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NYC subway celebrates 120 years with nostalgic vintage rides
By
Phil Corso
Published Oct 27, 2024
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Courtesy Ray Raimundi/MTA
By
Phil Corso
Published Oct 27, 2024
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It was a blast from the past as the MTA celebrated the New York City subway's 120th birthday with two vintage train rides on century-old Lo-V subway cars.
Departing from the decommissioned Old South Ferry Station, the nostalgic rides whisked riders up the 1/2/3 line to the Bronx, then looped back via Lexington Avenue’s 4/5/6 line, offering glimpses of the original Old City Hall Station and ending at Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall.
For transit fans and curious New Yorkers, it was more than just a ride — it was a portal to the city’s transit history. The vintage train, dating back to 1917, recreated the sounds and sights of the subway’s earliest days.
"The subway system transformed New York City – 120 years and billions of rides prove it," NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said in a statement. "Twelve 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 inside of the nostalgia train ride on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024.
Courtesy Ray Raimundi/MTA
The anniversary event is part of a larger commemoration with the New York Transit Museum’s new exhibit, "The Subway Is...," showcasing artifacts and stories that trace the subway’s influence on New York’s culture and economy.
For those who missed the ride, there’s another chance on Nov. 16 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the Lo-V cars return to the tracks.
“New York’s history and cultural identity are inextricably linked to our subway system," New York Transit Museum Director Concetta Bencivenga said in a statement. “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."
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Phil Corso
Phil Corso is the evening news editor at WNYC/Gothamist. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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