Guide to the New York City Subway

If you are planning a trip to the Big Apple, transportation is probably something that worries you if it is the first time you are going to use it because with so many different lines, stations and types of subways it is easy to make a mistake. Don't worry! In this guide to the New York subway I tell you everything you need to know to get around like a New Yorker.

To start with, I suggest you download the New York subway map in PDF on your phone. This way you can always carry it with you and consult it whenever you need it even when you don't have Internet connection.

However, if you have data on your mobile I advise you to download the official app in Spanish of the New York subway as you will not only find the map, but you can also calculate the best route to move, the time in which the next subway will arrive or see the incidents in the lines, among other things. Here is the version for iOS and Android.

A single ticket on the New York subway costs $ 2.90 (about 2.70 €). If you plan to use public transport frequently for your trips, the best way is to buy the MetroCard, a rechargeable card valid for the subway and bus. The special feature of the MetroCard is that it can be recharged for:

How to buy it at the machine step by step

• What happens if I have both balance and unlimited travel on my card? In case you have both balance and unlimited rides on your Metrocard for 7 days, you will first consume the rides for that week and then the dollar balance will start to be spent. In other words, unlimited rides take priority over the balance for individual rides.
• Do children pay on the subway? Children under 44" (111 cm) can ride for free when accompanied by a paying adult. As for babies, they do not pay until they are two years old.
• How to validate your Metrocard? It may seem obvious, sliding the card through the slot of the turnstile, but the trick is to do it at an intermediate speed so that the machine reader can read the Metrocard well. In other words, not too fast and not too slow.
• What happens if you have the wrong entrance and have to go back out into the street to get to the correct station? If you have chosen the unlimited travel Metrocard, you will have to wait 20 minutes to validate the card at the turnstile. And if you have loaded the Metrocard with a balance in dollars, another $ 2.90 (2.70 €) will be deducted from your balance. Unfortunately, it is not possible to request a refund for the wrong trip.
• Can I buy the Metrocard before traveling to New York? Yes, you can also buy it online.
• If I have doubts when buying it, will someone help me?: In many stations you will find subway employees, but if there are not, do not worry, because New Yorkers are very attentive and will help you if you need it.
• If I travel to New York for two weeks, should I buy two cards: No, it is not necessary. Once you use up the 7-day Unlimited Ride voucher you can reload the same card with credit or another unlimited voucher for another week.
• Can I share the Metrocard with another person?: If you choose the 7-day Unlimited Ride option, the card is for personal use and is not transferable. On the other hand, if you choose to load it with credit and pay for each trip, then you can share the Metrocard.
• What happens if I lose my Metrocard: Unfortunately you will have to buy a new card and you will lose all the balance and/or value you had on it. Only the "One Month Unlimited Ride" MetroCard is protected against theft and loss if you purchase it with a debit or credit card at the Metro vending machines.
• How do I know how much balance I have left on the card: If you have been recharging the card with balance and do not know how much you have, in many subway stations you can check it at the card readers that will tell you the balance, the days you have left and when the card expires.
• If I have a balance left on my card, do I get my money back? No, so my advice is to be cautious when topping up. However, the Metrocard is valid for two years, so if you have a balance left over I recommend that you keep the card to use on your next trip to the city or to give to someone else who will be traveling to New York.
• Can the Metrocard be used for other transportation? In addition to the New York subway network, this card can be used on the bus network and the Roosevelt cable car. If you want to take a ferry you will have to pay a separate ticket, as it is not integrated with the Metrocard. If you would like to know more about the ferry, don't miss my practical guide to the New York ferry.

Once you have your ticket in hand, you'll need some orientation so you don't get lost in the largest subway in the United States and one of the largest in the world. It has 26 lines, nearly 500 stations and more than 1,000 kilometers of track connecting Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. The only borough where the New York subway does not reach is Staten Island although you can go by car from Brooklyn or from the south of Manhattan on the Staten Island Ferry.

The New York subway lines are identified with colors and each of them can be bifurcated into letters (A, B, C, etc.) and numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) according to the directions, so to avoid getting lost it is good that you follow the following tips:

Be clear about where you are going

When taking the subway be sure of the direction you want to go because most lines are divided and trains take different directions. Once you know which line to take, go to the nearest metro stop. At all stations the entrance to the southbound (Downtown and Brooklyn) or northbound (Uptown and Queens) platforms is marked.

When boarding the subway, pay attention to the signs and signals. Signs and loudspeakers indicate which direction the train is heading, showing the last stop on the route or which borough the train is heading to.

Local vs. express trains: how to tell the difference between them

An important detail to note is that there are two kinds of trains in New York : local and express. Unlike local trains, express trains do not stop at every stop and are much faster, so they are very practical for long distance travel. It's great because you can cross the city in less than 15 minutes!

Now, how do we know where an express or local subway stops? Very easy, if on the map you see that the stop has a white circle it is an express train, if it has a black circle then it is a local train.

Pay attention to the letters and numbers

Each New York subway line has a different color to identify them, but because at certain points on the map they fork, to prevent the plane becomes a multicolored rainbow, each branch is given a different name with numbers and letters.

Therefore, when taking the subway you should have as a reference not only the color of the line but also the letters and numbers. In fact, New Yorkers know the lines better by the numbers and letters, not so much by the colors.

And where can I see the letter or number of the subway to know which one I am getting on? It appears on the first car of the subway, although it is also posted outside each car so you can check it. Keep it in mind if you need to ask for directions or route inside the subway.

Note the direction of the subway stations

As I said before, if you look at the New York subway map you can see that there are subway lines that go in different directions by forking two or more times (like the orange or yellow line).

The first thing you should know before using it is to distinguish correctly between Uptown and Downtown. Sometimes in the same subway station the different entrances have different directions, that is to say, in many streets if you enter through the entrance of one sidewalk you go south and the other you go north.

Therefore, before getting off the subway, I advise you to look at the direction to avoid having to go back out to the street and change direction, because in many cases once inside the station you can no longer change platforms. The directions that the New York subway can take are: Downtown and Uptown (South and North) or Westbound and Eastbound (West and East) Sometimes you will also see that they point to the district or neighborhood they are moving to:

Transferring between lines?

If we look at the New York subway map we might think that it is not possible to transfer between lines unless it is indicated that they cross. But this is not always the case, because on the map there are black lines that warn of the existence of transfer tunnels that facilitate the change of lines to avoid unnecessary journeys.

The great thing about the New York subway is that it runs 24 hours every day of the year but at night not all station entrances are open.

It ranges from 2 to 5 minutes during peak hours (6:30 am to 9:30 am and 3:30 pm to 8:00 pm Monday through Friday), 5 to 10 minutes at noon and 5 to 15 minutes until midnight.

The frequency of the subway from dawn to 6:30 am is about 20 minutes, although at night I advise you to take a cab, especially if you are traveling alone between districts, as there are few operators working in case of any incident.

The New York subway is not so different from other subways in the world in terms of rules of use. However, as a commuter it is always wise to keep in mind some basic rules to make it easier to get around the transportation network.

The streets of New York are fascinating, there is always something new to discover in the city that never sleeps. There are plenty of tourist attractions on the surface, but not many know that beneath it lies a secret site known as the City Hall Ghost Subway Station, which for a long time was plunged into darkness.

Its enigmatic name alone makes you want to investigate what it is all about, right? All you have to do is enter the New York subway and take line 6 to the end of the route, as the train continues to travel through this station. After Brooklyn Bridge you can pass by the ghost station of City Hall and see it from inside the car.

Unfortunately, you can't go down to the station to see it, but at least the subway runs at such a slow speed that with a little skill you can take several pictures of this piece of New York history, which tells us about the origins of this public transport in the early twentieth century.

What is the New York subway ghost station like?

City Hall was never a station frequented by New Yorkers, as most got on and off at the nearby Brooklyn Bridge. Over time and for various reasons, it was eventually closed to the public in 1945. Perhaps this has allowed it to be preserved in such good condition, as well as the original crystals, chandeliers and stained glass windows that decorate it. In fact, many find it similar to the decor of Grand Central Terminal.

Another way to get a glimpse of the City Hall ghost station is from above ground. In the middle of City Hall Park sits a space reserved for pets. If you pay attention, here you will see an iron opening from which you can peek inside the structure. Amazing, isn't it?

The elegance and style of the design is striking. City Hall had glass windows through which natural light penetrated and vaulted ceilings lined with tiles with clear influences of the Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino, whom the New York Times named after his death as "the architect of New York" for his famous "Guastavino tile" and his great contributions to American architectural design.

But the ghost station of the New York subway is not the only secret place in the city, there are many original things to do and unique places to explore! In the article 10 secret places and original plans that you can not miss in New York I talk about some of them.

And if so many tourist routes whet your appetite, then I recommend you to take a look at the article 10 best places to eat in New York to know where to have a good meal or book a gastronomic tour in New York. Here you come to enjoy and have a good time!