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New York Public Library Transforms Underground Train into a ‘Subway Library’

By Kelly Richman-Abdou on June 9, 2017

Attention, New Yorkers! Thanks to an inspiring initiative by the New York Public Library and the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), your morning commute just got a little bit better. “Subway Library,” a free digital platform, invites and encourages passengers to “browse and download books, short stories, chapters and excerpts that can be read quickly and easily during your commute.”

For a 6-week stint, passengers can access all of Subway Library's titles through Transit Wireless, a WiFi network available to travelers in trains and stations. Once connected, commuters are presented with a plethora of digital books, short stories, and excerpts that have been donated to the New York Public Library by publishers. With hundreds of pieces to choose from, book-loving commuters are guaranteed a pleasant, page-turning journey no matter the distance (or delays!).

To celebrate the launch of Subway Library, the MTA has given one lucky train a festive makeover. On its exterior, colorful letters spell out “Subway Library.” Inside, seats are camouflaged as shelves, “bricks” line the walls, and a reproduction of the historic ceiling found in the New York Public Library's recently-reopened Rose Main Reading Room has been installed overhead. For a limited time, you can find this spirited train as it alternates between the E and F lines in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.