Current Record
The record time for traveling the
entire New
York City subway system is 26 hours, 21 minutes, 8 seconds by Kevin
Foster (USA) on October 25-26, 1989.
Guidelines
The following is a guide to the specific
considerations and undertakings, in addition to the general requirements, for
any potential attempt on traveling the New York City Subway in the shortest time
record. They should be read and understood by all concerned - organizers,
participants and witnesses - prior to the event.
Rules
This record is for traveling the entire MTA New
York City subway system in the least amount of time.
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All of the
stations served by the subway system must be visited. To "visit" a
station, the challenger must arrive and/or depart by a subway train in
normal public service. It is necessary for a train to stop at the
station for the visit to count, although the challenger does not have to
leave the train at that station. If a station is normally open only at
certain times of the day, this must be taken into account during
planning. Only if a station is temporarily closed (e.g. for rebuilding
or in an emergency) will a non-stop pass through a station be
acceptable.
-
It is only
necessary to visit all the stations on the network, not to travel every
stretch of line. Thus, if a station is served by more than one line, it is
not necessary to visit that station on each line.
-
Challengers
may travel the same stretch of track (and visit the same station) more than
once, if necessary.
-
Attempts on
this record must be continuous (i.e. any breaks or stops that are taken must
be included in the final time).
-
Transfers
between subway lines must be made by scheduled public transport or on foot.
The use of private motor vehicles, taxis or any other form of privately
arranged transport (bicycles, skateboards, etc.) is not allowed.
Authentication
For the purposes of verifying any claim, the
following must be provided:
Witness Book
Any attempt must take place in view of the
public, wherever possible, and a book made available for independent witnesses
to sign. The book should be set up so that the following details can be
included for each potential witness: Date, time, location, name,
signature.
For solo and unsupported attempts, we
appreciate that it might not be possible to gain an unbroken line of
witnesses, but one should try to obtain as many as possible. For an attempt
that is supported by a backup team, we would expect it to be possible to gain
sufficient numbers of independent witnesses to enable verification for the
entire duration of the attempt. Where possible, local dignitaries and police
should be sought to sign the book.
Logbook
A logbook detailing every stage of the
journey, i.e. the time of arrival and departure from each station, line
changes, commutes between lines and stations, etc. must be maintained. This
book should illustrate clearly the route followed.
All rest breaks or stoppages for whatever
reason must also be fully detailed in the log.
Statements
To attest to the validity and genuineness of
the claim, we require signed statements of authentication by two independent
persons of some standing, one of whom should have attended the beginning of
the event and, if possible, the end.
These statements should originate directly
from the witnesses (in their own hand) and be submitted where possible on
their own headed notepaper and include full contact details.
Statements should not take the form of
documents prepared by those involved in the record attempt.
NOTE: This information posted
here is for reference purposes only, and should not be relied on as the
“official” Guinness rules. Contestants should consult with Guinness World
Records before attempting this record.
Additional Rules We
Will Hold Ourselves To
-
Good
sportsmanship: All participants are expected to display good
sportsmanship, and to commit no mischief or criminal act while engaged in this
competition. We commit to finding bathrooms or otherwise holding it in.
-
Single
Fare: Each participant making the run must pay one
fare upon entering the system at the start of the run, and until the
completion of the run must pay no further fare nor reenter system by fraudulent
means or by any pass.
-
Station
List: Participants should obtain a complete station list from NYC
Transit so they understand what stations within a multi-station complex they
must visit separately via a different train.
Regulations Regarding
Amateur New York Subway Riding
The
Amateur New York Subway Riding Committee was created by Peter Samson, the MIT
student who led a 1966 and 1967 attempt at the record. After the first run
made by his group, they realized that some standards were needed to compare
different attempts by different groups. Peter and his teammate Dick Gruen
met with Geoffrey Arnold, who had set an earlier record, and
developed by what they called the Amateur New York Subway Riding
Committee. Their rules delineated three different categories of record
attempts:
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Class A - Covering all Lines
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Class B - Touching all Stations
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Class C - Passing all Stations
The
most popular class of record attempt is Class C which is the shortest ride among
the three classes as it counts multi-station complexes as one station and allows
rider to pass by stations on express trains without stopping. In fact,
except for Kevin Foster's attempt, all the notable rides listed on our History
page are Class C attempts. Foster's record recognized by Guinness is a
Class B record and this is the ride we will be making.
Click
here to visit the Amateur
New York Subway Riding Committee
