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Dive into New York’s underworld: ghost stations invite you to travel back in time

The New York subway network has 472 stations. What many do not know and see: there are also ten abandoned underground stations. The “City Hall” station is particularly magnificent. A museum offers guided tours into the remains of days gone by.

Graffiti-coated walls just flew past the subway window, and then an empty room suddenly opened. A staircase under an arch that leads into a once magnificent hall. White and green tiles from a bygone era cover the vaulted ceiling in the New York underground. “City Hall” (town hall) is written on a sign. Tens of thousands drive past abandoned stations in the US metropolis every day. Few notice the dark witnesses to the story.

A story that began in 1904 in the case of the New York subway. There were forerunners in the 19th century – a train was not even 100 meters long – but in October 1904 a line of almost 15 kilometers opened from the southern tip of Manhattan to the north of the district. In the following years and decades, the neighboring boroughs (districts) were connected. Today, the New York City subway, along with its buses, transports more than 2.3 billion passengers annually on over 1,000 kilometers and 27 lines – starting from 1, 2, 3 to N, Q, R, W.

Today there are 472 stations that New Yorkers and tourists can enter. But there are also a few ghost stations. An older listing on Columbia University’s website includes 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 Some of them are on tracks that have been shut down, others have been replaced by new stations.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 them today when you look out of the window at the right time at the right subway. These include, for example, the stations “Worth Street” and “18 Street” in Downtown Manhattan. The abandoned Court Street station is home to the Transit Museum.

“City Hall” station attracts visitors and sprayers

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“City Hall” – a ghost station, made for a film set.

(Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit / dpa)

The most spectacular abandoned station is the old “City Hall” near the Brooklyn Bridge. With the pretty arches by architect Rafael Guastavino, it was the showpiece when Mayor George McClellan opened the metro in 1904. “The elegant chandeliers, ceiling windows and the graceful curves inspired the visitors,” says the Transit Museum.

Despite everything, “City Hall” was never an important stop. It was in an inconvenient location and the nearby “Brooklyn Bridge” station quickly overtook it. Today the Transit Museum organizes tours through the former subway showpiece. However, you must first become a member to be able to pay $ 50 for the 90-minute walk through the underworld – that’s 18 single trips on the subway.

Others choose a different route to the almost forgotten places in New York: They go on underground excursions at night. Especially sprayers have made it their hobby to walk along the dark underground network of abandoned stations and then upload their videos to the Internet. A cheap option – but illegal and above all life-threatening.

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