MTA Celebrates Centennial of Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit with Commemorative Vintage Train Rides

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), on June 15, celebrated the historic milestone of the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation’s (BMT) one hundredth anniversary since its creation with commemorative rides on a vintage BMT train in Brooklyn. New York City Transit President Richard Davey and New York Transit Museum Director Concetta Bencivenga joined rail fans for a ride along a BMT Standard nostalgia train from Kings Highway station in Sheepshead Bay to 18 Avenue station in Kensington. The BMT Standard nostalgia trains operated to and from Kings Highway and 18 Avenue stations every half hour from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m to mark the historic occasion.

On June 15, 1923, BMT took over operations of the bankrupt Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT) company and quickly introduced new subway cars known as AB Standards whose mid-century modern technological legacy extends to the modern-day subway car. Some of the BMT’s original transit routes are still in existence today including the J, Z, L, M, N, Q and R lines. The BMT remained a competitor to the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and the Independent Subway System (IND) until June 12, 1940, when the BMT and IRT were sold to New York City and the subways became unified forming the basis of today’s system.

-via Press Release

This article was posted on: June 16, 2023