01 / PLAY
YOUR CITY.
YOUR SYSTEM.
Place stations, draw routes, and see how far your imaginary network reaches.
OPEN THE BUILDER →AN UNOFFICIAL TRANSIT LAB
REBUILD
NEW YORK.
Build lines. Restore connections. Create the subway New York never got.
MANHATTAN
BROOKLYN
FANTASY SYSTEM / 2040
BUILD.CONNECT.TEST.SHARE.
YOUR CITY.
02 / LOST NYC
THE CITY
UNDER THE CITY.
Explore closed stations, ghost platforms, vanished elevated lines, and unfinished tunnels.
EXPLORE THE MAP →03 / NEVER BUILT
ANOTHER NEW YORK
WAS PLANNED.
Trace proposals that could have reshaped how the five boroughs move.
VIEW PROPOSALS →WEEKLY CHALLENGE
BK ↔ QN
CONNECT
THE BOROUGHS.
START CHALLENGELoading New York’s streets and subway…
REAL HISTORY / SOURCED
LOST
NEW YORK.
Closed platforms. Vanished terminals. Tracks that lead nowhere. Select a marker to open its story.
SELECT A LOCATION
THE MAP REMEMBERS.
Choose one of the researched locations to learn what happened and what remains.
FIELD NOTES / ARCHIVE
THE SUBWAY
THAT NEVER WAS.
Stories about the built, the buried, and the brilliantly impractical.
THE IND SECOND SYSTEM
A Depression-era blueprint imagined a far larger city-owned network through Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. Most of its lines stayed on paper.
OPEN SOURCE NOTE ↗WHY CITY HALL CLOSED
A jewel of the first subway became too short and too sharply curved for a growing system.
THE LINES THAT VANISHED
Before tunnels dominated the map, elevated railways ran above major Manhattan avenues.
THE SUBWAY UNDER THE SUBWAY
Unused platforms and partial structures reveal paths the network almost took.
THE NEXT CONNECTION / COMMUNITY
BUILD IT.
SHOW THE CITY.
A better connection starts a good conversation. Take your fantasy network to r/nycrail.
OPEN r/nycrail ↗BUILD CHALLENGE
BUILD A BROOKLYN–QUEENS
CROSSTOWN LINE.
Connect homes to the places people want to go. Improve coverage and travel times, then share your system.
OPEN THE BUILDERYOUR MAP. YOUR POST.
In the builder, choose Share map and download a PNG. Open r/nycrail, attach your map to your own post, and explain the connection you would change. Check the subreddit’s rules before posting.
INDEPENDENT BY DESIGN
Switchyard is not affiliated with r/nycrail or Reddit. No posts are scraped, republished, or submitted automatically. Your saved networks stay in your browser.
VISIT THE COMMUNITY ↗KEEP THE CITY MOVING
Free to play.
Yours to support.
No paid stations. No better scores for paying. Just an optional way to help this independent project grow.
PRICING PREVIEW · PAYMENTS DISABLEDEVERY PLANNER
Build your New York.
Free
All lines, station tools, expansion packs, challenges and sound. Browser quick-saves and map-image sharing stay free. Game saves remain inside the game.
Back to the game ↗3 SYSTEM SAVES / COMING SOON
Support app development.
$5or more, once
Pay $5, or any amount above $5, to unlock 3 system saves within the game, linked to your verified email account. Keep different versions and continue on another device. No external game-file downloads.
One payment. No subscription. Support Toek Software Design’s app development.
OPTIONAL DONATION
Help the app grow.
Your choiceone-time support
Donate to Toek Software Design’s app development, new modes and other subway projects. Donations are separate from system saves and do not unlock paid benefits.
No subscription. Not a charitable donation or a payment to the MTA.
Donate through Stripe ↗MORE GOOD THINGS DOWN THE LINE
Help build the next stop.
We're working on an app, new game modes, new games, and other fun subway projects. Pay what you wish above the $5 minimum when the lifetime save-file unlock launches—or support the project separately when donations open. Every bit helps us keep building.
Playing stays free. Extra support is always optional.
Donations aren't connected yet. No payment will be taken.FIRST TO THE PLATFORM
New modes.
New games.
App coming soon.
Get launch news and occasional updates on what we're making next.
The mailing list isn't connected yet. This preview does not collect or store your email.Current saves stay in this browser. Account-linked saves are not live yet.
Optional donations are live through Stripe and do not unlock saved systems. The $5-or-more, 3-system save purchase is coming soon. No subscriptions or game-file downloads.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
FOR PEOPLE WHO
READ THE MAP.
Switchyard NYC is an independent experiment in transit history, design, and imagination.
WHAT IS REAL?
Historical locations and dates are presented as researched editorial material with linked sources. The map builder, scores, trip demand, and ridership figures are simulated for play.
WHAT ISN’T?
This is not an official transit product. It is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Transit, or the City of New York.
MAP CREDITS
Interactive mapping uses Leaflet. Base map and tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Subway starter: MTA public GTFS, August 2026. Population model: NYC DCP / US Census 2010 neighborhood totals, distributed over land cells for gameplay.
V1 ROADMAP
Local-first sandbox now. Editable NYC starting network, live ridership and ratings, QueensLink / IBX / Second Avenue expansion packs, five build challenges, and local saves. Public galleries and print-ready posters are future work.