Stretch Out Those Legs

The next time you are in a numbered NYC subway line and can actually find a seat, stretch out your legs. Then do the same the next time you are on a lettered NYC line. Here's the explanation:

"As the subways grew, so did the demand for them. They represent an evolution from the early days when the subways were privately operated. The first system, run by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, or IRT, comprised the numbered lines, including the 6. Those trains are narrower.

Later, when the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) and the city-owned Independent Rapid Transit Railroad (IND) lines (the lettered lines) were built, their sponsors determined that they needed larger cars for more capacity, said Charles Seaton, a spokesman for New York City Transit. The IND included what is now the E line.

For the statistics-minded, the transit agency says its A Division cars, on the numbered lines, are 8 feet 9 inches wide. The B division cars (lettered lines) are 10 feet wide."

The explanation is from the F.Y.I column in the NYT Sunday City section, one of my favorite parts of the paper, ranking right up there with Science on Tuesday and Dining In/Out on Wednesday.