What Would It Take to Fix New York City’s Subway System?

Company Conversations with Clifton Hood

The 722-mile NYC subway system was once the gold-standard of underground transportation. However, by running 24-hours per day, which provides zero time for maintenance, and using a 100-year-old signal system, things have gone off-track.

With long delays, endless construction, and outdated stations… it’s clear that the NYC subway system is in need of a serious overhaul.

But before we can move forward, Professor Clifton Hood will shed light on the history of the subway system, how we got to where we are today, and will share solutions on solving this headache.

Clifton Hood is George E. Paulsen ’49 Professor of American History and Government at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where he teaches courses about the history of New York City, American urban history, ethnicity and immigration, American environmental history, and the late 19th and early 20th century U.S. He is the author of 722 Miles:  he Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York and of In Pursuit of Privilege: A History of New York City’s Upper Class and the Making of a Metropolis.