Editing Dual Contracts (section)

===Contracts 1 and 2===
{{main|Early history of the IRT subway}}
Built before the Dual Contracts, the first regularly operated [[rapid transit|subway]] in New York City was built by the city and leased to the [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company]] (IRT) for operation under city Contracts 1 and 2. Until 1918, when the new "H" system that is still operated – with separate [[IRT Lexington Avenue Line|East Side]] and [[IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line|West Side]] lines – was placed in service, it consisted of a single trunk line below [[96th Street (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|96th Street]] with several northern branches. The system had four tracks between [[Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)|Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall]] and 96th Street, allowing for local and express service on that portion.

Contract 1 was for the original 28 stations of the subway system that opened on October 27, 1904, from [[City Hall (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)|City Hall]] to [[145th Street (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|145th Street]], as well as for stations opened before 1908 on several IRT extensions. The original system as included in Contract 1 was completed on January 14, 1907, when trains started running across the [[Harlem Ship Canal]] on the [[Broadway Bridge (Manhattan)|Broadway Bridge]] to [[Marble Hill–225th Street (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|225th Street]],<ref name="225th">''[[The New York Times]]'', [https://www.nytimes.com/1907/01/14/archives/farthest-north-in-town-by-the-interborough-take-a-trip-to-the-new.html Farthest North in Town by the Interborough], January 14, 1907, page 18</ref> and the Contract 2 portion was opened to [[Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center (IRT Eastern Parkway Line)|Atlantic Avenue]] on May 1, 1908.<ref name="Atlantic">''The New York Times'', [https://www.nytimes.com/1908/05/02/archives/brooklyn-joyful-over-new-subway-celebrates-opening-of-extension.html Brooklyn Joyful Over New Subway], May 2, 1908, page 1</ref>