The New York City Traveler

New York City Subway Basics: Little Tips for Getting Around the Big City

by Heather on May 23rd, 2008

A, B, C or 1, 2, 3.  Downtown or uptown.  Local or express.  It can get a little confusing on the New York City subway for a new visitor to the Big Apple.  New York’s subway is one of the largest in the world with over 600 miles of track and more than 450 stations serving approximately 4 million passengers a day.  With this handy guide you’ll be zipping around town in no time!  

Downtown or Uptown  In Manhattan, the subway generally is a north-south affair.  Uptown means north, towards Harlem, Bronx, and Queens.  Downtown means south, towards Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.  There are exceptions to this rule and the most notable exceptions are the 7, S, L, and E trains all of which have a few crosstown stops.  The L crosses town at 14th Street, the 7 and S at 42nd Street, the E at 53rd Street.  The trains sometimes use the final station of the line as an identifier.  You may hear “7 train to Flushing” which means that the train is going out of Manhattan, towards its final destination of Flushing, Queens.  Or “7 train to Times Square” which means the train is going into Manhattan towards its final destination of Times Square.  If you’ve found that you’ve got on a train that is going in the wrong direction, don’t worry, usually you can just get off the train, cross the platform to the other side, and catch the train in the correct direction. 

Service Advisories are a way of life with a subway system that is over 100 years old.  Advisories are listed on the MTA Service Advisories page and you will see posters in affected stations outlining the service change as well as what alternate transportation you should use. 

Express or Local  Local trains generally stop at every station on the route and express trains skip stations.  Some trains only run express (ex. 2 train and 3 train) while other trains run local and express (ex. 6 train and 7 train).  If a train has both local and express runs, the local is denoted by the route number inside a circle and the express line is denoted by the route number inside a diamond .       

Subway Stations  Outside the subway station you will find all of the information you need about the trains that serve that station.  Look out for the words “Uptown Only” or “Downtown Only.” 

Cost  The cost of a subway ride is a flat $2.  You may purchase a single-ride ticket, which does not allow you to make transfers, at a vending machine or you may purchase a MetroCard at vending machines which do allow for transfers.  There are a few types of MetroCards available:

1. Pay-Per-Ride MetroCards are reusable cards that can be refilled.  There is a 15% bonus purchases $7 and more (You pay $7 and receive a MetroCard worth $8.05).  You can make free subway-to-subway, bus-to-subway, or subway-to-bus transfers with this card.  It can be used for up to 4 people at a time.
2. Unlimited Ride MetroCard is available in the following increments:  1 Fun Pass $7.50; 7 Day $25; 14 Day $47, and 30 Day $81.  The unlimited rides are good per calendar day.  These cards can not be refilled.  All transfers are included.  It cannot be shared and cannot be used at the same subway station or bus route for 18 minutes. 

Planning Your Trip  There are many resources for planning your trip.  The MTA has subway maps available online as well as in multiple locations inside subway stations.  Station agents have maps and there should be a map in your handy New York City guidebook.  If you need a little more help figuring out how to get from Point A to Point B with the fewest connections, in the least amount of time, there are a variety of trip-planners on the web.  The MTA has a basic trip planner available but one the favorites among travelers seems to be Hop Stop.  Hop Stop will not only give you directions on the subway, but it will also give you an approximate cost of a taxi so you can decide what what works best for you. 

Useful Information and Tips

• The “S” train is the Times Square-Grand Central Terminal shuttle.  It runs back and forth between those two stations and does not go to any other station. 
• You must be in the first five cars on the 1 train to exit at South Ferry. 
• For more information on the art, posters, and music you encounter in the subway stations, visit MTA’s Arts for Transit. 
• The Cortland Street station is still closed.
• Ground has broken on the newest New York subway route “T” (also known as the Second Avenue Line) and is expected to be completed by 2020.

You know how to get around the city, tomorrow’s post will fill you in on the “dos and don’ts” of subway etiquette and safety. 

Photo credit: all images from personal collection

__________________________________________________________________

Share This

Related Stories

Transportation Round-Up: Getting Into, Out Of, and Around New York City
Subway Etiquette and Safety: From Straphangers to Pole Huggers
Transportation 101: JFK Airport to Manhattan
The New York City Traveler’s Guide to Tipping
New York Around the Web: Tuesday, Dec 18

POSTED IN: Travel Tips - General Information