Interborough Rapid Transit Company

Interborough Rapid Transit Company
Overview
StatusIncorporated into the New York City Subway
OwnerCity of New York
Service
TypeUnderground and above-ground metro
Operator(s)New York City Transit Authority
Depot(s)239th Street Yard, 240th Street Yard,
Corona Yard, East 180th Street Yard,
Jerome Yard, Livonia Yard, Westchester Yard
Rolling stockR62, R62A, R142, R142A, R188
History
Opened1904; 120 years ago (1904)
(acquisition of the Manhattan Railway Company)
Closed1940; 84 years ago (1940)
(acquisition by the NYC Board of Transportation)
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Minimum radius147.25 ft (44.88 m)[1]
The IRT Powerhouse
An old IRT sign remains at Wall Street station.

The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was the private operator of New York City's original underground subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City.[2] The IRT was purchased by the city on June 12, 1940, along with the younger BMT and IND systems, to form the modern New York City Subway. The former IRT lines (the numbered routes in the current subway system) are now the A Division or IRT Division of the Subway.

  1. ^ "NYC Minimum Curve Radius". Archived from the original on March 18, 2012.
  2. ^ "About New York; Alphabet Soup: Telling an IRT From a BMT". The New York Times. June 30, 1990. Retrieved March 14, 2016.