The evolution of the New York City Subway system, depicted in the style of today's map by Michael Hertz Associates.
Older train lines were not known by letters and numbers as they are today. These lines have been given letter and number names here for the sake of a consistent map style through the years. The letters I, O, P, U, X, and Y have never actually been used, nor have some of the letter combinations in this video. Double letter names were used, mostly to indicate local-only services, until 1985.
Maps do not reflect all day-to-day service changes. Please check period maps and schedules when time traveling.
Corrections welcome; please cite a good source.
Images of historical maps from nycsubway.org, except for 1979 map, from David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries.
Music:
"L & N Rag"
Fiddle and guitar played by Jonah Sidman
Video by Jonah Sidman, 2023
Correction: the historical map displayed at 1:30 is from 1912, not 1924.