Urban Trains

On October 27, 1904, the mayor of New York City switched on the city's first subway car, unexpectedly took over the controls, and scared diplomats and dignitaries alike with his high-speed tour under Manhattan! Before World War I, Los Angeles had the greatest trolley system in the world, but it was intentionally dismantled by a holding company representing Firestone, Standard Oil and General Motors. URBAN TRAINS is an illuminating ride through the history of the trolleys, subways and light rail systems that serve America's cities. Go deep beneath New York to see how the city was literally turned inside-out to build the subways, and how the system grew into one of the world's largest and most successful. And in San Francisco, where Cable Cars were the only way to deal with that city's famous hills, the BART system points the way for the urban trains of the future. From the golden age of the trolley to the rebirth of light rail today, this is a comprehensive look at URBAN TRAINS.

• documentary