The Grand Opening Of New York City's Subway

October 24, 2021

On October 27, 1904, the largest underground rail system in America cut its ceremonial ribbon and welcomed commuters to the wonders of the New York City subway. 

The grand opening of New York's first subway. Oct. 27, 1904. (Getty)

While the Big Apple’s system lost out to London as the world’s oldest subway system (unveiled in 1863) and Boston as America’s first (1897), New York did go the biggest. The initial line conducted by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) ran 9.1 miles across 28 stations. From City Hall in lower Manhattan to 145th Street and Broadway in Harlem, the New York Subway drastically changed life for New Yorkers and its many visitors.

Going Underground

The building of New York's subway spurred massive economic growth.

Prior to the establishment of the IRT, no subway company ever operated in New York City. Instead, elevated commuter trains littered the city, clogging streets and stymieing the development of America’s biggest city. The IRT decided to flip the script and go underground. They touted the project as a beacon of convenience, taking people from “City Hall to Harlem in 15 minutes.”