Chambers Street–World Trade Center/Park Place/Cortlandt Street station

For other uses, see Chambers Street (disambiguation), Cortlandt Street (disambiguation), Park Place (disambiguation), and World Trade Center (disambiguation).

Chambers Street  World Trade Center  Park Place  Cortlandt Street  ​​​​​​​​
New York City Subway station complex
Passageway between Eighth Avenue and Seventh Avenue lines
Station statistics
Address	Church Street between Chambers Street & Vesey Street New York, New York
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Financial District, Tribeca, World Trade Center
Coordinates	40.712655°N 74.009657°W / 40.712655; -74.009657
Division	IRT/IND/BMT[1]
Line	IND Eighth Avenue Line IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line BMT Broadway Line
Services	2  (all times) ​   3  (all except late nights)​    A  (all times) ​   C  (all except late nights) ​   E  (all times)​ ​   N  (late nights) ​   R  (all except late nights) ​   W  (weekdays only)
Transit	NYCT Bus: M9, M20, M22, M55, SIM1, SIM1C, SIM2, SIM3, SIM3C, SIM4, SIM4C, SIM4X, SIM32, SIM34, X27, X28 MTA Bus: BM1, BM2, BM3, BM4, BxM18, QM7, QM8, QM11, QM25 NJT Bus: 120 At Fulton Street via Fulton Center:    2  (all times) ​   3  (all except late nights)​    4  (all times) ​   5  (all except late nights)​    A  (all times) ​   C  (all except late nights)​    J  (all times) ​   Z  (rush hours, peak direction) At WTC Cortlandt:    1  (all times) PATH: NWK–WTC and HOB–WTC (at World Trade Center)
Structure	Underground
Levels	2
Other information
Accessible	Partially ADA-accessible (IND local platform and BMT platforms only)
Traffic
2023	12,298,422[2]  20.4%
Rank	11 out of 423[2]
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops all times Stops weekdays during the day Stops late nights only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only

The Chambers Street–World Trade Center/Park Place/Cortlandt Street station is a New York City Subway station complex on the IND Eighth Avenue Line, IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, and BMT Broadway Line. Located on Church Street between Chambers and Cortlandt Streets in the Financial District of Manhattan, it is served by the 2, A and E trains at all times; W train on weekdays; 3, C and R trains at all times except late nights; and N train during late nights.

The station also connects to the PATH via the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, and to the nearby Fulton Center via the Dey Street Passageway.

History

IND Eighth Avenue Line

Construction and opening

New York City mayor John Francis Hylan's original plans for the Independent Subway System (IND), proposed in 1922, included building over 100 miles (160 km) of new lines and taking over nearly 100 miles (160 km) of existing lines, which would compete with the IRT and the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT), the two major subway operators of the time.[3][4] On December 9, 1924, the New York City Board of Transportation (BOT) gave preliminary approval for the construction of the IND Eighth Avenue Line.[5] This line consisted of a corridor connecting Inwood, Manhattan, to Downtown Brooklyn, running largely under Eighth Avenue but also paralleling Greenwich Avenue and Sixth Avenue in Lower Manhattan.[5][6] The BOT announced a list of stations on the new line in February 1928, with a station near the intersection of Church and Fulton Streets.[7]

Work on the IND Eighth Avenue Line began in 1925.[8] Most of the Eighth Avenue Line was dug using a cheap cut-and-cover method.[9] As part of the project, Church Street was widened, allowing the line's four tracks to be placed on one level rather than two.[10] By August 1930, the BOT reported that the Eighth Avenue Line was nearly completed, except for the stations between Chambers Street–Hudson Terminal and West Fourth Street, which were only 21 percent completed.[11] The entire line was completed by September 1931, except for the installation of turnstiles.[12] A preview event for the new subway was hosted on September 8, 1932, two days before the official opening.[13][14] The Chambers Street and Hudson Terminal stations on the Eighth Avenue Line opened just after midnight on September 10, 1932, as the southern terminus of the city-operated IND's initial segment, the Eighth Avenue Line between Chambers Street–Hudson Terminal and 207th Street.[15][16]

Later years

A passageway from the express platform to the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad (H&M)'s Hudson Terminal was opened in 1949,[17][18] after 14 months of construction.[19] The passageway measured 14 feet (4.3 m) wide and 90 feet (27 m) long. Construction contractor Great Atlantic Construction Company described the tunnel as "one of the most difficult of engineering feats", as the passageway had to pass above the H&M tunnels while avoiding various pipes, wires, water mains, and cable car lines.[18]

In April 1993, the New York State Legislature agreed to give the MTA $9.6 billion for capital improvements. Some of the funds would be used to renovate nearly one hundred New York City Subway stations,[20][21] including Chambers Street and World Trade Center.[22] A late-1990s renovation saw prefabricated tile panels installed on the trackside wall of the express platform, with a tile band of Concord Violet bordered in black and "CHAMBERS" in white Copperplate lettering on black tiles on each panel, and on the local platform's walls the new tiles were installed in 3-by-2-foot (0.91 by 0.61 m) sections with a slightly different shade of dark blue violet bordered in black; no station name captions were placed. The trim lines in the entryways and passages use the Concord Violet color rather than the blue violet.^[citation needed]

Around 2:00 p.m. on January 23, 2005, a fire destroyed the interlocking plant at Chambers Street. As a result, two-thirds of A trains were canceled or rerouted, including all rush-hour trips to Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street. C service was completely suspended and replaced by the A and V in Brooklyn and A, B, D, and E in Manhattan. Some newspaper articles blamed the fire on a homeless person trying to keep warm, but that was never confirmed.[23] Until January 28, the MTA rerouted the A to the Rutgers Street Tunnel during late nights. Initial estimates gave a time of three to five years to restore full service because the destroyed equipment was custom-made for the MTA.[24] That was later cut back to six to nine months to bring back normal operations. However, C service and 70% of A service was restored ten days after the fire, and the rush-hour A trips were restored on February 14, with full service returning on April 21. However, effects of the fire continued into 2006 because the equipment had not been replaced.[24]

IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line

The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT)'s Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line first opened as a shuttle to 34th Street–Penn Station on June 3, 1917.[25][26] The line was extended south to South Ferry on July 1, 1918; the Park Place station opened on the same date, and was served by a shuttle between Chambers Street and Wall Street, on the line's Brooklyn Branch.[27] The new "H" system was implemented on August 1, 1918, joining the two halves of the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line and sending all West Side trains south from Times Square.[28] As a result, shuttle service to this station was replaced by through service.[29]

The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940.[30][31] During the 1964–1965 fiscal year, the platforms at Park Place, along with those at four other stations on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, were lengthened to 525 feet (160 m) to accommodate a ten-car train of 51-foot (16 m) IRT cars.[32]

After the New York State Legislature gave the MTA funding for capital improvements in 1993, the MTA used some of these funds to renovate the Park Place station.[22] Between April 3 and October 1, 1999, this station was closed for escalator replacement and a station rehabilitation.[33]

BMT Broadway Line

Opening and 20th-century modifications

Ribbon cutting for the reopening of the southbound BMT platform

Tile work on BMT platform includes ships of sail and diesel, the Twin Towers of the original World Trade Center, Lower Manhattan skyline, and the never realized Brooklyn-Battery Bridge.

The Cortlandt Street station on the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT)'s Broadway Line opened on January 5, 1918.[34] The station's platforms originally could only fit six 67-foot-long (20 m) cars. In 1926, the New York City Board of Transportation received bids for the lengthening of platforms at nine stations on the Broadway Line, including the Cortlandt Street station, to accommodate eight-car trains. Edwards & Flood submitted a low bid of $101,775 for the project.[35] The platform-lengthening project was completed in 1927, bringing the length of the platforms to 535 feet (163 m).[36][37] The city government took over the BMT's operations on June 1, 1940.[38][39]

The station was overhauled in the late 1970s, with repairs made to the structural and cosmetic appearance. The original BMT wall tiles were removed and the "new" station walls contained cinderblock tiles (colored white with small recesses painted yellow), with black and white station-name signs bolted into the recesses. Lighting was converted from incandescent to fluorescent and staircases and platform edges were repaired.

After the New York State Legislature gave the MTA funding for capital improvements in 1993, the MTA used some of these funds to renovate the Cortlandt Street station.[22] Much of the cosmetic change that came with the 1970s renovation was undone in a 1998–1999 renovation. In addition to "state-of-repair" work and upgrades for ADA accessibility, the station's original 1918 tilework was restored. Other improvements were made to the public address system, directional signage, and concrete trackbeds.

Post-9/11

During the September 11 attacks in 2001, a train operator reported an "explosion" to the MTA's Subway Control Center one minute after the first plane struck the World Trade Center's North Tower at 8:46 a.m. Subway service was halted shortly afterward, and as a result, no one in the subway system died. The station sustained significant damage during the collapse of the World Trade Center. It was closed for repairs, which included removal of debris, fixing structural damage, and restoring the track beds, which had suffered flood damage in the aftermath of the collapse.[40] The station reopened on September 15, 2002.[41]

On August 20, 2005, the station was closed again for construction of the Dey Street Passageway below Dey Street as part of the Fulton Center project.[42] At the same time, the station was made ADA-accessible in both directions. Previously, the station was accessible on the southbound side only via the temporary PATH World Trade Center station's elevator. MTA posters and flyers at that time indicated the station would reopen in the spring of 2006, and later by spring of 2007.[43] The northbound side of the station was rebuilt and finally reopened on November 25, 2009.[44][45][46] The rebuilt southbound platform reopened on September 6, 2011, while continuing excavation along the Church Street side of the World Trade Center site was being performed.[47][48][49]

The Dey Street Passageway, outside of the fare control, connects the Fulton Street station complex to the Cortlandt Street station and to the World Trade Center Transportation Hub. It opened on November 10, 2014, while the World Trade Center was still under construction.[50] With the opening of the Dey Street Passageway, ridership at the station nearly tripled, from 1,500,040 in 2014 to 4,270,036 in 2016.[51] On December 29, 2017, the Cortlandt Street station was connected to the other platforms in the complex. That date also saw the opening of a passageway connecting the World Trade Center station with 2 World Trade Center, and passageways connecting the southbound platform of Cortlandt Street to the Transportation Hub's Oculus head house and to 4 World Trade Center. Fare control areas had to be reconfigured.[52]

Station layout

Chambers Street–World Trade Center/Park Place

Ground	Street level	Exit/entrance
Basement 1	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent Elevators for trains only, at: southwest corner of Dey Street and Broadway southwest corner of Church and Vesey Streets, inside the World Trade Center Transportation Hub southeast corner of Church Street and Park Place. Note: Elevator out of service
Basement 2	Northbound local	← toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Canal Street)	Passageway to ​​ trains at Cortlandt Street and PATH at WTC Transportation Hub
	Island platform
	Northbound local	← toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Canal Street)
	Northbound express	← toward Inwood–207th Street (Canal Street) ← toward 168th Street (Canal Street)
	Island platform
	Southbound express	→ toward Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue, Ozone Park–Lefferts Boulevard, or Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street (Fulton Street) → → toward Euclid Avenue (Fulton Street) →
Basement 3	Northbound	← toward Wakefield–241st Street (Chambers Street) ← toward Harlem–148th Street (Chambers Street)
	Island platform
	Southbound	→ toward Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College (Fulton Street) → → toward New Lots Avenue (Fulton Street) →

Cortlandt Street

Ground	Street level	Vesey Street, West Broadway, Greenwich Street, September 11 Memorial and Museum
Basement 1 Upper Concourse Broadway and 7th Avenue Line stations[53]	Side platform
	Northbound	← toward Forest Hills–71st Avenue (City Hall) ← toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard weekdays (City Hall) ← toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard late nights (City Hall)
	Southbound	→ toward Bay Ridge–95th Street (Rector Street) → → toward Whitehall Street–South Ferry weekdays (Rector Street)→ → toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue late nights (Rector Street) →
	Side platform
	Balcony	Westfield World Trade Center; elevators, escalators, and stairs to lower concourse
	Side platform
	Northbound	← toward Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street (Chambers Street)
	Southbound	→ toward South Ferry (Rector Street)→
	Side platform
	West Concourse Balcony	Shops, passageway to Brookfield Place
Basement 2 Lower Concourse[53]	Subway passageway	​​​​ trains at Chambers Street–World Trade Center ​​​​​​​ trains via Fulton Center
	Subway crossunder	MetroCard and OMNY machines, turnstiles and entrance to Broadway Line platforms
	Westfield World Trade Center	Shops and booths
	Subway crossunder	MetroCard and OMNY machines, turnstiles and entrance to 7th Avenue Line platforms
Basement 3 Mezzanine[53]	PATH fare control	MetroCard/SmartLink/TAPP machines, access to PATH platforms
	West Concourse	Shops, passageway to Brookfield Place
Basement 4 PATH platforms[53]
	Track 1	←      HOB–WTC rush hours toward Hoboken (Exchange Place)
	Island platform (Platform A)
	Track 2[a]	←      HOB–WTC weekdays toward Hoboken (Exchange Place)
	Island platform (Platform B)
	Track 3[b]	←      HOB–WTC weekdays toward Hoboken (Exchange Place)
	Track 4[c]	←      NWK–WTC toward Newark (Exchange Place)
	Island platform (Platform C)
	Track 5[d]	←      NWK–WTC toward Newark (Exchange Place)
	Side platform (Platform D)

Exits

Exits/entrances through turnstiles to Church Street are located in the mezzanine of the IND station, along with a few High Entrance-Exit Turnstiles (HEETs). There are street stairs:

• at all four corners of Church and Chambers Streets[54]
• at both western corners of Church and Warren Streets[54]
• at both western corners of Church and Murray Streets[54]
• at all four corners of Church Street and Park Place; there is also an elevator to the local platform at the southeastern corner[54]
• at the southwestern corner of Church and Barclay Streets[54]
• at the northwestern and southeastern corners of Church and Vesey Streets[54]
• at the northeastern corner of Church and Fulton Streets[54]

There is also a passageway to the PATH station at the extreme southern end of the local IND platform (see § Accessibility), providing ADA-accessible access to the local platform.[55][56]

Connection to the World Trade Center Transportation Hub from the BMT platform

The IRT platform has its own entrance/exit at its extreme eastern (railroad south) end. Here, a staircase and two escalators, none of which are together, lead up to a mezzanine just beneath the street. The staircase splits into two separate staircases at an initial landing and each of those have another intermediate landing. On this mezzanine, there are turnstiles, both regular and HEET (from when the mezzanine had a part-time token booth and the regular turnstiles could not be left unstaffed). A single street stair leads out to the northwest corner of Broadway and Park Place. The signage for this entrance is the only one in the complex that says "Park Place" with bullets only for the 2 and 3 trains. This stair is very close to the BMT Broadway Line's City Hall station, an entrance to which is about 200 feet (61 m) away, on the other side of Broadway.[54] A short staircase in that mezzanine once led to an entrance to the lobby of the Woolworth Building. It has been closed since the September 11 attacks.

Both eastern corners of Church and Dey Streets contain a staircase exit from the northbound BMT platform, and a staircase to the northeast corner of Church and Cortlandt Streets leads to the same platform.[57] The BMT platform is ADA-accessible via the Dey Street Passageway, an underpass that runs to the World Trade Center Transportation Hub and the Fulton Center.[57] An underground passageway also leads to One Liberty Plaza.[57] An exit at the north end of the southbound BMT platform once led to the original World Trade Center's lower concourse, and now leads to the Westfield World Trade Center shopping mall and the World Trade Center subway station.[52]

v t e Lower Manhattan transit
Franklin Street Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall ​ ( ) ​​ Chambers Street Chambers Street ​ ​ ( ) Chambers Street–WTC City Hall ​ ​ Park Place WTC Cortlandt Cortlandt Street ​ (  HOB   NWK ) World Trade Center Fulton Street ​​​​​​​ Rector Street Rector Street ​ ​ Wall Street Wall Street ​ ​ Bowling Green Broad Street ( ​) ( ) South Ferry/Whitehall Street Whitehall Terminal South Ferry loops

IND Eighth Avenue Line platforms

The Chambers Street–World Trade Center station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line is an express station with four tracks and two island platforms, but in an unusual layout: the station has separate island platforms for through and terminating trains.[58] Both island platforms can accommodate 600-foot (180 m) trains. There is a passenger connection between the two platforms at mezzanine level. This passageway also includes the in-system transfer to the IRT station. The only transfer between the local platform and the express platform is available only at the very tips of both platforms, where the two platforms are opposite each other for a few feet. Passengers must walk down the express platform to the southernmost staircase, go up to a different part of the mezzanine, crossover, and then go down a staircase to the northern end of the local platform. This complex transfer is to allow a continued underground mezzanine outside of fare control from the southern end at the World Trade Center, which is just one block west of the Fulton Street station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line, to the most northern street stairs at Chambers and Church Street, which is just one block east of the Chambers Street station of the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line.[54] The total length of the mezzanine is seven blocks.

Chambers Street

Chambers Street  ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
R211A A trains at the express platform
Station statistics
Address	Church Street between Chambers Street & Vesey Street New York, New York
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Financial District
Division	B (IND)[1]
Line	IND Eighth Avenue Line
Services	A  (all times) ​   C  (all except late nights)
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	September 10, 1932; 92 years ago (1932-09-10)[59]
Accessible	ADA-accessible to mezzanine only; platforms are not ADA-accessible
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Canal Street A  ​C  services split Fulton Street A  ​C  via Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets
Former services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station West Fourth Street–Washington Square toward 21st Street–Queensbridge JFK Express Broadway–Nassau Street toward Howard Beach–JFK Airport
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops all times

The Chambers Street station serves through trains, which travel to and from Brooklyn. Just north of Chambers Street is a third track between the uptown and downtown express tracks, with connecting switches at both ends, which was used to turn trains when Chambers Street was used as a terminal,[60] before the Broadway–Nassau Street (now Fulton Street) station opened on February 1, 1933.[61] It is served by the A and C trains. Although this platform is not wheelchair-accessible, it is one block away from the Chambers Street station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, which is wheelchair-accessible.

Track layout
to Canal Street Chambers Street World Trade Center to Fulton Street Ramp to mezzanine Passageway to Cortlandt Street Passageway to WTC (PATH)

World Trade Center

World Trade Center
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Local platform with an R160 E train
Station statistics
Address	Church Street between Chambers Street & Vesey Street New York, New York
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Financial District
Division	B (IND)[1]
Line	IND Eighth Avenue Line
Services	E  (all times)
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	September 10, 1932; 92 years ago (1932-09-10)[59]
Accessible	ADA-accessible
Opposite- direction transfer	N/A
Former/other names	Hudson Terminal
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Canal Street toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer Local Terminus
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times

The terminating platform is named the World Trade Center station.[60] It is served by the E train. Southbound local trains reach the platform by ramping underneath the express tracks south of Canal Street station. The northern end of the World Trade Center station has a signal tower and a diamond crossover switch that are roughly at the middle of the through-platform.

The local tracks end at bumper blocks at the south end of the platform. In addition, there is a platform-level passageway on the western side of the station toward the platform's south end, evidence of a former half-length side platform for the western track; while in passenger use as a connection to the rest of the station, the former platform is now fenced off from the rest of the local platform level, and passengers must now use the mezzanine to access the island platform.[62] A connection to the World Trade Center Transportation Hub is also available at the station's south end;[55] this, in turn, gives access to the Fulton Center (via the Dey Street Passageway), the Cortlandt Street station of the BMT Broadway Line, and the WTC Cortlandt Street station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line.[63] Another passageway also leads directly to the southbound BMT Broadway Line platform.

The station was originally named Hudson Terminal or H&M, after the nearby Hudson Terminal of the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (now the PATH). The IND had planned for a passageway between its Chambers Street–Hudson Terminal stations and the H&M's terminal in the original plan for the Eighth Avenue Line,[64] but construction on the passageway did not begin until 1947.[65] The direct passageway to Hudson Terminal opened in 1949.[64] When the first World Trade Center was completed on Hudson Terminal's site in 1973, the IND station was renamed. Wall tiles reading "H AND M" remained on the walls of the World Trade Center station as late as December 1974,[66] a year after the first World Trade Center was completed. The tiles were initially painted over, but since the station's renovation, they have been covered over.

Accessibility

Doorway to PATH station, including preserved door from 9/11 with the words "MATF 1 / 9 13" spray-painted on it

At the extreme southern end of the station is the exit to the Cortlandt Street station,[55][56] along with a few High Entrance-Exit Turnstiles (HEETs). Only this platform is ADA-accessible via a ramp installed in 1987, making the station one of the earliest in the New York City Subway system to be accessible to disabled users.

The doors and original ADA-accessible ramp, as well as the structure from the first World Trade Center leading into the station, survived the September 11 attacks.[56] The station itself was not damaged, but it was covered by dust and was subsequently closed.[67] The passageway reopened for a while to provide an ADA-connection from the New York City Subway station to the temporary World Trade Center PATH station, but was closed again when the temporary PATH station closed for a reconstruction.[67] The passageway was then covered in plywood for preservation purposes.[55]

The renovated entrance, leading from the New York City Subway station to the newly rebuilt PATH station's Oculus headhouse as well as to the Westfield World Trade Center, opened on December 19, 2016.[56][67] The newly reopened passageway retained its pre-9/11 design, save for a door on display that has the words "MATF 1 / 9 13" spray-painted on it (a message from Urban Search and Rescue Massachusetts Task Force 1 of Beverly, Massachusetts, who searched the World Trade Center site on September 13, 2001). There is a plaque above the spray-painting, explaining the message on the door.[55] PATH was required to preserve the passageway's original design as per Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, as a condition for getting funding to construct the Oculus and new stations. The passageway was not made ADA-accessible again until 2017, as there are twenty-six steps down from the mezzanine to the Oculus headhouse's lobby.[55]

The MTA's elevator to the local platform, at the southeast corner of Church Street and Park Place, connects to the local platform via a long ramp from the main mezzanine shared with Chambers Street, but it was out of service between 2001 and 2018 due to long-term construction on the current World Trade Center.[68]

Presentation on maps

A new entrance at Church Street and Park Place

The station has been portrayed in a variety of ways on New York City Subway maps since 1932. Originally, it was shown as a single station called Chambers Street–Hudson Terminal. Starting in about 1948, two stations were shown, Chambers Street–Hudson Terminal for the express trains continuing to Brooklyn, and Hudson Terminal for the local trains terminating at the station. A 1959 map showed two stations enclosed in a box, but a single label. The 1964 and 1966 maps were similar.

On the 1972 map, it once again appeared to be a single station, with the label showing Chambers Street, Hudson Terminal, World Trade Center, and PATH, although the Hudson Terminal office building complex had already been demolished by this time.

On the current map[69] published by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, it is shown as two separate stations with a free transfer—Chambers Street (served by the A and C trains) and World Trade Center (served by the E train). Signs in the Fulton Center only show the E when pointing toward the World Trade Center station, as the A, C, 2 and 3 trains serve both station complexes.

Oculus mosaics

Not to be confused with the World Trade Center Transportation Hub headhouse that is connected to this station, which is also referred to as "Oculus".

There are over 300 mosaics dispersed throughout the IND and IRT stations, which are part of the 1998 installation Oculus created by Kristin Jones and Andrew Ginzel. These eyes were modeled on photographs of the eyes of hundreds of New Yorkers.[70]

According to Jones and Ginzel,

Oculus is a constellation of stone and glass mosaics in the underground labyrinth of interconnected subway stations of lower Manhattan. Over three hundred mosaic eyes, drawn from a photographic study of more than twelve hundred young New Yorkers, are set into the white tile walls of the World Trade Center/Park Place/Chamber Street Stations. The work's centerpiece is a large exquisitely detailed, elliptical glass and stone mosaic floor (38 ft 8 in x 20'8") at the heart of the Park Place Station. The continents of the earth, interwoven with the City of New York amidst an ultramarine pool, surround a large eye in the middle of the mosaic. The mosaic is at once a vision of the world, a reflecting pool of water and a representation New York City in its proper geographical orientation.

The eyes of "Oculus"

The work's detailed renderings of the eye–the most telling, fragile and vulnerable human feature–offer a profound sense of intimacy within a public place. Together, the images create a sense of unity and flow: animating, orienting and humanizing the station. Oculus invites a dialogue between the site and those who move through it.

Oculus was realized in collaboration with the Roman mosaicist, Rinaldo Piras, Sectile.[71]

IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line platform

For the BMT station in Brooklyn, see Park Place (BMT Franklin Avenue Line). For other uses, see Park Place.

Park Place  ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Station statistics
Address	Park Place & Broadway New York, New York
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Financial District
Division	A (IRT)[1]
Line	IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line
Services	2  (all times) ​   3  (all except late nights)
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	July 1, 1918; 106 years ago (1918-07-01)
Accessible	ADA-accessible to mezzanine only; platforms are not ADA-accessible
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Chambers Street 2  ​3  via 135th Street Fulton Street 2  ​3  via Franklin Avenue–Medgar Evers College
Track layout to Chambers Street to Fulton Street
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops all times Stops weekdays during the day Stops weekdays and weekday late nights

The Park Place station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line was built on the portion of the line built as part of the Dual Contracts, which is the section south of Times Square–42nd Street. It has two tracks and a single island platform with a line of blue i-beam columns with alternating ones having the standard black name plate in white lettering. Both track walls have a mostly gold trim line along with the "P" tablets at regular intervals.

Northwest (railroad north) of the station, the tracks of this station become the express tracks of the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, curving sharply northeast under West Broadway.[60] The station is very close to the next stop north, Chambers Street at West Broadway, and the northernmost entrances of this station at Church and Chambers Streets are less than 400 feet (120 m) from the entrances to the station at Chambers Street and West Broadway.[54]

The station has a mezzanine at each end. Towards the western end of the platform, two long staircases lead up to an intermediate landing where another, shorter staircase leads up to the main IND mezzanine near the full Oculus mosaic. From here, there is a bank of turnstiles leading to the street stair at the northwest corner of Park Place and Church Street. A staircase in this mezzanine leads down to the extreme southern end of the IND express platform, where another set of stairs can be used to transfer to the local platform.[54]

• 
  Track wall mosaic
• 
  Entrance at Park Place & Broadway

BMT Broadway Line platforms

For other uses, see Cortlandt Street.

Cortlandt Street  ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Downtown platform
Station statistics
Address	Cortlandt Street & Church Street New York, New York
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Financial District, World Trade Center
Division	B (BMT)[1]
Line	BMT Broadway Line
Services	N  (late nights) ​   R  (all except late nights) ​   W  (weekdays only)
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	January 5, 1918; 106 years ago (1918-01-05)[34] (original) September 15, 2002; 22 years ago (2002-09-15) (first reopening)
Closed	September 11, 2001; 23 years ago (2001-09-11) (first closing) August 20, 2005; 19 years ago (2005-08-20) (second closing)
Rebuilt	November 25, 2009; 15 years ago (2009-11-25) (northbound platform)[72] September 6, 2011; 13 years ago (2011-09-06) (southbound platform)[48][49]
Accessible	ADA-accessible
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Former/other names	Cortlandt Street–World Trade Center
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station City Hall N  ​R  ​W  via Lexington Avenue–59th Street Rector Street N  ​R  ​W  via Whitehall Street–South Ferry
Track layout to City Hall to Rector Street
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops weekdays during the day Stops late nights only

The Cortlandt Street station is a local station on the BMT Broadway Line. The station is located under Church Street, between Fulton and Cortlandt Streets. It has two tracks and two side platforms.[60] It is the closest station on the BMT Broadway Line to the World Trade Center.[57] Immediately north of this station, the line utilizes a sharp reverse curve, first turning east under Vesey Street, then turning north under Broadway toward City Hall.[60]

Passageways link this station to three others outside fare control: the World Trade Center PATH station, the WTC Cortlandt station, and the Fulton Street station, all through the Dey Street Passageway underneath the station. The station also contains a free transfer to the Chambers Street–World Trade Center and Park Place stations via the southbound platform.

• 
  Name tablet mosaic
• 
  Monogram mosaic
• 
  Poster announcing opening of the southbound platform
• 
  Plaque on the Dey Street Underpass
• 
  Dey Street Passageway entrance

Fulton St to Cortlandt St subway cross-section

Greenwich St	WTC Transportation Hub (Oculus) / Westfield Shops	Church St		Broadway	Fulton Center / Westfield Shops		Nassau St		William St
1		R / W		4 / 5			J / Z south		mezzanine
underpass		underpass	Dey Street Passageway	underpass		mezzanine	J / Z north	mezzanine	2 / 3
mezzanine					← A / C →
PATH

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Nearby points of interest

• Brookfield Place (formerly World Financial Center)[54]
• Battery Park City[54]
• Century 21 (also near the adjacent Fulton Street station)[54]
• Church Street Post Office[54]
• New York Public Library New Amsterdam Branch[54]
• Saks Fifth Avenue Downtown division[54]
• St. Paul's Chapel[54]
• Woolworth Building[54]
• World Trade Center buildings (see also World Trade Center site)[54]

Notes

1. Formerly track 1
2. Formerly track 2
3. Formerly track 3
4. Formerly track 4

References

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5. "Hylan Subway Plan Links Four Boroughs at $450,000,000 Cost". The New York Times. December 10, 1924. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
6. Raskin, Joseph B. (2013). The Routes Not Taken: A Trip Through New York City's Unbuilt Subway System. New York, New York: Fordham University Press. doi:10.5422/fordham/9780823253692.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-82325-369-2.
7. "Express and Local Stations For New Eighth Avenue Line". New York Herald Tribune. February 5, 1928. p. B1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1113431477.
8. "Will Break Ground Today for New Uptown Subway". The New York Times. March 14, 1925. p. 15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
9. Warner, Arthur (November 22, 1931). "The City's New Underground Province; The Eighth Avenue Subway Will Be Not Only a Transit Line but a Centre for the Shopper A New Underground Province of New York The Eighth Avenue Subway Will Be a Rapid Transit Line With Innovations and Will Provide Centres for the Shoppers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
10. O'Brien, John C (April 21, 1929). "Brooklyn Subway Newest Link in System Nearing Completion: 1929 Will See Construction Begun on Last of Projected Mileage, Now 70% Under Way". New York Herald Tribune. p. B1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1111988201.
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12. O'Brien, John C. (September 9, 1931). "8th Ave. Line Being Rushed For Use Jan. 1: Turnstile Installation on Subway Begins Monday; Other Equipment Ready for Start of Train Service City Has Yet to Find Operating Company Transit Official on Trip, 207th to Canal Street, Inspects Finished Tube". New York Herald Tribune. p. 1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1331181357.
13. "Sightseers Invade New Subway When Barricade Is lifted". The New York Times. September 9, 1932. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
14. "8th Av. Subway Gets First 5c. by Woman's Error: She Peers Into a Station, Hears Train, Pays for Ride, but Is Day Too Early Preparing for Tomorrow's Rush on 8th Ave. Subway". New York Herald Tribune. September 9, 1932. p. 1. ProQuest 1125436641.
15. Crowell, Paul (September 10, 1932). "Gay Midnight Crowd Rides First Trains In The New Subway: Throngs at Station an Hour Before Time, Rush Turnstiles When Chains are Dropped" (PDF). The New York Times. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 18, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
16. Sebring, Lewis B. (September 10, 1932). "Midnight Jam Opens City's New Subway: Turnstiles Click Into Action at 12:01 A. M. as Throngs Battle for Places in 'First' Trains Boy, 7, Leads Rush At 42d St. Station City at Last Hails 8th Ave. Line After 7-Year Wait; Cars Bigger, Clean Transit Commissioner Officially Opening New Subway at Midnight". New York Herald Tribune. p. 1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1114839882.
17. "New Link Opened, to Aid Commuters; Underpass at Hudson Terminal Also Leads to Platform of Chambers St. Subway". The New York Times. March 16, 1949. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
18. "Ind. Subway Station Link To Hudson Tubes Opened". New York Herald Tribune. March 16, 1949. p. 24. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1325787400.
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20. Benenson, Joel (April 1, 1993). "Albany deal to save the $1.25 fare". New York Daily News. p. 1059. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
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22. "Stop the Fussing". Newsday. May 28, 1993. p. 56. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
23. "Signal Room Fire Reroutes Trains on 3 Subway Lines". The New York Times. January 24, 2005. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
24. Chan, Sewell (January 25, 2006). "Year After Subway Fire, Damaged Equipment Is Still Not Replaced". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
25. "Three New Links of the Dual Subway System Opened, Including a Shuttle Service from Times Square to Thirty-Fourth Street — Service on the Jerome Avenue Branch From 149th Street North to About 225th Street Began Yesterday Afternoon — The Event Celebrated by Bronx Citizens and Property Owners — The Seventh Avenue Connection Opened This Morning" (PDF). The New York Times. June 3, 1917. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 7, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
26. "Annual report. 1916-1917". HathiTrust. Interborough Rapid Transit Company: 22. December 12, 2013. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
27. "Open New Subway to Regular Traffic — First Train on Seventh Avenue Line Carries Mayor and Other Officials — To Serve Lower West Side — Whitney Predicts an Awakening of the District — New Extensions of Elevated Railroad Service" (PDF). The New York Times. July 2, 1918. p. 11. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
28. "Open New Subway Lines to Traffic; Called a Triumph — Great H System Put in Operation Marks an Era in Railroad Construction — No Hitch in the Plans — But Public Gropes Blindly to Find the Way in Maze of New Stations — Thousands Go Astray — Leaders in City's Life Hail Accomplishment of Great Task at Meeting at the Astor" (PDF). The New York Times. August 2, 1918. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
29. Whitney, Travis H. (March 10, 1918). "The Seventh and Lexington Avenue Subways Will Revive Dormant Sections — Change in Operation That Will Transform Original Four-Tracked Subway Into Two Four-Tracked Systems and Double Present Capacity of the Interborough" (PDF). The New York Times. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 12, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
30. "City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign". The New York Times. June 13, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
31. "Transit Unification Completed As City Takes Over I. R. T. Lines: Systems Come Under Single Control After Efforts Begun in 1921; Mayor Is Jubilant at City Hall Ceremony Recalling 1904 Celebration". New York Herald Tribune. June 13, 1940. p. 25. ProQuest 1248134780.
32. Annual Report 1964–1965. New York City Transit Authority. 1965.
33. 2 3 All Times Park Place station closed Sat Apr 3 to Fri Oct 1. New York City Transit. April 1999.
34. "Open New Subway to Times Square; Brooklyn Directly Connected with Wholesale and Shopping Districts of New York". The New York Times. January 6, 1918. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
35. "Bids for B.M.T. Stations; Platforms South of Fourteenth Street to Be Lengthened". The New York Times. July 8, 1926. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
36. "B.M.T. to Operate Eight-car Trains; Platforms in Forty Stations Are Lengthened, Increasing Capacity 33 1-3%". The New York Times. August 2, 1927. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
37. "B. M, T. Station Lengthening Is Nearly Finished: 76 Platforms Are Extended 3,186 Feet to Make Room for 126.000 Additional Passengers in Rush Hours City Carried Out Work I.R.T. Changes Planned, but That Company Refuses to Pay Its Share of Costs". New-York Tribune. August 2, 1927. p. 32. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1113704092.
38. "B.M.T. Lines Pass to City Ownership; $175,000,000 Deal Completed at City Hall Ceremony-- Mayor 'Motorman No. 1'". The New York Times. June 2, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
39. "City Takes Over B. M. T. System; Mayor Skippers Midnight Train". New York Herald Tribune. June 2, 1940. p. 1. ProQuest 1243059209.
40. U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Special Programs Administration, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (April 2002). "Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: New York City- September 11". Archived from the original on March 5, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
41. Kennedy, Randy (September 17, 2002). "Tunnel Vision; With Station's Reopening, Even Commuters Smile". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
42. Chan, Sewell (August 12, 2005). "Metro Briefing | New York: Manhattan: Subway Station To Close". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
43. "Cortlandt St station remains closed" (PDF). New York City Transit Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 26, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
44. "MTA Chairman Reopens R/W Cortlandt Street Station". NY1 News. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
45. "Cortlandt St Northbound Subway Platform Reopens". Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center/LMDC. Archived from the original on November 30, 2009. Retrieved November 22, 2009.
46. Chan, Sewell (November 25, 2009). "After 5 Years, Cortlandt Street Station Partly Reopens". City Room. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
47. Fermino, Jennifer (August 3, 2011). "G. Zero station set to reopen". New York Post. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
48. "Cortlandt St. R Station Re-Opens". MTA.info. September 6, 2011. Archived from the original on November 26, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
49. Fink, Zack (September 6, 2011). "Lower Manhattan Subway Stop Fully Reopened". NY1. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
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52. "Getting to the Oculus Just Got Much Easier". Tribeca Citizen. December 30, 2017. Archived from the original on January 2, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
53. Dunlap, David W. (December 16, 2004). "Blocks; At Site of New Tower, a Game of Inches". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2018. (a diagram is available here)
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56. *Higgs, Larry (December 13, 2016). "When will the E Train be connected to WTC hub?". NJ.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
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58. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
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60. Dougherty, Peter (2020). Tracks of the New York City Subway 2020 (16th ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 1056711733.
61. "City Opens Subway to Brooklyn Today". The New York Times. February 1, 1933. p. 19. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
62. "Photo of side platform in use, dated September 1, 1990". Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
63. Yee, Vivian (November 9, 2014). "Out of Dust and Debris, a New Jewel Rises". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
64. "New Link Opened, to Aid Commuters; Underpass at Hudson Terminal Also Leads to Platform of Chambers St. Subway". The New York Times. March 16, 1949. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
65. "New Subway Tunnel To Help Commuters". The New York Times. November 8, 1947. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
66. "NYCSubway.org: Photograph of H&M/World Trade Center station dated December 12, 1974". Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
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72. "Cortlandt Street R/W Subway Station Reopens". New York City Transit Authority. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2009.

External links

External videos
Ten Years Later: MTA Reflects on 9/11, Metropolitan Transportation Authority; September 7, 2011; 4:21 YouTube video clip

• nycsubway.org – IRT West Side Line: Park Place
• nycsubway.org – IND 8th Avenue: Chambers Street/World Trade Center
• nycsubway.org – New York City Subway Historical Maps:
• nycsubway.org – Oculus Artwork by Jones and Ginzel (1998)
• nycsubway.org – BMT Broadway Subway: Cortlandt Street – World Trade Center
• MTA's Arts For Transit – Chambers Street/Park Place
• MTA's Arts For Transit — Cortlandt Street (BMT Broadway Line)