(thing) by jonesmd Fri Mar 01 2002 at 7:00:23

Note: There are three stations in the NYC Subway system named "Chambers Street". All three are included in this writeup.

The New York City Subway Lines Project:
The Chambers Street Station (1/9 Train, 2 Train)

What is it?

A station on the 1/9 Train and 2 Train (Seventh Avenue IRT) in the New York City Subway system.

Served By...

Note: 1/9 service to South Ferry will be restored in November 2002.

What's interesting About It

Just south of the Chambers Street station, the Brooklyn IRT tracks join the South Ferry spur, producing a four-track express/local configuration. A mechanical room above the platforms has a sign reading "Electrical Mice"; the room is actually a NYC Transit electronics shop.

Visuals

Mosaics in the tile border include the first building of King's College, today known as Columbia University.

What's Nearby?

The New York City Subway Lines Project:
The Chambers Street/World Trade Center Station(A Train, C Train, E Train)

What is it?

A station on the A/C/E (Eighth Avenue IND) in the New York City Subway system.

Served By...

What's interesting About It

This is really two stations connected by a mezzanine. Generally, the express tracks for the A and C trains are called the Chambers Street Station, and the local (E Train) tracks are called the World Trade Center station. The local track bypasses the Chambers Street platform, so the first stop on the E Train is Canal Street. The station is also connected to the Park Place station of the Brooklyn IRT, allowing transfers to the 1 and 2 trains.

Visuals

The entire station has been covered with the "large rectangle" style tile, covering older tile which showed an "H and M" legend, for Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (now part of PATH). An artwork titled Oculus has been installed throughout the station. Oculus (Eye) was created by Kristin Jones and Andrew Ginzel, and it comprises 300 different mosaic eyes based on human eyes taken from photographs.

What's Nearby?

Miscellaneous

Relative depths of stations in the Chambers Street complex:

  • A/C Chambers Street platform: 20 feet below street level
  • E World Trade Center platform: 20 feet below street level
  • N/R Cortlandt Street platform: 20 feet below street level
  • 1/2 Park Place platform: 60 feet below street level
  • PATH fare control: 60 feet below street level
  • PATH platform: 80 feet below street level

The New York City Subway Lines Project:
The Chambers Street Station(J/Z Train, M Train)

What is it?

A station on the J/M/Z (Brooklyn Elevated BMT) in the New York City Subway system.

Served By...

What's interesting About It

This very complex station was completed in 1915. As originally built, it had four tracks and five platforms in this configuration:

west side platform (uptown local)
uptown local track
west island platform (uptown local/express)
uptown express track
center island platform (uptown/downtown express)
downtown express track
east island platform (downtown local/express)
downtown local track
east side platform (downtown local)

When it was built, it was a terminal station for the elevated train line from Brooklyn, and connected to the Williamburg Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge at its north end. In 1931, the Nassau Street subway loop was completed; this turned the Chambers Street station into a through station using the Montague Street tunnel to Brooklyn. The center island and both side platforms were closed at this point as traffic through the station decreased. In 1962, the Brooklyn Bridge IRT station was rebuilt and the west side platform was walled up and partly destroyed.

In 1967, the Chrystie street connection removed the Manhattan Bridge connection, further reducing the number of trains through this station. Plans to reconfigure this and the Canal Street stations to a pair of tracks with a single island platform have been discussed, but are not currently scheduled.

Visuals

The station has "Chambers Street" mosaics and mosaic artwork of the Brooklyn Bridge.

What's Nearby?

I like it!