Vintage Photos Show How Commuting on the NYC Subway Has Changed

The short-lived Beach Pneumatic Transit, a one-block underground train line running from Murray Street to Warren Street under Broadway, opened in 1870.

Unable to secure the required permits to expand the line, the passenger car closed in 1873.

An estimated 100,000 rode the underground train on its first day, The New York Times reported.

Before the subway opened, transit in the city was conducted by a network of trolleys, elevated trains, horse-drawn carriages, and omnibuses.

From April to July 1909, the Hudson and Manhattan railroad line — which now operates as the Port Authority Trans-Hudson, or PATH, line — reserved the last car of every rush hour train for women passengers only, a result of women’s rights activism of the era, according to a Federal Highway Administration study.

The prevalence of child labor in the city meant that young boys often took up labor, many times as newspaper sellers on the streets.

The newsboys and girls would buy bundles of 100 newspapers directly from the publishers for 60 cents in 1899, according to the American Postal Workers Union. They would usually make about 50 cents in profit each day.

Newsboys and girls were commonly seen around subway stations up until the 1930s, when child labor regulations began to crack down on the employment of young children.

The expanding subway system was operated by a group of privately owned companies: the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, which the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation succeeded, and the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, which operated the first subway lines opened in 1904.

The system was unified when the city bought the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation in 1940, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

The subway implemented coin-operated turnstiles in 1921, according to the Electric Railway Journal. Before that, passengers purchased paper tickets that operators cut at the station’s gate.

Since its opening in 1904, advertisements have been surrounding the subway stations and cars.

At first, subway advertisements faced strong criticism until a 1907 Supreme Court case decided that the subway authority was ultimately allowed to run advertisements on the stations and cars, as reported by The New York Times.

Among the many ads of the time posted on subway stations and cars were posters encouraging passengers to buy liberty bonds to support the country’s war efforts.

Just the year after the subway’s opening in 1904, efforts to cool down stations during the hot summer started with the installation of ceiling fans on the Brooklyn Bridge station, as reported by The New York Times.

It wasn’t until 1933 that officials began overseeing the addition of ceiling fans on subway cars to combat the summer heat.

By the 1950s, air conditioning was introduced on some newer subway cars, although the majority remained without cooling.

In the 1960s, some subway stations featured quick-service restaurants for passengers looking for a bite before their commute.

The Subway Sun, a series of subway ads, started running in 1918, the New Yorker reported.

Similar to the MTA’s “Courtesy Matters” campaign, which features subway etiquette advertisements on subway cars and stations, The Subway Sun encouraged riders to be mindful of the space they occupy on the train and not cause disturbances to other riders, TimeOut reported.

According to the New York Transit Museum, the 1928 design of subway cars was made to fit tracks used by both the Interborough Rapid Transit and Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation, and also aimed to increase comfort and ease of movement for passengers during rush and off-peak hours.

The expansion of subway lines allowed for quick and efficient commutes and thus helped distribute the city’s population throughout the outer boroughs, easing up the high population density of the 19th century, according to the Transportation Research Board.

A record for the most subway riders seen in a single day was set on the day before Christmas Eve in 1946, The New York Times reported.

The subway system saw over 7 million riders that day, a record that can be compared to the modern ridership of both the subway and bus systems combined.

Just like today, but without cellphones, subway passengers would often read the news, chat with friends aboard, or take quick naps on the train.