Why is the New York subway so deep?

And in some places, the tunnels were built after other utilities and buildings had been constructed, so had to be driven that deep to avoid them. This is notable in cities such as London, Tokyo & New York, where the population densities were/are quite high and land for building is at a premium.



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Nicholas Avenue and 191st Street in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, it is served by the 1 train at all times. It is the deepest station in the New York City Subway system at about 173 feet (53 m) below street level.

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Large portions of the subway outside Manhattan are elevated, on embankments, or in open cuts, and a few stretches of track run at ground level. In total, 40% of track is above ground. Many lines and stations have both express and local services.

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William Parsons, the project's chief engineer, used a variety of techniques for underwater digging. Sometimes hydraulic shields were used; other times methods were improvised, like digging a trench in the riverbed, then sinking the tunnel roof down on top of it. At least 7,700 men would be needed to build the IRT.

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THE world's deepest metro, underground station is the Arsenalna Station on the Kiev Metro in Ukraine, at 107 meters deep. The world's largest metro station is Union Square Station on the Dubai Metro in the United Arab Emirates which covers an area of 67,056 square meters.

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In 1998, TriMet built the Washington Park MAX Station, which is the deepest transit station in North America at 260 feet below ground, as part of our Red Line. “Washington Park also is the only underground station in the entire MAX system.”

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The Cincinnati Subway was a partially completed rapid transit system beneath the streets of Cincinnati, Ohio. Although the system only grew to a little over 2 miles (3.2 km) in length, its derelict tunnels and stations make up the largest abandoned subway tunnel system in the United States.

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Yes. There are train routes that have underwater tunnels, which connects Brooklyn, Manhattan, Roosevelt Island, Queens and The Bronx. Sadly, they don't have glass, so you can't see that you are in fact, underwater.

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While some of NYC's old tunnels and stations seem to have been neglected for good, many are reused—like the abandoned tunnel below Central Park that became part of the Second Avenue subway—and repurposed, as graffiti canvases, art galleries, party spaces, or even a VIP entrance to one of New York's most luxurious ...

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The four lines under the river are numbered south to north, lines 1 and 2 running beneath 32nd Street and Lines 3 and 4 under 33rd Street.

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Maneuver Manhattan's train system like a local Here, Archer Hotel New York's consummate host offers timely tips on navigating the New York City subway (aka train) system like a boss. LOCAL TIP: New Yorkers typically call the subway “trains” (not underground or metro) or by their alpha name (the C or the Q).

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In addition to the 665 miles of active subway tracks running beneath the city, the concrete hides an entire world of secret tunnels and subterranean spaces. If you dare to venture where the sun doesn't shine, some of these hidden worlds are open to explore on guided tours. Why does New York City have secret tunnels?

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An estimated 100 people died in the Malbone Street Brooklyn Rapid Transit disaster. Here's how the tragedy changed public transportation in America. At 6:14 p.m., on Friday, Nov. 1, 1918, hundreds of weary New Yorkers boarded a Brooklyn Rapid Transit train at Park Row in Lower Manhattan for the ride home to Brooklyn.

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The A provides the longest one-seat ride in the system—at 32.39 miles (52.13 km), between Inwood and Far Rockaway—and has a weekday ridership of 600,000.

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New York City Subway It is the most complex network in the world with 472 active stations serving 27 subway lines. Until 1940, no official map of the subway system existed. The most influential map was made by graphic designer Massimo Vignelli in 1972.

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Both the subway and the bus system operate on a 24-hour basis.

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149th Street The only remaining IRT elevated line, the IRT Third Avenue Line in the Bronx, was too long to be a shuttle, so was assigned the number 8, unused since 1949. This service, running between 149th Street and Gun Hill Road, last ran on April 28, 1973, when the Third Avenue Line closed.

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Most tunnels are lined with something like stone or concrete that is strong in compression (i.e. something that can be squeezed a lot without crushing).

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The Tremont Street subway in Boston's MBTA subway system is the oldest subway tunnel in North America and the third oldest still in use worldwide to exclusively use electric traction (after the City and South London Railway in 1890, and the Budapest Metro's Line 1 in 1896), opening on September 1, 1897.

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The underground or tube in London is the oldest transport system of its kind in the world. It opened on 10th January 1863 with steam locomotives. Today, there's an underground network of 408 kilometres (253 miles) of active lines that will take you anywhere in the city.

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Upon the opening of Line M2, Lausanne replaced Rennes, France as the smallest city in the world to have a full metro system.

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