The New York subway is the longest metro system in the world today. Its total length is about 1355 kilometers, of which 1056 are used to carry passengers. The New York subway includes 469 stations that form twenty-six routes. About four million people use the services of this metro every day.
Around 1870, the first overhead public transport line was built in New York City. Despite this, it has survived to our time. The oldest surviving subway section, which dates back to the locomotive line, was built in 1863 in the city of New York. The metro also has a working section, which was opened in 1885.
The first underground lines of the New York subway were opened in 1904. Their owners were BRTC (Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company) and IRTC (Interborough Rapid Transit Company), which were large private companies. The city’s authorities made a great contribution to the construction of the metro, leasing its lines to various large companies.
In 1932, the New York authorities created an independent company, the Independent Subway System, and two years later it acquired two private companies that were engaged in the maintenance of the subway. New York after the purchase of companies closed most of the underground lines of the subway. The consolidation of previously separate metro systems was rather slow. It was not possible to finally connect all the lines of the subway.
To date, the standard metro station includes platforms from one hundred twenty-two to two hundred and thirteen meters long.
In order to get on the platform, you need to have a special card called "MetroCard". One hundred thirty-eight New York subway stations are flyovers, thirty-eight are located at ground level, and two hundred and seventy-seven are located underground.
A large number of metro lines are used both for local-type routes and for express-type routes. Three or four tracks are simultaneously operated on these lines. External routes are used for local routes, and internal routes are used for express routes. Express trains stop only at the most important transfer points.
New York subway trains in most cases include from 8 to 11 cars of various types. On metro lines with shuttle service trains with one or two cars can work. The average length of trains in the metro is from 46 to 183 meters. There are also compositions that are incompatible with each other.
All New York metro stations are located in four areas of the city: the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens. Almost all routes pass through Manhattan. The exception is route G, as well as two metro lines with shuttle service. The New York Subway operates around the clock, although some lines may close during the weekend or at night.
More than six and a half thousand wagons of various types are used as rolling stock . On some lines operated cars purchased in the middle of the last century. The wagons are served by two independent parks. One of them is engaged in the maintenance of the so-called "digital lines", and the other - "letter".