The New York subway network has some ghost stations that few know about.
A moment ago the walls smeared with graffiti flew past the subway window, then suddenly a deserted room opens up. A Stiege under an arch that leads into what was once a magnificent hall. White and green tiles from a bygone era cover the vaulted ceiling in the underground of New York. A sign says “City Hall” (Rathaus).
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Tens of thousands drive past abandoned stations in the US metropolis every day. Few notice the somber witnesses to history. A story that, in the case of the New York Subway, begins in 1904. There were forerunners in the 19th century – a railway was not even 100 meters long – but in October 1904 a line almost 15 kilometers long opens from the southern tip Manhattans to the north of the district. In the following years and decades, the neighboring boroughs (districts) were connected. Today, the New York subway, together with its buses, transports more than 2.3 billion passengers annually over 1,000 kilometers and 27 lines – starting from 1, 2, 3 to N, Q, R, W.
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A total of 472 stations in New York
Today there are 472 stations that New Yorkers and tourists can board. But there are also a few Ghost stations. An older listing on Columbia University’s website counts ten closed stops in New York. Some of them are on tracks that have been shut down, others have been replaced by new stations. Above all, you can still see these today if you look out the window into the darkness in the right subway at the right time. These include, for example, the stations “Worth Street” and “18 Street” in downtown Manhattan. The abandoned Court Street station houses the Transit Museum.
The most spectacular abandoned station is the old “City Hall” near the Brooklyn Bridge. With the neat arches from the architect Rafael Guastavino she was the showpiece as mayor George McClellan the metropolitan subway opened in 1904. “The elegant chandeliers, ceiling windows and the graceful curves delighted the visitors,” describes the Transit Museum.
In spite of everything, “City Hall” was never an important stop. It was unfavorably located and the nearby station “Brooklyn Bridge“She quickly outstripped her. Today the Transit Museum organizes tours through the former subway showpiece. However, you must first become a member in order to pay 50 dollars (45.58 euros) for the 90-minute walk through the underworld to be allowed to pay – that’s 18 single trips on the subway.
Others choose a different route to the almost forgotten places of New York: They go on nightly forays into the underground. Above all, sprayers have made it their hobby to walk the gloomy subway network along abandoned stations and then upload their videos to the Internet. A cheap option – but illegal and above all life-threatening.
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