Private companies originally managed rapid transit routes and surface lines. Abraham Brower established New York City's first public transportation route in 1827, a 12-seat stagecoach called "Accommodation" that ran along Broadway from the Battery to Bleecker Street. By 1831, Brower had added the "Sociable" and "Omnibus."
The next year, John Mason organized the New York and Harlem Railroad, a street railway that used horse-drawn cars with metal wheels and ran on metal track. By 1855, 593 omnibuses traveled on 27 Manhattan routes and horse-drawn cars ran on street railways on Third, Fourth, Sixth, and Eighth Avenues.
Toward the end of the century, electricity led to the development of electric trolley cars, which soon replaced horses. Trolley bus lines, also called trackless trolley coaches, used overhead lines for power. They first served Staten Island in the 1920s and were part of Brooklyn's surface transit for three decades, beginning in 1930. However, motor buses had completely replaced New York City public transit trolley cars and trolley buses by 1956 and 1960, respectively.
Did you know that service on the subway system is occasionally disrupted by flooding from both major and minor rainstorms. Rainwater can disrupt signals underground and can require the electrified "third rail" to be shut off. Since 1992, $357 million has been used to improve 269 pump rooms. As of August 2007, $115 million has been earmarked to upgrade the remaining 18 pump rooms. The project is expected to be completed in 2010. Despite these improvements, the transit system continues to experience flooding problems.On August 8, 2007, after slightly more than 3 inches (76 mm) of rain fell within an hour, the subway system flooded, causing every line to either be disabled or seriously disrupted that effectively halted the morning rush. (An incident of similar magnitude occurred in September 2004.) This was the third incident in 2007 in which rain disrupted service. The system was disrupted on this occasion because the pumps and drainage system can handle only a rainfall rate of 1.75 inches (44 mm) per hour; the incident's severity was aggravated by the scant warning as to the severity of the storm. In late August 2007, MTA Engineer Phil Kollin announced new plans to create a system that would pump water away from the third rail. This new pumping system is scheduled to be in place by 2009.
The East New York Depot is located between Jamaica Avenue and Bushwick Avenue in East New York, Brooklyn, just east of the New York City Subway's East New York Yard. The depot opened in 1859 as a car barn for the Broadway Railroad's Broadway Line.
DID YOU KNOW? The IRT was not New York City's first subway. Alfred E. Beach created a 312-foot tunnel under lower Broadway and ran a subway car from 1870-1873. The train was operated by "pneumatic pressure" - blown by a giant fan.
On September 24, 1883, a Brooklyn Bridge cable-powered railway opened between Park Row, New York City, and Sands Street in the city of Brooklyn.
The Flatbush Depot is located in Flatlands, Brooklyn, near the Kings Plaza shopping center, where a number of bus routes terminate. The depot occupies two blocks, bounded by Fillmore Avenue, East 49th Street, Avenue N, and Utica Avenue. The Brooklyn Heights Railroad (part of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company) opened the depot in mid-1902 along its Flatbush Avenue Line (later the Bergen Beach Shuttle) on Avenue N. The depot, designed by architect D. R. Collin of the BRT, was intended to be the first of a new system-wide design, but few of the company's depots, mostly inherited from former streetcar operators, were rebuilt to match. It eventually served a number of lines from the Flatbush area, including the Bergen Beach Shuttle, Flatbush Avenue Line, Nostrand Avenue Line, Ocean Avenue Line, and Utica Avenue Line.
The Mother Clara Hale Depot, formerly named the 146th Street Depot until 1993, fills the block bounded by Lenox Avenue, Seventh Avenue, and 146th and 147th Streets in Harlem, Manhattan. The depot is named for Harlem humanitarian Clara Hale.The site of the depot was initially home to the Lenox Avenue Car House, a car barn and power station, built by the Metropolitan Street Railway for their Lenox Avenue Line, the first line in the city to use conduit electrification. The line and depot began service on July 9, 1895. The New York City Omnibus Corporation, which had replaced the former trolley lines with bus routes in 1936, began constructing a new bus garage on the site in 1938. Operations from the new depot began on July 31, 1939.The depot is closed in January, 2008 for rehabilitation. To make up for a lost depot, the Amsterdam Depot reopened temporarily.
New York City's first official subway system opened in Manhattan on October 27, 1904. The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) operated the 9.1-mile long subway line that consisted of 28 stations from City Hall to 145th Street and Broadway. Passengers originally paid for a subway ride with a ticket
(City Hall station, 1904). Turnstiles were introduced in the
1920s, and fare payment methods evolved through coins
and tokens to MetroCard.
IRT service expanded to the Bronx in 1905, to Brooklyn in 1908, and to Queens in 1915. The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) began subway service between Brooklyn and Manhattan in 1915. The Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) took over the BRT a few years later.
Private companies also operated the city's earliest motor buses. The Fifth Avenue Coach Company began passenger service between Washington Square and 90th Street with gasoline-powered buses and open-top double-deckers on July 13, 1907.
In 1932, the city's Board of Transportation completed construction of the Eighth Avenue line and created the Independent Rapid Transit Railroad (IND), the first city-run subway service. When the city purchased the BMT and IRT in 1940, it became the sole owner and operator of all New York City subway and elevated lines. In addition to BMT bus and trolley routes, the city acquired three other bus companies in the late 1940s that had operated in Queens and Staten Island.
The Jamaica Depot is located on the west side of Merrick Boulevard between South Road and 107th Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. Constructed in 1940, it is currently the oldest of all the New York City Transit Depots.
The Kingsbridge opened in 1946. It is located in the block bounded by Ninth Avenue, Tenth Avenue, and 216th and 218th Streets in Inwood, Manhattan. It is two blocks to the south is the New York City Subway's 207th Street Yard. The depot was originally a car barn, and became the location of the central repair shop in 1947, when the 65th Street Shops closed. In 1948, the shop was again relocated to the depot in Yonkers. The original 1897 depot stood until 1990.
July 1949- The Crosstown Depot is located at 65 Commercial Street in the neighborhood of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It was open in July 1949 as the Crosstown Trolley Coach and Car Depot to serve 78 trolley coaches and 60 trolley cars. The depot held 120 buses at capacity. At one time, it operated ten lines: B18, B24/29, B30, B39, B48, B59, B60, B61 & B62. The depot operations ended on November 7th, 1981 because of service reductions and operating cost. It is converted to paint shop and road service operations.
1950 -The Ulmer Park Depot is located at 2249 Harway Avenue in the neighborhood of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The depot fills the block bounded by 25th Avenue, Bay 38th Street, Harway Avenue, and Bath Avenue. It was open for operation in 1950 and is a single story, 118,800 square foot building.
On June 15, 1953, the New York State Legislature created the New York City Transit Authority (now MTA New York City Transit) as a separate public corporation to manage and operate all city-owned bus, trolley, and subway
The New York City Transit Authority (commonly called "the TA") is created and establishes headquarters at 370 Jay Street, Brooklyn.
Tokens debut in the subway.
Subway customers bought tickets to pay their fare until May 10, 1920. Coin-operated subway turnstiles took nickels and then dimes when the fare became ten cents. Tokens replaced coins in 1953, when the fare rose to 15 cents, since turnstiles couldn't handle two different coins.
A track connection between Brooklyn's Church Avenue and Ditmas Avenue stations establishes single-route service (on the D line) from the Bronx at 205th Street to Brooklyn's Coney Island.
The Third Avenue El, last elevated line in Manhattan, closes.
NYC Transit opens a track connection between the 60th Street tunnel and the Queens Boulevard line, to link former BMT and IND lines in Long Island City, Queens.
1959 NYCTA Subway Map
June 28, 1956
Subway service to Rockaway Park and Wavecrest (Beach 25th Street) in Queens begins.
October 31, 1956
NYC Transit discontinues its last two trolley lines, along Brooklyn's McDonald Avenue and Church Avenue.
DID YOU KNOW? One of the original names of the Brooklyn Dodgers was the Trolley Dodgers, because fans had to cross trolley tracks to get to the ball field.
January 16, 1958
Subway service extended to Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue in Queens.
July 26, 1960
The last trolley buses end service on five Brooklyn routes.
March 19, 1962
The New York State Legislature forms the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MaBSTOA), a non-civil-service subsidiary of New York City Transit, to take over bus service for the bankrupt Fifth Avenue Coach Company and Surface Transit, Inc. routes.
November 21, 1964
Bus service starts between Brooklyn and Staten Island via the Verrazano Bridge.
November 3, 1965
NYC Transit creates the first express bus route (the R-8X, since discontinued) to link Staten Island with downtown Brooklyn.
January 1 - 12, 1966
Bus and subway service shuts down for 12 days when unionized employees strike.
September 11, 1966
Although a few air-conditioned buses were in service previously, air-conditioning becomes a regular NYC Transit bus feature with the arrival of 682 vehicles known as the 8000 series.
July 19, 1967
The first successful train of air-conditioned subway cars, composed of ten R38 cars, goes into service on the
line. On June 24, 1975, two air-conditioned 10-car IRT trains enter service, the first air-conditioned IRT trains since the subway system opened nearly 70 years previously. This caps more than two decades of work to produce air-conditioning units small enough to fit IRT cars and powerful enough to handle a large number of customers traveling during rush hours. More than 1,300 IRT “Redbird” subway cars are retrofitted with air-conditioning until 1982. In 1983, new air-conditioned subway cars begin arriving. The entire fleet of 5,800 cars now has air-conditioning.
November 26, 1967
The Christie Street connection opens, enabling BMT lines that cross the Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges to stop at Broadway-Lafayette (an IND station). The Grand Street station also opens to serve trains using the Manhattan Bridge.
1968 NYCTA Subway Map
March 1, 1968
The New York State Legislature creates the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to oversee transportation operations in 12 counties. The MTA becomes MaBSTOA, New York City Transit's parent agency. The NYCTA, and its subsidiary, the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MaBSTOA), were placed under the control of, and are now affiliates of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a public benefit corporation chartered by the New York State Legislature in 1965
July 1, 1969
NYC Transit introduces reduced-fare on buses and subways for senior citizens.
August 31, 1969
All buses require exact fare as payment from this day onward, and bus operators no longer make change.
February 14, 1970
The city's first regular elevated railway service began on. The El ran along Greenwich Street and Ninth Avenue in Manhattan. Elevated train service expanded and dominated rapid transit for the next few decades.
July 1, 1971
The city purchases the Staten Island subsidiary of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and creates the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (now called Staten Island Railway or SIR) to operate NYC Transit-managed rail service on Staten Island.
August 2, 1971
Queens express bus service starts. The X18 operates from Hillside Avenue to Manhattan.
April 29, 1973
Bx55 bus service replaces the Bronx's Third Avenue El, which ceases operation.
1972 NYCTA Subway Map 1978 NYCTA Subway Map
September 8, 1974
The Queens Village Depot opens, and is located on 97-11 222nd Street between 97th and 99th Avenues in Queens Village, Queens. The depot was opend on the former site of Dugan's Bakery. It has 202,178 square feet of space. Queens Village Depot building won an Award Honor for engineering excellence from the New York Association of Consulting Engineers.
September 2, 1975
Reduced-fare introduced for people with physical disabilities.
July 1, 1976
The Transit Exhibit (now called the New York Transit Museum) opens in the former Court Street shuttle station in Downtown Brooklyn.
April 1-11, 1980
A strike shuts down bus and subway service for 11 days.
August 5, 1981
The first General Motors RTS Advanced Design buses, which are equipped with wheelchair lifts, go into service on the B17 route in Brooklyn.
Jan. 1, 1982
NYC Transit begins the first of its five-year Capital Improvement programs.
April 5, 1986
Buses introduce electronic fareboxes.
Spring 1988 - The Michael J. Quill Depot fills the block bounded by Eleventh Avenue, the West Side Highway, 40th Street, and 41st Street in Midtown Manhattan. The depot opened in spring 1998 as the Westside Depot, replacing the Walnut Depot and 100th Street Depot (the latter since reopened), and was renamed after Michael J. Quill, one of the founders of the Transport Workers Union of America, on July 13, 2000. The depot is the former New York headquarters and bus garage for Greyhound Lines, which sold it to the New York City Transit Authority in 1996.
December 11, 1988
The Archer Avenue line opens, consisting of three stations and linking the Jamaica
and Queens Boulevard
lines in Queens. Six southeast Queens bus routes are rerouted to serve the city's first modern intermodal (bus-rail) transfer facility at the new Jamaica Center (Parsons-Archer) station.
1988 NYCTA Subway Map
May 12, 1989
NYC Transit establishes graffiti-free bus and subway fleets.
September 10, 1989
The Gun Hill bus depot opens in the Bronx. It is the first NYC Transit facility to use solar energy. Solar panels on the roof generate roughly 40 percent of the energy the depot needs on a daily basis.
October 29, 1989
Service begins to the 63rd Street Extension's three new stations: Lexington Avenue, Roosevelt Island (Manhattan) and 21 st Street (Long Island City, Queens).
1989 NYCTA Subway Map
September 13, 1992
New M60 interborough bus service between Harlem and LaGuardia Airport gives Manhattan residents a one-seat ride to and from the airport.
1993 Subway Map
January 6, 1994
Automated Fare Collection (AFC) turnstiles go on-line at the Wall Street
,
, and Whitehall Street
&
stations.
September 22, 1994
Construction begins on the 63rd St. Connector to link the 63rd Street tunnel to the Queens Boulevard line in Long Island City, Queens.
March 8, 1995
NYC Transit's bus fleet becomes 100 percent accessible to customers with disabilities.
September 28, 1995
NYC Transit buses in Staten Island begin to accept MetroCard. All NYC Transit buses take MetroCard by year's end.
September 19, 1996
Two MetroCard buses travel to community centers, shopping centers, and other locations to promote the fare card and help senior citizens and people with disabilities get or replenish the Reduced-Fare MetroCard.
May 14, 1997
The entire subway system accepts MetroCard.
All subway turnstiles accept MetroCard, including this
high entrance/exit model.
July 4, 1997
MetroCard Gold debuts, allowing customers to transfer free from bus to subway, subway to bus, or bus to bus.
January 1, 1998
A new MetroCard feature lets customers get 11 rides for the price of 10.
July 4, 1998
First sales day for the Unlimited-Ride 7-Day MetroCard and the 30-Day MetroCard, which let customers take as many trips as they want for a fixed price.
Sept 1, 1998
Hybrid-electric buses enter passenger service. NYC Transit pioneered the use of hybrid-electric buses and now has the largest fleet in North America. More than 200 are on order; we expect to have 550 by the end of 2006.
Oct. 12, 1998
Lenox Avenue Invert is completed in less than eight months. The $82 million project rebuilds the flooded invert (floor) of the Lenox Av
and
lines between 110th and 116th Streets and restores the 116th Street station.
January 1, 1999
An unlimited-ride, 1-day MetroCard, the Fun Pass, is introduced.
January 25, 1999
The MetroCard Vending Machine (MVM) debuts in two subway stations. By the end of the year, 347 MVMs are in service in 74 stations
June 7, 1999
A compressed-natural-gas (CNG) fueling station opens at the Jackie Gleason Depot to fuel CNG buses. The new station can fuel a bus seven times faster than the station it replaced.
October 18, 1999
The Franklin Avenue Shuttle reopens after a $74 million rehabilitation, three months ahead of schedule. The 15-month major reconstruction of the 1.4-mile line rebuilds the Franklin Avenue and Park Place stations virtually from scratch and restores the Prospect Park and Botanic Gardens stations.
January 3, 2000
Articulated buses begin service on the M79 route in Manhattan. They are 60 feet long (The average bus length is 40 feet), have 22 more seats than standard buses and can carry almost twice as many customers. They are called "articulated" because the accordion-like bend in the middle lets this bus turn corners.
June 1, 2000
Clean Fuel Bus program established. Its goal is to make the NYC Transit bus fleet one of the cleanest in the world.
July 10, 2000
The New Millennium R142A subway car enters service on the
line. Features include digital information boards and strip maps. The cars provide a smoother, quieter ride and consume 25 percent less energy than current subway cars.
October 21, 2000
The first "Subway Series" (World Series between two New York City baseball teams) since 1956 begins between the New York Yankees (Bronx) and the New York Mets (Queens).
July 4, 2001
The New York Transit Museum celebrates its 25 th anniversary.
May 14, 2001
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) presents its 2000 Gold Award to the NYC Transit Department of Buses for having the best customer-safety record among transit agencies with more than 30 million customers annually.
September 11, 2001
NYC Transit responds to the destruction of the World Trade Center by mobilizing 3,500 employees and five blocks of heavy equipment to Ground Zero within a few hours of the disaster. Buses take people to safety and medical assistance. Rapid Transit Operations and Operations Planning staff develop plans to restore disrupted subway service line by line.
Closed stations:
- World Trade Center
- Cortlandt Street
- Cortlandt Street
- Rector Street
- South Ferry
September 2001 Map December 2001 Map
October 2, 2001
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) presents its yearly Outstanding Achievement Award to MTA NYC Transit as "the most efficient and effective transit system" in North America.
November 5, 2001
The
terminates at the 86th Street station in Brooklyn when the Stillwell Avenue terminal reconstruction begins.
» Stillwell Avenue Timeline «
2001 MTA NYC Subway Map
December 4, 2001
New Technology R143 subway cars enter service on the
line. The R143 is considered the most advanced NYC subway car to date, featuring Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC). When CBTC becomes fully operational, the signaling system will be able to identify a train's exact location.
December 16, 2001
The 63rd Street Tunnel Connector opens after more than seven-and-a-half years of work. The $645 million project completes a 1,500-foot link to the Queens Boulevard line which allows a 20 percent increase in train service. With the opening of the new tunnel connector,
train service begins running between the 71st Avenue station in Forest Hills, Queens and the Second Avenue station in Manhattan.
2001 MTA NYC Subway Map
March 5, 2002
NYC Transit's Department of Buses receives a Clean Air Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
April 10, 2002
A poetry reading in Vanderbilt Hall, Grand Central Terminal, celebrates the 10th anniversary of NYC Transit's Poetry in Motion program. The event draws 600 attendees.
September 8, 2002
The
is the only train to terminate at Stillwell Av station as construction enters its second phase. The
terminates at Avenue X. The
terminates at 86th Street, and the
terminates at Brighton Beach. The
is the only line to terminate at Stillwell Avenue.
Closed stations:
- West 8th Street
- Neptune Avenue
- Ocean Parkway
2002 MTA NYC Subway Map
September 15, 2002
The
, &
subway line reopens for service. Nearly 1,400 feet of infrastructure between Liberty and Barclay Streets caved in or filled with rubble when the World Trade Center collapsed the year before. The contractor and NYC Transit Inspection forces work around-the-clock, six to seven days a week, and finish two months ahead of schedule.
April 13, 2003
Last day tokens accepted on subways after nearly 50 years in use. Buses continue to accept tokens as fare through the end of the year.
June 15, 2003
The New York City Transit Authority (now called New York City Transit) began operating on this date 50 years ago, replacing New York City's Board of Transportation as the agency in charge of all subway and elevated lines and city-owned bus and trolley lines.
August 14, 2003
Largest power failure in US history hits New York City. Although subway closes, buses enable hundreds of thousands of people to get home. City Hall honors NYC Transit workers on August 18 for extraordinary service during the blackout.
September 7, 2003
West Farms Depot opens in the Bronx, replacing the old Coliseum Depot, which closed in 1995. West Farms is the second depot created to fuel compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. The Jackie Gleason Depot in Brooklyn was the first. In Manhattan, the 100th Street Depot also opens.
September 16, 2003
The New York Transit Museum reopens in Brooklyn Heights after a two-year renovation. Improvements include air-conditioning, brighter lighting, and enhanced electrical systems and fire protection.
November 3, 2003
Last day of service for R36 "redbird" subway cars. The cars were first rolled out for the 1964 New York World's Fair. They received their nickname when they were overhauled in the 1980s and painted a bright red color.
The last train of R36 redbird subway cars leaves
Queensboro Plaza. The R36 cars, introduced
for the 1964 New York World’s Fair, ran for nearly
40 years, becoming “redbirds” when they were
overhauled and painted red with silver roofs
in the 1980s.
December 17, 2003
JFK AirTrain begins service. This 8.1-mile light rail system goes to JFK International Airport connecting with the
train at Howard Beach;
,
, &
lines at Sutphin Blvd/Archer Avenue and Long Island Rail Road's Jamaica Station.
2004 MTA NYC Subway Map
February 22, 2004
Full subway service returns to the Manhattan Bridge for the first time since 1986, following extensive bridge repairs by the New York City Department of Transportation. The restoration of all four tracks means more trains can run over the bridge. Route modifications are implemented, affecting more than 500,000 subway customers.
2004 MTA Brochure 2004 MTA NYC Subway Map
April 21, 2004
NYC Transit celebrates Earth Day by signing a charter on "Sustainable Development in Mobility" initiated by the International Union of Public Transport (UITP). Click on "NYC Transit and the Environment" on the menu page to learn about projects that help the earth.
May 23, 2004
The newly renovated Stillwell Avenue Terminal reopens.
and
train service returns to Coney Island after a 21-month hiatus during construction. The terminal has a number of special features. As part of NYC Transit’s efforts to help the environment, a new 76,000 square feet train shed incorporates a photovoltaic roof with solar panels that generate 165 Kwh of electricity. Customers who use wheelchairs can now enter and exit via ramps and elevators. As part of preventive maintenance, engineers built an open-deck steel viaduct to reduce the risk of water-related structural damage. In addition, a 370-foot-long glass-brick wall depicts people, elements, and activities that are part of Coney Island’s history. Robert Wilson created this pictorial panoramic, entitled “My Coney Island Baby,” as part of the MTA Arts for Transit program.
A section of the 370-foot glass wall panoramic artwork at Stillwell Avenue Terminal, Coney Island, Brooklyn. Art by Robert Wilson. Commissioned and owned by MTA Arts for Transit.
Oct. 27, 2004
New York celebrates the 100th anniversary of the subway's opening in 1904. NYC Transit employees, dressed in turn-of-the-century costumes, greet a crowd in City Hall Park, and a barbershop quartet sings period songs. New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, calls the subway "the finest in the world" and proclaims October 27, 2004 "Subway Centennial Day." The program includes a ceremony in the original City Hall Station in Manhattan, where 300 guests, including Mayor Bloomberg; MTA chairman Peter S. Kalikow; MTA Executive Katherine N. Lapp, NYC President Lawrence G. Reuter; New York State Lieutenant Governor of New York State, Mary O. Donohue, and other dignitaries ride a vintage train of restored 1917 and 1924 IRT subway cars to Grand Central Station as part of a reenactment of the 1904 inaugural trip. This and other restored vintage trains are placed in passenger service throughout the system during the day and at other times during the remainder of 2004 to show subway customers a glimpse of history.
May 27, 2005
This was the last day for
train service. At 6:45PM, the last Bronx-Bound
left South Ferry for 242 St. It was then replaced by
train local service at all times.
May 29, 2005
The
train returns to full service, stopping at the Stillwell Terminal at Coney Island station. The extensive rehabilitation at Stillwell Avenue-Coney Island means the
,
,
, and
lines are able to provide full service to a more attractive, energy - efficient, and structurally improved transit hub. The photovoltaic roof at the Stillwell Avenue Terminal captures solar energy.
July 22, 2005
In response to bombings in London, the New York City Transit Police 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. "This NYPD bag search policy is unprecedented, unlawful and ineffective," said Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the NYCLU. "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."
January 17, 2006
Two Communications-Based-Train-Control (CBTC) trains begin test runs on the
line. A computer-based signaling system oversees all train operations. This allows a greater number of trains to run and makes sure that they maintain safe distances between them.
January 30, 2006
The MTA and New York City Transit in cooperation with MasterCard and Citibank announce a contactless payment fare card, PayPass, which will test at 30 subway stations in The Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. When a customer taps a PayPass on select turnstiles, PayPass deducts the fare and charges it to the customer's debit or credit card. The initial success of the first trial period results in an extension into 2007 and allows certain customers with Citibank mobile phones to participate as well.
February 11, 2006
The New York Daily News reports that 2005 subway ridership was 1.45 billion, the highest in more than 50 years.
June 16, 2006
TransitTrax, NYC Transit’s podcast service, debuts on the MTA’s webpage at www.mta.info. TransitTrax, available in downloadable mp3 and wave formats, offers information on a variety of topics, including subway service diversions, customer safety, MetroCard promotions, bus operations, and much more.
August 17, 2006
The R160 subway car begins test runs on the N line. One particularly notable new feature is FIND, the Flexible Information and Notice Display. The FIND allows Transit personnel to update digital messages and maps easily, which means R160 cars can travel on different subway routes and dispatch new information.
September 26, 2006
NYPD announces subway crime is at its lowest rate in 37 years.
December 15, 2006
MTA New York City Transit initiates Trip Planner, a web-based service from that gives directions about how to get from one place to another using New York’s subways and buses. Trip Planner also provides service alerts and advisories. The pilot program becomes permanent on January 1, 2007.
April 12, 2007
New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer, MTA Executive Director Eliot Sander, and other government officials and MTA executives break ground for the construction of the Second Avenue subway. The first phase of the project, slated to open in 2013, will run from 96th Street to 63rd Street, have three stations, and serve 200,000 weekday customers.
September 10, 2007
NYC Transit celebrates the 75th anniversary of the opening of the A line with a ceremony at the Inwood-207 St station in Upper Manhattan and a ride in a train made of six pre- World War II subway cars to Chambers St in Lower Manhattan, its original terminals. The route ran 12 miles in 1932. Today it is the longest subway line in the world: 31 miles. The A line was the first subway route operated by New York City as part of the Independent (IND) subway system. It’s also the inspiration for a hit song, “Take the A Train” by Billy Strayhorn, a Duke Ellington standard.
January 6, 2008
The Grand Avenue Depot opens which is located between 47th Street and 49th Place on Grand Avenue in Maspeth, Queens. The building is on on the former site of a car rental business. This is the first brand new 600,000 square feet, state-of art facility and environmentally friendly for New York City Transit Authority of its kind. It opened on January 6th, 2008. The building design is certified Environmental Management Systems ISO 14001 specifications.The four-story building includes four fueling and defueling stations, cleaning and storage facilities for 200 buses on the first floor, an advanced 27 bus central maintenance facility on the second floor, administrative offices for NYCT's Department of Buses on the third floor, and parking garages for MTA employees on the roof. The central maintenance facility will be able to repair and maintain the newer fleet of diesel, diesel hybrid-electric, 60 foot articulated, express coach and compressed natural gas buses and expand the capabilities of the current East New York central maintenance facility for Brooklyn and Queens. The facility also has four environmentally friendly paint booths - self-contained units that avoid the spread of contaminants. It is also include solar panels on the roof level that will produce some of the building's energy as well as rainwater collection units that will supply the four cooling and bus-washing systems.The building will meet the need of expanding demands of relieving the overcrowding Brooklyn Division's buses and upgrading the Department of Buses' facilities to be state-of-the-art from both environmental and technological standpoints.
April 11, 2008
The MTA received a Ferrara Fire Apparatus Hazardous Materials Response Truck, which went into service on April 14. It will be used in the case of a chemical or bioterrorist attack.
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