Cortlandt St. Station To Re-Open Saturday After 9/11 Destruction

FINANCIAL DISTRICT, NY — The 1 line’s Cortlandt Street subway station is set to re-open this Saturday for the first time since 9/11 with a new name in tribute to the tragedy, the MTA said Friday.

After a 17-year reconstruction, the once pulverized Lower Manhattan station is re-opening as "World Trade Center Cortlandt." Repairs to the stop were plagued with delays and have climbed to $158 million, officials have said.

Transit authorities had to rebuild the train tunnel that ran under the center after it was literally crushed by debris. The station's opening is a symbol of revitalization as the last piece of the World Trade Center transportation hub, but also means greater convenience for commuters.

Walks north to the Chambers and Franklin street stations, or cutting across Lower Manhattan to the Oculus and Fulton Center transit hubs will no longer be necessary for those who live, work or are just visiting the area.

The modern station is fully accessible and was built with fewer columns to make it easier for commuters to navigate. It comes with electronic signage with real-time service information and is air-tempered for a cooler station on steamy summer days, according to the MTA.

It also features a mosaic by artist Ann Hamilton featuring text from the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration of Independence.

The station turned 100-years-old in June and first opened as an extension to the city’s original 1904 subway system.

Photo courtesy of Egon Bomsch/Shutterstock