MTA South Ferry subway station to see return of service

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) plans to return 1 train service to one loop platform of the storm-ravaged South Ferry subway station in the first week of April.

“The MTA has a long, tough job ahead as it tackles the immense job of virtually rebuilding the new South Ferry terminal station that was flooded 80 feet deep during Superstorm Sandy,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “For the extended period of time it will take for this work to be completed, we are returning the old station in the complex to service, making travel easier and more convenient for Staten Islanders and others who work and visit this area.”

Sandy’s storm surge sent salt water into the South Ferry station on October 29. Some 15 million gallons of water filled the area from the track level to the mezzanine, destroying all electrical and mechanical systems and components and rendering the station unusable. As a result, 1 trains now terminate at Rector Street, a major inconvenience for thousands of daily commuters and sightseers.

Faced with an estimated two-year timeline for restoring the new South Ferry station, MTA New York City Transit studied the former loop station directly above it, which served South Ferry until 2009. The station is on a sharp curve and requires moveable platform edge extenders to bridge gaps between the platform and the cars and it can accommodate only five cars of a 10-car subway train.

“As MTA New York City Transit assessed the extent of damage to the new South Ferry station, it became clear that the time necessary to repair it would be too long a period to deny our customers a direct link to lower Manhattan,” said MTA Interim Executive Director Thomas Prendergast. “We are working to ensure that all elements and systems are fully operational, safe and reliable before restoring service to the old station, but our primary goal remains restoring the new South Ferry station as soon as possible.”

Work to reopen old South Ferry station includes opening a new connection point between the new station mezzanine and the old loop station, which will allow a transfer between the 1 train and the R train’s Whitehall Street station.

Crews must install electrical feeds, closed-circuit television systems to monitor the platform, customer assistance intercoms, security cameras and radio communications in the dispatcher’s office. Additional work will be required to rehabilitate the fare control area, restore lighting in the station and adjacent tunnels, install new platform lighting and repair and repaint station walls. The estimated cost of returning the old South Ferry loop to service is $2 million.

The Federal Transit Administration has reimbursed MTA New York City Transit for an initial $629,100 of recovery work at the new South Ferry station, which included pumping out water, removing debris, assessing damage and inspecting equipment.

The MTA is working closely with the FTA to pursue reimbursement for the costs of rebuilding the devastated station.

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