Meeting 9/11 deadline, subway link reopens

Badly damaged in the collapse of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, the Cortlandt Street R subway station reopened its southbound platform Tuesday, in time—as pledged—for the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack. MTA Chairman Jay H. Walder and elected officials were present for the opening.

Now, MYA noted, subway riders will be able to access the southbound platform through two underground passageways: through the newly constructed Cortlandt Street underpass or the entrance from One Liberty Plaza. This pedestrian concourse will serve as a link between the Cortlandt Street station and the Fulton Street Transit Center currently under construction by MTA Capital Construction.

The terrorist attack significantly damaged the Cortlandt Street R station as well as the Cortlandt Street station on the No. 1 line, which remains out of service. The R Line station remained closed for a 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, part of the Fulton Street Transit Center project. The northbound side of the Cortlandt Street R station was reopened in November 2009.