NYC Mass Transit: 150 Years of History, 1870 – 2020

Photo courtesy of Andrew Sparberg

From the horse-powered streetcars and steam-powered elevated trains, to the modern subway system, this course will examine the past of New York City's mass transit through a multitude of technological and political changes. Public transit, it turns out, shaped and determined the New York metropolitan region's overall history for well over a century.

Come learn about how elevated trains stitched together the Five Boroughs and made consolidation possible. Examine the fractious story of the competing early twentieth century subway lines and how those historic opponents agreed on a comprehensive two-company system called the Dual Contracts.  When the Dual Contracts routes were not enough, in the 1920s a third system, the Independent, was conceived and built.  Finally in 1940, all three systems were united into one public sector operation.  We will review all of this fascinating history.

We will consider one of the city's most consequential debates that remade the urban landscape: the automobile versus transit. Together, we’ll discuss transit's successes, its human costs, and how this contentious past can help us affect a more just and better future.  This course will examine New York City’s mass transit history over the past century and a half. It will begin with the horse-powered streetcars and steam-powered elevated trains and will trace the history through the multitude of technological and political changes that created the modern subway system in the 20th century, while covering new 21st century challenges as well.

Students enrolled in the course will also enjoy a guided tour of the New York City Transit Museum on Friday, May 17. The museum will waive entrance fees for the visit.

Mondays, 7:00 - 8:30 PM
(Rescheduled) Online classes: April 8, 29, May 6, 17, 20
In-person at NY Transit Museum: Friday, May 17, 2 PM – 4 PM
$150 (5 sessions)

Meet your instructor

Andrew Sparberg

Andrew Sparberg is a lifelong New Yorker, born in Manhattan. He holds master’s degrees from Pratt Institute and NYU, and has spent 49 years in the transportation field, beginning with the Tri-State Regional Planning Commission in 1974. In 1982 he went to the Long Island Rail Road, where he spent the next 25 years in a variety of management positions. He retired from the LIRR in 2007 and since then he has instructed or directed college-level courses about transportation and New York City history. Since 2012, he has taught a three-credit course at City University of New York School of Labor and Urban Studies about NYC mass transit history.

He has delivered lectures at St, John’s University, Hofstra University, Molloy University, Columbia University, NYU, and Nassau Community College. From 2007 until 2012, he directed the Railway Electronics Program at Technical Career Institutes. He has presented numerous conference papers and history lectures, including over sixty events at the New York Transit Museum.

Mr. Sparberg is author of the 2015 book From a Nickel to a Token (Fordham University Press), a history of New York’s mass transit between 1940 and 1968. Prior to his own book, he was an associate editor and contributor for the 2010 edition of the Encyclopedia of New York City and served as technical editor of the 2007 book Long Island Rail Road by the well-known journalist Stan Fischler.