A vintage postcard reveals the difference between the subway and the Hudson Tubes

The Hudson Tubes—aka, today’s PATH trains to and from the New Jersey cities of Hoboken, Jersey City, and Newark—opened in 1909. That was only five years after the New York City Subway made its debut.

To herald these two underground mass transit options and perhaps shine light on the differences to a curious public, a postcard was created showing side-by-side images of the Hudson Tubes and a subway station.

What does this circa-1910s comparison tell us?

Well, the trains themselves look pretty similar. But while the subway station has hard angles, the Hudson Tubes are, well, actual tubes. And a well-dressed man and woman could stand at the edge of the last car as it shuttled through the tube and take in the wonder of this new rapid transit reality.

[Postcard: Ebay]