Rochester Subway Map (1928)

About the 1928 Rochester Subway Map

Most people have no idea that Rochester, NY ever had a subway. But from 1927 until 1956, red and cream colored trolley cars and four-car commuter trains rushed through tunnels beneath downtown Rochester — above ground from the General Motors plant all the way to Elmwood Avenue and Rowlands.

Built within the old Erie Canal bed and formally named the Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit Railway, it was known to most as simply “the Subway” and was built to ease interurban traffic from the streets of Rochester. It also served as an interchange for the five railroads that entered the city and as a link to interurban lines serving the east and west.

When the subway opened in 1928, it was celebrated as a rebirth for the old canal and aqueduct as a new “instrument of transportation and commerce.” There were several proposals in its final years that would have significantly expanded the line from downtown to Pittsford, Charlotte Beach, and the airport. The Subway was never really meant to die, but the desire to connect downtown Rochester with the New York State Thruway via a highway connection in the 1950s ultimately sealed its fate. By the 1960s the eastern end of the route was transformed into I-490 and I-590 while the western end was gradually lost to various developments.

A compilation of various railroad, streetcar, and subway maps including the Electric Railroader's Association map by Vitaly Uzoff and Chas W. Yingling this map shows the entire length of the old subway line, although certain segments were opened and operated at various times between 1928-1956.

PLEASE NOTE: There is a typo in this map. Genesee River is misspelled with two S's. Unfortunately this is the only version we have in inventory. Consider this before you buy.

For more about the history of the real Rochester Subway, visit RochesterSubway.com.