(Babies do not require a separate MetroCard.) Every rider needs their own individual MetroCard. MetroCards hold either a finite amount of credit or you can buy an unlimited week/month pass.

You can purchase a ticket at the automated vendors or by talking with the teller at a booth. Every time you enter a subway station you have to swipe your ticket (MetroCard) to access the train tracks. It happens to the best of us.Īs of Fall 2019, one ride costs $2.75 USD.

Get off at the next stop, walk up to street level, cross the street, and switch routes. If you do board a train headed in the opposite direction, don't freak out. It's important to know which direction you want to go and to enter that entrance accordingly, because not every station allows passengers to which sides of the tracks without incurring additional fees. Each entrance puts you on a different track. Usually, there are two entrances on either side of the same street. Note: subway lines are either numbers or letters. The key is to look at the signs above each station, indicating which subway lines it services and the direction each train is headed. Nonetheless, odds are you will be going underground. However, there are a few lines which travel above. As the name suggests, most subways operate below ground. There are a total of 36 different subway lines shuttling passengers across Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. But before you descend into the bowels of America's largest city, here are some tips for beginners. Cabs are expensive and usually slower due to traffic, so whether you're a local or just visiting, you'll likely have to traipse down the concrete subway stairs at some point. So suffice it to say: the subways can get pretty complicated. With 472 operational stations, the underground trains provided nearly two billion rides in 2017 alone. The New York City subway system is the largest of its kind in the entire world.

Nyc subway lines