The New York City Subway in the 1970s: The Photos

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Saturday Night Fever on the Subway

John Travolta sits on a bench inside a subway car painted with graffiti in a still from Saturday Night Fever in 1977.

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Multi-Tasking on the Subway

Three people use their ride on the 2 train (7 Avenue Express) for other tasks; one man catches some zzzs, a woman reads the paper, while another man grabs a bite.

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Neil Diamond Rides the Rails

American singer-songwriter Neil Diamond at a photo shoot in the Times Square subway station on November 11, 1975.

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Vote for Jimmy Carter

A sign for Jimmy Carter's 1976 presidential campaign in a subway car.

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An Abandoned Idea

Phyllis Cerf Wagner, the head of a beautification committee advising the MTA in the late '70s, explores the City Hall station in—which shut down in 1945. Wagner’s idea to open a restaurant in the abandoned market never saw the light of day.

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Inside the Subway

Passengers line the rows of seats on the train in 1976.

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Morning Commuters

Passengers ride the Lexington Avenue line, which consists of the 4, 5, and 6 trains.

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A Full Car

A woman grasps onto the handrails as she stands in a subway car in 1976.

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An Even Fuller Car

Passengers who didn't snag a seat fight for a grip on the car's handrails.

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Subway Grafitti

The 1970s were known as the Subway Graffiti era in New York City. Here, you can see riders in 1976, surrounded by drawings in a train car.

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More Graffiti

A wall in the 116 Street subway station in East Harlem in May 1973. Graffiti was rampant underground, as New York was in a budget crisis and lacked the funding to combat crime on the transit.

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And Even More Graffiti

According to New York Grafitti artist, Hector Nazario, the Graffiti markings appeared quickly. "It started with someone just writing their name - someone saw that, and added on to it," he told the BBC.

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125th Street Station

A man stands at the 125th Street elevated train subway platform in May 1973.

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Riding the Broadway Local

A man riding the Broadway Local line in May 1973 sits on a seat that is covered in grafitti.

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Waiting on the Tracks

A man stands on a subway station platform as a train car passes by in May 1975.

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Making a Stop

A woman sits inside a subway car and waits for doors to close in 1973.

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The Above Ground Cars

A subway car waits at a station platform in 1972.

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The Elevated Railway

Some parts of the subway system are above ground and are part of the Elevated Railway, which is referred to as the "El."

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Waving Farewell

Opera star Renata Scotto waves from a subway car, as she and other members of the Metropolitan Opera head downtown for a free rehearsal performance at Pace University on April 11, 1977.

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Rock and Roll Rails

The band The Records pose by a subway train on September 8, 1979.

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