New York subway station reopens 17 years after being destroyed during 9/11 attacks: NPR

The WTC Cortlandt metro station reopened on Saturday in New York, nearly 17 years after its destruction in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Patrick Sison / AP

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Patrick Sison / AP

The WTC Cortlandt metro station reopened on Saturday in New York, nearly 17 years after its destruction in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Patrick Sison / AP

Seventeen years after its destruction during the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Cortlandt Street subway station in New York has finally been reopened.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the city's metro system, unveiled the reconstructed railway station on Saturday, just three days before the anniversary of the attack.

"The opening of the WTC Cortlandt brings a metro station back into a vibrant neighborhood and represents a major step in the recovery and growth of downtown Manhattan," said Joseph Lhota, president of the MTA. "The WTC Cortlandt is more than a new subway station, it symbolizes the determination of New Yorkers to restore and substantially improve the entire World Trade Center site."

The old Cortlandt Street Station was buried by countless tons of debris that collapsed in the morning of September 11th attacks. The station connected residents along the No. 1 line on the west side of Manhattan to the World Trade Center.

The reconstruction of the resort cost $ 181 million, according to the Associated Press. The new stop includes a temperate air vent system, elevator access from the street and a white marble mosaic from artist Ann Hamilton, along with texts from the Declaration of Independence and the Universal Declaration. United Nations human rights.

The new station also has fewer columns, which increases the space on both platforms, making it easier for customers to navigate with wheelchairs.

The WTC Cortlandt station is fully accessible, according to the MTA. The station has a lift from the street on its southbound platform and lifts for each platform from the mezzanine.

Work on the new station began in 2015, but bureaucracy and missed deadlines slowed construction, reports CBS New York.