Advertisement

Weekly Map: Time Travel with Vintage NYC Subway Maps & the Second Avenue Subway

Become a paid member to listen to this article

Here, in chronological order, a roundup of historical, replicas and future iterations of the New York City subway map. Until the 1940s, the subway was run by three competing companies: Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT), Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit (BMT), and the Independent Subway (IND). Watch the lines spread like a vine over the geography of the city, see the system unify into one beast, and observe how graphic design evolves with the aesthetics of the decades. These maps and many more are available here, at nycSubway.org.

Untapped-Cities-NYC-Subway-Map-1904

This map was part of a souvenir publication released for the opening of the IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit) subway in 1904

Untapped-Cities-NYC-Subway-Map-1912

1912 BRT (Brooklyn Rapid Transit) Route

Untapped-Cities-NYC-Subway-Map-1924

1924 BMT (Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit) Subway-Elevated Route

Untapped-Cities-NYC-Subway-Map-1933

1933 BMT Subway-Elevated Route. “Map dated by presence of Radio City Music Hall, which opened in December 1932.”

Untapped-Cities-NYC-Subway-Map-1948

1948 System Map: IRT & BMT lines both shown

Untapped-Cities-NYC-Subway-Map-1959

1959 System Map: The Beginning of the New Layout

Untapped-Cities-NYC-Subway-Map-1964

1964 System Map: The World’s Fair Map

1972 Subway Map-MTA-NYC

1972 Map

Untapped-Cities-NYC-Subway-Map-1974

1974 System Map: A Hand-Drawn Replica by Michael Calcagno

1979 MTA Subway Map-NYC

Authentic 1979 MTA Map, a find at Brazenhead Books

Second Avenue Subway Map MTA Untapped Cities

The MTA’s Second Avenue Subway Map with the new T Train and Q train extension

Check out our Photos of the Second Avenue Subway Construction. Get in touch with the author @untappedmaps. See more maps in our Fun Maps column.

Advertisement

Great! You’ve successfully signed up.

Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.

You've successfully subscribed to Untapped New York.

Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.

Success! Your billing info has been updated.

Your billing was not updated.