Mike Giannoutsos

Dr. Hey
Dr. Russo
Cor 390
DUE: July 17
th
, 2014







New York Subway System























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The creation of the subway system in New York or the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority (MTA), have become the life line of New York City since
people are reliant on the subway system for commuting to different places within
the city. The City of New York and two private subway companies created the
subway system without the need of government or federal assistance. Life before
the subways was rough for commuters. The construction to build the subway took a
very long time due to rocks, dirt, pipelines, and building foundations.
The first subway line was officially opened in 1904. Another subway was
added in 1925. In 1940 the subway had become very popular and continues to grow
in todays society. Within the construction of the subway, New York Citys life rapidly
grew. People had the opportunity to travel across the city through subway, avoiding
possible traffic by cars or trucks. The demand for the subways was on the rise after
the Civil War of The United States of America. Many realized the need for fast and
easy transportation between countries and cities. The subway system could also
climate could eliminate the effect some severe weather might have on a city because
they where built underground. Meanwhile in 1863,London, England created the
worlds first underground railroad system.(Hood)By the year 1864, the subway was
unsafe to ride due to crime, rape, and more.
The construction of the New York Subway system consisted of two methods,
one of which is still used today in the extension of the subway lines. First is the cut
and cover (also being used in todays construction of subways). This method
consisted of digging up the street and laying the tunnel below and then covering the
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tunnel with new roadway. This method was very easy to build although caused
future problems for many people in the New York City area. However this method
cannot be used in some areas and an alternative method must be used to create a
new line. The second method is known as the deep bore tunneling. It is much more
complicated than the cut and cover method and eliminated all the frustration it
caused to the people who lived in the area where the subway system construction
was taking place. This method involved huge circular tunneling machines which
where inserted into a hole dug along the proposed subway line. This made the build
easier because of the flexibility of the space that was created and can now be a new
route can be used in the future. The deep bore tunneling method is much more
dangerous. The workers who work in these tunnels underground have very serious
and dangerous jobs. These men are known as sandhogs. Sand hogs where paid
$1.25. In todays society they are one of the top paying labor workers due to the high
risks they are in. One sandhog dies every subway mile built due to high pressure or
sandhog disease. (Tour guide @ Transit Museum)
The Interbourough Rapid Transit Subway, also known as IRT, and the
Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company were the two lessees of the first subway system in
New York City. (ENY 146) The opening ceremony for the subway was held in City
Hall on October 27,1904. The subway system had a big impact on New York City.
The Subway ran up impressive statistics during its first year of operations of 106
million passengers rode the line at five cents a head. (Cudahy 31). The subway
allowed for the population of Manhattan to move throughout the rest of the island.
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The first subway line was limited and most of the population lived in lower
Manhattan near the train. The subway was not built for each town, although the
towns grew around where the subways were built. Without the subway, New York
City would not be the same place that it is today.
Our experience is visiting the transit museum was fascinating. I really got to
see how the New York Subway system was created and how it transformed through
all these years. I also learned how the subways were built back in the day and how
much work and hard effort had to be put in by sandhogs and labor workers to
complete one subway track line. This has made me appreciate what we have in
todays society because I am usually the one who never rides public
transportation.
The subway system connects all of the boroughs together and allows easy
transportation at a low cost. Another benefit of the subway is that it runs 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week. Many people rely on the benefit of public transportation because
of the easy access to all the boroughs. Although many people ride the New York City
subway daily, there is a possibility of a strike by the Mass Transit Authority this
coming week. Many commuters will not be happy because this will affect thousands
and thousands of people who commute to work, school, or other areas daily by the
subway system.



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References:
New York Essentials, Michael S. Russo & Meritta Cullinan
"Under the Sidewalks of New York." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 14
July 2014.
Hood, Clifton.722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They
Transformed New York .New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. Print.
"Oct. 27, 1904 | New York City Subway System Opens." The Learning
Network Oct 27 1904 New York City Subway System Opens Comments.
N.p., n.d. Web. 14 July 2014.