ''Newsday'', August 13, 2008</ref> and are commonly seen foraging through garbage thrown onto the tracks. They are believed to pose a health hazard, and on rare instances have been known to bite humans.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/rat-bites-woman-in-subway-station-as-she-waits-for-train-1.3152338 |title=Rat bites woman in subway station as she waits for train |work=amNewYork |first=Marc |last=Beja |date=September 8, 2011 |access-date=September 12, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128110652/http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/rat-bites-woman-in-subway-station-as-she-waits-for-train-1.3152338 |archive-date=November 28, 2011}}</ref> Subway stations notorious for rat infestation include [[Chambers Street&nbsp;– World Trade Center (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|Chambers Street]], [[Jay Street–MetroTech (IND Fulton Street Line)|Jay Street–MetroTech]], [[West Fourth Street&nbsp;– Washington Square (New York City Subway)|West Fourth Street]], [[Spring Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|Spring Street]] and [[145th Street (IRT Lenox Avenue Line)|145th Street]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brooklyntoday.info:80/component/content/article/2-general-news/152-rats-in-subway-are-health-hazard-for-new-yorkers.html |title=Rats in subway are health hazard for New Yorkers |date=January 12, 2010 |publisher=Brooklyn Today – The Brooklyn News Network |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313194115/http://www.brooklyntoday.info/component/content/article/2-general-news/152-rats-in-subway-are-health-hazard-for-new-yorkers.html |archive-date=March 13, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Decades of efforts to eradicate or simply thin the rat population in the system have been a failure. In March 2009, the Transit Authority announced a series of changes to its vermin control strategy, including new [[Rodenticide|poison]] formulas and experimental trap designs.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/03242009/news/regionalnews/you_dirty_rats__new_traps_target_subway__161096.htm |title=You Dirty Rats! New Traps Target Subway Vermin |first=Tom |last=Namako |work=New York Post |date=March 24, 2009 |access-date=June 27, 2009 |archive-date=July 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727022513/http://www.nypost.com/seven/03242009/news/regionalnews/you_dirty_rats__new_traps_target_subway__161096.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> In October 2011, they announced a new initiative to clean 25 subway stations, along with their garbage rooms, of rat infestations.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/transit/148410/mta-to-launch-new-cleaning-initiative-to-combat-rat-infestations |title=MTA To Launch New Cleaning Initiative To Combat Rat Infestations |work=[[NY1]] |first=Tina |last=Redwine |date=October 5, 2011 |access-date=October 5, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008132358/http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/transit/148410/mta-to-launch-new-cleaning-initiative-to-combat-rat-infestations |archive-date=October 8, 2011}}</ref> That same month, the MTA announced a pilot program aimed at reducing levels of garbage in the subways by removing all garbage bins from the subway platforms. The initiative was tested at the [[Eighth Street–New York University (BMT Broadway Line)|Eighth Street–New York University]] and [[Flushing–Main Street (IRT Flushing Line)|Flushing–Main Street]] stations.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.metro.us/newyork/local/article/1005728--mta-removes-bins-hoping-to-reduce-trash |title=MTA removes bins hoping to reduce trash |work=Metro |first=Emily |last=Epstein |date=October 24, 2011 |access-date=December 13, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027192558/http://www.metro.us/newyork/local/article/1005728--mta-removes-bins-hoping-to-reduce-trash |archive-date=October 27, 2011}}</ref> As of March 2016, stations along the [[BMT Jamaica Line]], [[BMT Myrtle Avenue Line]], and various other stations had their garbage cans removed due to the success of the program.<ref name="www.mta.info2">{{cite web |url=http://www.mta.info/news-trash-new-york-city-transit-subway/2015/08/06/mta-new-york-city-transit-trash-can-free-stations |title=MTA {{!}} news {{!}} MTA New York City Transit: Trash Can Free Stations Pilot Yields Positive Results |website=www.mta.info |access-date=March 11, 2016 |archive-date=March 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312011722/http://www.mta.info/news-trash-new-york-city-transit-subway/2015/08/06/mta-new-york-city-transit-trash-can-free-stations |url-status=dead}}</ref> In March 2017 the program was ended as a failure.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.amny.com/transit/mta-ends-trash-can-removal-pilot-program-in-subway-stations-1.13330827 |title=MTA trashes pilot program that removed bins from stations |website=am New York |date=March 28, 2017 |language=en |access-date=December 24, 2018}}</ref>

The old vacuum trains that are designed to remove trash from the tracks are ineffective and often broken.<ref name="www.mta.info2" /> A 2016 study by Travel Math had the New York City Subway listed as the dirtiest subway system in the country based on the number of viable bacteria cells.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://247wallst.com/transportation/2016/03/10/new-york-city-has-dirtiest-subway-system/ |title=New York City Has Dirtiest Subway System |website=247wallst.com |date=March 10, 2016 |access-date=March 13, 2016}}</ref> In August 2016, the MTA announced that it had initiated Operation Track Sweep, an aggressive plan to dramatically reduce the amount of trash on the tracks and in the subway environment. This was expected to reduce track fires and train delays. As part of the plan, the frequency of station track cleaning would be increased, and 94 stations would be cleaned per two-week period, an increase from the previous rate of 34 stations every two weeks.<ref name="Barone2017" /> The MTA launched an intensive two-week, system-wide cleaning on September 12, 2016.<ref>{{cite web |title=NYC Transit – MTA Launches Phase 2 of Operation Track Sweep: A Two-Week Track Cleaning Blitz |website=MTA |date=September 12, 2016 |url=http://www.mta.info/press-release/nyc-transit/mta-launches-phase-2-operation-track-sweep-two-week-track-cleaning-blitz |access-date=December 21, 2018 |archive-date=December 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221134610/http://www.mta.info/press-release/nyc-transit/mta-launches-phase-2-operation-track-sweep-two-week-track-cleaning-blitz |url-status=dead}}</ref> Several vacuum trains were delivered in 2018 and 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2018/10/31/new-vacuum-trains-aim-to-suck-trash-in-its-tracks |title=New Vacuum Trains Aim to Suck Trash Right in its Tracks |website=www.ny1.com |language=en |access-date=December 21, 2018}}</ref> The operation planned to also include 27 new refuse cars.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mta.info/news-operation-track-sweep-new-york-city-transit-subway-tracks/2016/08/05/sustained-mta-effort-keep |title=MTA {{!}} news {{!}} Sustained MTA Effort to Keep the Tracks Clean Includes Two-Week Track Cleaning Blitz at All 469 Subway Stations and New Cleaning Equipment |website=www.mta.info |access-date=August 10, 2016 |archive-date=August 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808131947/http://www.mta.info/news-operation-track-sweep-new-york-city-transit-subway-tracks/2016/08/05/sustained-mta-effort-keep |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:NYCS tagged IRT train.jpg|alt=A subway car covered with graffiti can be seen. The image has faint amounts of yellow throughout.|Typical subway car exterior in the late 1970s
File:Rats in the NYC Subway 2 vc.jpg|Measures against rats
File:Trash in the NYC Subway vc.jpg|alt=Notice about trash|Program for removing garbage bins from stations
</gallery>

=== Noise ===
Rolling stock on the New York City Subway produces high levels of noise that exceed guidelines set by the [[World Health Organization]] and the [[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]].<ref name="ScienceDaily 2016">{{cite web |title=New York Subway Noise Levels Can Result In Hearing Loss For Daily Riders |website=ScienceDaily |date=March 25, 2016 |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061012185519.htm |access-date=March 25, 2016}}</ref> In 2006, [[Columbia Mailman School of Public Health|Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health]] found noise levels averaged 95 [[decibel]] (dB) inside subway cars and 94&nbsp;dB on platforms.<ref name="ScienceDaily 2016" /> Daily exposure to noise at such levels for as little as 30 minutes can lead to hearing loss.<ref name="ScienceDaily 2016" /> Noise on one in 10 platforms exceeded 100&nbsp;dB.<ref name="ScienceDaily 2016" /> Under WHO and EPA guidelines, noise exposure at that level is limited to 1.5 minutes.<ref name="ScienceDaily 2016" /> A subsequent study by Columbia and the [[University of Washington]] found higher average noise levels in the subway (80.4&nbsp;dB) than on commuter trains including [[Port Authority Trans-Hudson]] (PATH) (79.4&nbsp;dB), [[Metro-North]] (75.1&nbsp;dB) and [[Long Island Rail Road]] (LIRR) (74.9&nbsp;dB).<ref name="Internet Archive 2010">{{cite web |title=Got Ear Plugs? You May Want to Sport Them on the Subway and Other.... – News – Mailman School of Public Health |website=Internet Archive |date=June 24, 2010 |url=http://www.mailman.columbia.edu/news/article?article=761 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100624104046/http://www.mailman.columbia.edu/news/article?article=761 |archive-date=June 24, 2010 |access-date=March 25, 2016}}</ref> Since the decibel scale is a [[logarithmic scale]], sound at 95&nbsp;dB is 10 times more intense than at 85&nbsp;dB, 100 times more intense than at 75&nbsp;dB, and so forth.<ref name="Internet Archive 2010" /> In the second study, peak subway noise registered at 102.1&nbsp;dB.<ref name="Internet Archive 2010" />

For the construction of the Second Avenue Subway, the MTA, with the engineering firm Arup, worked to reduce the noise levels in stations. In order to reduce noise for all future stations starting with the Second Avenue Subway, the MTA is investing in low-vibration track using ties encased in concrete-covered rubber and neoprene pads. Continuously welded rail, which is also being installed, reduces the noise being made by the wheels of trains. The biggest change that is going to be made is in the design of stations. Current stations were built with tile and stone, which bounce sound everywhere, while newer stations will have the ceilings lined with absorbent fiberglass or mineral wool that will direct sound toward the train and not the platform. With less noise from the trains, platform announcements could be heard more clearly. They will be clearer with speakers spaced periodically on the platform, angled so that announcements can be heard by the riders. The Second Avenue Subway has the first stations to test this technology.<ref name="Marshall 2016">{{Cite magazine |last=Marshall |first=Aarian |title=Get Ready for Quieter NYC Subway Stations (Yes, It's Possible) |magazine=WIRED |date=June 16, 2016 |url=https://www.wired.com/2016/06/get-ready-quieter-nyc-subway-stations-yes-possible/ |access-date=June 19, 2016}}</ref>

== {{anchor|Public relations}}Public relations and cultural impact ==

=== Entertainment ===
{{Main|Music Under New York}}

[[File:Subway musicians (6337954877).jpg|thumb|upright|Musicians perform in the [[Delancey Street/Essex Street station]] in 2011.]]

The subway is a popular venue for [[Street performance|busking]]. A permit is not required to perform, but certain codes of conduct are required.<ref name="MTA-performance">{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/rules/SubwayPerformerRules.htm |title=Performer Rules |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |access-date=May 10, 2020 |archive-date=April 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200428193445/http://web.mta.info/nyct/rules/SubwayPerformerRules.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Some buskers are affiliated with [[Music Under New York]] (MUNY), a part of the [[MTA Arts & Design|Arts & Design]] program by the MTA. Since 1987, MTA has sponsored the MUNY program<ref>[http://web.mta.info/mta/aft/muny/ MTA's Arts for Transit's Music Under New York (MUNY) Section] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728061402/http://web.mta.info/mta/aft/muny/ |date=July 28, 2016 }} MTA.info website.</ref> in which street musicians enter a competitive contest to be assigned to the preferred high traffic locations. Each year, applications are reviewed and approximately 70 eligible performers are selected and contacted to participate in live auditions held for one day.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K5HpspsQcA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/9K5HpspsQcA |archive-date=October 29, 2021 |title=2010 Music Under New York Auditions |date=May 27, 2010 |work=MTA.info (YouTube) |access-date=May 29, 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHbAGwoUIv0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/zHbAGwoUIv0 |archive-date=October 29, 2021 |title=2011 Music Under New York Auditions |date=May 27, 2011 |work=MTA.info (YouTube) |access-date=May 28, 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDHDbfddk44 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/zDHDbfddk44 |archive-date=October 29, 2021 |title=2012 Music Under New York Auditions |date=May 16, 2012 |work=MTA.info (YouTube) |access-date=May 16, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/musicians-try-out-for-coveted-spots-to-play-in-the-subway-1431911156 |title=Musicians Try Out for Coveted Spots to Play in the Subway |last=Ramey |first=Corinne |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |access-date=February 10, 2016 |date=May 17, 2015}}</ref>

=== Miss Subways ===
{{Main|Miss Subways}}

[[File:NYC Transit Museum Miss Subways.jpg|thumb|An advertisement for Miss Subways at the [[New York Transit Museum]]|alt=An advertisement for Miss Subways at the New York Transit Museum]]
From 1941 to 1976, the Board of Transportation/[[New York City Transit Authority]] sponsored the "Miss Subways" publicity campaign.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/subways-nyc-iconic-beauty-queens-gallery-1.1311904 |title=Miss Subways through the years: The iconic NYC beauty queens then and now |website=NY Daily News |access-date=February 28, 2016}}</ref> In the musical ''[[On the Town (musical)|On the Town]]'', the character Miss Turnstiles is based on the Miss Subways campaign.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bayen |first=Ann |title=Token Women |newspaper=New York Magazine |date=March 29, 1976 |page=46 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y-MCAAAAMBAJ&q=on%20the%20town%20miss%20subway&pg=PA46}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Klein |first=Alvin |title='On the Town' in Revival at Goodspeed Opera |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 6, 1993 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/06/nyregion/theater-on-the-town-in-revival-at-goodspeed-opera.html?scp=6&sq=miss%20subway%20on%20the%20town&st=cse}}</ref> The campaign was resurrected in 2004, for one year, as "Ms. Subways". It was part of the 100th anniversary celebrations. The monthly campaign, which included the winners' photos and biographical blurbs on placards in subway cars, featured such winners as [[Mona Freeman]] and prominent New York City restaurateur [[Ellen Goodman]]. The winner of this contest was Caroline Sanchez-Bernat, an actress from [[Morningside Heights]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gothamist.com/2004/10/26/ms_subway_2004_crowned.php |title=Ms. Subway 2004 Crowned |work=Gothamist |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026000826/http://gothamist.com/2004/10/26/ms_subway_2004_crowned.php |archive-date=October 26, 2013}}</ref>

=== Subway Series ===
{{Main|Subway Series}}

Subway Series is a term applied to any series of baseball games between New York City teams, as opposing teams can travel to compete merely by using the subway system. Subway Series is a term long used in New York, going back to series between the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] or [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] and the [[New York Yankees]] in the 1940s and 1950s. Today, the term is used to describe the [[Mets–Yankees rivalry|rivalry]] between the Yankees and the [[New York Mets]]. During the [[2000 World Series]], cars on the [[4 (New York City Subway service)|4 train]] (which stopped at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]]) were painted with Yankee colors, while cars on the [[7 (New York City Subway service)|7 train]] (which stopped at [[Shea Stadium]]) had Mets colors.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mets/Yankees Metrocard |url=http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/mtacc/demo/doc205.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970614003443/http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/mtacc/demo/doc205.htm |archive-date=June 14, 1997 |date=June 14, 1997 |access-date=February 15, 2016}}</ref>

=== Holiday Nostalgia Train ===
[[File:Nostalgia train 2nd Av a jeh.jpg|thumb|Holiday Nostalgia Train at [[Second Avenue (IND Sixth Avenue Line)|Second Avenue]] station in 2016|alt=Holiday Nostalgia Train at Second Avenue station in December 2016]]
Since 2003, the MTA has operated a Holiday Nostalgia Train on Sundays in November and December, from the first Sunday after Thanksgiving to the Sunday before Christmas Day,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/mta/news/releases/?en=081125-NYCT188 |title=Press Releases |work=mta.info |date=May 19, 2023}}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> except in 2011 and 2023, when the train operated on Saturdays instead of Sundays.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Watch: MTA Adds A Dose Of 'Nostalgia' With Vintage Trains |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/28/mta-adds-nostalgia-train-_n_1116571.html |newspaper=Huffington Post |access-date=February 10, 2016 |date=November 28, 2011}}</ref> This train is made of vintage cars from the [[R1–9 fleet]], which have been preserved by Railway Preservation Corp. and the [[New York Transit Museum]]. Until 2017, the train made all stops between [[Second Avenue station|Second Avenue]] in Manhattan and [[Queens Plaza station|Queens Plaza]] in Queens via the [[IND Sixth Avenue Line]] and the [[IND Queens Boulevard Line]]. In 2017, the train ran between [[Second Avenue (IND Sixth Avenue Line)|Second Avenue]] and [[96th Street (Second Avenue Subway)|96th Street]] via the newly opened [[Second Avenue Subway]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.metro.us/things-to-do/new-york/holiday-train-mta-nostalgia-subway-buses-2017 |title=Ride into the past with the MTA Holiday Nostalgia Train |date=November 20, 2017 |work=Metro US |access-date=December 22, 2017 |language=en}}</ref> Between 2018 and 2022, the northern terminal was located at [[145th Street station (IND lines)|145th Street]]. In 2022, the train, signed as the [[1 (New York City Subway service)|1]], traveled via IRT trackage between [[137th Street–City College station|137th Street]] and [[Chambers Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|Chambers Street]].<ref>{{cite web | title=MTA's holiday nostalgia train schedule; fleet returns on No. 1 subway train for 4 Sundays | website=ABC7 New York | date=November 27, 2022 | url=https://abc7ny.com/post/mta-holiday-season-straphanger-nyc/12500129/?userab=abc_web_player-460*variant_a_abc_control-1900 | access-date=November 16, 2025}}</ref> Since 2024, the train's northern terminal was moved back to 96th Street–Second Avenue.<ref>{{cite web | last=Russo-Lennon | first=Barbara | title=MTA's vintage holiday subway rides return | website=amNewYork | date=December 1, 2024 | url=https://www.amny.com/news/nyc-subways-holiday-nostalgia-rides/ | access-date=November 16, 2025}}</ref>

The contract, car numbers (and year built) used generally comprises [[R1 (New York City Subway car)|R1]] 100 (built 1930), [[R1 (New York City Subway car)|R1]] 103 (1930), [[R1 (New York City Subway car)|R1]] 381 (1931), [[R4 (New York City Subway car)|R4]] 401 (1932), [[R4 (New York City Subway car)|R4]] 484 (1932) – Bulls Eye lighting and a test P.A. system added in 1946, [[R6 (New York City Subway car)|R6]]-3 1000 (1935), [[R6 (New York City Subway car)|R6]]-1 1300 (1937), [[R7A (New York City Subway car)|R7A]] 1575 (1938) – rebuilt in 1947 as a prototype for the [[R10 (New York City Subway car)|R10]] subway car, and [[R9 (New York City Subway car)|R9]] 1802 (1940).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://forgotten-ny.com/2011/12/holiday-subway/ |title=Holiday Subway |publisher=Forgotten New York |website=forgotten-ny.com |date=December 19, 2011 |access-date=March 25, 2016}}</ref>

=== Full train wraps ===
Since 2008, the MTA has tested full train wraps on [[42nd Street Shuttle]] rolling stock. In full train wraps, advertising entirely covers the interiors and exteriors of the train, as opposed to other routes, whose stock generally only displays advertising on placards inside the train.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://untappedcities.com/2014/03/11/untapped-mailbag-advertising-takeovers-on-the-shuttle-to-times-square/ |title=Untapped Mailbag: Advertising Takeovers on the Shuttle to Times Square |work=Untapped Cities |date=March 11, 2014 |access-date=May 2, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/a-full-body-wrap-for-times-sq-shuttle/ |title=A 'Full Body Wrap' for Times Sq. Shuttle |last=Lee |first=Jennifer |date=October 2, 2008 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=January 15, 2017 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> While most advertisements are well received, a few advertisements have been controversial. Among the more contentious wraps that were withdrawn are a 2015 ad for the TV show ''[[The Man in the High Castle (TV series)|The Man in the High Castle]]'', which featured a [[Flag of Germany#Nazi Germany|Nazi flag]],<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/nov/25/nazi-inspired-ads-for-the-man-in-the-high-castle-pulled-from-new-york-subway |title=Nazi-inspired ads for The Man in the High Castle pulled from New York subway |agency=Reuters |date=November 25, 2015 |work=The Guardian |access-date=October 4, 2017 |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/11/24/9793096/amazon-pulls-man-in-the-high-castle-nazi-subway-ads |title=Amazon pulls Nazi symbols from New York subway ad campaign |last=Robertson |first=Adi |date=November 24, 2015 |work=The Verge |access-date=October 4, 2017}}</ref> and an ad for [[Fox Sports 1]], in which a shuttle train and half of its seats were plastered with negative quotes about the [[New York Knicks]], one of the city's [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] teams.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/hopeless-knicks-greet-nyc-subway-riders-due-fs1-ad-campaign-article-1.3538210 |title='Hopeless' Knicks greet NYC subway riders due to FS1 ad campaign |last1=Bodner |first1=Brett |date=October 3, 2017 |work=NY Daily News |access-date=October 4, 2017 |last2=Becker |first2=Jake |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/10/03/sit-here-if-youre-hopeless-nyc-subway-ads-taunt-knicks-fans/ |title=Knicks owner James Dolan reportedly 'furious' at Fox Sports 'hopeless' ads |last1=Bonesteel |first1=Matt |date=October 3, 2017 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=October 4, 2017 |last2=Bieler |first2=Des |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

Other routes have seen limited implementation of full train wraps. For instance, in 2010, one [[R142A (New York City Subway car)|R142A]] train set on the [[6 (New York City Subway service)|6]] route was wrapped with a [[Target Corporation|Target]] advertisement.<ref>{{cite web |last=Associated Press |title=MTA Wraps Subway in Train-Length Ad |website=NBC New York |date=June 28, 2010 |url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/MTA-Wraps-Subway-in-Train-Length-Ad-97355324.html |access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref> In 2014, the [[Jaguar F-Type]] was advertised on train sets running on the [[F (New York City Subway service)|F]] route.<ref>{{cite web |last=Vranica |first=Suzanne |url=https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304856504579338704254890072 |title=And Now, Ads for the Super Bowl Ads – WSJ |publisher=Online.wsj.com |date=January 28, 2014 |access-date=June 28, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dastardly, British and Brand New to the Super Bowl |website=The New York Times |date=January 14, 2014 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/14/business/media/dastardly-british-and-brand-new-to-the-super-bowl.html |access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref> Some of these wraps have also been controversial, such as a [[Lane Bryant]] wrap in 2015 that displayed lingerie models on the exteriors of train cars.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jennings |first=Rebecca |title=Lane Bryant's #ImNoAngel Subway Ads Causing Controversy in Brooklyn Orthodox Communities |website=Racked NY |date=April 15, 2015 |url=https://ny.racked.com/2015/4/15/8420645/lane-bryant-imnoangel-subway-ads |access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref>

=== LGBT Pride-themed trains and MetroCards ===
[[File:MTA Pride Month MetroCard for NYC Subway.jpg|thumb|upright|MetroCard for Pride Month in June 2019]]

The New York City Subway system commemorates [[LGBT Pride|Pride Month]] in June with Pride-themed posters.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/16/us/nyc-subway-pride-trains-trnd/index.html |title=PRIDE + PROGRESS New York subways celebrate Pride Month with new 'Pride Trains' and MetroCards |author=Emily Bass |author2=Julia Jones |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=June 16, 2019 |access-date=June 17, 2019}}</ref> The MTA celebrated [[Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019]] in June 2019 with rainbow-themed Pride logos on the subway trains, as well as Pride-themed MetroCards.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-mta-celebrates-lgbt-pride-with-trains-metrocards-20190614-hd3odbkev5hdvoonrxsjiu2l6q-story.html |title=Everyone on board the Pride train! MTA celebrates LGBTQ culture with Pride-themed trains, MetroCards |author=Clayton Guse |author2=Thomas Tracy |newspaper=New York Daily News |date=June 14, 2019 |access-date=June 17, 2019}}</ref>

=== Guerrilla art ===
{{See also|Graffiti in New York City}}
The New York City Subway system has been a target for unauthorized or [[Guerrilla art|"guerrilla"]] art since the 1970s, beginning with graffiti and tagging. Originally thought of as vandalism, the art form eventually emerged as an authoritative typology in the 1980s, especially with the release of the 1983 documentary ''[[Style Wars]]''. Prominent pop-artist [[Keith Haring]] got his start tagging blank billboards on subway platforms with chalk art.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Keith Haring Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works |url=http://www.theartstory.org/artist-haring-keith.htm |access-date=October 28, 2017 |work=The Art Story |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2019–2020, the [[Bronx Museum]] mounted an exhibition of graffiti-tagged subway cars.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://untappedcities.com/2019/09/30/see-an-incredible-exhibit-of-graffiti-tagged-nyc-subway-trains-from-the-70s-and-80s/ |title=SEE AN INCREDIBLE EXHIBIT OF GRAFFITI-TAGGED NYC SUBWAY TRAINS FROM THE '70S AND '80S |author=Michelle Young |publisher=Untapped NY |date=2019 |access-date=August 21, 2021}}</ref>

More contemporary installations have taken place as well. In 2014, artist London Kaye [[yarnbombing|yarn-bombed]] the L train, wrapping metal hand poles in knit fabric.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB_KGZaR9dI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/FB_KGZaR9dI |archive-date=October 29, 2021 |title=Watch London Kaye Yarn-Bomb the L Train |author=Animal New York |website=[[YouTube]] |date=February 19, 2014 |access-date=August 21, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2019, artist Ian Callender used projectors to show accurate views of the cityscape above moving 6 trains on the ceilings of entire cars.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.designboom.com/architecture/ian-callender-projects-new-york-cityscape-ceiling-moving-subway-trains-07-19-2021/ |title=Ian Callender Projects New York Cityscape on the Ceiling of Moving Subway Trains |author=Myrto Katsikopoulou |publisher=[[Designboom]] |date=July 19, 2021 |access-date=August 21, 2021}}</ref> In 2021, illustrator Devon Rodriguez went viral for his drawings of fellow commuters.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/the-nyc-artist-thats-gone-super-viral-drawing-strangers-on-the-subway-021921/ |title=The NYC artist that's gone super viral drawing strangers on the subway |author=Will Gleason |publisher=[[Time Out (magazine)|TimeOut]] |date=February 19, 2021 |access-date=August 21, 2021 |archive-date=August 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821230036/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/the-nyc-artist-thats-gone-super-viral-drawing-strangers-on-the-subway-021921 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== No Pants Ride ===
{{Further|No Pants Subway Ride}}
In 2002, the New York City Subway began hosting an event called the [[No Pants Subway Ride]], where people ride the subway without their pants. The event is typically held each January but has not been held since 2020 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in New York City|COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wassef |first=Mira |date=January 11, 2023 |title=No Pants Subway Ride canceled for second consecutive year |url=https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/arts-culture/3809239-nycs-no-pants-subway-ride-canceled-for-second-straight-year/ |access-date=June 8, 2023 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{div col|colwidth=23em}}
* ''[[Julio and Marisol]]'', an advertising campaign in the New York City Subway from 1989 to 2001
* [[List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership]]
* [[New York City Subway in popular culture]]
* [[New York City Subway tiles]]
* [[Staten Island Railway]]
* [[Subway Challenge]]
* [[Transportation in New York City]]
{{div col end}}

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* [https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2018/04/why-new-york-city-stopped-building-subways/557567/ Why New York City Stopped Building Subways] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630033140/https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2018/04/why-new-york-city-stopped-building-subways/557567/ |date=June 30, 2019 }}, by Jonathan English, April 16, 2018.
* English, Jonathan. [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0096144219896578 "Derailed: The Postwar End of New York City Subway Expansion."] ''Journal of Urban History''. 2021;47(4):832–848.
* Hood, Clifton. ''722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004.

== External links ==
{{attached KML|from=New York City Subway|display=inline,title}}
{{Commons category|New York City Subway}}
* [https://new.mta.info/agency/new-york-city-transit Official website]

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