New York Had an Underground Pneumatic Postal System
From 1897 to 1953, New York City used a network of underground pneumatic tubes to shoot mail canisters at 35 mph between post offices, delivering mail faster than today.
About this fact
New York City once had a remarkable mail delivery system that was faster than anything we have today. From 1897 to 1953, the city operated a 27-mile network of underground pneumatic tubes that could shoot mail canisters at 35 mph between post offices and mail sorting facilities. The system used compressed air to propel bronze containers holding up to 500 letters through 8-inch diameter tubes. Letters could travel from the main post office to Harlem in just 20 minutes - faster than modern delivery trucks in traffic. The system was so efficient that it handled about one-third of all mail in Manhattan. The tubes ran beneath streets and even under the Hudson River to New Jersey. However, the system required constant maintenance, was expensive to operate, and couldn't handle package delivery. It was finally abandoned in 1953 when trucks became more cost-effective, though some tubes remain buried beneath the city today.