Heavy Rail Transit

The Historic Systems

The oldest heavy rail systems in the United States were built before World War II, some of them as early as the 19th century. These systems were generally built by private companies and later taken over by local governments dedicated to keeping the systems in operation. The best known of the early systems is the New York City Subway.

A subway system of nine lines serving 27 stations opened for business at 7 p.m. on October 27, 1904. The receipts for the first day of operations totaled $5,594.05, representing 111,881 nickel fares. The entire sum was donated to hospitals in the city. Calls for expansion were almost immediate, and in 1913 the city signed contracts for the construction of another 123 miles, using both public and private capital.

The first passengers rode Chicago's famous L on June 6, 1892, when 30 people rode the Chicago and South Side Transit Railroad from 39th Street to the Congress Street Terminal. Extension came quickly in Chicago as well. By 1893, when the World's Columbian Exposition opened in Chicago, service ran to 63rd Street and Jackson Park.

In 1897 Frank J. Sprague invented a multiunit train control system for use on the L that allowed multiple railcars to be fitted with motors and eliminated the need for locomotive-hauled trains in rapid transit service. Boston (1897) and Philadelphia (1936) also had systems in operation during the first decade of heavy rail use in the United States.

These early systems were constructed with stations placed close together in order to reach more pedestrian patrons, Speeds were slower, and cars were shorter, designed for the tight corners characteristic of the urban areas they served. On February 4, 1952, nearly 20 years after Philadelphia's heavy rail line began operation, the Cleveland Transit System broke ground for a new heavy rail system. Service began on March 15, 1955. The Cleveland system was an anomaly. The period after World War II saw the automobile become the major mode of transportation.

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