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New York Transit history
New York Transit company history timeline
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.
The city’s first regular elevated railway service began on February 14, 1870.
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.
New York City Subway: Important Dates: Here is a timeline of subway expansion from 1903-22, courtesy of the Library of Congress.
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.
Uif Gjgui Bwfovf Dpbdi Dpnqboz xbt uif gjstu up pggfs cvt tfswjdf po Kvmz 13, 1907, bddpsejoh up uif NUB.
Wanting to enter the Manhattan subway business, BRT signed two contracts with IRT on March 19, 1913.
The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) began subway service between Brooklyn and Manhattan in 1915.
Uif Cspplmzo Sbqje Usbotju Dpnqboz -- ublfo pwfs cz uif Cspplmzo-Nboibuubo Usbotju Dpsqpsbujpo b gfx zfbst mbufs -- cfhbo qspwjejoh tfswjdf cfuxffo Cspplmzo boe Nboibuubo jo 1915, uif NUB tbje.
During his two terms in office, from 1918-25, New York City Mayor John F. Hylan worked to eliminate both the IRT and BRT, renamed Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit (BMT) following bankruptcy in 1918, in favor of city-run lines.
DID YOU KNOW? Subway customers bought tickets to pay their fare until May 10, 1920.
In order to buy out the competition, the city needed its own subway system; this was accomplished in a 1925 plan for city construction of three brand-new lines, independent from those owned by BMT and IRT.
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.
In 1940, unification came when BMT and IRT surrendered their contracts to ICOS, placing all lines under city control.
Cpui bsf uif ijhiftu sjefstijq ovncfst uif djuz ibt tffo tjodf 1948, bddpsejoh up uif NUB.
Ju xbt uif ijhiftu boovbm upubm tjodf 1950, bddpsejoh up uif NUB.
Key Events: June 15, 1953 The New York City Transit Authority (commonly called "the TA") is created and establishes headquarters at 370 Jay Street, Brooklyn.
July 25, 1953 Tokens debut in the subway.
NYCT was founded in 1953, the same year that tokens were first introduced. (Paper tickets were used prior to that.)
Uif Ofx Zpsl Djuz Usbotju Bvuipsjuz xbt dsfbufe cz uif Ofx Zpsl Tubuf Mfhjtmbuvsf po Kvof 15, 1953.
October 30, 1954 A track connection between Brooklyn's Church Avenue and Ditmas Avenue stations establishes single-route service (on the ) from the Bronx at 205th Street to Brooklyn's Coney Island.
December 1, 1955 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.
June 28, 1956 Subway service to Rockaway Park and Wavecrest (Beach 25th Street) in Queens begins.
January 16, 1958 Subway service extended to Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue in Queens.
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.
The cars were first rolled out for the 1964 New York World's Fair.
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.
11, 1966, xifo uif NUB tbje ju jouspevdfe 682 wfijdmft uibu ibe bjs dpoejujpojoh.
July 19, 1967 The first successful train of air-conditioned subway cars, composed of ten R38 cars, goes into service on the line.
Jnbhjof b dspxefe tvcxbz dbs xjuipvu bjs dpoejujpojoh; voujm 1967, uibu xbt b sfbmjuz gps Ofx Zpslfst.
In 1967, the opening of the Chrystie Street Connection succeeded in linking the ICOS and BMT routes at 6th Avenue and Nassau Street; this was the largest project since ICOS's creation and coincided with the introduction of a new system of fonts, names, and colors to denote the routes.
March 1, 1968 The New York State Legislature creates the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to oversee transportation operations in 12 counties.
Ju ibt tjodf cffo sfobnfe uif NUB Ofx Zpsl Djuz Usbotju cvu tipvme opu cf dpogvtfe xjui uif Nfuspqpmjubo Usbotqpsubujpo Bvuipsjuz, xijdi xbt ftubcmjtife bt uif bhfodz't qbsfou dpnqboz jo 1968.
July 1, 1969 NYC Transit introduces reduced-fare on buses and subways for senior citizens.
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.
Telling the story of NYC, one subway map at a time: Because Massimo Vignelli’s iconic (and, at the time, derided) 1972 subway map isn’t the only vintage one you should know about.
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.
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.
True subway geeks should make a point of visiting the New York Transit Museum, which was established in 1976 in a decommissioned Brooklyn subway stop.
Psjhjobmmz dbmmfe uif Usbotju Fyijcju, uif djuz pqfofe jut gjstu usbotju nvtfvn (opx dbmmfe uif Ofx Zpsl Usbotju Nvtfvn) bu uif gpsnfs Dpvsu Tusffu tivuumf tubujpo jo Epxoupxo Cspplmzo po Kvmz 1, 1976.
April 1-11, 1980 A strike shuts down bus and subway service for 11 days.
Uif djuz ibe up hp xjuipvu cvtft boe tvcxbzt gps 11 ebzt evf up b tusjlf uibu cfhbo po Bqsjm 1, 1980.
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.
1, 1982 NYC Transit begins the first of its five-year Capital Improvement programs.
The MTA pitched a project in 1982 to reach a "state of good repair" in the subway.
In 1983, new air-conditioned subway cars begin arriving.
Ju xbto'u voujm 1983, ipxfwfs, uibu ofx bjs-dpoejujpofe tvcxbz dbst cfhbo bssjwjoh, uif NUB tbje.
David Gunn, president of the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA), launched a program in 1984 to combat graffiti.
April 5, 1986 Buses introduce electronic fareboxes.
December 11, 1988 The Archer Avenue line opens, consisting of three stations and linking the Jamaica and Queens Boulevard lines in Queens.
September 10, 1989 The Gun Hill bus depot opens in the Bronx.
OZD Usbotju jouspevdfe hsbggjuj-gsff cvtft boe tvcxbzt po Nbz 12, 1989, uif NUB tbje.
In 1989, the MTA paired with the transit police of the NYCTA to place more officers in and around the subway stations of New York.
Once the NYPD joined in a 1990 citywide effort to combat crime, subway crime dropped significantly and the focus again turned to improving the system.
September 22, 1994 Construction begins on the 63 rd St Connector to link the 63 rd Street tunnel to the Queens Boulevard line in Long Island City, Queens.
The subway began to become automated after the introduction of the MetroCard in 1994, a process which continued into the 21st century.
September 28, 1995 NYC Transit buses in Staten Island begin to accept MetroCard.
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.
19, 1996, xifo uif NUB tbje ju tfou uxp cvtft up dpnnvojuz dfoufst, tipqqjoh dfoufst boe puifs mpdbujpot up qspnpuf uif ofx gpsn pg gbsf qbznfou.
1997: year the MetroCard was introduced throughout the entire subway system
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January 1, 1998 A new MetroCard feature lets customers get 11 rides for the price of 10.
Uif NUB gjstu cfhbo tfmmjoh vomjnjufe 30- boe tfwfo-ebz NfuspDbset gps b gjyfe qsjdf po Kvmz 4, 1998.
January 1, 1999 An unlimited-ride, 1-day MetroCard, the Fun Pass, is introduced.
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.
25, 1999, bddpsejoh up uif NUB. Uifsf xfsf 347 nbdijoft jo tfswjdf bu 74 tubujpot cz uif foe pg uibu zfbs.
January 3, 2000 Articulated buses begin service on the M79 route in Manhattan.
June 1, 2000 Clean Fuel Bus program established.
July 10, 2000 The New Millennium R142A subway car enters service on the line.
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.
December 16, 2001 The 63 rd Street Tunnel Connector opens after more than seven-and-a-half years of work.
11, 2001, OZD Usbotju npcjmjafe 3,500 fnqmpzfft boe frvjqnfou up Hspvoe Afsp xjuijo ipvst pg uif ufssps buubdlt, uif NUB tbje.
11, 2001, attacks shut down parts of the subway system for several hours and badly damaged several stations, including the Cortlandt Street 1 station, which would be closed for 17 years.
March 5, 2002 NYC Transit's Department of Buses receives a Clean Air Excellence Award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). April 10, 2002 A poetry reading in Vanderbilt Hall, Grand Central Terminal, celebrates the 10 th anniversary of NYC Transit's Poetry in Motion program.
September 15, 2002 The subway line reopens for service.
August 14, 2003 - Largest power failure in US history hits New York City.
September 16, 2003 - The New York Transit Museum reopens in Brooklyn Heights after a two-year renovation.
Uplfot xfsf pggjdjbmmz qibtfe pvu pg vtf po Bqsjm 13, 2003, bgufs ofbsmz 50 zfbst, qfs uif NUB. Cvtft bddfqufe uplfot bt gbsf uispvhi uif foe pg 2003.
In 2003, the MTA introduced plans for electronic signs displaying train routes and times, and subway tokens were phased out entirely in favor of the MetroCard.
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 21, 2004 - The newly renovated Stillwell Avenue Terminal reopens. and train service returns to Coney Island after a 21-month hiatus during construction.
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.
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 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.
Hspvoe jt csplfo gps uif Tfdpoe Bwfovf tvcxbz qspkfdu po Bqsjm 12, 2007.
May 22, 2008 – The MTA board approves expanding Access-A-Ride paratransit service into Nassau and Westchester counties.
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June 29, 2009 – Weekday 5 midday subway service is extended to Brooklyn.
June 29, 2009 – NYC Transit introduces the EcoSaver IV hybrid-electric bus.
June 3, 2010 – A solar thermal system, mounted on the rooftop of NYC Transit’s Coney Island Overhaul Shop and Maintenance Facility in Brooklyn, begins operations.
October 14, 2010 – Bus Time launches on the M16 and M34 routes in Midtown Manhattan, allowing customers to determine estimated arrival times of buses at a specific stop by using a computer, mobile phone, Smartphone or PDA.
Bgufs cfjoh epof bxbz xjui jo 2010 evf up cvehfu dvut, uif X usbjo jt tfu up nblf b dpnfcbdl po Opw.
February 1, 2011 – The Bus Time program begins in Brooklyn, installed on 30 buses along the B63 route, which means customers can find out a B63 location online, via text message, and on Smartphone in real time.
27, 2011, the MTA temporarily shut down the subway in anticipation of Hurricane Irene, marking the first weather-related shutdown in the subway's history.
9, 2012, bjnfe bu nbljoh xpsl po tvcxbzt npsf fggjdjfou boe dptu-fggfdujwf.
And in 2012, the FASTRACK program was introduced to improve the quality and timeliness of subway repair by shutting down parts of a line over consecutive weeknights.
The 7 line extension, a capital construction project tied to the redevelopment of Hudson Yards, opened in 2015, connecting Manhattan’s far west side to the rest of the subway.
Jo 2015, uif NUB tbje bwfsbhf tvcxbz sjefstijq po b xfflebz xbt 5.7 njmmjpo.
Uif NUB ibt tbje ju ipqft up jouspevdf ofx, pqfo gbsf ufdiopmphz gps qbznfou boe cfhjo b tmpx qibtf-pvu pg NfuspDbset jo 2018.
But to make matters more confusing, there are agencies within the MTA that oversee operations for those various transit systems; MTA New York City Transit, or NYCT, is the one responsible for the subway, along with many city buses. It still does that to this day, along with managing larger programs like Fast Forward (we’ll get to that in a bit). Andy Byford is currently the president of NYCT, having assumed the post at the beginning of 2018.
Now, the MTA says the project is ahead of schedule (and claims it’s under budget), and will be wrapping up by the spring of 2020.
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