Today In History: NYC Subway System Opens

By Idy Perl

The New York City subway system is an integral part of the city, for good and for bad. The subway system has an astonishing average of 3.2 million riders every single day and is celebrating its 120th birthday this week. 

On October 27th, 1904, the very first underground line of the NYC Subway opened and began what has now grown into the largest 24-hour operating subway system in the world.

The subway started out with stations between City Hall and 145th St. Over 150,000 New Yorkers paid the 5-cent fare to ride the train on the first day it opened. 

Over the next few months and years, service was slowly extended to more stations as the subway system stretched across Manhattan. It was later integrated with other privately owned train lines, the IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit Company) and BRT (Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company). The subway system, together with the other transit systems in the city, was put under the control of the state-level MTA in 1968.

As of 2024, the MTA subway system includes 472 stations, over 800 miles of track, and more than 6,000 train cars.  

photos by: NY Transit Museum