History
New York's first metro system began operation in October 1904. At that time, the subway only ran in Manhattan, counted 28 stations and 17 kilometres (9.1 miles) of track. The operation of this first New York metro system was managed by a private company; the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT). One year later - in 1905 - the IRT began service to the Bronx and in 1915 to Queens. In 1915, another private metro company, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (later the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation or BMT), started to run a metro line between Brooklyn and Manhattan. Two decades later, in 1932, the city's Board of Transportation created the Independent City-owned Rapid Transit Railroad to provide the first public subway service. Then in 1940, the city purchased the BMT and IRT to become the sole owner and operator of all New York's subway and elevated lines. In 1953, the New York State Legislature created the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA; now the NYC Transit) as a separate public corporation to manage and operate these city-owned metro lines. Between 1940 and 1988, former BMT and IRT lines were linked, but virtually no new lines or stations were built. Three stations were opened in 1988 together with the Archer Avenue Line and three stations in October 1989 when the 63rd St Line opened. All other stations and lines were built between 1904 and 1940.

Today, New York's metro system has grown to 469 stations, 25 lines, and 1,050 kilometres (656 miles) of track. The system carries a total of 3.5 million daily passengers and has a total of 5,840 railcars. The design of New York's metro stations reflect three different architectural styles; the styles of the two private companies who built their stations between 1904 and 1940 - the IRT and BMT - and the modern style of the six stations which were built by the city-owned Rapid Transit Railroad.

Source: López, M.J.J., Crime Prevention Guidelines for the Construction & Management of Metro Systems, Den Haag: RCM-advies 1996, pg. 20-23.

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