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HISTORY Transportation was used early on to support industry and commerce in New York State. The Boston Post Road , between what then the relatively small City of New York and Boston, began as a path to deliver the post using Post Riders (the first ride to lay out the Upper Post Road starting January 22 , 1673 ), and developed into a wagon, or Stage road in later colonial times. During the 19th century, pieces of the road were taken over and improved by Turnpike companies. In the 1910s and 1920s, the Lower Post Road alignment (and realignments made to the route) was a National Auto Trail known as the Boston Post Road. Large sections of the various routes are still given the name Boston Post Road, much of it is now U.S. Route 1 . By the American Revolutionary War, the colonial , 1825 , the Erie Canal opened and over the next century would make boom towns out of the Upstate cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Rome, Utica and Schenectady. Use of the canal would only decline after 1950. Cities in New York State would frequently show up as amongst the Largest In The United States during the 19th, and into the early 20th century. The other major contribution to New York's transportation system was its extensive railroad network. The New York Central Water Level Route was advertised as the world's first four-track railroad, and connected New York City, Buffalo, and the cities inbetween. CANALS Early transportation in New York State was primarily by rivers and Canal s. Today, the canals are primarily used for recreation. URBAN MASS TRANSIT One of the most famous urban mass transit systems in the world is the New York City Subway . New York City is also served by Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH), and an extensive bus system. Besides New York City, many of the other cities have Mass Transit systems. Buffalo Metro Rail serves Buffalo , the second largest city in the state. However, this service also resembles a light rail system. Syracuse is the smallest city in the U.S. to have a local rail line, known as OnTrack . As Of 2006 , service is infrequent and it serves only one residential neighborhood. If OnTrack had frequent service, it would resemble an urban mass transit system more than a commuter line. Defunct Rochester had a subway system, although it is mostly destroyed. Only a small part exists under the old Erie Canal Aqueduct. In its day, the system would carry people underground on what were essentially streetcars. If the system still existed today, it would probably be described as a light rail service. Rochester, Utica , and other upstate cities once had Streetcar and Interurban systems. COMMUTER RAILROADS NJ Transit and Amtrak also serve New York City and its suburbs. INTERCITY RAIL Like most of United States, the only intercity rail passenger service is provided by Amtrak. New York City's Pennsylvania Station is the busiest of Amtrak's rail stations. The most successful of Amtrak's routes, the Northeast Corridor , operates between Washington, D.C. , and Boston , Massachusetts . The most popular and heavily-used routes in the Amtrak system are those on the Northeast Corridor, which include the '' Acela Express '', '' Metroliner '', and '' Regional ''. Amtrak 's '' Empire Service '' trains provide frequent daily service along the 460-mile (740 km) Empire Corridor between New York City and Niagara Falls . The route was formerly the Water Level Route of the New York Central Railroad to Buffalo and then the former Buffalo And Niagara Falls Railroad . One train, known as the '' Maple Leaf '', continues beyond Niagara Falls to Toronto . Recently, the state has taken more interest in increasing the frequency and speed of intercity rail, going so far as to propose the creation of a State-wide High-speed Rail Network . AUTOMOBILE TRANSPORTATION New York Thruway The largest single artery in New York State is probably the New York Thruway , which is more than 400 miles from The Bronx to Buffalo . Like the New York Central before it, it roughly follows the course of the Erie Canal. Parkways New York is made up of many parkways built by Robert Moses . Among his projects are the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway , the Staten Island Expressway , the Cross-Bronx Expressway , the Belt Parkway , the Laurelton Parkway , and many more. Other parkways include the Cross County Parkway in Westchester, the Taconic State Parkway , the Palisades Interstate Parkway , the Northern State Parkway and the Southern State Parkway (the latter two both in Long Island). Bridges Tunnels Interstates TRANSPORTATION IN NEW YORK CITY New York City boasts one of the most extensive urban transportation systems in the world, including two distinct mass transit systems:
New York City's automobile network is also extensive. It includes many bridges and limited access highways built by Robert Moses, and is integrated with a street grid that dates to the early 19th century. While extensive, much of New York City's infrastructure is aging and in need of capital investment. Neither the rapid transit systems nor the automobile network has expanded much in the past few decades. PROPOSALS Commuter rail See:
Mass transit
Proposed light rail systems New York presently only boasts the Buffalo Metro Rail , which is arguably a light rail system. Proposals include:
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