The Automated Times Square-Grand Central Shuttle

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company Wanted to Create a Giant Conveyor Belt to Carry People Between Grand Central and Times Square hoping to transport 60,000 New Yorkers daily a third faster than the subway thanks to a continuous loop.

In 1954 the New York Board of Transportation allocated $3.8 million to construct the conveyor belt system on the existing shuttle tracks. From its offices in Akron, Ohio, Goodyear spent a year testing its design, even making sure it could accommodate women in heels, shoppers with their arms full, and handicapped persons. It was cancelled less than a year later due to high cost.