My latest new NYC subway experience was a year or two ago when I took the new extension of the Nbr 7 train, as it goes west/southwest from Times Square down and a little further to the west side, ending in the Jacob Javits Center area (my destination on that trip). What really got me was how insanely deep the line runs at that point. Two extremely many-stories-high banks of multiple escalators move passengers between the train level and the street level, with a giant mezzanine level between them. Of course being built in the last decade and not more than century ago, the station is super modern in every way.
While that is a fact, I remind people that much of the NYC subway system has the historical advantage and modern disadvantage of mostly being built many decades ago. For NYC to tear it all down and rebuild it all “modern” today, would likely bankrupt the city if not the city and state. The most that can be hoped for is incremental improvements.
Actually, having begun experiencing the NYC subways in 1970, I can safely say it has undergone many incremental improvements since then. The war with graffiti has mostly been won for instance and though not “pristine” by any measure it is cleaner than it used to be.
Yes, just like the extension on the Q line is very interesting - you have to take three escalators down to get on a train - as you would do in London. That’s the place to be if there is ever an attack, lol! I haven’t been on the 7 to see what you’re talking about but I imagine it is similar. Graffiti has been gone from the subways for years. It’s a good system. My only problem is the crowding and the poor announcement system that can’t be heard or understood. You’d think they’d fix that!
We’re probably the only fans of the subways of NYC on FR.
The 7 train runs quite deep. In Grand Central, you have two levels of subway (not to mention two levels of Metro North trains with the LIRR connection a year or so away). You have the 4-5-6 trains down a couple flights of stairs and then deeper below that runs the 7 train. Over at Javits Center by 34th Street, those multi-story escalators you mention are very impressive. I take the train there from my office on warm days so I can walk the High Line during lunch. Some amazing skyscrapers currently going up in that area as well.