New York City subway opened on this day in 1904; read about the rapid transit system

On this day in 1904, the glinting New York City witnessed the opening of its first subway, a rapid transit system that gave a faster and an easier way of commute to thousands of New Yorkers. At 2:35 pm, the then-mayor of the city George McClellan, who was an engineer by profession, took control of the inaugural run of the subway. It is said that he enjoyed his adventurous stint so much that he stayed in control from City hall to 103rd street.

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The initiation of New York subway came at a point in time when London already had a well-connected system of underground trains. While the British capital boasted of having the world’s oldest train networks, America had also tasted train rides by establishing of Boston Subway in 1897.

Credits: NYCTSubway/Twitter

According to History.com, the first line was operated by Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and connected 28 stations across 9.1 miles. The line ran through City Hall in Lower Manhattan to Grand Central Terminal in Midtown and heading west along 42nd Street to Times Square and then in the north to 145th street and Broadway in Harlem.

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4.5 million travellers every day

After being tested by experts, the line was thrown open to the general public at 7 pm and more than 100,000 people paid a nickel each to take their first ride under Manhattan. The IRT later expanded the services to the Bronx in 1905, Brooklyn in 1908  and queens in 1915.  Today, nearly 4.5 million passengers take the train every day. The subway, controlled by the Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA) now had expanded to cover 472 train stations with its 26 different lines running through the heart of the city.

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