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New York Transit Museum: Ghost Station Tour
City Hall Station, an abandoned station of the New York Rapid Transit (运输) subway, was originally the last stop at the southern end of the subway line. Opened in 1904, the station was designed to be the most impressive station of the city’s new subway system.
City Hall Station remained in use until 1945, when the station had to be closed due to certain changes in the city’s subway system. As more and more passengers started to travel by subway, it became necessary to add more cars to subway trains. This meant that subway platforms needed to be extended to fit the longer trains. However, City Hall Station was originally built with a short, bent platform, making improvements to the station difficult. Rather than trying to rebuild it, officials chose to abandon City Hall Station in favor of another nearby station, the Brooklyn Bridge Station. Thus, City Hall became a “ghost” (鬼，幽灵) station on the New York subway line, a modern underground ruin.
Although the station is no longer used by subway travelers, the New York Transit Museum has found a new use for the station. The museum has reopened City Hall Station for tourists. Due to the historic significance and beauty of this station, the New York Transit Museum schedules special tours of the station. With some new features added, the station has been named as a landmark by the U.S. government.
Tour Information and Reservations
Please make reservations with the Transit Museum from Tuesday to Friday, 10 am to 4 pm. Payment in advance is required for tours and must be received at least one week before the scheduled tour. Payment can be made by credit or check.
Tours may require a lot of walking. Wear good walking shoes and comfortable clothes. For your safety, follow the instructions of the tour guide when touring abandoned stations, stay with the group at all times, and follow instructions or signs at the facilities.
Photography is not permitted inside abandoned facilities and some tours have been restricted since 2001 due to security concerns. Please check before booking.