New York City Has Its First New Subway Map in Nearly 50 Years

Side-by-side comparison of MTA subway maps

A side-by-side comparison of the new (l.) and old (r.) subway maps for New York City

For the first time in nearly 50 years, New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has unveiled a new subway map. As creatures of habit, however, not every New Yorker is satisfied with the updates, which harken back to a similar design originally created by Massimo Vignelli, Joan Charysyn, and Bob Noorda of Unimark in 1972.

The MTA’s reimagined subway map, which is its first major overhaul since 1979, seeks to clarify information through “easily readable, bright, bold, and orderly” graphic elements, according to a press release. Before now, New York’s subway map bore little resemblance to those found in other major metropolitan cities, such as London, Tokyo, and Boston. Eschewing simplified forms, the map mirrored the city’s landscape above-ground pretty faithfully, reproducing the contours of each borough, their myriad parks, and waterways with precision. For the uninitiated, subway lines resembled a tangled web that crisscrossed over the city, overlapping hectically and with little indication of which lines were local and express.

The new design, which was spearheaded by the firm Michael Hertz Associates, does away with all the noise. Now, the map foregoes complexity in favor of legibility, reimagining boroughs as a loose cluster of shapes rather than faithful representations. Central Park, too, has been minimized to an off-green square. In the past, subway trains of the same color were grouped together, with tiny symbols denoting which line stopped at which station. The new design incorporates bolder and thicker lines, each separated into discreet paths for each respective train.

“The new version is much easier to read while also reflecting all the enhancements we’ve made over the years,” Janno Lieber, MTA chair and CEO, said in a statement. For The New York Times, he added: “This is a linchpin moment, like in 1979, when we started to fix the subway system.”

The redesign joins a league of other modifications spearheaded by the MTA, which, some New Yorkers complain, is looking less and less like the system they once knew. The MTA has begun phasing out the iconic yellow-and-orange subway seats, along with Metrocards, which have been in use since 1993, in favor of tap-and-go. Subway turnstiles are being revamped in increasingly bizarre ways in an effort to prevent fare evasion, and station benches are getting skinnier by the day, drawing associations between hostile architecture.

It’s within this climate of constant change that New Yorkers are being asked to accept the new map—and many haven’t warmed up yet.

“Anyone who understands NYC knows that actual street and avenue geography is crucial to navigating the city,” one user commented on X (formerly Twitter). “You stripped that out from the map. Terrible idea.”

Another wrote: “The city looks distorted. This is not an improvement.”

Physical maps will be replaced in subway cars over the coming weeks, although both the redesigned and older versions of the map will be available for download on the MTA website.

For the first time in nearly 50 years, New York City’s MTA has unveiled a new subway map.

The MTA's new subway map for New York City (Photo: MTA)

The MTA's old subway map for New York City (Photo: MTA)

The MTA's new subway map in the 42 St. Shuttle in Manhattan, unveiled on Apr. 2, 2025. (Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA via Wikimedia Commons, CC 2.0)

Some are praising the redesign, calling it a big improvement, especially for tourists.

this is far better at showing how different lines share the same track but then branch off at the ends. it’s somewhat unique to the NYC subway system and it’s definitely the most confusing part to visitors

big improvement! big fan

— Zach Obsniuk (@zach_obs) April 2, 2025

New NYC subway map is a huge improvement over the past one IMO

Some folks are complaining about the geography being off, but I don’t think that’s what matters most to subway riders. I just want to know how to route between stations, and this new version is way better for that. pic.twitter.com/mi3Z9YLWyD

— Sheel Mohnot (@pitdesi) April 10, 2025

But not everyone is happy about the change.

Anyone who understands NYC knows that actual street and avenue geography is crucial to navigating the city. You stripped that out from the map. Terrible idea. Not a fan and I’m not alone in saying that.

— Eric Kaplan (@KapsHouse) April 3, 2025