October 17, 2005

NewYorkology Basics: New York City subway

(Updated June 2009)

New York City’s subway is more than a century old and carries 4.5 million on an average weekday on its 26 lines. It operates 24 hours a day, though service is less frequent at night, on weekends and some holidays.

Despite a few random exceptions, the subways are safe and remain the most efficient way to get around. The most important thing to know about taking the subway is whether your destination is uptown, (north) or downtown (south) from your starting point. Some lines run local and others run express (skipping some stations, and thus covering more ground quickly.)

The base subway fare is $2.50 no matter how far you want to go. You can transfer as many times as you like, as long as your don't exit through a turnstile. You'll need a MetroCard (also good for city buses,) which you can purchase in the subway stations and at some shops. You can pay per ride or buy daily, weekly or monthly transit passes. If you're only taking the subway a few times, you may only want to put just a few dollars on your subway card. But if you make three or more trips in a day, you’ll want some type of unlimited card.

Here is a link to the MTA's subway map, which are posted in all stations, and copies are often available for free. (An easy way to see if your map is current is to make sure there's no red 9 line on it as it was permanently put out of service in May 2005.)

Pay close attention to the signs announcing subway service interruptions, which are extremely frequent on weekends. You can get these weekend advisories via e-mail from the MTA or subway-watchdog group, the Straphangers.

Subway etiquette: When your train pulls into the station, you want to stand not directly in front of the doors that are about to open, but immediately to the side. "Let 'em off first," is the sometimes-spoken rule. As soon as they're off, you board – and don't block the door if more people are trying to get on behind you.

When you are standing on the train but it hasn't moved yet, be sure you are holding on and/or have your feet planted securely since the train usually makes a jerk when it starts, and again before it stops. When you get near your stop, start collecting your belongings and/or stand up, which is usually an effective queue to other passengers to make way. Ideally, you'll be at the doors to exit by the time they open. If the doors open and you can't exitt before other passenger board, say something like "getting off" and you should do fine.

Elsewhere on NewYorkology:
Tiny, subtle subway maps for your pocket or wallet
MTA makes it illegal to walk between subway cars
NYPD begins random bag checks on subways
NYPD: no need for subway camera ban
The fine art of subway card swiping

October 17, 2005 4:40 PM in Basic NYC Guide

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