When it comes to the subway in New York City, it used to be something old and new.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority revealed Wednesday a revised map of the city's subway system that began with a backtrack in the 1970s, which was cheered by design connoisseurs for the first time and was condemned by many traditionalists.
This is the first major reform of the subway map, which will be introduced in nearly 50 years.
On the train platform of Times Square, the reveal of the map is another step in the MTA's movement to revitalize the subway image. The move comes as authorities lobbying billions to upgrade the city’s mass transportation system while defending Washington’s criticism of crime and congestion pricing.
The new map is a bright change on the current version, sacrificing some geographical details for clarity, reminiscent of the 1972 Unimark map, a modernist streamlining of the subway, which takes the Central Park as a square and straightens the curved outline of the system. The map was brief and was replaced in 1979 by a near-current version.
The MTA said the updated version has been shown on the digital monitor and will be released on the subway and platform in the next few weeks.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
Sean Piccoli Contribution report.
