New York Subway Map 2026 – MTA Timetable, Tickets & Prices

Opened on October 27, 1904, the New York Subway is one of the oldest subway systems in the world. This factor should be taken literally in the case of the subway operated by MTA New York City Transit. A large proportion of the routes date back to the period between 1904 and 1940; signals and trains have been modernized since then. Further sections of the New York subway were built after that, including the extension of the 7 line and the Second Avenue Subway. Compared to the period of expansion before 1940, the metro’s basic structure has nevertheless remained largely in place.

Nonetheless, the New York Metro extends over 248 route miles, or around 399 kilometers; comparisons with the London Underground depend on how each network is defined. The city’s 472 subway stations are served by 25 lines, including three so-called shuttles. Route groups can be identified by their colors on the New York Subway Map. Incidentally, each of the route groups listed here has a name that provides information about the course of the route (see list). As is common in many US cities, the subway in New York does not run exclusively in tunnels, but also partly above ground on elevated tracks.

The New York subway lines at a glance

• IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line (red)
• IRT Lexington Avenue Line (green)
• IRT Flushing Line (purple)
• IND Eighth Avenue Line (blue)
• IND Sixth Avenue Line (orange)
• IND Crosstown Line (light green)
• BMT Nassau Street Line (brown)
• BMT Canarsie Line (light gray)
• BMT Broadway Line (yellow)
• IND Rockaway Line (dark gray)
• BMT Franklin Avenue Line (dark gray)
• IRT 42nd Street Shuttle (dark gray)

Things are different in the USA than in “Old Europe”, to borrow a phrase used by then US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in 2003. This also applies to the New York subway. While in Europe there is usually no difference between the routes and lines, this is particularly the case in New York. Several route groups are often divided into two to four lines. Exceptions are the extremely short shuttles, which are marked in dark gray on the New York Subway Map. The resulting 25 lines serve different branches, while Express Lines stop only at selected subway stations. The New York Subway Map is standard equipment for every tourist to keep an overview.

The orientation of the subway network makes it easier for passengers, including New York visitors, to find their way around; in 2025, the Subway recorded around 1.3 billion rides and the city welcomed 65 million visitors. If you want to travel from north (uptown) to south (downtown) in New York, for example, follow the “Downtown” signs at the entrance and on the platform. Trains traveling in the opposite direction, marked “Uptown”, depart from an opposite or separate platform, depending on the station. The stations are also easy to identify as many are named after a well-known place or the respective street or avenue.

The New York operating company MTA relies on a uniform fare of 3.00 $ for regular trips throughout the subway system. This makes using the metro very easy and convenient, even for non-residents.

Contactless OMNY payment also makes traveling on New York’s popular means of transport more convenient. The MetroCard, introduced in 1994, has not been sold or refilled since January 1, 2026; existing cards can still be used. Instead of the MetroCard with its magnetic stripe, passengers can use a contactless bank card, smartphone or OMNY Card; OMNY charges for individual trips and automatically caps spending over seven days. Alternatively, the OMNY Card can also be used as a prepaid card from which the fare for a single journey is automatically debited. What is interesting here is that OMNY automatically limits spending on regular trips within seven days to 35.00 $.

A paid subway entry is valid in New York regardless of the direction of travel until you leave the paid station area; a new entry requires another contactless payment. However, as many visitors to New York want to use the subway for sightseeing, the rolling seven-day OMNY fare cap can be a better choice for frequent trips; you pay only for trips taken, up to 35.00 $. For people aged 65 or over and those with a qualifying disability, there is a reduced OMNY fare of 1.50 $ per subway trip and a seven-day cap of 17.50 $. The New York Explorer Pass is a tourist card for selected attractions; subway trips are paid separately with OMNY. Offers such as the “New York Explorer Pass” are also available from this tourism company together with an OMNY Card.

For the New York Subway, you can pay contactlessly at the turnstile or buy an OMNY Card at station vending machines and participating stores. Green and red station globes mark subway entrances; OMNY Cards and Single Ride OMNY Tickets are available from vending machines in subway stations. A red globe at a station entrance does not indicate whether the station has a ticket vending machine. Alternatively, the OMNY Card is also available at participating Walgreens, CVS, 7-Eleven and independent stores.

In contrast to a ticket bought in advance, contactless OMNY payment with a bank card or smartphone requires no ticket purchase before the trip. OMNY payment is made only when the card or smartphone is held against the reader before the platform. As soon as the word “GO” appears on the reader display, you can pass through the turnstile and use the subway until you leave the paid station area. The rolling OMNY weekly cap, on the other hand, starts with the first tap and lasts seven days; a 30-day unlimited product is no longer sold.

The New York Subway occupies a special position in terms of its operation. It is one of the few subway systems that operate continuously seven days a week. So night owls in New York don’t have to resort to expensive cabs to get from A to B, either during the week or at the weekend. However, not all lines operate around the clock. The current MTA late-night map, rather than the New York Subway Map shown here, shows exactly which ones. So it’s all the more important to check it before the trip. The timetable in New York can change at the weekend due to planned construction work. Information about alternative routes to attractions such as the Empire State Building or Times Square is then usually communicated via loudspeaker announcements and MTA service notices.

As the New York Subway Map does not show a detailed timetable, travelers have to orient themselves according to the time of day. While the 1 train from South Ferry towards the Bronx runs about every 6 minutes around midday on weekdays according to the schedule, the interval is shorter during rush hour. On weekdays between 7:00 AM and 9:30 AM and between 4:00 PM and 6:30 PM, New York’s subway lines run more frequently; the 1 train from South Ferry towards the Bronx, for example, runs every 5 minutes around 8:00 AM. At night, however, the 1 train from South Ferry towards the Bronx runs every 20 minutes, for example.

To the New York subway line schedules

• IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line (1, 2, 3)
• IRT Lexington Avenue Line (4, 5, 6, 6-Express)
• IRT Flushing Line (7, 7-Express)
• IND Eighth Avenue Line (A, C, E)
• IND Sixth Avenue Line (B, D, F, M)
• IND Crosstown Line (G)
• BMT Nassau Street Line (J, Z)
• BMT Canarsie Line (L)
• BMT Broadway Line (N, Q, R, W)
• IND Rockaway Line
• BMT Franklin Avenue Line
• IRT 42nd Street Shuttle

Who is the biggest US movie star? George Clooney, Emma Watson, Angelina Jolie or Leonardo DiCaprio? All wrong. The real big Hollywood star is the New York subway. It has also appeared in movies in recent decades. The New York Subway is featured in films such as French Connection (1971), Ghost (1990), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Money Train (1995), Men in Black II (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Knowing (2009).

However, if you want to discover some of the filming locations, you cannot do so on the usual subway routes, as disused sections of track are also used for filming. One of these particularly mystical sections is the secret subway station under City Hall, which opened in 1904 but was closed again in 1945. The trains became far too long for the platforms there. If you want to discover the historic station, take the 6 line (Lexington Avenue Line) to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall in downtown Manhattan; the New York Transit Museum offers tours of the platform for members. To change direction back towards Uptown, the 6 line runs through the closed “City Hall Loop” station.

You might also be interested in these metro maps – for comparison or for your next trip:

• PATH Train Map
• LA Metro Map
• DC Metro Map
• Boston T Map
• Montreal Metro Map
• Mexico City Metro Map
• all metro maps