South Ferry/Whitehall Street  ​​​
New York City Subwaystation complex
The main entrance to the new South Ferry portion of the station onPeter Minuit Plaza in 2019
Station statistics
Address	South Street &Whitehall Street New York, New York
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Battery Park andFinancial District
Coordinates	40°42′09″N74°00′46″W / 40.7025°N 74.0128°W /40.7025; -74.0128
Division	A (IRT),B (BMT)[1]
Line	BMT Broadway Line IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line
Services	1  (all times)​   N  (late nights) ​  R  (all times) ​  W  (weekdays only)
Transit	NYCT Bus:M15,M15 SBS,M20,M55,SIM5,SIM35 MTA Bus:BM1,BM2,BM3,BM4,QM7,QM8,QM11,QM25,QM65 Staten Island Ferry atWhitehall Terminal
Other information
Opened	March 16, 2009; 16 years ago (2009-03-16)
Accessible	PartiallyADA-accessible (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line platform only)
Traffic
2024	6,519,960[2]  8.8%
Rank	31 out of 423[2]
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops weekdays during the day Stops late nights only Stops weekends during the day

TheSouth Ferry/Whitehall Street station is aNew York City Subwaystation complex in theFinancial District neighborhood ofManhattan, underBattery Park. The complex is shared by theIRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line and theBMT Broadway Line. It is served by the1 andR trains at all times, theW train only on weekdays during the day, and theN train at night. It is the southern terminal for all 1 and W trains and the northern terminal for late night R trains.

The complex originally consisted of three separate stations. In 1905, theInterborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) opened aballoon loop at South Ferry, serving the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue andIRT Lexington Avenue Lines. TheBrooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) opened its station at Whitehall Street in 1918. The same year, the IRT opened a second loop for the IRT Lexington Avenue Line on the inside of the existing loop; the two loop stations were not connected to each other nor to the BMT station. Despite their proximity, the stations remained separate for 91 years.

In the early 2000s, as part of the recovery effort from theSeptember 11, 2001, attacks, anew South Ferry terminal for the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line was proposed. That station opened in 2009, replacing the loop station and providing a connection between the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line's 1 train and the Broadway Line's N, R, and W trains. The new terminal for the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line was severely damaged duringHurricane Sandy in 2012, and the MTA temporarily re-opened the loop station between 2013 and 2017, adding a temporary connection between the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line's loop and the BMT Broadway Line's platforms. The newer terminal reopened in June 2017 following extensive renovations and waterproofing work.

This station complex is the third on the site to bear the nameSouth Ferry.The first was an elevated station located nearby, which was open from 1877 to 1950 and served the former IRTNinth,Sixth,Third, andSecond Avenue elevated lines. The second was the old South Ferry loop station, located above the existing station complex.

Planning for asubway line in New York City dates to 1864.^[3]: 21 However, development of what would become thecity's first subway line did not start until 1894, when theNew York State Legislature authorized the Rapid Transit Act.^{[3]: 139–161} The subway plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led byWilliam Barclay Parsons, chief engineer of the Rapid Transit Commission.^[4]: 3 The Rapid Transit Construction Company, organized byJohn B. McDonald and funded byAugust Belmont Jr., signed the initial Contract 1 with the Rapid Transit Commission in February 1900,^[5] in which it would construct the subway and maintain a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line.^[3]: 165 In 1901, the firm ofHeins & LaFarge was hired to design the underground stations.^[4]: 4 Belmont incorporated theInterborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) in April 1902 to operate the subway.^{[3]: 162–191}

Several days after Contract 1 was signed, the Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners instructed Parsons to evaluate the feasibility of extending the subway south toSouth Ferry, and then toBrooklyn. On January 24, 1901, the Board adopted a route that would extend the subway from City Hall to theLong Island Rail Road (LIRR)'sFlatbush Avenue terminal station (now known as Atlantic Terminal) in Brooklyn, via theJoralemon Street Tunnel under theEast River.^{[6]: 83–84 [7]: 260–261} Contract 2, giving a lease of 35 years, was executed between the commission and the Rapid Transit Construction Company on September 11, 1902.^{[3]: 162–191} Construction began atState Street in Manhattan on November 8, 1902.^[8]

The South Ferry loop was built as part of subsection 2 of Contract 2 and was largely constructed as an open trench.^[9]: 102 Contractors installed a waterproof membrane and operated pumps continuously to prevent the loop from being inundated by water fromNew York Harbor.^[10] Battery Park was only 5 to 7 feet (1.5 to 2.1 m) above mean high water, while the South Ferry station, 23 feet (7.0 m) below, was as much as 17 feet (5.2 m) beneath mean high water. Because Battery Park had been created largely throughland reclamation, workers found skulls, copper coins, logs, and remnants of brick piers when they were excavating the station's site.^{[9]: 102–103} A temporary trestle was built to allow workers to remove dirt onto barges.^{[9]: 103 [10]}

On July 10, 1905, the outer South Ferry platform opened; the inner track existed when the station was built, but only as a storage track. There was as yet no IRT service to Brooklyn, and all trains terminated at South Ferry's outer-loop platform.^[11][12] The Joralemon Street Tunnel opened in 1908,^[13] and all rush-hour trains started operating to Brooklyn the next year.^[14] To address overcrowding, in 1909, theNew York Public Service Commission proposed lengthening platforms at stations along the original IRT subway.^[15]: 168 As part of a modification to the IRT's construction contracts, made on January 18, 1910, the company was to lengthen station platforms to accommodate ten-car express and six-car local trains.^[16]: 15 The South Ferry station was not lengthened, but the platforms at other stations were extended,^[16]: 106 and six-car local trains began operating in October 1910.^[15]: 168 On January 23, 1911, ten-car express trains began running on the Lenox Avenue Line, and the following day, ten-car express trains were inaugurated on the West Side Line.^{[15]: 168 [17]}

TheDual Contracts were formalized in March 1913, specifying new lines or expansions to be built by the IRT and theBrooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT).^[18] As part of the Dual Contracts, the New York City Public Service Commission planned to split the original IRT system into three segments: two north–south lines, carrying through trains over theLexington Avenue andBroadway–Seventh Avenue Lines, anda west–east shuttle under42nd Street. This would form a roughly H-shaped system.^[18] Construction started on a southward extension of the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line in 1914.^[19] South ofChambers Street, there were to be two branches: one running south to the Battery and the other running east to Brooklyn via theClark Street Tunnel.^[20][21] In order for the line to continue down Varick Street and West Broadway, these streets needed to be widened, and two new streets were built, the Seventh Avenue Extension and the Varick Street Extension.^[19] It was predicted that the subway extension would lead to the growth of the Lower West Side, and to neighborhoods such asChelsea andGreenwich Village.^[20][21] The entire line, consisting of eight sections, was expected to cost $14,793,419.^[19]

Before the Dual Contracts were signed, the Public Service Commission had tentatively planned a subway line under Seventh Avenue. Because the route had not yet been assigned to the IRT, the plans for the Seventh Avenue subway had called for a second loop under Battery Park, stretching underPier A andCastle Clinton, as well as a subway yard beneath Battery Park.^[22] When the Dual Contracts were finalized, the IRT revised the plans so the Seventh Avenue Line instead connected with the existing line's outer loop.^[23] The tunnel slightly underpinned a structure owned by theChesebrough Manufacturing Company, which in July 1914 sued to prevent the tunnel from being built.^[22][24] During the line's construction, the contractor discovered an ancient cannon and two cannon balls under Battery Park.^[25] The Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line extension was nearly complete by late 1917, but the line did not have signals or electricity because of World War I-related delays.^[26]

The Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line was extended to South Ferry on July 1, 1918. The inner-loop platform opened the same year, serving trains on the Lexington Avenue Line.^[27][28] The IRT operated the South Ferry station until June 12, 1940, when the city government took over the IRT's operations.^[29][30]

Originally, only the end doors of each car of a five-car train could platform at the station, because of the large gap between the middle doors and the platform, owing to the severe curve of the station. This problem was remedied in January 1959 when gap fillers were installed. On February 10, 1959, theNew York City Transit Authority approved a $185,000 project to renovate the station. The project would take a year to be completed. The project would remove change booths and turnstiles from platform level to provide more space on the platform and reduce congestion. They would be relocated to a new street-level station house that would be built out of terra cotta, aluminum, glass, and stainless steel. The doors of the new entrance would be connected with the ferry house ramp with a wide stairway. The structure would be designed to fit in with the Staten Island Ferry terminal.^[31] Work got underway on the project later in 1959.^[32]

Also planned under the Dual Contracts was theBroadway Line of the BRT (which later became theBrooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation, or BMT).^[18] Contractors started constructing the tunnel underWhitehall Street in 1914.^[33] The first section of the Broadway Line, between14th Street–Union Square andCanal Street, opened in 1917.^[34][35] Although the line was extended north toTimes Square–42nd Street and south toRector Street in January 1918,^[36][37] the short extension from Rector Street to Whitehall Street was delayed by several months.^[38] The BRT attributed the delays to "inadequate turnback facilities" at Whitehall Street and, in August 1918, announced that they would revise the track configuration of the station.^[39]

When the Whitehall Street station opened on September 20, 1918, it was the southern terminal of the Broadway Line.^[40][41] An additional entrance at the southern end of the station opened in November 1919, providing a direct connection to the Whitehall Terminal of the Staten Island Ferry.^[42][43] The line was extended south in 1920 when theMontague Street Tunnel opened.^[44] The station's platforms originally could only fit six 67-foot-long (20 m) cars. In 1926, theNew York City Board of Transportation received bids for the lengthening of platforms at nine stations on the Broadway Line, including the Whitehall Street station, to accommodate eight-car trains. Edwards & Flood submitted a low bid of $101,775 for the project.^[45] The platform-lengthening project was completed in 1927, bringing the length of the platforms to 535 feet (163 m).^[46][47]

The city government took over the BMT's operations on June 1, 1940.^[48][49] On January 6, 1994, Automated Fare Collection turnstiles went into service at the Whitehall Street BMT station and at theWall Street station.^[50][51]

On September 11, 2001,a terrorist attack destroyed theWorld Trade Center, located slightly to the north of South Ferry and the Battery. The segment of the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line that ran through the WTC, including theCortlandt Street station two stops north of South Ferry, was also destroyed;^{[52]: 1·1 (PDF p. 1)} the line reopened in September 2002, bypassing Cortlandt Street.^[53][54] Concurrent with the rebuilding of that section of the line, MTA officials recognized the need to build a more efficient terminal for the 1 and 9 trains at South Ferry, since it was anticipated that the line would be heavily used in the long-term aftermath of the attacks.^{[52]: 1·2 (PDF p. 2) [55]} This also coincided with the renovation of Battery Park.^{[52]: 1·2 (PDF p. 2) [56]} The new station would also allow easier transfers for travelers to the Staten Island Ferry or the tour ferries toLiberty andEllis islands.^[56] New York governorGeorge Pataki presented plans in February 2003 for a $400 million South Ferry terminal with three tracks and two platforms.^[57][58]

Money was allocated for the new station's construction in 2003.^[59]: 69 The station was originally budgeted at $400 million, most of which came from aFederal Transit Administration grant that had been earmarked for theWorld Trade Center's reconstruction.^[60] Initially, neighborhood groups opposed the station's construction because of the high cost and low perceived time savings.^[61] The MTA contemplated extending the existing outer loop to fit 10-car trains.^[62] Community leaders acquiesced after being told that some of the money was going to be used to renovate Battery Park,^[63] and the South Ferry Terminal Project was allowed to proceed.^{[64]: slide 2 (p. 1)}New York State Assembly speakerSheldon Silver expressed opposition to the new South Ferry station, prompting U.S. representativeVito Fossella to announce that he would block funding for theSecond Avenue Subway (which Silver supported) unless Silver dropped his opposition to the new terminal.^[65][66] Silver eventually agreed to drop his opposition if funding was provided for Battery Park's renovation, and federal, state, and city officials reached an agreement in June 2004.^[67][68]

The FTA issued aFinding of No Significant Impact on August 30, 2004.^{[69]: PDF p. 1} During planning, the FTA evaluated several alternatives, including extending the existing loop platform northward; building the terminal with an extra track and platform; building a two-track terminal underneath the loop; building a two-track terminal directly under Water Street, to the east; building a two-track terminal along the waterfront underSouth Street, to the southeast; building a three-track terminal below the BMT Broadway Line's Whitehall Street station, underthe namesake street; and building the terminal diagonally under Peter Minuit Plaza. Of these seven options, the last one was chosen because any other alternative would have been either too expensive or logistically infeasible.^{[69]: 3–4 (PDF p. 4–5)}

Construction of the station commenced in February 2005.^[70] The project was split up into three parts: construction ofbellmouths, a fan plant, and track junctions from the existing line; approach tunnels to the station; and a newdeep-level station.^{[52]: 1·8 (PDF p. 8)} The bellmouths' construction would require that 270 feet (82 m) of the original tunnel would have to be rebuilt to accommodate the new junction. The fan plant, located to the east of the existing line, would facilitate ventilation from the new station, which would be located below three existing subway lines (the loop platform, theIRT Lexington Avenue Line'sJoralemon Street Tunnel, and the BMT Broadway Line'sMontague Street Tunnel).^{[52]: 1·8 to 1·9 (PDF p. 8–9)} The two new approach tunnels would be single-track tunnels connecting to a cavern where a doublecrossover switch would be installed.^{[52]: 1·9 (PDF p. 9)} The new 76,820-square-foot (7,137 m²) station, located at a depth of 50 feet (15 m), would contain a 600-by-25-foot (182.9 by 7.6 m) platform, a new mezzanine level, escalators, and an elevator.^{[52]: 1·9 to 1·10 (PDF p. 9–10)} The station would also contain three exits, as well as a modern air-conditioning system, which most existing stations lacked.^[70]

In late 2005, New York City authorities announced that builders working on the new station had found the remains of a stone wall from the British colonial era, during the late 17th or 18th century.^[71][72] After archaeological analysis, it was widely reported to be the oldest man-made structure still in place in Manhattan.^[73] Workers subsequently found another wall under the site.^[74] Four walls and over 250,000 individual artifacts were found in the excavation of the subway station.^[73] A portion of one wall was exhibited at the nearby Castle Clinton in 2006.^[73][75] The work involved excavating over 60,000 cubic yards (46,000 m³) of rock, almost all of which was then recycled. By September 2007,MTA Capital Construction president Mysore Nagaraja predicted that the station would be completed by the following August.^[70]

In December 2008, news sources reported that the new station was essentially finished.^[60][76] The following month, MTA officials found that the tracks were too far from the edge of the platform to comply with theAmericans with Disabilities Act of 1990.^[77][78] The error cost $200,000 to fix, forcing the opening to be postponed by several weeks.^[78] Other delays were attributed to leaks in the station,^[78][79] which were caused by the station's highwater table.^[80] The station opened on March 16, 2009,^[81][80][82] a year after it was originally set to open.^[83] At $530 million, the new South Ferry station ended up being $130 million over budget.^[60] It was the first new subway station completed since 1989 when theIND 63rd Street Line stations opened.^[80][a] In April 2009, MTA Capital Construction awarded a $19.2 million contract to Tully Construction Company to reconstructPeter Minuit Plaza,^[85] which reopened in 2011.^[86][87]

On October 29, 2012, the new IRT station suffered extensive flood damage duringHurricane Sandy.^[88][89] The subway system had been flooded during the hurricane, and water ultimately collected in the lowest parts of the system, including the new South Ferry IRT station and many tunnels across theEast River.^[89] The station was flooded in up to 80 feet (24 m) of salt water, submerging it from the track level to the mezzanine.^[90] As a result, the IRT section of the complex was closed until further notice, and riders had to either use the Whitehall Street station or walk several blocks north to catch a 1 train atRector Street.^[91] The MTA estimated that repairs would cost $600 million and would continue until 2016.^[92][93] The Whitehall Street BMT station was less severely damaged, and full service to that station was restored by December 2012.^[94]

The MTA initially did not consider reopening the old IRT outer loop, saying that it no longer owned the station, that the platform was inaccessible, and that the only exits had been "halved to allow for an employee facility".^[95] After advocacy from Staten Island residents,^[95] the MTA indicated it would reopen the old outer loop.^[91] In March 2013, the MTA confirmed that the outer loop would be reopened.^[96][97] The 1 train's terminal was moved back to Rector Street until the old loop station could be put back into service.^[91] The outer loop reopened on April 4, 2013, and a new connection was built between the outer loop and the Broadway Line platforms.^[88][98][99] This connection necessitated the temporary removal of a 20-foot (6.1 m) section of the artworkSee it split, see it change, which had been installed at the station in 2009.^[100] The outer loop was the first permanently-closed subway station in the MTA's history to have been reopened.^[96]

The new IRT station underwent renovations, signal room relocations, and extensive waterproofing work.^[101][90] The $194 million contract was awarded in November 2014 toJudlau Contracting,^[102]: 39 and the new IRT station underwent extensive reconstruction, including the sealing of vents, manholes, hatches, conduits, and ducts, and the cleaning up of the station.^{[102]: 39 [90]} The project included the installation of retractable floodgates at the complex's exits and entrances.^[103][104] These improvements necessitated the closure of the station complex's main entrance for nine months starting in October 2015.^[105][106] The signage and lighting fixtures were also modified, and the "South Ferry" signs on the trackside walls were enlarged.^[107] The renovation cost $345 million.^{[102]: 39 [101]} The station reopened on June 27, 2017, four years and eight months after Hurricane Sandy.^{[108][109][110]}

The South Ferry outer loop was the first to open. When it was completed in 1905, the outer loop was served by local and express trains along both the West Side (now the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line toVan Cortlandt Park–242nd Street) and East Side (now theLenox Avenue Line). West Side local trains had their southern terminus atCity Hall during rush hours and South Ferry at other times, and had their northern terminus at 242nd Street. East Side local trains ran from City Hall toLenox Avenue (145th Street). Express trains had their southern terminus at South Ferry orAtlantic Avenue and had their northern terminus at 242nd Street, Lenox Avenue (145th Street), orWest Farms (180th Street).^[111] After the Joralemon Street Tunnel opened in 1908, some trains continued to terminate at South Ferry duringrush hours, while others went to Brooklyn. This service pattern was soon found to be inadequate for the high volume of Brooklyn riders.^[112] As a result, a third track and second platform were added at theBowling Green station, the next stop north.^[112] Once the new track and platform were completed in 1909, all rush-hour trains were sent to Brooklyn, with a two-carBowling Green–South Ferry shuttle train providing service to South Ferry during those times.^[14]

The IRT's original line was divided into an H-shaped system in 1918. The first part of the "H" system to open was the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, which was extended down to South Ferry on July 1, 1918.^[27][28] Initially, a shuttle service ran along the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line from Times Square to South Ferry.^[113][114] The Lexington Avenue Line opened north ofGrand Central–42nd Street on August 1, 1918, thereby dividing the original line into an H-shaped system.^[115] Lexington Avenue express trains and Bowling Green shuttles typically used the inner loop, while Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line trains could only use the outer loop.^[116] The IRT routes at the station were given numbered designations in 1948 with the introduction of"R-type" rolling stock, which containedrollsigns with numbered designations for each service.^[117] The Broadway route to 242nd Street became known as the1, the Broadway Avenue route to Lenox Avenue became the3, and the Lexington Avenue express became the5.^[118]

After 1959, all 1 trains became local, while 3 trains stopped serving the station, instead making express stops on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line and using theClark Street Tunnel south ofChambers Street.^[119] Because of the sharp curve of the inner loop, only the center doors of a train opened there; however, the "R"-type cars could not open only their middle doors. As a result, Lexington Avenue trains were rerouted to the outer loop.^[120] The Bowling Green–South Ferry shuttle, which ran weekdays and at first also late nights, continued to use the inner loop, running to the west platform at Bowling Green.^[121] Specially modifiedR12 cars were used starting in the late 1960s until the service ended. These cars had two different door controls; the first opened the outer two sets of doors while the second opened the center set of doors only.^[120][122] The inner loop closed permanently on February 13, 1977,^[121] but the inner loop track is still used by 5 trains that terminate at Bowling Green during off-peak hours.^[123]

In April 1988,^[124] the NYCTA unveiled plans to speed up service on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line through the implementation of askip-stop service: the9 train.^[125] When skip-stop service started in 1989, it was only implemented north of137th Street–City College on weekdays, and South Ferry was served by both the 1 and the 9.^{[126][127][128]} The station was closed from September 2001 and September 2002, as the section of the line south of Chambers Street was impassable after the September 11 attacks.^{[52]: 1·1 (PDF p. 1)} Skip-stop service ended on May 27, 2005, as a result of a decrease in the number of riders who benefited.^[129][130] All 1 trains were shifted from the outer loop to the new island-platform station in April 2009, though that station was closed in 2012 after Hurricane Sandy. The outer loop was used as a temporary terminal for 1 trains from April 2013 to June 2017, when the island platform reopened.^[110] The island platform's reopening coincided with the start of a long-term weekend closure of theClark Street Tunnel, which diverted weekend2 trains to South Ferry for one year.^[131]

The Whitehall Street station opened in 1918 as the southern terminal for Broadway Line local trains.^[40][41] The line was extended to Brooklyn when the Montague Street Tunnel opened on August 1, 1920.^[44] Broadway Line trains to Brooklyn could either use the tunnel, stopping at Whitehall Street and five other stations inLower Manhattan andDowntown Brooklyn, or use theManhattan Bridge, which skipped all of these stations.^[132] Initially, Whitehall Street was served byFourth Avenue Line local trains (labeled as theBMT 2),Brighton Beach Line express trains (theBMT 1), and some rush-hourWest End Line trains (theBMT 3).^[133][134] Brighton express trains were later rerouted to the Manhattan Bridge, while Brighton locals started using the tunnel.^[135] After theBMT Nassau Street Line was completed in 1931, West End trains via the Montague Street Tunnel started using the Nassau Street Line instead.^[135]

The opening of theChrystie Street Connection in 1967 resulted in drastic changes to the services that stopped at the Whitehall Street station. The EE train (later theN) began running fromForest Hills–71st Avenue to Whitehall Street, while the RR (later theR) operated fromAstoria–Ditmars Boulevard toBay Ridge–95th Street, running via Whitehall Street.^[136] The EE route was absorbed into the N in 1976, and N trains alternately began running to Whitehall Street or to Brooklyn.^[137][b] After theManhattan Bridge was closed for repairs in 1986, all off-peak N trains began running through the Montague Street Tunnel, stopping at Whitehall Street.^[140] Starting in December 1988, N and R trains ran through the tunnel and the Whitehall Street station at all times.^[141]

When the Manhattan Bridge reopened in February 2004, the R train began serving the station at all times except late nights, while the N train only served the station at night.^[142][143] In addition, weekdayW trains to Ditmars Boulevard used the Whitehall Street station as their southern terminus^[142][143] until that route was discontinued in June 2010.^[144][145] When the Montague Street Tunnel closed for repairs in August 2013, weekday R service was divided into two segments; the Whitehall Street station was the southern terminus of the Manhattan-Queens segment.^[132] The R train did not serve the station on weekends, and the N train did not stop there at all, until regular service resumed in September 2014.^[146] The W train was restored in 2016,^[144][145] and late-night R trains to Brooklyn began using the Whitehall Street station as their northern terminal.^[147]

Ground	Street level	Exit/entrance Elevator at southwest corner of Whitehall and State Streets. Note: Elevator out of service
Mezzanine South Ferry loops	Side platform, not in service
	Separating wall
	Inner loop	→ Weekends does not stop here(Bowling Green) →
	Outer loop	→ No regular service (Rector Street/Greenwich or Bowling Green) →
	Side platform, not in service
	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent,MetroCard machines, passageway between platforms
Landing	Broadway Line escalator landing
Broadway platforms	Northbound	← towardForest Hills–71st Avenue except late nights(Rector Street/Trinity) ← late nights towardAstoria–Ditmars Boulevard(Rector Street/Trinity) ← toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard (select weekday trips)(Rector Street/Trinity)
	Island platform
	Center track	← toward Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard weekdays(Rector Street/Trinity) → towardBay Ridge–95th Street late nights(Court Street) →
	Island platform
	Southbound	→ toward Bay Ridge–95th Street except late nights(Court Street) → → towardConey Island–Stillwell Avenue viaSea Beach late nights(Court Street) → → toward86th Street (limited weekday trips)(Court Street) →
Broadway–Seventh Ave. platform
	Track 4	← towardVan Cortlandt Park–242nd Street (Rector Street/Greenwich)
	Island platform
	Track 1	← toward Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street (Rector Street/Greenwich)

The complex is composed of two formerly separate stations: South Ferry and Whitehall Street. The South Ferry station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line runs underneath Battery Park andState Street, betweenPearl Street to the north and theWhitehall Terminal to the south. The Whitehall Street station on the BMT Broadway Line runs under Whitehall Street, betweenStone Street to the north and a point just past Water Street to the south.^{[148]: 7.43} The two sections are connected via a sharedfare control area near the south end of the station, which is accessed via stairs inPeter Minuit Plaza and on the eastern side of Whitehall Street.^{[148]: 7.43, 7.44}

The Whitehall Street portion of the complex is underneath the original portion of Manhattan Island beforeLower Manhattan was expanded. The South Ferry portion of the complex is under Battery Park, which is almost entirely built atopreclaimed land; this site historically contained the Kapsee rocks.^{[149]: 6–7} The site of the South Ferry station is covered with 10 to 15 feet (3.0 to 4.6 m) of fill, below which is bedrock.^[149]: 9

Entrances and exits are located at the following places:

• Two staircases at the west side of Whitehall and Stone Streets, east of theAlexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House (National Museum of the American Indian)^[150]
• One staircase at the northeast corner of Whitehall and Stone Streets^[150]
• Two staircases at the southwest corner of Whitehall and Water Streets^[150]
• One set of staircase/escalators and one elevator northwest of theWhitehall Terminal^[150]
• One set of staircase/escalator outside of the bus stop at the southeast corner of Water and State Streets^[150]
• One staircase on the southwest side of State Street, south of the intersection with Pearl Street^[150]

v t e Lower Manhattan transit
Legend
Franklin Street Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall​ () ​​Chambers Street Chambers Street​ ​ ()Chambers Street–WTC City Hall​ ​Park Place WTC Cortlandt Cortlandt Street​ ( HOB  NWK )World Trade Center Fulton Street​​​​​​​ Rector Street Rector Street​ ​Wall Street Wall Street​ ​Bowling Green Broad Street (​) ()South Ferry/Whitehall Street Whitehall Terminal South Ferry loops

There are two separate stations on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, which are individually named theSouth Ferry station due to their connection to Manhattan'sSouth Ferry. The name "South Ferry loops" is used for the old South Ferry platforms, while the newer platforms are called New South Ferry. The newer island platform station was first used by the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line's 1 service from 2009^[151] to 2012 until it was damaged by Hurricane Sandy,^[88] and was again placed into use in 2017.^{[108][109][110]} The outer loop platform was reopened on April 4, 2013, to provide temporary replacement service,^[88][98][99] and closed again in 2017 when the newer station reopened.^{[108][109][110]} It is occasionally used as the start point for theNew York Transit Museum's special event trains.^[152]

South Ferry
FormerNew York City Subway station
Outer loop platform on reopening day (April 4, 2013)
Station statistics
Division	A (IRT)[1]
Line	IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line IRT Lexington Avenue Line
Services	None (abandoned)
Structure	Underground
Platforms	originally 2side platforms, the inner platform is walled off
Tracks	2balloon loops
Other information
Opened	July 19, 1905; 120 years ago (1905-07-19) (outer loop) July 1, 1918; 107 years ago (1918-07-01) (inner loop) September 15, 2002; 23 years ago (2002-09-15) (outer loop, first reopening) April 4, 2013; 12 years ago (2013-04-04) (outer loop, second reopening)
Closed	February 13, 1977; 48 years ago (1977-02-13) (inner loop) September 11, 2001; 24 years ago (2001-09-11) (outer loop, first closure) March 16, 2009; 16 years ago (2009-03-16) (outer loop, second closure) June 27, 2017; 8 years ago (2017-06-27) (outer loop, third closure)
Station succession
Next north	Rector Street (Broadway–7th Ave) Bowling Green (Lexington Ave)
Next south	(Terminal)
Track layout Legend ​ toWall Street toRector Street ​ Bowling Green loop South Ferry South Ferry ​ toBorough Hall Legend service service non-revenue tracks Dashed lines cross below solid lines South Ferry platform is directly above tracks
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops in station at all times Stops all times except late nights Stops late nights only Stops late nights and weekends only Stops weekdays during the day Stops weekends during the day Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction Stops all times except weekdays in the peak direction Stops all times except nights and rush hours in the peak direction Stops rush hours only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Station is closed (Details about time periods)

TheSouth Ferry loops consist of twoside platforms on curved balloon loop tracks.^[123] Passengers had to leave the station to transfer between platforms. Generally,IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line trains stopped on the outer loop platform, andIRT Lexington Avenue Line trains used the inner loop platform.^[120] The entire loop measures about 2,050 feet (620 m) long and originally included a storage track (the inner loop) measuring about 2,000 feet (610 m) long.^[9]: 102 The tunnel is constructed of concrete, with brick waterproofing on the walls and floors, as well as asphalt waterproofing on the roof.^[9]: 103 Within the station, columns were placed between the tracks at intervals of 5 feet (1.5 m); these columns supported 12.5-foot-wide (3.8 m) roof girders, which spanned either track.^[9]: 103

The outer platform was smaller than most others in the system, having only 16,800 square feet (1,560 m²) of surface area, and it was originally served from two stairs leading from theStaten Island Ferry'sWhitehall Terminal.^{[52]: 1·7 (PDF p. 7)} The radius of the curve is only 190 feet (58 m),^{[52]: 1·5 (PDF p. 5) [120]} meaning that the platform curves approximately 77.5degrees between its front and back ends.^[c] The platform accommodated the first five cars of a 10-car train, but the rear five cars could not load or unload.^{[60][52]: 1·5 (PDF p. 5) [56]} In addition, spray nozzles were required to lubricate the track to reduce the friction caused by the tight curve, which slowed train operation and generates a loud metallic scraping noise.^{[60][52]: 1·5 (PDF p. 5)}

Because of the curve,gap fillers were required to bridge the gap between the platform and the doors.^{[60][52]: 1·5 (PDF p. 5)} The gap fillers, which were automated when the station closed in 2017, previously required manual operation, with a foreman and at least two train crew, all of whom could directly see each other. The train crew had to give a signal to the foreman, who pulled a 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 m) tall wooden lever to manually extend and retract the gap fillers.^[120] The gap fillers were also unreliable, as they needed an average of 15 days of maintenance for every 6 months in service.^{[52]: 1·5 (PDF p. 5)}

The platform featured anoakticket booth and an oak-casedclock from theSelf Winding Clock Company. Evidence of the now-demolished ticket booth is aBeaux Arts design engraved on the ceiling.^[120] The platform also featuresstation tiling byHeins & LaFarge, who designed the station plaque in asans-serif font.^[153] The walls are made of small white rectangular tiles, except for the bottom 3 feet (0.91 m), which is marble.^[120] There are also fifteen ceramic plaques toward the top of the platform wall, all of which depict asloop in theNew York Harbor to signify the station's location and use. The top of the wall also includes festoonedgarlands and stationmonograms, in addition to ceramic trim where the wall intersects the ceiling. The station artwork on the original exit's landing is a 1990 mural, "South Sails", by formerMTA Arts & Design director Sandra Bloodworth.^[153][120] During the 2004Finding Of No Significant Impact for the station, it was determined that the station was eligible forNational Register of Historic Places status.^{[69]: 10 (PDF p. 11)}

The South Ferry loop station proved to be a servicebottleneck. Operationally, the loop station functioned an intermediate station rather than as a true terminal, as trains would simply proceed back toRector Street without the motorman needing to go to the reverse end of the train.^{[52]: 1·5 to 1·6 (PDF p. 5–6)} Additionally, unlike most terminal stations in the system, there were neitherlayup tracks nor an additional track to store terminating trains, and there were no additional layup tracks along the line until at least34th Street–Penn Station. This meant that trains could not dwell at the station for longer for 90 seconds (including the 5 to 10 seconds each that it took to extend and retract the gap fillers). Any trains that went out of passenger service at the station could have caused major delays along the rest of the line.^{[52]: 1·6 (PDF p. 6)} Finally, trains could only proceed through the station at slow speeds, adding 30 to 60 seconds to travel time compared to a "regular" terminal station with two tracks and a full-length platform. This ensured that 1 trains were delayed at theChambers Street station, three stops north, for up to two minutes in both directions.^{[52]: 1·6 to 1·7 (PDF p. 6–7)}

The inner platform opened forIRT Lexington Avenue Line passengers on July 1, 1918, to serve trains on the newly opened Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line.^[116] This platform has an even sharper curve than the outer platform, and only the center doors opened here, with special arched openings in a wall between the platform and track at the locations of the doors.^[120] No regular service has been at the inner loop station since 1977,^[121] although the inner track is still used as a turning loop for 5 trains when they terminate atBowling Green on weekday evenings and weekends.^[120] Passengers had to pay another fare when transferring from one loop to the other.^[120] Some older maps would depict the two loops as a single station complex, but later maps including the 1958 George Salomon design and the 1972 Massimo Vignelli design depicted each loop as distinct stations.^[154]

South Ferry
A 1 train at the platform on reopening day
Station statistics
Division	A (IRT)[1]
Line	IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line
Services	1  (all times)
Structure	Underground
Platforms	1island platform
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	March 16, 2009; 16 years ago (2009-03-16)
Closed	October 28, 2012; 13 years ago (2012-10-28)
Rebuilt	June 27, 2017; 8 years ago (2017-06-27)
Accessible	ADA-accessible
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Rector Street towardVan Cortlandt Park–242nd Street Terminus
Track layout Legend toRector Street
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times

TheSouth Ferry station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line is the only IRT platform in use and is served by1 trains at all times.^[155] The station is the southern terminus of the 1 train; the next stop to the north isRector Street.^[156] The new station was built as a two-track, 10-car-longisland platform on a less severe curve, permitting the operation of a typicalterminal station.^{[60][157][56]} The platform can fit a full-length train without significantplatform gaps or gap fillers. The two tracks end atbumper blocks at the south end of the platform.^[158] Theloop station was relegated to being used for turn-arounds once the new station opened. Unlike the loop station, this station is accessible only by IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line local trains and does not connect with the Lexington Avenue Line.^[60]

The MTA stated that the new station saved four to six minutes of a passenger's trip time and increased the peak capacity of the 1 service to 24 trains per hour (or one every 2 minutes 30 seconds), as opposed to 16 to 17 trains per hour (or one every 4 minutes) with the loop station.^[159][80] The successor station is fully accessible (although its transfer to the BMT Broadway Line is not), with the main entrance located across from the Staten Island Ferry terminal building's entrance.^{[52]: 1·9 (PDF p. 9) [157]}

The new station offers three street entrances, with the main entrance located across from the Staten Island Ferry terminal;^{[150][52]: 1·9 (PDF p. 9) [157]} the loop station originally had only one entrance within the terminal itself before it reopened with a connection to the South Ferry–Whitehall Street complex in 2013.^{[52]: 1·7 (PDF p. 7)} The new station allowed a free transfer to the BMT station, whereas neither of the loop station's platforms originally did.^[157][151] Despite being one of the newest New York City Subway stations, the South Ferry station cannot accommodateplatform screen doors; according to an internal study prepared for the MTA in 2020, the south end of the platform is too narrow to fit a set of platform doors.^[160]

A portion of the wall excavated during the station's construction was embedded permanently into the wall of the station's entrance. According to Robert Tierney, chairman of theNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, the wall may be a remnant of thegun batteries that occupied Battery Park during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.^[73] The city and theNew York City Transit Authority worked together to preserve the remains, which were described as "an important remnant of the history of New York City."^[73]

The station's mezzanine and escalator shafts feature an artwork titledSee it split, see it change, which consists of fused glass wall, stone mosaic, and a stainless steel fence.^[161] The artwork, byDoug and Mike Starn, depicts Manhattantopography and was installed in the mezzanine over three years.^[162][163] Costing $1 million, it was the most expensiveMTA Arts for Transit work ever installed at the time.^[163]

• Old station
• 
  Movable gap filler at station
• 
  Conductor controls the whole length of the curved platform using monitors
• 
  Passageway to BMT platforms as seen from end of loop platform

• Old station's mosaics
• 
  Mosaic tile name tablet
• 
  Artwork on the left
• 
  One of the many boat mosaics within the station

• New station
• 
  Glass mural byDoug and Mike Starn
• 
  Excavated wall
• 
  Flooded station afterHurricane Sandy

Whitehall Street–South Ferry  ​​
Middle track with W train departing
Station statistics
Division	B (BMT)[1]
Line	BMT Broadway Line
Services	N  (late nights) ​  R  (all times) ​  W  (weekdays only)
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	3
Other information
Opened	September 20, 1918; 107 years ago (1918-09-20)
Accessible	ADA-accessible to mezzanine only; platforms are not ADA-accessible
Former/other names	Whitehall Street
Services Preceding station New York City Subway Following station Rector Street N  ​R  ​W  viaLexington Avenue–59th Street Court Street N  R  ​W  towardBay Ridge–95th Street Terminus
Track layout Legend toRector Street toBroad Street toCourt Street
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops all times except late nights Stops weekdays during the day Stops late nights only

TheWhitehall Street–South Ferry station^[156] (announced asWhitehall Street onNTT trains) on the BMT Broadway Line is a local station, and has three tracks and twoisland platforms, and is the southernmost station on the line. TheR stops here at all times; theW stops here only on weekdays during the day; and theN stops here during the night. The outer tracks, used by daytime R and nighttime N trains, continue south into theMontague Street Tunnel to theBMT Fourth Avenue Line in Brooklyn. The center track, used to terminate weekday W trains from Queens^[164] and nighttime R trains from Brooklyn,^[165] merges with the outer tracks at both ends of the station.^[123] The station is betweenRector Street to the north andCourt Street to the south.^[156]

The station is deep because of two factors: the line goes under theEast River directly southeast of the station, and the station exists immediately to the south of the shallowerBowling Green station, which crosses the Broadway Line. The fare control area and transfer to the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line platforms are at the extreme south end of the station, with additional exits at the north end.^[150][166]

South of this station, a pair ofbellmouths exists, allowing for a connection to a never-built East River tunnel south of the Montague Street Tunnel, going towards the proposedDeKalb Avenue bypass, using the old LIRRAtlantic Avenue Tunnel or under another street inBrooklyn. Further south is a flying junction joining fromBroad Street on theBMT Nassau Street Line (no regular service).^[123]

• Downtown Manhattan Heliport^[150]
• Staten Island Ferry'sWhitehall Terminal^[150]
• Ferries toStatue of Liberty,Ellis Island, andGovernors Island^[150]
• Other places in the neighborhood^[150]