Rochester subway

Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit Railway (Rochester subway)

Former subway bed under Broad Street
Overview
Headquarters	Rochester, New York
Reporting mark	RSB
Locale	City of Rochester and Brighton, New York
Dates of operation	December 1, 1927; 96 years ago (1927-12-01)[1]–June 30, 1956; 68 years ago (1956-06-30)[1]
Predecessor	Erie Canal
Successor	Interstate 490 Interstate 590
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	600v DC
Length	About 7 miles (11 km)

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Legend
General Motors shops   Driving Park B&O to Charlotte NYC to Charlotte Lexington Glenwood Emerson Kodak Park Dewey Ave surface connection Edgerton Park originally Felix Street Lyell Avenue NYC / RL&B connection tunnel portal Oak Street Loop B&O connection Main & Oak storage tracks City Hall Broad Street Bridge over Genesee River tunnel portal Court Street LV connection │ South Ave Loop Clinton (proposed) Meigs–Goodman Monroe Culver Colby Winton former shops East Avenue R&S connection Halfway Highland Rochester Brighton Ashbourne NYC connection Elmwood Sunset Rowlands R&E connection

The Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit Railway (reporting mark RSB), more commonly known as the Rochester subway, was a light rail rapid transit line in the city of Rochester, New York that operated from 1927 to 1956. The subway was constructed in the bed of the old Erie Canal, which allowed the route to be grade-separated for its entire length. Two miles (3.2 km) of the route through downtown were constructed in a cut-and-cover tunnel that became Broad Street, and the only underground portion of the subway.

The railroad was designed to reduce interurban traffic on city streets and to facilitate freight interchange between the railroads. The line was operated on a contract basis by New York State Railways from 1927 to 1938, and by the Rochester Transit Corporation (RTC) from 1938 until its closure.

The last day of passenger service was June 30, 1956. Portions of the right-of-way were used for expressway construction, while the rest was abandoned and filled in over the years. The largest remaining section is a stretch of tunnel under Broad Street from Exchange Street to the intersection of Court Street and South Avenue.