Did you know that Rochester once had its own subway system!? The Rochester Subway was in operation from 1927 to 1956. The subway cars were powered by overhead electric lines, not a "third rail" like in New York City, so they looked more like trolley cars.

After the Erie Canal was re-routed out of downtown Rochester, the leftover structure was used to create the subway. Broad Street was built above ground and a subway tunnel beneath. The "Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit Railway" was opened in December of 1927 to both reduce surface traffic on the street level as well as carry freight between the railroads that serviced our city.

Many believe that the subway was never really used to its full potential and there were service and quality issues from the beginning. Ultimately, the city decided to discontinue subway service in 1955 and build the I-490 Eastern Expressway. Today, some parts of the abandoned subway system have been filled in and others simply lie empty.