The 1980s was a period of slow decline for the subways, despite
new modern rolling stock like this R46 train, seen at Rockaway
Park. Photo by Doug Grotjahn.
The New York, Westchester & Boston
Railroad
This pioneering but
short-lived electric railroad in the Bronx and Westchester County
contributed the Dyre Avenue branch to the subway system in
1940.
The Second Avenue Subway
New York's most famous never-built subway line is
described in engineering and environmental reports, and an MTA
brochure which calls Second Avenue "the line that almost never
was".
The New York City Transit
Authority In The 1970s
The 1970s
marked the first decade in the history of the subway system that real,
physical mileage was lost and not replaced. No new extensions or lines
were built, but the 3rd Avenue El in the Bronx, the Culver Shuttle in
Brooklyn and the Jamaica Avenue El in Queens north of Queens Blvd
closed, with no rail lines replacing them. In the 1970s, the Transit
Authority (the TA) was an agency under the umbrella of the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, whereas before it was its own
agency reporting to no other entity. Examine the effects the MTA and
deferred maintenance had on the subway in this article by Mark
S. Feinman.
The New York City Transit
Authority In The 1980s
The 1980s
could be summarized as the "Jekyll and Hyde" period of the subway
system. As the decade began, it had the filthiest trains, the craziest
graffiti, the noisiest wheels, and the weirdest passengers. By the end
of the decade, it had cleaner trains, no graffiti, quieter wheels --
and the weirdest passengers. Examine this "Jekyll and Hyde" period of
subway system developments and missteps in this article by Mark
S. Feinman.
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