Photos: Cortlandt Street 1 Subway Station Reopens 17 Years After 9/11 Destruction

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