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The early days of the New York City subway

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04 November 2011

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See more of the early days of the NYC subway

  • Nice ride
  • Excavation is underway
  • Walk this way
  • Down to the wire
  • Close quarters
  • Red light, green light
  • Life's a beach
  • Nice ride
    Nice ride

    It is hard to believe that New York City’s comprehensive (and complicated) subway system all started with a single train line called the Interborough Rapid Transit, or IRT, which began operation on October 27, 1904. The subway did not look the same then as it does today, but by 1935, subway trains were a plush (and cheap) alternative to taking a cab. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Nice ride

It is hard to believe that New York City’s comprehensive (and complicated) subway system all started with a single train line called the Interborough Rapid Transit, or IRT, which began operation on October 27, 1904. The subway did not look the same then as it does today, but by 1935, subway trains were a plush (and cheap) alternative to taking a cab. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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