New York subway – how to use the New York subway, payment, photos, travel tips

The subway in New York, as well as in many other major cities on the planet, is one of the most popular ways to travel within the city. With the help of high-speed subway trains, you can cover a huge distance in a matter of minutes, getting from one end of the metropolis to the other. While a similar journey on alternative transport – cars, taxis, buses – will take at least twice as long.

At the same time, the New York subway has a number of striking features that distinguish it from the rest of the world‘s subways. Today we will talk about these features, as well as the rules for using the most popular public transport in the American metropolis.

Travel rules and payment features

Unlike many other subways on the planet, passengers must pay the fare upon exiting. This is very convenient, because it allows not only to save valuable time for those who are late, but also to make the fare payment process more understandable. Payment is made using special cards.

You will need it as soon as you find yourself at a special turnstile. Even if you have any difficulties using it, the metro staff are always ready to help you, who will prompt and show you how to pay for the fare. There are some nuances, which we will talk about a little later.

The usual metro card itself costs only 1 dollar and provides for the possibility of replenishing the account through special terminals. If you plan to use the subway repeatedly, we advise you to purchase reusable payment cards (unlimited), which give the right to use this type of transport for several days – from one day to a month. At the same time, the number of trips is not limited in any way, which allows active tourists, businessmen and other categories of citizens to save a lot on moving around the city.

There are some nuances in using an unlimited card. So, at least 15 minutes must pass between the cycles of its use, which excludes the passage of two or more passengers on the metro using one card. But for organized groups of tourists, you can use another option: purchase one ordinary payment card for all, from the account of which the fare is deducted every time it enters the turnstile opening.

Buying a MetroCard

You can buy a card to pay for metro fares both in cash and with a bank card. This can be done in the metro or in many places in the city – kiosks, shops, and other outlets. Since this type of transport is very popular, this should not be a problem.

But when using cards issued by Russian banks, difficulties may arise. For example, in some cases, the terminal asked to enter a certain zip code, which not everyone knows. In this case, you can act in two ways: wait a few seconds in the hope that the payment will go through without entering these treasured numbers, or try to enter the first available numbers.

But if you are not sure, the easiest way is to make a payment in cash, saving both time and nerves. The same should be done when using a payment terminal to replenish an account.

If you have chosen a regular card to pay for the fare, do not forget to top it up. You can deposit any amount that you plan to spend, it is possible to replenish the account in the process of using the payment. But the unlimited card does not need to be replenished. The fare is already included in the price, and you can use this pass immediately after purchase. By the way, after the expiration date, such a pass automatically turns into a regular metro card, which you can safely replenish and use it further. It is very convenient and practical.

We pay through the turnstile

To pay for metro services, it is enough to swipe the card on a special reader. The first attempts to use payments often fail. If the owner of a regular card swipes the reader incorrectly, he will lose an amount equal to the payment for one trip. But the owners of unlimited cards can become a hostage to the situation, because its incorrect use will cause a temporary blocking of the MetroCard (15-20 minutes). You can resolve this misunderstanding by contacting the cashier and explaining the situation.

You will be notified by the green signal of the turnstile and the inscription “Go” that you have done everything correctly. Otherwise, a special mechanism will not let you through.

Features of the movement of trains

For Russian tourists who are used to the fact that all trains run along the same route, making stops at the same stations, there is a surprise in the New York subway. The fact is that at the same station you can board trains that run on completely different routes, it is possible to get to cardinally opposite points of the city. On the one hand, this is very convenient, and on the other hand, you will have to wait longer for the composition you need.

In order not to get confused and, as a result, choose the right train, you should learn to understand the train numbers, study each route and the frequency of the trains. It is difficult only at first glance, but you will be able to figure it out in a few minutes! The scheme can be bought at any subway booth, at kiosks near the exits at the station, and also installed as a special application on your smartphone. Please note: the compositions can be numbered both in numbers and in Latin letters. For example, “A”, “Q”, “1”, etc. These designations are used for the numbering of metro lines and passenger trains.

By the way, when studying the train schedule, you can pay attention to the fact that some stations are indicated by white circles, and some by black ones. The former say that only “express trains” stop at them, while the latter indicate the place of pick-up and drop-off of passengers who travel on “local trains”. This should also be taken into account when boarding the subway.

Transplants

MetroCard holders enjoy another bonus. Within two hours, they have the right to transfer from metro to bus or vice versa. This gives, albeit insignificant, but still a pleasant savings. For example, if $2.25 is deducted from your account for the metro, then when you board the bus you will have to pay only $3.25 (despite the standard bus fare being $5.5).

Also, New York subway customers enjoy the right to make an unlimited number of transfers from one subway line to another. And they are all free!

Subway operating hours

Another memorable feature of the New York City Subway is the subway schedule. Despite the fact that many stations operate around the clock, some routes stop accepting passenger trains at nightfall and even on weekends. This should be taken into account by everyone who is planning a business or sightseeing trip around the metropolis.

To find out the schedule of each metro station, you need to study the train schedule. To do this, just go to the MTA website and enter the route you are interested in. If you forgot to do this and ended up on the other side of the city from the hotel where you stayed, do not despair. After all, in New York there are many other ways to get to your destination, even late at night or on a weekend!

The rest of the subway operates daily throughout the calendar year. More than 4 million people use the carrier's services every day, among which you can meet not only vulnerable segments of the population, but also successful businessmen, politicians, and municipal authorities.

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Interesting information

In total, the New York subway has over 6 thousand trains, each of which consists of 6-11 cars. Despite the low fare on the subway (only $ 2.25), the fine for traveling without a ticket against this background is quite large and amounts to $ 100.

The New York subway can be safely called the most diverse and most unusual in the world. In the cars you can meet not only sellers of consumer goods typical for Russia, but also musicians, magicians, artists and writers. Watching their vivid performances, you can easily miss the desired station. So be vigilant!