PHOTOS & VIDEO: MTA Celebrates 120th Anniversary of the New York City Subway with Vintage Train Rides

Four Vintage Train Rides on Historic Lo-V Subway Cars from 1917 Commemorated Milestone

Rides Retrace Original Route of New York's First Subway Line Featuring Rarely Seen Old City Hall Station

See Photos of the Event

See B-Roll of the Event

See Video of NY Transit Museum Director Concetta Bencivenga Interview on 120th Anniversary of the New York City Subway

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) together with the New York Transit Museum today celebrated the 120th anniversary of the New York City subway system by hosting two vintage train rides along portions of the city's first ever subway route. The 1917 Lo-V subway cars departed from the decommissioned Old South Ferry Station and traveled north along the ​​​line to the Bronx before returning via the Lexington Avenue ​​​line. Riders had the unique chance to pass through the famous Old City Hall Station and conclude the journey at Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall Station. This round-trip ride immersed participants in the sights and sounds of the original subway experience, offering a nostalgic glimpse into New York's transit history.

The 1917 Lo-V rides will be offered again on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 10:00 a.m. and again at 2:00 p.m., departing from the Old South Ferry Station.

"The subway system transformed New York City - 120 years and billions of rides prove it," said New York City Transit Demetrius Crichlow. "12 decades on from the historic first ride at the old City Hall station, we continue the work to improve safety and service throughout the transit system, ensuring that the subway can deliver for the next 120 years and beyond."

"The subway is New York City's heart and soul and what a special birthday it is to celebrate 120 years of serving this city we all love," said MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara. "We're seeing continued post-pandemic ridership growth and have delivered customer service enhancements including the opening of Customer Service Centers citywide, cleaner stations, and a more digitized 21st century transit experience. That speaks to what we do every day, which is to create a safe, reliable, and equitable transit system that serves the needs of today's riders."

"New York's history and cultural identity are inextricably linked to our subway system," said New York Transit Museum Director Concetta Bencivenga. "Nostalgia rides provide a unique opportunity to be transported to an earlier version of the subway and experience the system as those first riders would have in 1904. It is incredible to reflect on the transformational impact the subway has had on the city and on New Yorkers over the last 120 years."

In celebration of this momentous milestone, a new exhibit at The New York Transit Museum titled, "The Subway Is…" takes a look at how the system shaped the city's culture, economy and identity. Featuring artifacts, photographs, and multimedia installations, the exhibit explores the evolution of the subway system, from pipe dream to powerhouse.

The New York Transit Museum also activated a city-wide "The Subway Is..." social media campaign this month, partnering with museums, parks, and influencers, inviting them to share their thoughts on what the subway means to them by completing the sentence: #TheSubwayIs... and posting it to Instagram. Users who tagged @nytransitmuseum in posts may be featured on the Museum's Instagram account. The campaign encouraged the public to reflect on and share their personal connections to our transit system.

New York's first underground rapid transit network, known as the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) subway, opened on Oct. 27, 1904, with 28 stations along a 9.1-mile line. The IRT expanded to the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens and was eventually joined by two competing companies, the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) and the city-owned Independent Subway (IND).

In 1940, these companies were unified and today they comprise the current New York City subway system which is made up of 25 routes, 472 stations, 800 track miles and a fleet of over 6,000 passenger cars. Laid end to end, NYC Transit train tracks would stretch from New York City to Chicago.