Dennis Saul
The 1930s in New York City was a decade of economic hardship, but underground, a massive transit system was in constant motion. For a single nickel, the subway offered New Yorkers a way to look for work, get to a job, or simply escape their daily struggles. This was not one unified system, but three separate companies competing for passengers beneath the city streets.
Competing Systems: IRT, BMT, and IND
The subway experience of the 1930s was defined by which company’s line you were riding. The two oldest were private entities: the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) and the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit (BMT). Their trains and stations, many built decades earlier, were the workhorses of the system.
The major event of the decade was the arrival of a third system. In 1932, the city-owned and operated Independent Subway System (IND) opened its first line, the Eighth Avenue line. The IND was designed to be a modern competitor to the private companies. Its stations were brighter and more spacious, with a simple, clean tile design. The IND’s cars were wider and longer than those on the IRT, offering a more comfortable ride.
The Power of the Nickel
Throughout the Great Depression, the subway fare remained fixed at five cents. This “nickel fare” was a political promise and a lifeline for the city’s population. In a time when a loaf of bread cost seven cents, the ability to travel anywhere in the system for a nickel was essential. The low fare ensured that even the poorest New Yorkers could afford to travel across the boroughs in search of employment.
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The Rider’s Environment
Inside a subway car of the 1930s, riders sat on wicker or rattan seats. With no air conditioning, circulation came from ceiling fans that stirred the heavy air in the summer. During rush hour, passengers who could not find a seat clung to leather straps hanging from the ceiling, giving them the name “straphangers.”
Above ground, elevated train lines, or “Els,” were a dominant feature of the cityscape, particularly in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. These structures, operated by the IRT and BMT, plunged entire avenues into shadow. The roar of the trains passing overhead was a constant part of the city’s soundtrack.
Building Through the Depression
Despite the dire economic conditions, subway construction continued. The IND system expanded throughout the decade, with new lines opening in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. This work was funded in large part by money from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs. The construction provided thousands of desperately needed jobs for laborers and engineers, making the subway’s expansion a key part of the city’s economic relief efforts. By the end of the decade, work had begun on the IND’s Sixth Avenue line in Manhattan, a massive project that required tunneling directly through the heart of the city.
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