Riding the “Hole in the Ground”

NEW YORKERS find that often the fastest way to get around the city is by means of the “hole in the ground”​—the New York City subway system.

Over 50 large cities around the globe have underground railway systems, or subways, and others have systems under construction. Some subway systems are cleaner and more efficient than New York’s, but claims author Stan Fischler in his book Uptown, Downtown, “no subway is . . . more exciting, more complex, more diverse, and more colorful than New York’s.”

Early Beginnings

A brief look at the subways helps explain why New York’s system stirs strong emotions​—pro and con. Subway systems were developed as the solution to urban traffic congestion. In 1863 London opened the first subway, using steam locomotives. Needless to say, though, the steam, soot, and smoke produced a less than desirable atmosphere in the tunnels. But such was the price of progress. Soon Glasgow, Budapest, Boston, Paris, and Berlin also had subway systems.

New York was a relative latecomer to the subway scene, but as its population soared, the need for such a system became apparent. Proposals for rapid transit, however, were successfully blocked by corrupt politicians who had financial interests in surface transportation. As the traffic situation became more and more unwieldy, the city was forced to take a temporary step: the elevated railroads, or Els, and these began operating in the 1870’s. They were unsightly and noisy, and since steam locomotives were used, soot and cinders often rained on the people below.

Four Years of Noise and Nuisance

New York began full-​scale subway construction in 1900. But instead of tunneling deep below the ground as had been done in London, New York boldly opted to use a newer approach. The plan was to dig a large trench; lay a roadway at the bottom; reinforce the bottom, sides, and top with steel girders; and replace the street over this structure. The advantages? For one thing, it was cheaper and faster than tunneling. In addition, commuters could gain access to the train by using a brief flight of stairs rather than riding an elevator.

There were problems, though. Business was seriously disrupted during construction. Sewer, water, gas, steam, electrical, and telephone lines posed constant difficulties to the builders. The large-​scale excavations also threatened to weaken the foundations of some large buildings. At times, Manhattan’s varying terrain required the builders to tunnel deep below the surface through solid rock.

Nevertheless, for four long years, New Yorkers endured the noise, nuisance, and disruption of subway construction. But when the trains started running in the fall of 1904, all was forgiven. Indeed, the subway was an instant success! During its first year of operation, an average of over 300,000 persons a day rode the rails beneath the city.

New York’s Lifeline

One cannot stand back and gaze at the entire subway system as one can look at the Empire State Building or the Brooklyn Bridge. Nevertheless, the subway system dwarfs these somewhat more obvious marvels. Why, in one 50-​mile [80 km] section, there is three times as much steel as there is in the Empire State Building! The entire system has over 230 miles [370 km] of route with over 820 miles [1,300 km] of track, making it one of the most extensive in the world.

The system has also had a dramatic impact on the development of the city itself. Most of the tens of thousands of people who work in the business districts come either from other parts of the city or from outlying areas. Workers can escape Manhattan’s legendary traffic tie-​ups and parking problems by simply taking a subway ride. The subway is thus the lifeline for many New York businesses.

For many years the subway provided safe, clean, and efficient travel around the city. But times have changed, and “the increasing of lawlessness” that the Bible prophesied would plague the world today also affects the subway system. (Matthew 24:12) Armed robberies and purse snatchings have become all too common occurrences in the subway.

Soaring operational costs have increased the fare over 20-​fold since operation began! Still, it is not the highly profitable enterprise it once was. Huge government subsidies keep the trains running. Yet, subway cars and stations are sometimes filthy and poorly maintained. New equipment is quickly vandalized. Needed repairs on tracks and other equipment have often been neglected. Delays and cancellations​—once rare—​are not uncommon. Nevertheless, the subway is a vital and necessary part of life in the city, and New Yorkers tend to accept such inconveniences with stoic resignation.

A Ride on the Subway

How would you like to take a ride in the “hole in the ground”? Two of New York’s subway lines run within blocks of the headquarters of the Watchtower Society, where this magazine is published. So we’ll head toward one of them.

Our destination is the American Museum of Natural History on the West Side of Manhattan. Leaving the Watchtower headquarters in Brooklyn, we walk a few blocks to the A train station entrance.a We go down to the change booth, where we buy our tokens​—special coins that gain us access to the station through turnstiles. Going down another flight of stairs, we arrive at the platform. Tracks line both sides, and signs indicate which side is for trains going to Manhattan and which is for trains going farther into Brooklyn. We will take the train going to Manhattan.

Can you hear that faint rumble? That and a sudden breeze tell you the train is coming. Suddenly it bursts into the station, swirling the air all around and filling the station with a deafening din. The motorman hits the brakes, and the train quickly comes to a halt. As the doors open, people jostle their way in and out. We are glad to be able to find a seat. Had we gone during rush hour, we would probably have had to stand, packed in like canned sardines.

The doors close, and the train pulls out of the station with a lurch. Above the noise a voice crackles over the public address system. ‘What did he say?’ you ask. Simple. He said that this is an uptown A train headed for 207 Street. The next stop is Broadway-​Nassau. You get used to the conductor’s speech after a while.

A subway ride allows you to view a truly unique group of people: businessmen in pin-​striped suits, laborers, beggars, derelicts, bearded Hasidic Jews on their way to work, parents and children. Yes, in the subway, you can see the kaleidoscope of humanity that is New York City.

But it is a brief view, for in minutes we reach our destination. We quickly disembark, go up a flight of stairs, and exit from the station. What do you think? Some find the subway interesting and exciting. Others are glad to get out. Love it or hate it, few can ride the subway and not be impressed in one way or another.

Perhaps you’ll get a chance to ride it one day. After all, a trip to New York City is somehow just not complete unless it includes a ride in that “hole in the ground”​—New York City’s subway.

[Footnotes]

[Map on page 10]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

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[Credit Line]

Map/​Courtesy of NYCTA

[Picture Credit Line]

Jim Kalett/​Photo Researchers