Most subways of the world are, at least, mostly
civilized. NYC subways are, shall we say, not always so
perfect. None the less, without underground
transportation I would never visit much of Manhattan as the
buses are achingly slow.
Originally, several subway companies built the elevated and
underground systems starting over 100 years ago. And
although we don't use the terminology of my youth much
anymore in describing what train to take, you will now know
why the cars are so different from one trip to another.
The smallest cars and by far the most intimate and charming
of the three major lines are run by the IRT, the numbered
trains: 1,9,2,3,4,5,6, and 7. This line runs the famous red
cars for the last 30 years or so and is just now replacing
them with 1) the nicer metallic cars put into service 10
years ago and 2) the new, most sterile cars ever invented.
Be prepared to feel as though you are traveling in a mobile
MASH unit. They also offer no comfort from the bench seats.
I apologize profusely for the inadequacy of the metro
designers.
The IRT line maintains the shortest and narrowest cars by a
wide margin. Several turns, near Wall Street, lines 2 and 3,
and along the 7 Line near the Queensboro (59th Street)
Bridge, cannot be made with a wider or longer carriage.
The IND and BMT have larger cars, some much more comfortable
than others, and move many people from the far reaches of
Queens, Brooklyn, and The Bronx into Manhattan.
IRT stands for Interborough Rapid Transit. BMT is Brooklyn
Manhattan Transit, and IND is the Independent line.
Next we'll go over how New Yorkers figure the quickest
as well as the most reliable transit to get somewhere.
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