AN AMAZING SYSTEM Screech Metal scrapes against metal as the subway train grinds into the Times Square 42nd Street station The sound drowns out the voice of a guitar-strumming musician A businessman drops the musician a few coins Nearby a tourist pulls out a smartphone She snaps a picture of the mural overhead The vivid mural looks like a strip from a comic book People hustle by the tourist They hope to catch the next train It’s Friday night rush hour in New York City Crowds of people stand at the station A voice over the loudspeaker warns Please Each day millions of people move through New York City’s subway system
PERSPECTIVES A LONG WAIT The New York City subway system has long had difficulties keeping up with increasing ridership The East Side in particular has been plagued by overcrowding and delays In 1920 officials made a plan to ease the problem They would build a Second Avenue subway line But the project was postponed several times Many New Yorkers were skeptical it would ever be built The first phase of the project finally opened for service on January 1 2017 It is New York City’s biggest subway expansion in 50 years When all phases are complete the Second Avenue line will extend service along Manhattan’s East Side by 8 5 miles 13 7 km 6 stand away from the platform edge The train doors open wide A river of travelers flows onto the platform Waiting passengers nudge their way into the train When each subway car is packed the doors shut The train clacks off to the next station The Times Square 42nd Street station lies at the heart of midtown Manhattan It is New York City’s busiest subway station Each year more than 66 million passengers
get on and off at Times Square The New York City subway system has a total of 472 stations This is the most of any subway system in the world THE SUBWAY NEVER SLEEPS New York City cannot function without its subway system Workers shoppers and sightseers rely on it 24 hours a day In 2015 more than 1 7 billion passengers rode its 661 miles 1,063 km of rails More than half of the system lies underground Interest in building subways began in the mid-1800s Many major cities worldwide were overcrowded Traffic jams were common City leaders decided to build underground transportation tunnels Traveling underground would relieve crowding on busy streets In 1863 the world’s first subway system opened in London England New York City was also suffering from jam-packed streets But its first subway would not open until October 27 1904 7
