Cincinnati's Abandoned Subway

The Cincinnati Subway was a partially completed rapid transit system beneath the streets of Cincinnati, Ohio. Although the system only grew to a little over 2 miles in length, its tunnels and stations make up the largest abandoned subway tunnel system in the United States. Construction began in the early 1900's as an upgrade to the Cincinnati streetcar system, but was abandoned due to escalating costs, World War One, and the Great Depression during the 1920's and 1930's. In 1928, the construction of the subway system in Cincinnati was cancelled and there are currently no plans to revive the project.

The Miami and Erie Canal ran along where Central Parkway is today as a part of an inland waterway connecting Lake Erie to the Ohio River. This canal was suggested by George Washington in the 1780's because it was a vital area for transportation. Construction of the western route of the canal began in 1825 in Middletown and reached downtown Cincinnati in 1829. The canal skirted the city until it met the Ohio River. The germans who settled north of the canal called it the Rhine, after the river in Germany. The neighborhood then became known as Over the Rhine. The canal was successful for awhile but the canal boats weren't the most comfortable and fastest method of transportation which led to Steam Trains in the 1850's. In the mid 19th century, Cincinnati was the largest city in the west and the canal helped it thrive as a major manufacturing center. After steam trains took over as the most efficient method of transportation in and out of the city the canals became mucky and polluted.

Cincinnati was served by nine interurban electric railways that connected to other nearby communities but didn't run within the city. In 1911, City Council requested that the State of Ohio lease portions of the canal to the city for use in creating a rapid transit railway to transport people from the outskirts of the city. The city chose a plan for a 16.46 mile rapid transit loop that would begin at fourth and Walnut streets and travel through Clifton, St Bernard, and Norwood. It wasn't a traditional subway because not all of it would be underground. Voters approved a $6 million bond issue in 1916, but World War One erupted before work began. When the war was over the cost of materials had doubled, but taxpayers were unwilling to budge. Construction finally began on January 28, 1920 with the subway tracks laid in the canal bed.

The city knew that to keep pace with other large cities it needed better transportation. The digging caused erosion on surrounding hills that cracked apart houses nearby. Cincinnati had to negotiate with the cities of St Bernard and Norwood which delayed construction and the money started to run out. The Beeler Report concluded that Cincinnati may nit be a large city but the hills and its role as an industrial center made rapid transit a necessity. the report stated that it would take another $10.6 million to complete the subway. The stock market crash in October 1929. put an end to the subway as the nation sunk into the Great Depression. Attempts to recharge rapid transit in the city fell short. The final ending to the hopes of a subway in the city was the Cincinnati Metropolitan Master Plan from 1948. This plan didn't include rapid transit and instead proposed the Mill Creek Expressway which is now know as Interstate 75. This interstate runs parallel to the existing route where the subway would've been used.

There are currently no plans to finish the Cincinnati Subway. In 2008 the city revisited the question about what to do with the tunnels, the options were to spend $101 million for a modern subway, $19 million to fill it up with dirt, or $2.6 million to preserve them as-is. The city chose the cheapest option to preserve the abandoned tunnels as they already are. As a possible Urban Planner I chose this project because it interests me that Cincinnati has this abandoned space and I would be very interested to work for the city if they ever decided to revisit the subway system. My plans as a Urban Planner for this abandoned space would be to revisit the plans for the route and to make a blueprint that supports the best routes for the subway to go and then to start the digging and routing process. After the route has been dug, the construction would take place for building the railway system and the trains that must work on them. This process in the city of Cincinnati would be very difficult to complete because the city has already adjusted to having the abandoned subway and that would mean working with the highway system and the Ohio River.

I hope you were able to learn something from this story map about the abandoned subway system in Cincinnati. I chose to do this project because of my interests of possibly being a future urban planner. There are other articles and books about the city of Cincinnati and the abandoned places that still stand today. I encourage all of you to look into the subway system and the other historic places that Cincinnati offers to us today.

Gilboy, J. (2022, January 12). Cincinnati’s unused subway system is a century-old dream that won’t die. The Drive. https://www.thedrive.com/news/43223/cincinnatis-unused-subway-system-is-a-century-old-dream-that-wont-die

Hawkins, A. J. (2016, August 10). Train to nowhere. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2016/8/10/12411632/public-transportation-failures-america-cincinnati-subway

Suess, J. (2023, May 30). Why did Cincinnati never finish its subway?. The Enquirer. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2021/07/16/cincinnati-subway-erie-canal-over-the-rhine/7765993002/

The Cincinnati Subway. Home - City of Cincinnati. (n.d.). https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/dote/about-transportation-engineering/historical-information/the-cincinnati-subway/

Ugc. (2012, April 13). The Cincinnati Subway. Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-cincinnati-subway-cincinnati-ohio