Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Photos: Cortlandt Street 1 Subway Station Reopens 17 Years After 9/11 Destruction
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 10, 2018
Modified Sep 10, 2018
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Scott Lynch / Gothamist
View all 16
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 10, 2018
Modified Sep 10, 2018
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Just ahead of the 17th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, the MTA has reopened the Cortlandt Street subway station. MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota called the moment "a major milestone in the recovery and growth of downtown Manhattan," noting, "WTC Cortlandt is more than a new subway station. It is symbolic of New Yorkers’ resolve in restoring and substantially improving the entire World Trade Center site."
Service restarted at noon on Saturday, after a $181.8 million rebuild. The MTA only received control of the site in 2015, after the Port Authority got all the other infrastructure settled (the World Trade Center is one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the world). According to the MTA, "The infrastructure of the former Cortlandt St 1 subway station was completely destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks when the World Trade Center collapsed above the station. The MTA rebuilt 1,200 feet of tunnel and tracks and made significant repairs to the station shell, track tunnels and track infrastructure, which enabled the restoration of 1 line service to the South Ferry terminal. The remainder of the Cortlandt St station was demolished as part of the overall reconstruction of the World Trade Center site, leaving behind the foundation for a new subway station to be built in its footprint."
The station's walls have a white marble mosaic by Ann Hamilton, who incorporated 4,350 square feet of marble tesserae that shows the text from the 1776 Declaration of Independence and the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Called "CHORUS," subway riders can touched the raised words and interact with the work.
The agency is also proud to point out that there are fewer columns at the station, which provides "direct views into the World Trade Center Transportation Hub for more intuitive wayfinding and customer flow, particularly for mobility-impaired customers using wheelchairs or motorized scooters." The station is also fully accessible, with elevators to street level and to platforms. Also important to note: The station is "air-tempered to maintain a comfortable environment, and includes two new fan plants that provide air circulation and emergency ventilation."
The Cortlandt Street R station reopened in 2011
Tagged
1 train
mass station
MTA
subway
we the commuters
wtc
wtc cortlandt
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .