Subway System in Rochester NY by Andre Alves Pittsford
Andre Alves Rochester NY Subway System Rochester
Rochester NY had an amazing subway system that has been abandoned for over 55 years. Complete with tunnels, rails, stations and rail cars. The Rochester subway system or what is left of it once was Rochester’s pride and joy mentions Andre Alves.
“I grew up in a city where we had a large subway system.” mentions Andre from Rochester NY.
“The subway always helped me to get places quickly and avoid traffic and high gas prices, I am afraid the same does not happen in Rochester NY.” remembers Andre Alves
Rochester is a planned city, in the early 1920s engineers already made plans for the future. It was expected that Rochester NY was going to be a big city and needed an infrastructure in order to keep up with its growth.
Andre Alves Rochester NY | Rochester Subway Sytem NY | NY Subway System in Rochester
Other cities like Chicago, IL were also planned on prediction, however they grew as expected. Somehow Rochester NY failed to grow. Because of that its subway system was terminated and closed for good.
The city of Rochester spent an approximated 12 million dollars in 1921 in order to develop and build Rochester’s modern subway system. The City of Rochester purchased abandoned canal land from the New York State in order to build its subway system reminds Andre from Rochester NY.
Andre Alves Rochester NY Subway System Rochester
“I remember going to the Rochester NY public library way before the internet was invented and researching the historical books there. I used to look at the newspaper clippings from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. I could never understand why a subway system would be closed.” says Andre Alves from Rochester NY.
The Rochester NY subway system ran from Brighton NY (Elmwood Ave) all the way to the North of Rochester NY. Even for today’s standards and the population needs when it comes to public transportation.
It would take a major investment in order to revitalize the subway system in Rochester NY, a lot of the old sites where the outside lines used to run where replaced by expressways leaving some of the subway stations with no place to have train tracks.
Andre Alves Rochester NY Subway System Rochester
According to Andre, the most famous Rochester NY subway station is the building where the Dinosaur BBQ is located in the downtown Rochester NY. The former subway train station is in very good shape and offers an amazing view of the Genesee River in the historical downtown Rochester. The food is awesome, my cousins from South Carolina always want to eat at the Dinosaur BBQ in Rochester NY.
Some of the forgotten subway stations can also serve as shelter for the homeless in Rochester NY. It is reported that a lot of the homeless population from Rochester NY live in some of the underground abandoned subway stations.
Andre Alves really hopes that one day we can revitalize the subway and use it again, with gas prices close to $4 per gallon it would be a great idea to have a public transportation system (subway) that could transport passengers on a quick and inexpensive way.
“Having a strong public transportation system also helps the environment when it comes to pollution. If we all could leave our cars at home and be able to use a reliable public transportation system the pollution against the environment would drop significantly.” mentions Andre Alves from Rochester NY.
More info on the Rochester NY municipal archives: http://www3.libraryweb.org/home2.aspx
More subway information:
http://www.rochestersubway.com
http://www.calameo.com/read/000589704d8204b3b50fc
http://issuu.com/andreleitealves/docs/rochester-ny-subway-system-andre-alves-rochester
http://pdfcast.org/pdf/rochester-ny-subway-system-andre-alves-rochester
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/7869802/andre_alves_rochester_ny_subway_system_rochester/
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xn0iy1_andre-alves-rochester-ny-subway-system-rochester_travel
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andreleitealves/sets/72157628437760007/
Mike says:
Great article Andre. It’s somewhat sad to think that we had a world-class transit system back in the 1920′s and we threw it away. A subway line, streetcars, commuter rail lines to and from distant cities, all downtown. We had one of the most beautiful train stations in the world on Central Ave. We had a vibrant (walkable) city, growing economy, and bright future. Then we tossed it all aside; tore it all down and replaced it with asphalt. We’ve been in decline ever since. Coincidence?