Rochester Subway

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Rochester Subway

Reporting marks	RSB
Locale	Rochester, NY
Dates of operation	1928 – 1957
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Rochester, NY

The Rochester Subway (AAR reporting marks RSB) or Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit Railway was an underground rapid transit system of the city of Rochester, New York during 1928–1956. Contemporary photos show, however, that like Boston's Green Line, it used single streetcar vehicles, and so using today's terms would likely be described as a light rail system, even though a large portion of it ran underground. Unlike the Green Line, the Rochester Subway ran on its own private, grade-separated right of way through its entire length.

In 1900, the Erie Canal was re-routed to by-pass downtown Rochester, and in 1919 the abandoned canal was bought to serve as the core of the subway. The subway was built below, and the subway's roof was turned into Broad Street. Only two miles of the Rochester Subway were actually located in the tunnel. The rest of the route was located in an open cut. The term "subway" did not refer to the tunnel, but to the fact that the route was grade-separated and operated as rapid transit. Connecting interurban lines were routed into the Subway connection, and off city streets, further helping the surface traffic congestion situation that was developing in Rochester.

When the Utica streetcar system was abandoned in the late 1930s, New York State Railways transferred the relatively newer steel cars to Rochester to replace the 2000-series center-door cars that had been in service since the opening of the Subway. The Utica cars served until the end of passenger service on June 30, 1956. Car #60 was saved for preservation, and is currently undergoing restoration by the Rochester Chapter, NRHS.

The subway from Court Street to Rowlands was replaced by the Eastern Expressway in 1956. Limited freight service operated by connecting railroads lasted on the subway route from Court Street to General Motors until 1976, when the City of Rochester elected to fill the cut to eliminate the numerous bridges. Rail freight deliveries in the actual subway tunnel continued until 1996, when Gannett Newspapers moved their printing operations to another location.

Stations on subway consisted of:

General Motors (loop and shops location)
Driving Park
Lexington Avenue
Glenwood
Emerson Street
Edgerton Park
Lyell Avenue
West Main Street
City Hall
Court Street
Clinton Avenue
Meigs-Goodman
Monroe Avenue
Culver Road
Colby
Winton Road (former shops location)
East Avenue
Halfway
Highland
Ashbourne
Elmwood Avenue
Sunset
Rowlands (loop)

Kodak Park (via Dewey Ave surface route)

[edit] Fleet

L1 locomotive - electric locomotive
L2 locomotive - Plymouth Locomotive Works of Plymouth, Ohio - 1937
0205 locomotive - Jewett Car Company of Newark, Ohio - 1903

[edit] Current rapid transit proposals

There are proposals to build a new rapid transit system in Rochester, some of which might use some of the old tunnels. Another proposal is to transform the Broad Street Aqueduct into an underground walkway with a Rochester Transportation Museum. The city may also simply fill in the tunnels with dirt or with water, re-routing the Erie Canal and restoring the Aqueduct to its original purpose.

As of June 15th, 2006, the city has promised to form a committee that will investigate all of the proposals and reach a decision by 2008.