Interborough Rapid Transit Company

Interborough Rapid Transit Company
Company type	Private
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	May 6, 1902; 124 years ago
Founder	August Belmont, Jr.
Defunct	June 12, 1940
Fate	Taken over by New York City government
Headquarters	New York City, United States
Area served	New York City
Products	Subway and elevated railway transit services

The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was the private enterprise responsible for operating New York City's first underground subway line, which debuted in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit routes. The IRT was instrumental in shaping the city's transit framework and enhancing urban transportation options. On June 12, 1940, the city took ownership of the IRT, combining it with the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) and Independent Subway System (IND) to establish the consolidated New York City Subway network. Presently, the former IRT routes—now identified by numbers—constitute the A Division or IRT Division within the subway system.

History

The initial IRT subway ran from City Hall to 145th Street along Broadway, officially opening on October 27, 1904. This milestone came after more than twenty years of discussions regarding subways versus elevated railways and various route plans.

Incorporated on May 6, 1902, by August Belmont, Jr., the IRT was established to operate New York City's first underground rapid transit following Belmont’s and John B. McDonald’s Rapid Transit Construction Company securing the railway contract in 1900. Prior to the subway’s opening, on April 1, 1903, the IRT leased the Manhattan Railway Company, which managed four elevated lines in Manhattan and the Bronx, thereby obtaining a monopoly over rapid transit in Manhattan. Although some coordination existed between subway and elevated operations, all former elevated lines in Manhattan have since been removed.

In response to urban growth, the IRT entered into the Dual Contracts agreement with Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT) in 1913 to extend the subway network. This contract set fares at five cents for a duration of 49 years. The IRT's 1929 proposal to increase fares to seven cents was rejected by the United States Supreme Court.

The IRT ceased private operations on June 12, 1940, when its assets and services were acquired by New York City.

Currently, IRT routes function as part of the A Division. Most lines in Manhattan are underground except for short sections in Harlem and northern Manhattan. Lines in the Bronx are predominantly elevated but include portions of subway and railroad-style right-of-way inherited from the defunct New York, Westchester and Boston Railway, now operated as the IRT Dyre Avenue Line. Brooklyn's lines are mainly subterranean except for an elevated extension reaching New Lots Avenue and access to Flatbush Avenue via the underground Nostrand Avenue Line.

The Flushing Line, which is the sole IRT route in Queens, is largely elevated except near its tunnel under the East River and its terminal at Flushing–Main Street. Since 1942, this line has operated without track connections to other IRT lines but maintains a link to the BMT system through the BMT Astoria Line at Queensboro Plaza.

Subway Division

West Branch
- Broadway Line (stretching from Atlantic Avenue to 242nd Street, with endpoints at South Ferry and City Hall)
East Branch
- Lenox Avenue Line (running between Atlantic Avenue and 145th Street, terminating at South Ferry and City Hall)
- Westchester Avenue Branch (connecting 135th Street to 180th Street)

Manhattan Railway Division

Eastern Division
- Second Avenue Line (from South Ferry to 129th Street)
- Third Avenue Line (linking South Ferry to Bronx Park Terminal)
- City Hall Branch (connecting City Hall with Chatham Square)
- 34th Street Branch (running from Third Avenue to 34th Street Ferry)
- 42nd Street Branch (between 42nd Street and Grand Central)
- Willis Avenue Branch (stretching from 129th Street to Willis Avenue)
Western Division
- Sixth Avenue Line (operating from South Ferry to 155th Street, with a terminal at 58th Street)
- Ninth Avenue Line (serving the route from South Ferry to 155th Street)

The Bronx and Manhattan

Primary trunk routes:

Lexington Avenue Line, running beneath Park and Lexington Avenues, Lafayette Street, and Broadway
Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, following Broadway, Seventh Avenue, Varick Street, and West Broadway
Flushing Line, situated under 41st and 42nd Streets
42nd Street Line, located beneath 42nd Street

Branch routes:

Lenox Avenue Line, beneath Lenox Avenue and Central Park
White Plains Road Line, traveling under East 149th Street, then above Westchester Avenue, Southern Boulevard, Boston Road, and White Plains Road
Pelham Line, running beneath East 138th Street and Southern Boulevard, then over Westchester Avenue
Jerome Avenue Line, positioned under Grand Concourse, then over River and Jerome Avenues

Brooklyn and Queens

In Brooklyn, the IRT established three lines:

Eastern Parkway Line, extending beneath Fulton Street, Flatbush Avenue, and Eastern Parkway
New Lots Line, elevated along East 98th Street and Livonia Avenue
Nostrand Avenue Line, running below Nostrand Avenue

Within Queens, the only IRT line is the Flushing Line, which travels beneath 50th Avenue and over both Queens Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue.

River crossings

Important tunnels and bridges spanning the East and Harlem Rivers consist of:

Post-1940 Developments

Notable modifications and expansions after 1940 include:

The Dyre Avenue Line commenced operations in 1941, utilizing the former New York, Westchester and Boston Railway corridor
In October 1949, the combined BMT/IRT service on the Flushing Line was discontinued, with full control transferred to the IRT; concurrently, the BMT Astoria Line was reconfigured exclusively for BMT operations
The Lenox Avenue Line was extended to reach Harlem–148th Street in 1968
New island-platform stations at South Ferry on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line opened in March 2009; these stations were temporarily closed from October 2012 until June 2017 due to damage caused by Hurricane Sandy
The Flushing Line was extended beneath 41st Street and Eleventh Avenue to 34th Street–Hudson Yards, opening in September 2015

Preserved IRT Rolling Stock

A number of pre-unification IRT cars have been conserved in various museums, showcasing their historical and operational significance:

Revenue collection car G and elevated motorman training car 824 displayed at the Shore Line Trolley Museum
Former Manhattan Elevated cars 844 and 889 (originally Richmond Shipyard Railway cars 561 and 563) preserved at the Western Railway Museum, California
August Belmont Jr.'s personal railcar Mineola housed at the Shore Line Trolley Museum
Gibbs car number 3352 exhibited at the Seashore Trolley Museum
Deck Roof car 3662 maintained at Shore Line Trolley Museum
A collection of Lo-V cars preserved by institutions including the New York Transit Museum, Railway Preservation Corp., Shore Line Trolley Museum, and the Trolley Museum of New York
World's Fair Lo-V car 5655 retained by the New York Transit Museum