About Cincinnati Subway
Cincinnati has more than two miles of subway tunnel beneath its streets, along with unfinished stations and platforms. The remarkable part is that the system never carried a passenger.
Voters approved funding for the project in 1916, and construction began in 1920. The plan reused part of the route of the former Miami and Erie Canal to create a rapid-transit loop. Rising costs, inflation, political disputes, and financial limits steadily reduced what the original budget could accomplish.
By 1927, the money was effectively gone. Tunnels and station shells existed, but the full transit system did not. Later proposals repeatedly failed to revive it, and by 1948 city officials recommended abandoning the subway idea. Portions of the underground space were later adapted for utilities and civil-defense purposes.
The abandoned subway is not open for casual exploration. Entrances are sealed or secured, and unauthorized entry is dangerous and illegal. Race Street Station is one of the best-known surviving spaces, but visitors should rely on official city information and any specifically authorized tours rather than attempting to find a way underground themselves.