Chambers Street – World Trade Center / Park Place (New York City Subway)

Chambers Street–World Trade Center, is a station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located on Church Street between Chambers and Vesey Streets in Lower Manhattan, it is served by the A and E trains (all times), and by the C train (all times except late nights).

In an unusual layout, the two local tracks, which terminate here, are east of the two express tracks. South of Canal Street station, the southbound local track dips underneath both express tracks and then rises again to a level grade with the northbound express track. The local tracks are also offset slightly south of the express tracks, terminating at the northern edge of the World Trade Center site. The passenger connection is at mezzanine level, also allowing a free transfer to the Park Place station on the IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line.

Both island platforms can accommodate 600-foot trains. The northern end has a signal tower and switches that are roughly at the middle of the A and C platforms. Just north of the station is a third track between the uptown and downtown express tracks, with connecting switches at both ends, which was used to relay trains when Chambers Street was used as a terminal, before the Broadway–Nassau Street station opened on February 11, 1933.

The station has been portrayed in a variety of ways on subway maps since 1932. Originally, it was shown as a single station called "Chambers St.–Hudson Terminal." Starting in about 1948, two stations were shown, "Chambers–Hudson Term." for the express trains continuing to Brooklyn, and "Hudson Term." for the local trains terminating at the station. A 1959 map showed two stations enclosed in a box, but a single label. The 1964 and 1966 maps were similar.

On the 1972 map, it once again appears to be a single station, with the label showing "Chambers St.," "Hudson Trm," "World Trade Ctr," and "PATH," although the Hudson Terminal office building complex had already been demolished by this time.

On the current map published by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, it is shown as two separate stations with a free transfer — "Chambers Street" (served by A and C trains) and "World Trade Center" (served by E trains).

At the extreme southern end of the complex is the wheelchair accessible exit via the PATH station, along with a few High Entrance-Exit Turnstiles (HEETs). Only the local platform is ADA-compliant. The doors and ramp, and structure from the World Trade Center leading into the station survived the September 11, 2001 attacks. The station itself was not damaged, but was covered by dust.

Throughout the station there are eyes within the mosaics, which are part of the 1998 installation Oculus created by Kristin Jones and Andrew Ginzel. These eyes were modeled on photographs of three hundred New Yorkers.

Bus connections

• M20: To/from Battery Park City or Lincoln Center via West Street (S/B) or Eighth Avenue (N/B)
• M22: To/from Chinatown or Battery Park City via Chambers Street

Nearby points of interest

• World Trade Center site
• Trinity Church
• Church Street Post Office
• Battery Park City
• World Financial Center
• Winter Garden
• Century 21
• Millenium Hilton Hotel

External links

• nycsubway.org
  • Chambers Street/World Trade Center (IND 8th Avenue)
  • New York City Subway Historical Maps
• Station Reporter — World Trade Center Complex
• The Subway Nut — Chambers Street–Park Place–World Trade Center (A, C, E, 2, 3)
• Oculus artwork