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 in the city of Rochester, New York from 1928 to 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.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1900, the Erie Canal was re-routed to bypass 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 easing the surface traffic congestion that was developing in Rochester.

When the Utica streetcar system was abandoned in the late 1930s, New York State Railways transferred the relatively new 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.

[edit] Stations

Stations on the subway (in order from west to east) consisted of:

  • Kodak Park (via Dewey Ave surface route)
  • 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)

[edit] Fleet

[edit] Current rapid transit proposals

Now, the subway sits abandoned. There is much controversy over what should be done with it. In the words of Laurie Mercer, "It’s either a giant hole waiting to be filled with dirt or an impressive asset in a city that needs to revitalize its downtown."[1]

Rochester officials want to do something with the old tunnels, because it costs them an estimated $1.2 million in repairs and shoring up every year to maintain them as they are. [1] There were proposals to use some of the old tunnels in a new Rochester rapid transit system. Another proposal was to transform the Broad Street Aqueduct into an underground walkway connecting the Rochester Riverside Convention Center with the Blue Cross Arena . A component of this walkway would include a Rochester Transportation Museum. Some suggested filling the remaining subway tunnel with water, re-routing the Erie Canal and restoring the aqueduct to its original purpose.

But the proposal Rochester city officials decided on, in 2004, was to fill the remaining subway tunnel with dirt. This decision caused public outcry in Rochester, where residents regard the subway as part of their history. [1]

On June 15, 2006, the city promised to form a committee to investigate all possible options. The committee will reveal its decision in 2008.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Mercer, Laurie. "Rochester Ponders Future of Once Vibrant Subway", Construction Equipment Guide, 2007-10-31. Retrieved on 2008-01-08. 

[edit] External links

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