Southbound Cortland St Platform Reopens
MTA Chairman Jay H. Walder and elected officials re-opened the southbound platform of the Cortlandt St R subway station. Photo by Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
Just a couple of hours ago, MTA NYC Transit officially reopened the southbound side of the Cortlandt Street station for revenue service. I had planned on going to the photo op but could not due to some business matters. However the agency sent out a press release a couple of minutes ago:
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today reopened the downtown side of the Cortlandt Street R subway station in time for the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack. MTA Chairman and CEO Jay H. Walder was joined by Congressman Jerrold Nadler, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and NYC Councilmember Margaret Chin to celebrate the occasion.
“We made a commitment to have this platform open before the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and today we are here to fulfill that commitment,” said Walder. “I’m so proud that the MTA is able to participate in another vital milestone in the revitalization of Lower Manhattan. Our employees were first responders on that tragic day; we worked tirelessly to bring the subway back just months after the attack and every day since we have been rebuilding and helping the city come back stronger than ever.”
The northbound side of the Cortlandt Street station reopened in November 2009. Now, customers will be able to access the southbound platform through two underground passageways: through the newly constructed Cortlandt Street underpass (where the Margie Hughto wall murals have been reinstalled) or the entrance from One Liberty Plaza.
MTA Capital Construction is responsible for rebuilding the station. Its president, Michael Horodniceanu, stated, “This is a significant customer benefit that we’ve been able to re-open ahead of schedule as we continue to make progress building the Fulton Street Transit Center.”
The collapse of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 caused significant damage to the Cortlandt Street R station as well as the Cortlandt Street station on the 1 line, which remains out of service. The R Line station remained closed for one year while damage from the collapse was repaired. The station then operated from September 15, 2002 until August 20, 2005, when it was closed again for the excavation and construction of the Dey Street Passageway. This pedestrian concourse will serve as a vital link between the Cortlandt Street station and the Fulton Street Transit Center currently under construction by MTA Capital Construction.
The $20 million dollar project to reopen the southbound Cortlandt Street platform was funded by the Port Authority and the MTA. The station’s artwork, Trade, Treasure and Travel, by artist Margie Hughto and commissioned in 1997, was undamaged in the 9/11 attacks and remained in storage until the station rehabilitation was complete. The murals are comprised of twelve thematically related hand-made bas-relief ceramic tile panels relating to finance and decorated with real and mythical creatures connected to the sea trade.
The station is served by the R during the daytime hours and the N during late nights. Cortlandt Street originally opened on January 5, 1918 as part of the BMT Broadway Line.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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