View source for World Trade Center station (PATH)

{{Short description|Port Authority Trans-Hudson rail station}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox station
| name               = World Trade Center
| style              = PATH
| image              = Oculus World Trade Center - August 18 2016.jpg
| image_caption      = Interior of the Transportation Hub in August&nbsp;2016
| address            = 70 Vesey Street
| borough            = [[Manhattan]], [[New York City]]
| coordinates        = {{coord|40.7115|N|74.0114|W|type:railwaystation_region:US-NY|display=inline,title}}
| owned              = [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]]
| line               = [[Downtown Hudson Tubes]]
| platform           = 3 [[island platform]]s, 1 [[side platform]]
| tracks             = 5
| connections        = {{Unbulleted list
   | {{rint|newyork|subway}} [[New York City Subway]]:
   | {{NYCS Broadway-Seventh South Ferry|time=bullets}} at [[WTC Cortlandt (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|WTC Cortlandt]]
   | {{NYCS Broadway-Seventh Brooklyn|time=bullets}} at [[Park Place (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|Park Place]] and [[Fulton Street (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|Fulton Street]]
   | {{NYCS Lexington south|time=bullets}} at [[Fulton Street (IRT Lexington Avenue Line station)|Fulton Street]]
   | {{NYCS Eighth far south express|time=bullets}} at [[Chambers Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|Chambers Street]] and [[Fulton Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|Fulton Street]]
   | {{NYCS Eighth far south local|time=bullets}} at [[World Trade Center (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|World Trade Center]]
   | {{NYCS Nassau south|time=bullets}} at [[Fulton Street (BMT Nassau Street Line)|Fulton Street]]
   | {{NYCS Broadway south|time=bullets}} at [[Cortlandt Street (BMT Broadway Line)|Cortlandt Street]]<hr/>
  | {{bus icon}} [[NYCT Bus]]: {{NYC bus link|BM1|BM2|BM3|BM4|BxM18|M9|M20|M22|M55|QM7|QM8|QM11|SIM1|SIM2|SIM3|SIM4|SIM7|SIM9|SIM15|SIM32|SIM33|SIM34|X27|X28}}
   }}
| accessible         = yes
| website            = {{URL|officialworldtradecenter.com/oculus}}
| opened             = {{start date|1971}}
| rebuilt            = 2003 (temporary), 2016
| pass_year          = 2018
| passengers         = 18,539,767<ref name="PATH Ridership">{{cite web |date=2018 |title=PATH Ridership Report |url=https://www.panynj.gov/path/en/about/stats.html |access-date=February 22, 2023 |website=Port Authority NY NJ |publisher=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey}}</ref>
| pass_percent       = 8.0
| pass_rank          = 1 of 13
| services           = {{Adjacent stations|system=PATH
|line1=NWK-WTC|left1=Exchange Place
|line2=HOB-WTC|left2=Exchange Place|note-mid2=(Weekdays)}}
| route_map          = {{Routemap
|inline= y
|legend = track
|map=
utSTRq!~MFADEgq\utSTRgq\utSTR2+r\utSTRc3\\\ ~~ ~~ ~~ to {{stl|PATH|Exchange Place}}
utSTRc1\utABZ4+2f\utSTRc3
numN015\utSTRc2\utABZg3!~utSTRc1\utABZ4+2f\utSTRc3
\\utSTR+1\utSTR+tc4\utSTR+tc1\utABZ4+2f\utSTRc3
\\utSTR\utSTR\utSTR\utSTR+tc1\utSTR+4
\PLTl\utPSTR\utPSTR(R)\utPSTR(L)\utPSTR\utPSTR(R)
\PLTl\utPSTR\utPSTR(R)\utPSTR(L)\utPSTR\utPSTR(R)
\PLTl\utPSTR\utPSTR(R)\utPSTR(L)\utPSTR\utPSTR(R)
\\utSTR\utSTR\utSTR\utSTR+tc2\utSTR3
\\utSTR2\utSTR+tc3\utSTR+tc2\utABZ3+1g\utSTRc4
\utSTRc1\utABZg+4!~utSTRc2\utABZ3+1g\utSTRc4
utSTRc2\utABZ3+1g\utSTRc4
utSTRq!~MFADEgq\utSTRfq\utSTRr+1\utSTRc4\\\ ~~ ~~ ~~ from Exchange Place
}}
| map_state = collapsed
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-custom = {{Infobox mapframe |shape=none |line=none |marker=rail-metro |marker-color=#000 |zoom=15 }}
}}
{{New World Trade Center}}

The '''World Trade Center station''' is a [[Train station#Terminus|terminal]] [[metro station|station]] on the [[PATH (rail system)|PATH]] system, within the [[World Trade Center (2001–present)|World Trade Center]] complex in the [[Financial District, Manhattan|Financial District]] of [[Manhattan]], [[New York City]]. It is served by the [[Newark–World Trade Center]] line at all times, as well as by the [[Hoboken–World Trade Center]] line on weekdays, and is the eastern terminus of both.

The World Trade Center station is near the site of the [[Hudson and Manhattan Railroad]]'s (H&M) [[Hudson Terminal]], which opened in 1909. The [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]] bought the bankrupt H&M system in 1961, rebranded it as PATH, and redeveloped Hudson Terminal as part of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]]. The World Trade Center station opened on July 6, 1971, as a replacement for Hudson Terminal, which was closed and demolished as part of the [[construction of the World Trade Center]]. Following the [[September 11 attacks]], a temporary PATH station opened in 2003 while the World Trade Center complex was being rebuilt. Work on a permanent station building commenced in 2008. The main station house, the Oculus, opened on March 3, 2016, and the terminal was renamed the '''World Trade Center Transportation Hub''', or "World Trade Center" for short.

The station has five tracks and four platforms in the middle of a [[Balloon loop|turning loop]]. Trains from [[New Jersey]] use the loop to turn around and head back to New Jersey. The platforms are four floors below ground level. The floor immediately above the platforms is occupied by the station's fare mezzanine. The [[New York City Subway]]'s [[WTC Cortlandt station]] is adjacent to and above the mezzanine.

The $4&nbsp;billion Oculus station house, designed by Spanish architect [[Santiago Calatrava]], consists of white ribs that interlock high above the ground. The interior of the station house contains two underground floors, which house part of the [[Westfield World Trade Center]] mall. The transportation hub connects the various modes of transportation in Lower Manhattan, from the [[Fulton Center]] in the east to the [[Battery Park City Ferry Terminal]] in the west, and includes connections to various [[New York City Subway]] stations. It is the [[List of busiest railway stations in North America|fifth-busiest]] transportation hub in the [[New York metropolitan area]]. The new station has received mixed reviews: although the hub has been praised for its design, it has also been criticized for its high costs and extended delays.

== Station layout ==
{{NYCS Platform Layout Cortlandt Street Station}}

The station has five tracks served by three [[island platform]]s and one [[side platform]] in a basement four stories underground.<ref name="Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2007" />{{Rp|S.10}}<ref name="layout" /><!--the code for this reference is located in [[Template:NYCS Platform Layout Cortlandt Street Station]]--> Platform A, next to tracks 1 and 2, opened as part of the Transportation Hub on February 25, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wnyc.org/story/new-path-station-opens-world-trade-center/|title=Photos That Will Make You Want To Ride The PATH Train|last=Hinds|first=Kate|date=February 25, 2014|website=wnyc.org|publisher=WNYC|access-date=February 27, 2014}}</ref><ref name="ABCLocal" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/02/25/port-authority-opens-first-platform-at-new-wtc-path-station/|title=Port Authority Opens First Platform At New WTC PATH Station " CBS New York|date=February 25, 2014|publisher=Newyork.cbslocal.com|access-date=February 27, 2014}}</ref> Platform B between tracks 2 and 3 opened on May 7, 2015.<ref name="amny 20150507">{{cite web|url=http://www.amny.com/transit/world-trade-center-path-station-opens-thursday-1.10401456|title='Awesome' new PATH station at World Trade Center opens Thursday|first=Dan|date=May 7, 2015|work=AM New York|access-date=May 7, 2015|author=Rivoli}}</ref> The other two platforms opened on September 8, 2016.<ref name="Higgs 2016" />

Above the station, there are three mezzanine levels. The top two levels contain shops as part of the [[Westfield World Trade Center]]. The first mezzanine level below ground also contains the [[WTC Cortlandt (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|Cortlandt Street–Greenwich Street]] station for the {{NYCS trains|Broadway-Seventh South Ferry}} and a direct entrance to the northbound platform. A connection to the [[Cortlandt Street (BMT Broadway Line)|Cortlandt Street–Church Street]] station's southbound platform, for the {{NYCS trains|Broadway south}}, is located at the far east end of the mezzanine, past the mall's shops. The second mezzanine level contains the entrances to the station, as well as more connections to the subway. The third mezzanine level, located directly above the platform, contains the fare control and access to the platforms.<ref name="Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2007" />{{Rp|S.10}}

Prior to reconstruction, there was a temporary entrance on Church Street, which opened along with the rest of the temporary station in November 2003.<ref name="Dunlap 2003">{{cite web|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|title=Again, Trains Put the World In Trade Center|website=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=November 24, 2003|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/24/nyregion/again-trains-put-the-world-in-trade-center.html|access-date=January 25, 2018}}</ref> With the redevelopment of the [[World Trade Center site]], the entrances and size of the temporary station have changed over time. In 2007, the Church Street entrance was relocated to the south, and the old entrance was closed and demolished.<ref name="PANY-Entrance-2007">{{cite web|title=Media – World Trade Center – Media|website=Port Authority of New York & New Jersey|date=June 18, 2007|url=https://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/press_releasesItem.cfm?headLine_id=883|access-date=January 25, 2018|archive-date=January 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125074821/https://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/press_releasesItem.cfm?headLine_id=883|url-status=dead}}</ref> In April 2008, a third and final temporary entrance to the station was located at Vesey Street, facing Greenwich Street and adjacent to [[7 World Trade Center]]. The temporary entrance was a one-story building on the south side of Vesey Street.<ref name="wtctempentrance">{{cite news|url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/a-new-twist-at-the-path-station/|title=A New Twist at the PATH Station|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|date=April 1, 2008|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 13, 2016}}</ref> On March 3, 2016, the permanent PATH station building opened and the temporary entrance was closed.<ref name="Lorenzetti 2016" /><ref name="Verrill 2016" /> The former temporary entrance was demolished later that year to make way for the [[Performing Arts Center (Manhattan)|Performing Arts Center]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://newyorkyimby.com/2016/08/demolition-could-come-soon-for-temporary-wtc-path-station.html|title=Demolition Imminent for Temporary World Trade Center PATH Station|last=Bindelglass|first=Evan|date=August 22, 2016|work=New York YIMBY|access-date=October 13, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>

A connection to [[Brookfield Place (New York City)|Brookfield Place]] opened on October 27, 2013, through a permanent passageway known as the West Concourse.<ref name="Lynch 2016" /><ref name="World Trade Center 2016" />  On August 16, 2016, the Westfield World Trade Center entrance opened.<ref name="Rogers 2016" /><ref name="Kirby 2016" /> To accommodate repairs to the Downtown Hudson Tubes, service on the Newark–World Trade Center line between Exchange Place and World Trade Center was suspended during almost all weekends in 2019 and 2020, except on holiday weekends.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2018/12/5/18127560/world-trade-center-path-station-weekend-closures|title=World Trade Center's PATH station will close for 45 weekends for repairs|last=Walker|first=Ameena|date=December 5, 2018|website=Curbed NY|access-date=January 3, 2019}}</ref>

{{Lower Manhattan subway cross section}}
{{Clear}}

== Hudson Terminal ==
[[File:Singer and hudson terminal.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Hudson Terminal (right) and the [[Singer Building]] (left) in 1909]]
{{Main|Hudson Terminal}}
Hudson Terminal was built by the [[Hudson and Manhattan Railroad]] and opened on July 19, 1909.<ref name="Taft 1909">{{cite web|last=Taft|first=William H.|date=July 20, 1909|title=40,000 Celebrate New Tubes' Opening; Downtown McAdoo Tunnels to Jersey City Begin Business with a Rush|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1909/07/20/archives/40000-celebrate-new-tubes-opening-downtown-mcadoo-tunnels-to-jersey.html|access-date=May 1, 2018|website=The New York Times}}</ref> Hudson Terminal included two 22-story office buildings located above the station on the two blocks between [[Greenwich Street|Greenwich]], [[Cortlandt Street (Manhattan)|Cortlandt]], [[Church Street (Manhattan)|Church]], and [[Fulton Street (Manhattan)|Fulton]] Streets.<ref>{{cite book|last=Condit|first=C.W.|title=The Port of New York: A history of the rail terminal system from the beginnings to Pennsylvania Station|publisher=University of Chicago Press|issue=v. 1|year=1980|isbn=978-0-226-11460-6|url=https://archive.org/details/portofnewyork0000cond|url-access=registration|access-date=January 11, 2018|page=[https://archive.org/details/portofnewyork0000cond/page/254 254]}}</ref> The terminal was designed with ramps to allow pedestrian traffic to flow in and out of the station quickly and easily.<ref name="droege">{{cite book|title=Passenger Terminals and Trains|url=https://archive.org/details/passengertermin04droegoog|author=Droege|first=John Albert|publisher=McGraw-Hill|year=1916|pages=[https://archive.org/details/passengertermin04droegoog/page/n179 157]–159}}</ref> The station was served by two single-track tubes connected by a loop to speed train movements. The loop included five tracks and 3 platforms (2 center island and one side) and was somewhat similar to the arrangement of the first and second World Trade Center stations.<ref name="Cudahy 2002">{{Cudahy-Hudson|pages=}}</ref>{{Rp|59–60}}

By 1914, passenger volume at the Hudson Terminal had reached 30,535,500 annually.<ref name="droege" /> Volume nearly doubled by 1922, with 59,221,354 passengers that year.<ref>{{cite news|title=315,724,808 Came or Left City in 1922|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1923/04/15/105910055.pdf|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=April 15, 1923|page=E1|access-date=May 30, 2010}}</ref> Overall ridership on the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad declined substantially from a high of 113&nbsp;million riders in 1927 to 26&nbsp;million in 1958, after new automobile tunnels and bridges opened across the [[Hudson River]].<ref name="Cudahy 2002" />{{Rp|56}} The H&M went bankrupt in 1954.<ref>{{cite web|date=November 20, 1954|title=Hudson Tubes File Bankruptcy Plea; H. & M. Line, Unable to Meet Debts, Acts to Reorganize – Losses Since '52 Cited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/11/20/archives/hudson-tubes-file-bankruptcy-plea-h-m-line-unable-to-meet-debts.html|access-date=April 27, 2018|website=The New York Times}}</ref> The state of New Jersey wanted the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]] to take over the railroad, but the Port Authority had long viewed it as unprofitable.<ref name="Gillespie1999">{{Cite book|last=Gillespie|first=Angus K.|url=https://archive.org/details/twintowerslifeof00gill|title=Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center|publisher=[[Rutgers University Press]]|year=1999|isbn=978-0-8135-2742-0|page=38|url-access=registration}}</ref>

The Port Authority ultimately took over the H&M as part of an agreement concerning the [[construction of the World Trade Center]].<ref name="Gillespie1999" /> The Port Authority had initially proposed constructing the complex on the [[East River]], on the opposite side of Lower Manhattan from Hudson Terminal.<ref name="levinson1961">{{cite book|last=Levinson|first=Leonard Louis|title=Wall Street|publisher=Ziff Davis Publishing|year=1961|location=New York|page=346}}</ref><ref name="nyt19600127">{{cite news|last=Grutzner|first=Charles|date=January 27, 1960|title=A World Center of Trade Mapped Off Wall Street|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1960/01/27/99338675.pdf}}</ref> As an interstate agency, the Port Authority required approval for its projects from both New Jersey's and New York's state governments, but the New Jersey government objected that the proposed trade center would mostly benefit New York.<ref name="Gillespie1999" /> In late 1961, Port Authority executive director [[Austin J. Tobin]] proposed shifting the project to Hudson Terminal and taking over the H&M in exchange for New Jersey's agreement.<ref>{{cite news|title=Port Unit Backs Linking of H&M and Other Lines|author=Grutzner|first=Charles|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=December 29, 1961|page=1|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1961/12/29/119434880.pdf|access-date=May 30, 2010}}</ref> On January 22, 1962, the two states reached an agreement to allow the Port Authority to take over the railroad and build the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] on the Hudson Terminal site, which was by then deemed obsolete.<ref>{{cite news|title=2 States Agree on Hudson Tubes and Trade Center|author=Wright|first=George Cable|date=January 23, 1962|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|page=1|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/01/23/102744546.pdf|access-date=May 30, 2010}}</ref>

== Old PATH stations ==

=== Original PATH station{{Anchor|Original World Trade Center station}} ===
{{multiple image|caption_align=center
 | align             = right
 | direction         = horizontal
 | width             = 250
 | header_align      = center
 | header            = Photos of the original WTC bathtub from Liberty Street (1969)
 | image1            = WTC bathtub east.JPG
 | caption1          = Looking northeast. The frame of the South Tower is on the left. PATH eastbound tunnel F can be seen in the center, penetrating the slurry wall on its way up Cortlandt Street to Hudson Terminal. The slurry wall runs along the west side of Greenwich Street. The [[IRT Broadway&nbsp;– Seventh Avenue Line|IRT subway tunnel]] runs below the street (behind the slurry wall).
 | image2            = WTC bathtub west (1969).jpg
 | caption2          = Looking northwest. PATH eastbound tunnel F supported on a temporary trestle in foreground. Slurry wall with tie-backs can be seen on the left, and the frame of the North Tower in the background. Also note the since-removed [[West Side Elevated Highway]], which ran above West Street (today's [[West Side Highway]]).
}}
Groundbreaking on the World Trade Center took place in 1966. The site was on [[Land reclamation|land fill]], with bedrock located {{convert|213|ft|m}} below the surface.<ref name="iglauer">{{cite news|author=Iglauer|first=Edith|date=November 4, 1972|title=The Biggest Foundation|magazine=The New Yorker|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1972/11/04/the-biggest-foundation}}</ref> A new method was used to construct a [[slurry wall]] to keep out water from the [[Hudson River]]. During excavation of the site and [[Construction of the World Trade Center|construction]] of the towers, the original [[Downtown Hudson Tubes|Hudson Tubes]] remained in service as elevated tunnels.<ref name="NYT1968">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/12/30/archives/a-section-of-the-hudson-tubes-is-turned-into-elevated-tunnel.html|title=A Section of the Hudson Tubes Is Turned Into Elevated Tunnel|last=Carroll|first=Maurice|date=December 30, 1968|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=April 9, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> The new station cost $35&nbsp;million to build. At the time, it had a passenger volume of 85,000 daily.<ref name="NYT1971">{{cite news|title=Air-Cooled PATH Terminal in World Trade Center Opens Tuesday|date=July 1, 1971|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|page=94|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1971/07/01/79673188.pdf|access-date=May 30, 2010}}</ref>

The Hudson Terminal station closed on July 2, 1971, to allow a three-day maintenance period to divert service to the World Trade Center PATH station.<ref>{{cite news|date=June 28, 1971|title=PATH Station Will Close Friday for 3-Day Changeover|page=3|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/133597796|url-access=subscription|access-date=October 2, 2020|issn=0099-9660|id={{ProQuest|133597796}}|via=ProQuest}}</ref> The new PATH station opened on July 6, 1971, west of the original terminal.<ref>{{cite news|title=New PATH Station Opens Downtown|author=Burks|first=Edward C.|date=July 7, 1971|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|page=74|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1971/07/07/79675663.pdf|access-date=May 30, 2010}}</ref> Larger balloon loops in the PATH station platform allowed 10-car trains; the previous station with its tight loops could only handle trains of up to 6 cars.<ref name="NYT1968" />  When the station opened, it had nine high-speed escalators between the platform level and the mezzanine level.<ref name="NYT1971" /> The WTC PATH station was served by [[Newark–World Trade Center]] and [[Hoboken–World Trade Center]] trains. The station was connected to the World Trade Center towers via an underground concourse and a [[The Mall at the World Trade Center|shopping center]]. There were also underground connections to the [[New York City Subway]] ({{NYCS trains|Eighth south}} at [[Chambers Street&nbsp;– World Trade Center / Park Place (New York City Subway)|World Trade Center]], and {{NYCS trains|Broadway south}} at [[Cortlandt Street (BMT Broadway Line)|Cortlandt Street–Church Street]]). By 2001, the volume of passengers using the WTC PATH station was approximately 25,000 daily.<ref>{{cite news|title=Next Stop, Semi-Normalcy|newspaper=The Star-Ledger|location=Newark|date=September 13, 2001|author=Wyckoff, P.L. and Rudy Larini}}</ref> While the [[construction of the World Trade Center]] neared completion, a temporary corridor was provided to take passengers between the station and a temporary entrance on Church Street.<ref name="NYT1971" />

The station sustained minor damage during the [[1993 World Trade Center bombing]]; a section of ceiling in the station collapsed and trapped dozens.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE3DB103AF934A15751C0A965958260|title=Blast Hits Trade Center, Bomb Suspected; 5 Killed, Thousands Flee Smoke In Towers|date=February 27, 1993|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 13, 2016|last=McFadden|first=Robert D.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Now, the Cleanup, Work begins assessing the damage|newspaper=Newsday|location=New York|date=February 28, 1993|author=Newkirk|first=Pamela}}</ref> Within a week, the Port Authority was able to resume PATH service to the World Trade Center.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7DC133AF932A35750C0A965958260|title=PATH and Subway Service Is Being Restored|first=Peter|date=March 1, 1993|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 13, 2016|author=Marks}}</ref>

The station was closed on [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]], after [[American Airlines Flight 11]] hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46&nbsp;a.m.. In the minutes afterward, three PATH trains pulled into the station. One had arrived from Newark and two others from Hoboken. The first Hoboken train turned around without stopping, not letting off passengers or opening any doors. The second Hoboken train arrived on track 3 at 8:52&nbsp;a.m. and was ordered to be evacuated, employees included; the train never left the World Trade Center complex and was found during the 9/11 recovery process.<ref name=nj20110820 /> Two lightly damaged cars from that train were subsequently sent to museums.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 9, 2015|title=9/11 survivor to Shore Line Museum – HeritageRail Alliance|url=https://heritagerail.org/2015/11/911-survivor-to-shore-line-museum/|access-date=September 13, 2021|website=HeritageRail}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=PATH train cars that survived 9/11 on display in Connecticut, New York trolley museums|website=ABC7 New York|date=December 4, 2015|url=https://abc7ny.com/1109584/|access-date=September 13, 2021}}</ref> A train from Newark came into the terminal at 8:55&nbsp;a.m. and stopped only to pick up passengers. After [[United Airlines Flight 175]] hit the South Tower at 9:03&nbsp;a.m., dispatchers ordered the closure of the Exchange Place and World Trade Center stations; the former was closed due to severe water damage.  A fourth train was sent to the station at 9:10&nbsp;a.m. to pick up a dozen PATH employees and a homeless individual, leaving the station empty. The station was subsequently destroyed during the [[collapse of the World Trade Center]].<ref name=nj20110820>{{cite web|author=The Associated Press|title=Decisive action by PATH employees kept 9/11 riders from danger|website=NJ.com|date=August 20, 2011|url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/decisive_action_by_path_employ.html|access-date=July 6, 2018}}</ref>

=== Temporary PATH station ===
{{multiple image
|align=right
|direction=vertical
|width=250
|image1=WTC site from Fast Companys offices in 7WTC - 1 - May 2008.jpg
|caption1=View of the [[balloon loop]] at the temporary PATH station from above.
|image2=WTC PATH platform vc.jpg
|caption2=Platform of temporary station
|image3=WTC First Post 9-11 PATH Train.jpg
|caption3=Inaugural train arrives from Newark at PATH's temporary WTC station on November 23, 2003 at 2:08&nbsp;p.m.
}}
With the station destroyed, service to Lower Manhattan was suspended for over two years. [[Exchange Place (PATH station)|Exchange Place]], the next station on the [[Newark–World Trade Center]] line, also had to be closed because it could not operate as a [[terminal station]]. Instead, two uptown services (Newark–33rd Street, red on the official PATH map; and [[Hoboken–33rd Street]], blue on the map) and one intrastate New Jersey service (Hoboken–Journal Square, green on the map) were put into operation.<ref name="restoration">{{cite web|url=http://www.panynj.gov/drp/wtcpath/pathinfo.php|title=PATH Service Restoration|publisher=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|access-date=April 22, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306025136/http://www.panynj.gov/drp/wtcpath/pathinfo.php <!-- Bot retrieved archive -->|archive-date=March 6, 2008}}</ref> Cleanup of the Exchange Place station was needed after the attacks. In addition, the downtown Hudson tubes had been flooded, which destroyed the track infrastructure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newyork.construction.com/projects/TopProjects04/TemporaryPATH.asp|title=Temporary World Trade Center PATH Station|publisher=New York Construction|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325203354/http://newyork.construction.com/projects/TopProjects04/TemporaryPATH.asp|archive-date=March 25, 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=April 22, 2008}}</ref> Modifications to the tracks were also required since the Exchange Place station was not a terminal station.<ref name="restoration" /> The [[Uptown Hudson Tubes|uptown PATH tubes]], [[List of ferries across the Hudson River to New York City|ferry]] routes, and [[NJ Transit Rail Operations|NJ Transit]] lines across the Hudson River could not handle the displaced ridership on their own, and it was deemed necessary to rebuild the World Trade Center terminal.<ref name="Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2007">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RSY3AQAAMAAJ&pg=SL19-PA5|title=Permanent WTC PATH Terminal: Environmental Impact Statement|last=[[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]]|date=2007|publisher=[[United States Department of Transportation]]; [[Federal Transit Administration]]|language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|S.3}} After the reconfiguration of the Exchange Place station was completed, it was reopened to PATH trains on June 29, 2003. The setup was temporary: passengers at Exchange Place would transfer to ferries to Lower Manhattan until the World Trade Center station could be reopened later that year.<ref>{{cite web|last=Weiser|first=Benjamin|title=Closed Since 9/11, a PATH Station Is Set to Reopen Today|website=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=June 29, 2003|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/29/nyregion/closed-since-9-11-a-path-station-is-set-to-reopen-today.html|access-date=April 24, 2018}}</ref>

PATH service to Lower Manhattan was restored when a temporary station opened on November 23, 2003.<ref name="Dunlap 2003" /> The inaugural train was the same one that had been used for the evacuation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Train station at WTC site reopens – Nov. 23, 2003|website=CNN|date=November 23, 2003|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/11/23/wtc.train/index.html|access-date=January 11, 2018}}</ref> The temporary PATH station was designed by Port Authority chief architect Robert I. Davidson<ref name="temp">{{cite news|title=At Ground Zero, a Conduit of People and Memory|author=Dunlap, David W.|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=May 15, 2003|page=B3|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/15/nyregion/blocks-at-ground-zero-a-conduit-of-people-and-memory.html|access-date=May 30, 2010}}</ref> and constructed at a cost of $323&nbsp;million.<ref name="Dunlap 2003" /> It was located at the same place as the original station.<ref name="Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2007" />{{Rp|S.4}} The station featured a canopy entrance along Church Street and a {{convert|118|by|12|ft|m|adj=on|sigfig=2}} [[mosaic]] [[mural]], "Iridescent Lightning," by [[Giulio Candussio]]<ref name="temp" /> of the [[Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli]] in [[Spilimbergo]], Italy. The station was also adorned with opaque panel walls inscribed with inspirational quotes attesting to the greatness and resilience of New York City. These panels partially shielded the [[World Trade Center site]] from view.<ref>{{cite web|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|title=Ground Zero's Ephemeral Elegance|website=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=February 27, 2004|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/27/arts/ground-zero-s-ephemeral-elegance.html|access-date=January 11, 2018}}</ref>

Some sections of the station, including the passageway and the signage on the northeast corner, were only lightly damaged on September 11, 2001, during the [[collapse of the World Trade Center]]. These sections of the station were retained in the temporary station, and remained in the new station.<ref name=opening20161218 /><ref name="Tirella 2016" /> Following its reopening and the resumption of Newark–World Trade Center and [[Hoboken–World Trade Center]] services, the station quickly reclaimed its status as the busiest station in the PATH system.<ref>{{cite web|title=Press Releases: BACK ON TOP: WORLD TRADE CENTER PATH STATION RECLAIMS SPOT AS RAIL SYSTEM'S BUSIEST ON WEEKDAYS|website=Port Authority of New York & New Jersey|date=February 12, 2004|url=https://www.panynj.gov/press-room/press-item.cfm?headLine_id=417|access-date=January 11, 2018|archive-date=January 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111224256/https://www.panynj.gov/press-room/press-item.cfm?headLine_id=417|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, it had several limitations. The temporary station had 8-car-long platforms, whereas the original station had 10-car-long platforms. The station frame was also not strong enough to support development above it, and parts of the station were located outdoors in the "bathtub".<ref name="Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2007" />{{Rp|S.4}} The temporary station had only one entrance, at Church Street, and disabled patrons needed to take four elevators to go from street level to platform level.<ref name="Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2007" />{{Rp|S.5}}

The station was also home to a [[StoryCorps]] booth, which opened in 2005. Through this program, visitors could arrange to give oral recorded histories of the disaster.<ref>{{cite web|title=GOVERNOR PATAKI ANNOUNCES START OF CONSTRUCTION ON TWO NEW INTERIM MEMORIAL PROJECTS FOR FAMILIES AND VISITORS TO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER SITE|website=Lower Manhattan Development Corporation|date=June 16, 2005|url=http://www.renewnyc.com/displaynews.aspx?newsid=97d6ca13-f8ef-4ad6-8ad9-d5d6653ce1c5|access-date=January 11, 2018}}</ref> The booth closed in the spring of 2007 to make way for construction at the [[World Trade Center site]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wtc.com/about/at-the-world-trade-center|title=About the World Trade Center|publisher=Silverstein Properties|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010155053/http://www.wtc.com/about/at-the-world-trade-center|archive-date=October 10, 2008|url-status=dead|access-date=April 20, 2008}}</ref> In June 2007, the street entrance to the temporary station was closed and demolished as part of the site construction. A set of new staircases was constructed several feet to the south, and a "tent" structure was added to provide cover from the elements.<ref name=PANY-Entrance-2007 /> The tent structure, by Voorsanger Architects and installed at a cost of $275,000, was designed to have an "aspiring quality," according to architect [[Bartholomew Voorsanger]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/10/folding-a-large-and-symbolic-tent-downtown/|title=Folding a Large and Symbolic Tent Downtown|date=April 10, 2008|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 13, 2016|author=Dunlap, David W.}}</ref> That entrance on Church Street was closed in April 2008 when the entrance was relocated once again. On April 1, 2008, the third temporary entrance to the PATH station opened for commuters. The entrance was located on Vesey Street, adjacent to [[7 World Trade Center]].<ref name="wtctempentrance" /> It was demolished with the opening of the permanent Calatrava-designed station, since it was on the site of the future [[Performing Arts Center (Manhattan)|Performing Arts Center]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Maloney|first=Jennifer|date=2014-03-10|title=WTC Arts Center Snagged|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303369904579425383861557144.html|access-date=2021-09-13|issn=0099-9660}}
* {{cite web|url=http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/57783|title=Future of Gehry's World Trade Center Performing Arts Center Still Uncertain|work=Architect's Newspaper|date=March 27, 2013|access-date=June 24, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707203222/http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/57783|archive-date=July 7, 2014|df=mdy-all}}
* {{cite web|url=http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/03/10/things_are_not_looking_good_for_the_wtc_arts_center.php|title=Things Are Not Looking Good For The WTC Arts Center|work=[[Curbed]]|date=March 10, 2014|access-date=June 29, 2014|author=Dailey, Jessica}}</ref>

== World Trade Center Transportation Hub ==
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| total_width = 400
| image1 = The Oculus - NYC (51521542401).jpg
| image2 = Path Station - New York.jpg
| footer = Exterior and interior of the Oculus building
}}
The '''World Trade Center Transportation Hub''' is the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]]'s formal name for the new PATH station and the associated transit and retail complex that opened on March 3, 2016.<ref name="Lorenzetti 2016">{{cite web|last=Lorenzetti|first=Laura|title=The World's Most Expensive Train Station Opens Today|website=Fortune|date=March 3, 2016|url=http://fortune.com/2016/03/03/most-expensive-train-station/|access-date=December 20, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Verrill 2016">{{cite web|last=Verrill|first=Courtney|title=New York City's $4 billion World Trade Center Transportation Hub is finally open to the public|website=Business Insider|date=March 4, 2016|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/the-new-world-center-transportation-hub-2016-3|access-date=December 20, 2016}}</ref> The station's renaming took place when the station reopened.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/world_trade_center_transportation_34922.aspx|title=Project Updates: World Trade Center Transportation Hub|website=lowermanhattan.info|publisher=Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100928024153/http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/world_trade_center_transportation_34922.aspx|archive-date=September 28, 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=September 2, 2010}}</ref><ref name="nyt-2011-02-24" /> It was designed by Spanish architect [[Santiago Calatrava]] and composed of a train station with a large and open mezzanine under the [[National September 11 Memorial & Museum|National September 11 Memorial]] plaza.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/24/world-trade-center-calatrava-path/14016139/|title=NYC transit hub: Bold statement or boondoggle?|last=Hampson|first=Rick|date=August 24, 2014|newspaper=USA Today|access-date=December 13, 2016}}</ref> This mezzanine is connected to an aboveground [[head house]] structure called the Oculus—located between [[2 World Trade Center]] and [[3 World Trade Center]]—as well as to public concourses under the various towers in the World Trade Center complex.<ref name="nyt-2011-02-24">{{cite news|title=Trade Center Transit Hub's Cost Now Over $3.4 Billion|first=Michael M.|last=Grynbaum|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/25/nyregion/25ground-zero.html|date=February 24, 2011|access-date=February 25, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref>

[[File:WTC Building Arrangement in preliminary site plan.svg|thumb|left|200px|Preliminary site plans for the new World Trade Center]]

In addition, the station was designed to connect the PATH to the [[New York City Subway]] system, and to facilitate a below ground east–west passageway that connects to the various modes of transportation in Lower Manhattan, from the [[Fulton Center]] to the [[Battery Park City Ferry Terminal]]. Furthermore, to replace the lost retail space from the original mall at the World Trade Center, significant portions of the Hub are devoted to the new {{Convert|365,000|ft2|m2|adj=on}} [[Westfield World Trade Center]] mall.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://abc7ny.com/shopping/after-15-years-shopping-returns-to-world-trade-center/1471653/|title=After 15 years, shopping returns to World Trade Center|last=D'Innocenzio|first=Anne|date=August 16, 2016|newspaper=ABC7 New York|access-date=December 13, 2016}}</ref>

=== Background ===
After the September 11 attacks, officials proposed a $7&nbsp;billion redesign of transit in Lower Manhattan. This included a new PATH terminal, the Fulton Center, the [[South Ferry/Whitehall Street (New York City Subway)|South Ferry/Whitehall Street]] terminal further downtown, and the reconstruction of the [[West Side Highway]].<ref name="Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2007" />{{Rp|S.5}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/20/nyregion/7.3-billion-vision-to-rebuild-transit-near-ground-zero.html|title=$7.3 Billion Vision To Rebuild Transit Near Ground Zero|last1=Wyatt|first1=Edward|date=April 20, 2002|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 3, 2018|last2=Kennedy|first2=Randy|language=en-US}}</ref> Other development projects to restart Lower Manhattan's economy were also proposed, and a new PATH terminal was seen as instrumental in making this happen.<ref name="Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2007" />{{Rp|S.5}} In August 2002, the U.S. government allocated $4.5&nbsp;billion to build a terminal linking the subway and PATH stations at the World Trade Center site.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/10/nyregion/us-agrees-to-give-4.5-billion-to-link-subway-and-path.html|title=U.s. Agrees to Give $4.5 Billion to Link Subway and Path|last=Pérez-Peña|first=Richard|date=August 10, 2002|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 3, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> Four locations were considered,<ref name="Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2007" />{{Rp|S.8}}  and it was ultimately decided to build the new terminal four levels underground, along the base of the World Trade Center "bathtub".<ref name="Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2007" />{{Rp|S.11}}

A large transit station was not part of the 2003 [[Memory Foundations]] master plan for the site by [[Daniel Libeskind]], which called for a smaller station along the lines of the original subterranean station that existed beneath the World Trade Center. Libeskind's design proposed that the current station house's site be left as an open plaza, forming a "Wedge of Light" so that sun rays around the autumnal [[equinox]] would hit the World Trade Center footprints each September.<ref name="Libeskind 2012">{{cite web|url=http://libeskind.com/work/ground-zero-master-plan/|title=World Trade Center Master Plan|last=Libeskind|first=Daniel|date=July 17, 2012|publisher=Studio Libeskind|access-date=December 20, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Srinivasan 2013">{{cite magazine|last=Greenspan|first=Elizabeth|date=August 28, 2013|title=Daniel Libeskind's World Trade Center Change of Heart|url=https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/daniel-libeskinds-world-trade-center-change-of-heart|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=December 20, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Rogers 2004">{{Cite web|url=http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_37/wtctrainstation.html|title=W.T.C. train station unveiled|last=Rogers|first=Josh|date=January 29, 2004|website=Downtown Express|access-date=February 19, 2018|archive-date=December 31, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041231174040/http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_37/wtctrainstation.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The plaza would have included a wedge whose lines showed the sun's rays at 8:46&nbsp;a.m. and 10:28&nbsp;a.m. on September 11 of each year. These times respectively represented when [[American Airlines Flight 11]] crashed into the North Tower and when it collapsed.<ref name="Dunlap 2004" /><ref name="Rogers 2004" />

=== Redesign ===
[[File:Dey Street Concourse (27374600280).jpg|thumb|right|Inside the Oculus, leading to the [[Dey Street Concourse]]]]
[[File:WTC PATH Newark platform 2 vc.jpg|thumb|right|Platform level]]

In early 2004, the Port Authority, which owns the land, modified the Libeskind plan to include a large transportation station downtown, intended to rival [[Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963)|Penn Station]] and [[Grand Central Terminal]].<ref name="Glorious Boondoggle" /> Calatrava was hired as the architect for this new, $2&nbsp;billion design, and he revealed his plan in January 2004.<ref name="Rogers 2004" /><ref name="Dunlap 2004">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/22/nyregion/design-for-trade-center-path-station-is-to-be-unveiled.html|title=Design for Trade Center PATH Station Is to Be Unveiled|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|date=January 22, 2004|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 3, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> Calatrava's design called for an above-ground station house (now the Oculus) with curved supports that extended outward, like wings. These wings would run the length of the concourse, which would run from Church Street in the east to the PATH station under Greenwich Street in the west. The building itself would be located on its own block, bounded clockwise from the north by Fulton, Church, Dey, and Greenwich Streets.<ref name="Dunlap 2004" />
[[File:Oculus Pride Month.jpg|alt=Oculus during Pride Month|thumb|Oculus during Pride Month]]
A skylight would run the length of the station building.<ref name="Dunlap 2004" /> The roof was originally designed to mechanically open to increase light and ventilation to the enclosed space. In a nod to the Libeskind concept, the Oculus was built to maximize the effect of the autumnal equinox rays (coinciding with the skylight opening on or around September 11 every year).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ny.curbed.com/2015/7/20/9938918/skylight-of-world-trade-center-oculus-will-open-each-sept-11|title=Skylight of World Trade Center Oculus Will Open Each Sept. 11|last=Rosenberg|first=Zoe|date=July 20, 2015|website=Curbed NY|access-date=December 20, 2016}}</ref> On the actual anniversary of the attacks, the skylight would open for 102 minutes to commemorate the duration between the time the first tower was hit and the [[Collapse of the World Trade Center|collapse of the second tower]].<ref name="Kim 2019">{{Cite web|url=https://gothamist.com/news/oculus-skylight-9-11-broken|title=The Oculus Skylight Did Not Open In Tribute To 9/11 Victims, As It Was Designed To Do|last=Kim|first=Elizabeth|date=September 11, 2019|website=Gothamist|language=en|access-date=September 12, 2019}}</ref> If needed, the skylight could also be manually opened to provide air ventilation.<ref name="Dunlap 2004" />

As outlined in the reconstruction plan, the new terminal would be rebuilt in several stages. The first phase would include the construction of a temporary northern entrance, which would be open between 2005 and 2006. The second phase would entail the construction of an East-West Concourse under the West Side Highway, connecting to the [[Brookfield Place (New York City)|World Financial Center]] (now Brookfield Place). The third phase would include temporary structural underpinning for a temporary platform and track, as well as the construction of Platform D, the first permanent platform. The fourth phase would consist of the lengthening of the other three platforms, expansion of the mezzanine, and structural completion, while the fifth phase would include the construction of the station house. The complex would be completed by 2009 or 2010 under this plan.<ref name="Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2007" />{{Rp|S.14–S.15}}

The station design received critical acclaim.<ref name="Raab 2017">{{cite web|last=Raab|first=Scott|title=World Trade Center Rebuild – The Truth About the World Trade Center|website=Esquire|date=October 11, 2017|url=https://www.esquire.com/the-rebuilding/world-trade-center-rebuilding-0912|access-date=July 8, 2018}}</ref> In 2004, [[Herbert Muschamp]], architecture critic for ''The New York Times'', compared the design to the [[Bethesda Terrace and Fountain]] in [[Central Park]]. He congratulated the Port Authority for hiring Calatrava, and predicted that the new station would be able to impact the city's future. Muschamp continued that the architect's vision "should satisfy those who believe that buildings planned for ground zero must aspire to a spiritual dimension."<ref name="nytimes-hubdesign1">{{cite news|first=Herbert|last=Muschamp|author-link=Herbert Muschamp|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9905E7DF1639F930A15752C0A9629C8B63|title=An Appraisal; PATH Station Becomes A Procession of Flight|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=January 23, 2004|access-date=July 13, 2008}}</ref> Another ''New York Times'' critic, Michael Kimmelman, wrote that the PATH hub was appropriate for the World Trade Center site, as it would be "a major cultural contribution" to the New York City skyline.<ref name="nytimes-hubdesign2">{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Kimmelman|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E4D81538F932A35751C0A9629C8B63|title=Architecture – Ground Zero Finally Grows Up|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=February 1, 2004|access-date=July 13, 2008}}</ref> A committee for [[Manhattan Community Board 1]] called the station design "beautiful" in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_123/cb1committepraises.html|title=C.B. 1 committee praises transportation hub|last=Keohane|first=Ellen|date=September 16, 2005|website=www.downtownexpress.com|publisher=Community Media LLC|access-date=December 20, 2016|archive-date=January 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120110205024/http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_123/cb1committepraises.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Calatrava described the original design as representative of "a bird being released from a child's hand".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.dezeen.com/2016/08/29/santiago-calatrava-oculus-world-trade-center-transportation-hub-new-york-photographs-hufton-crow/|title=Calatrava's World Trade Center Oculus photographed by Hufton + Crow|date=August 29, 2016|work=Dezeen|access-date=February 3, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> However, Calatrava's original soaring spike design was scaled back because of security issues. The ''New York Times'' observed in 2005 that the "bird has grown a beak", and that because of the new security features, the station might "now evoke a slender [[stegosaurus]] more than it does a bird".<ref name="nytimes-hubdesign3">{{cite news|first=David W.|last=Dunlap|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/28/nyregion/28rebuild.html|title=Approval Expected Today for Trade Center Rail Hub|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=July 28, 2005|access-date=July 13, 2008}}</ref> The design was further modified in 2008 to eliminate the opening and closing roof mechanism because of budget and space constraints.<ref name="nytimes-hubdesign4">{{cite news|first=David W.|last=Dunlap|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/nyregion/02path.html|title=Design of Ground Zero Transit Hub Is Trimmed|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=July 2, 2008|access-date=July 13, 2008}}</ref>

A ''[[Curbed]] NY'' reporter wrote in 2015, "The platform's mezzanine level ... is kind of amazing and shows off the station's soaring ribbed structure",<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ny.curbed.com/2015/6/19/9948354/new-looks-inside-calatravas-4b-world-trade-center-oculus|title=New Looks Inside Calatrava's $4B World Trade Center Oculus|last=Dailey|first=Jessica|date=June 19, 2015|website=Curbed NY|access-date=December 20, 2016}}</ref> but other reviews derided the station redesign as being more gaudy than utilitarian. In 2014, Benjamin Kabak, a blogger writing for ''[[The Atlantic Cities|The Atlantic's CityLab]]'', criticized the emphasis placed on form over function, citing design flaws driven by aesthetic choices that detract from the station's usability as a transit hub. He stated that the staircases could not accommodate the number of passengers using the station during rush hours, and that any leaks caused the marble floors to become slippery. Kabak also said that "the PATH Hub is shaping up to be an example of design divorced from purpose."<ref name="CityLab">{{cite news|url=http://www.citylab.com/design/2014/10/why-cant-transportation-mega-projects-be-both-beautiful-and-practical/381139/|title=Why Can't Transportation Mega-Projects Be Both Beautiful and Practical?|last1=Kabak|first1=Benjamin|date=October 7, 2014|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|publisher=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=April 17, 2015}}</ref> [[Steve Cuozzo]] of the ''[[New York Post]]'' described the station in 2014 as it was being built as "a self-indulgent monstrosity" and "a hideous waste of public money".<ref name="Waste & Idiocy" /> [[Michael Kimmelman]], architecture critic for ''[[The New York Times]]'', referred to the structure as "a kitsch stegosaurus".<ref name="Kimmelman">{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/kimmelman/status/539888436371787776|title=Michael Kimmelman on Twitter|last1=Kimmelman|first1=Michael|date=December 2, 2014|website=[[Twitter]]|access-date=April 1, 2015}}</ref> In 2015, as the station neared completion, ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' magazine referred to the hub as a "Glorious [[Boondoggle]]" and, while withholding final judgment on the unfinished structure, did note the "Jurassic" appearance.<ref name="Glorious Boondoggle">{{cite magazine|last=Rice|first=Andrew|date=March 12, 2015|title=The Glorious Boondoggle|url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/03/santiago-calatrava-world-trade-center-path-hub.html|journal=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|access-date=April 1, 2015}}</ref> When the station opened in 2016, the ''New York Post'' editorial board called the hub the "world's most obscenely overpriced commuter rail station — and possibly its ugliest", deeming the transit hub a "[[white elephant]]" and "monstrosity", comparing the Oculus to a "giant gray-white space insect".<ref name="Ugliest">{{cite news|url=https://nypost.com/2016/02/23/4-billion-buys-the-worlds-ugliest-commuter-rail-stop/|title=$4 Billion Buys the World's Ugliest Commuter Rail Stop|date=February 23, 2016|newspaper=New York Post|access-date=February 26, 2016|author=New York Post Editorial Board}}</ref>

==== West Concourse ====
[[File:WTC Hub West Concourse 3 vc.jpg|thumb|The West Concourse]]
A {{convert|600|ft|m|adj=on}} pedestrian underpass under the [[West Side Highway]], referred to as the West Concourse and formerly as the East-West Connector, links the WTC station mezzanine with [[Brookfield Place (New York City)|Brookfield Place]] in [[Battery Park City]], on the west side of the World Trade Center.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chaban|first=Matt|title=Portion of $4B Santiago Calatrava-designed PATH station is completed|website=nydailynews.com|date=October 24, 2013|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/real-estate/new-pathway-world-trade-center-site-article-1.1495785|access-date=July 6, 2018}}</ref> It contains stores as part of Westfield World Trade Center.<ref>{{cite web|title=Westfield Westfield World Trade Center Center Map|website=Westfield|url=https://www.westfield.com/westfieldworldtradecenter/center-info/map|access-date=February 28, 2018}}</ref> The concourse itself opened on October 23, 2013.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.wnyc.org/story/new-path-tunnel-wtc-almost-done/|title=New World Trade Center PATH Pedestrian Tunnel Opens This Week|last=Gould|first=Jessica|date=October 21, 2013|newspaper=WNYC|access-date=December 13, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/world_trade_center_transportation_34922.aspx#activities|title=Lower Manhattan : World Trade Center Transportation Hub|date=October 24, 2013|publisher=Lowermanhattan.info|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029205058/http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/world_trade_center_transportation_34922.aspx|archive-date=October 29, 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=February 27, 2014}}</ref> Access to One World Trade Center from the West Concourse became possible for employees when the tower opened on November 3, 2014.<ref name="Moore 2014" /> On May 29, 2015, the same day the tower's observatory opened, the entrance to the observation deck opened.<ref name="Garger 2015" /> The concourse cost $225&nbsp;million to build, and has been described as the most expensive passageway in the world.<ref name=Nextcity-ExpensiveHallway-2014 /><ref>{{cite web|last1=Baird-Remba|first1=Rebecca|last2=Grossman|first2=Matt|last3=LaBarbera|first3=Gary|title=Trade Center Concourse Cost $225 M.|website=Commercial Observer|date=November 7, 2013|url=https://commercialobserver.com/2013/11/trade-center-concourse-cost-225-m/|access-date=July 6, 2018}}</ref>

=== Construction ===
Construction of the Oculus called for relocation of the [[World Trade Center cross]] in April 2006.<ref>{{cite web|title=New York Desk|website=The New York Sun|date=April 14, 2006|url=http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-york-desk-2006-04-14/30999/|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref> However, the Oculus's construction did not begin in earnest until July 8, 2008, when the first prefabricated "ribs" for the pedestrian walkway under Fulton Street were installed on the site.<ref name="nytimes-fultonpassageway1">{{cite news|first=David W.|last=Dunlap|url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/among-the-hard-angles-a-few-new-curves/|title=Among the Hard Angles, a Few New Curves|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=July 11, 2008|access-date=July 13, 2008}}</ref> The mezzanine level of the station was undergoing major construction and work on the foundation was underway.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article.asp?id=24843|title=PANYNJ continues to post progress on WTC Transportation Hub|publisher=Progressive Railroading|date=October 25, 2010|access-date=October 25, 2010}}</ref> By March 2011, over 225 of the 300 steel pieces that make up the roof of the station were installed.<ref name="Port Authority of New York & New Jersey">{{cite web|url=http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/transportation-hub.html|title=World Trade Center Transportation Hub|work=Port Authority of New York & New Jersey|access-date=October 2, 2011|archive-date=January 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103164156/https://old.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/transportation-hub.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Later that month installation of the [[Vierendeel truss|Vierendeel Truss]], one of the hub's key components, began with the installation of a {{convert|50|ST|LT}} section of the {{convert|271|ST|LT|adj=on}} truss. The truss serves as the mezzanine roof and also acts as a support for the northeast corner of the [[National September 11 Memorial & Museum|WTC Memorial.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/image-gallery.html#id=hub-spine-installation-begins&num=1|title=World Trade Center Image Gallery|work=Port Authority of New York & New Jersey|access-date=October 2, 2011|archive-date=March 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313144614/http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/image-gallery.html#id=hub-spine-installation-begins&num=1|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Ribs in PATH concourse WTC jeh.JPG|thumb|left|Concourse above PATH tracks]]

The Oculus's $542&nbsp;million construction contract was awarded to [[Skanska]] in summer 2010. The project included steel erection for the substructure; construction connecting to the [[Vehicular Security Center]]; the [[Greenwich Street]] corridor and the steel and concrete placing under the {{NYCS trains|Broadway-Seventh South Ferry header|apos=y}} subway box; and preparations for installation of east arch truss.<ref>{{cite web|title=Port Authority Awards Largest Contract Yet For WTC Transit Hub|website=ENR|date=February 25, 2010|url=http://www.enr.com/articles/20535-port-authority-awards-largest-contract-yet-for-wtc-transit-hub|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref> By June 2013, ten pieces of exterior arches were installed for the Oculus. The initial construction was expected to conclude at the end of 2014 or beginning of 2015, and the internal construction, such as paint, turnstiles, and ticket booths, was expected to complete in the end of 2015, with an official opening scheduled for December 17, 2015.<ref name="Port Authority of New York & New Jersey" /> On October 23, 2013, the West Concourse opened with access to the World Financial Center, now renamed the [[Brookfield Place (New York City)|Brookfield Place]]. The storefronts were covered and not yet opened, and the second floor was still closed for construction of One World Trade Center.<ref name="Lynch 2016">{{cite web|last=Lynch|first=Marley|title=The World Trade Center PATH tunnel opened today (slide show)|website=Time Out New York|date=January 27, 2016|url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/the-world-trade-center-path-tunnel-opened-today-slide-show|access-date=December 19, 2016|archive-date=September 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905223618/http://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/the-world-trade-center-path-tunnel-opened-today-slide-show|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="World Trade Center 2016" />

On February 25, 2014, half of the first platform of the new station, Platform A, was opened to the public with service to Hoboken. The new platform, an [[island platform]], was fully modernized and contains new lighting, speakers, illuminated signs, escalators, and elevators. The west side of the platform was walled off at the time.<ref name="ABCLocal">{{cite web|url=https://abc7ny.com/archive/9443935/|title=Port Authority to open first platform for new World Trade Center PATH station {{pipe}} 7online.com|date=February 24, 2014|website=abc7|publisher=Abclocal.go.com|access-date=February 27, 2014}}</ref><ref name="World Trade Center 2016" /> On November 3, [[One World Trade Center]] opened, as did the PATH entrance from that building.<ref name="Moore 2014">{{cite web|last=Moore|first=Jack|title=World Trade Center Re-opens as Tallest Building in America|url=http://onewtc.com/news/world-trade-center-re-opens-as-tallest-building-in-america|publisher=One World Trade Center|work=[[International Business Times]]|date=November 3, 2014|access-date=September 11, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904120549/http://onewtc.com/news/world-trade-center-re-opens-as-tallest-building-in-america|archive-date=September 4, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Barron|first=James|title=1 World Trade Center, a Pillar of Resilience, Is Open for Business|website=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=November 2, 2014|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/04/nyregion/first-tenant-of-1-world-trade-center-arrives-highlighting-lower-manhattans-renewal.html|access-date=January 11, 2018}}</ref> Eight days later, the [[Fulton Center]] and [[Dey Street Passageway|Dey Street Concourse]] opened to the public. The Dey Street Concourse entrance into the Transportation Hub was closed until the Hub opened.<ref>{{cite web|last=Yee|first=Vivian|title=Fulton Center, a Subway Complex, Reopens in Lower Manhattan|website=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=November 9, 2014|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/nyregion/fulton-center-a-subway-complex-reopens-in-lower-manhattan.html|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref> On November 22, the last of 114 rafters was installed. Also, by this date, one crane had been disassembled and painting of the hub continued.<ref>{{Cite press release|url=https://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/pdf-itn/FinalHub.pdf|title=Final Steel Rafter Installed On World Trade Center Transportation Hub|first=Jose|last=Martinez|publisher=[[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]]|website=panynj.gov|date=November 25, 2014|access-date=December 19, 2016|archive-date=February 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222105410/https://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/pdf-itn/FinalHub.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="World Trade Center 2016">{{cite web|title=Timeline of the Rebuilding Effort|website=World Trade Center|date=September 8, 2016|url=http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/timeline-rebuilding-effort.html|access-date=December 19, 2016|archive-date=December 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161218184431/http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/timeline-rebuilding-effort.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On May 7, 2015, Platform B and the remaining half of Platform A opened, and Platform C closed.<ref name="amny 20150507" /><ref name="World Trade Center 2016" /> A few weeks later, on May 29, the entrance to the observation deck in the West Concourse was opened on the same day One World Observatory also opened.<ref name="Garger 2015">{{cite web|last1=Garger|first1=Kenneth|last2=O'Neill|first2=Natalie|last3=Roberts|first3=Georgett|title='Out of this world': Trade Center observation deck opens|website=New York Post|date=May 30, 2015|url=https://nypost.com/2015/05/29/out-of-this-world-trade-center-observation-deck-opens/|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref> In late September, the temporary new West Walkway opened with access from the platforms to the West Concourse.<ref>{{cite web|title=Inside the Oculus: Touring the new WTC PATH hub (PHOTOS)|website=NJ.com|date=September 25, 2015|url=http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2015/09/port_authority_western_concourse_wtc_path.html|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref>

=== Cost and delays ===
The Transportation Hub has been described as either one of the world's most expensive train stations,<ref name="nyt 20141203">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/nyregion/the-4-billion-train-station-at-the-world-trade-center.html?_r=0|title=How Cost of Train Station at World Trade Center Swelled to $4 Billion|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|date=December 3, 2014|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 3, 2014}}</ref> or the world's single most expensive station, for its massive reconstruction cost of approximately $4&nbsp;billion.<ref name="Verrill 2016" /><ref name="Waste & Idiocy">{{cite news|url=https://nypost.com/2014/08/02/new-yorks-4b-shrine-to-government-waste-and-idiocy/|title=New York's $4B Shrine to Government Waste and Idiocy|last=Cuozzo|first=Steve|date=August 2, 2014|newspaper=[[New York Post]]|access-date=April 1, 2015|author-link=Steve Cuozzo}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.archdaily.com/381166/calatrava-to-build-world-s-most-expensive-transportation-hub/|title=Calatrava to Build World's Most Expensive Transportation Hub|last=Vinnitskaya|first=Irina|date=June 3, 2013|publisher=ArchDaily|access-date=April 24, 2014}}</ref> By contrast, the proposed {{convert|2|mi|km|adj=on}} extension of the [[Newark–World Trade Center]] PATH service to [[Newark Liberty International Airport]] is projected to cost $1.5&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130911/REAL_ESTATE/130919963|title=Sources: Christie to back $1B PATH extension in Newark {{pipe}} Crain's New York Business|last=Geiger|first=Daniel|date=September 11, 2013|publisher=Crainsnewyork.com|access-date=April 24, 2014}}</ref> The hub was also criticized for its delays, as the hub was completed almost 10 years later than originally projected.<ref name="Glorious Boondoggle" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Haller|first=Vera|title=World Trade Center transit hub over budget, past schedule – and odd-looking, many say|website=Los Angeles Times|date=March 3, 2016|url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-world-trade-center-hub-20160303-story.html|access-date=July 8, 2018}}</ref> However, even the original cost projections for the hub were high, as the original proposal was projected to cost almost $2&nbsp;billion. The high cost for a single station is attributed to the extravagant design, which stems from the Port Authority needing to convince the government of New Jersey to pay for a project situated entirely in New York.<ref name="Raab 2017" />

Originally, the reconstruction was to be funded by the [[Federal Transit Administration]], which gave approximately $1.9&nbsp;billion to the project. The costs of the hub were still expensive, but it was to be finished at budget in 2009. In 2014 dollars, the cost of the hub was estimated at $4&nbsp;billion. The hub cost twice as much in 2014 as it should have originally cost in 2004.<ref name="nyt 20141203" /> The West Concourse cost $225&nbsp;million and was billed as the "world's most expensive hallway".<ref name="Nextcity-ExpensiveHallway-2014">{{cite web|url=http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/worlds-most-expensive-hallway-even-more-expensive-than-we-thought|title=World's Most Expensive Hallway Even More Expensive Than We Thought&nbsp;– Next City|last=Smith|first=Stephen J.|date=November 6, 2013|publisher=Nextcity.org|access-date=April 24, 2014}}</ref> Construction, maintenance, and management alone cost $635&nbsp;million; the Port Authority awarded several subcontracts, most of them costly.<ref name="nyt 20141203" /> The fees of the main construction team took up almost a billion dollars, and utility installation around the entire World Trade Center site cost another $400&nbsp;million.<ref name="Brenzel 2016" /> Over $500&nbsp;million in cost savings was overlooked.<ref name="nyt 20141203" />

[[File:WTC site Nov 2016 06.jpg|thumb|right|The ribs, as seen from outside the station at night]]

The design was costly, with Calatrava netting $80&nbsp;million in design fees<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/04/can-you-guess-how-much-the-nyc-paid-the-architect-of-the-most-expensive-train-station-on-earth/|title=Can You Guess How Much NYC Paid The Architect Of The Most Expensive Train Station On Earth?|first=Alissa|last=Walker|date=April 20, 2016|access-date=March 17, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Brenzel 2016" /> and the overall architectural design being another $405.8&nbsp;million.<ref name="Brenzel 2016">{{cite web|last=Brenzel|first=Kathryn|title=The 'Path' to $4 billion|website=The Real Deal New York|date=April 1, 2016|url=http://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/the-path-to-4-billion/|access-date=December 20, 2016}}</ref> Speeding up the pace of construction also contributed to the higher cost, with $100&nbsp;million dedicated to building the [[National September 11 Memorial & Museum]] and another $24&nbsp;million to speed up delivery of construction materials.<ref name="Brenzel 2016" /> The price of the station was further driven up by Calatrava's architectural decisions.{{efn|According to ''The New York Times'': {{blockquote|Suggestions from independent engineers and architects that the Oculus be even smaller [were rebuffed.] ... Calatrava and his partners said that the impact and utility of the Oculus would be diminished if it were shrunken further, that the temporary station did not meet requirements for circulation of air and pedestrians, and that columns would interrupt visitors' movement and provide a potential target for bombers.<ref name="nyt 20141203" />}}}}  He wanted to import custom-made steel from a northern Italian factory, which cost $474&nbsp;million, and have a columnless, aesthetically based design; skylights in the ground, instead of trees;{{efn|The [[Bloomberg administration]] later chose to add trees instead of skylights, since the station was close to the [[National September 11 Memorial & Museum]]. This required the mezzanine's roof to be redesigned to hold a heavier weight, which was also costly.<ref name="nyt 20141203" />}} and large, soaring "wings", or rafters.<ref name="nyt 20141203" /> Another $335&nbsp;million was added to the cost overrun because the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had to build around the New York City Subway's [[IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line]] (carrying the {{NYCS trains|Broadway-Seventh South Ferry}}), since the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] refused to close the line for fear of inconveniencing commuters from [[Staten Island]] taking the [[Staten Island Ferry]]. The line had to be supported on a bridge over the station instead of on columns through the station.<ref name="nyt 20141203" /> In 2012, [[Hurricane Sandy]] damaged several hundred million dollars worth of materials.<ref name="nyt 20141203" /> Some of the additional cost and delay were due to additions and modifications to the original plan by the Port Authority. Calatrava's original entry pavilion was scaled back for security reasons, for instance.<ref name="nytimes-hubdesign4" />

The hub's skyrocketing costs also attracted much controversy. An editor at ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that "Mr. Calatrava is amassing an unusually long list of projects marred by cost overruns, delays and litigation", referring to his other projects around the world that were over budget.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/arts/design/santiago-calatrava-collects-critics-as-well-as-fans.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|title=A Star Architect Leaves Some Clients Fuming|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=September 24, 2013|access-date=April 24, 2014|author=Daley, Suzanne}}</ref> Especially because the current station has a ridership of only 46,000 daily passengers compared to 250,000 at Grand Central Terminal, the renovation is sometimes depicted as overpriced and overstylized.<ref name="nyt 20141203" /> According to a writer for [[Esquire (magazine)|''Esquire'']] magazine, even if the hub's cost were disregarded, operating the PATH was itself a waste of money for the Port Authority.<ref name="Raab 2017" />{{Efn|In 2009–2013, the Port Authority lost $2 billion in revenue by operating the PATH, equating to an almost $400-million loss in annual revenue if the Port Authority operates the PATH.<ref>{{cite news|last=Braun|first=Martin Z.|title=PATH Train Less Efficient Than Subways as Cars Cover Loss|website=Bloomberg.com|date=August 22, 2014|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-08-22/path-train-less-efficient-than-subways-as-cars-cover-loss|access-date=December 20, 2016}}</ref>}}

In late 2015, the opening was delayed to early 2016 by a leaking roof.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/11/05/world_trade_center_transportation_hub_plagued_by_leaky_roof.php|title=World Trade Center Transportation Hub Plagued By Leaky Roof|last=Rosenberg|first=Zoe|date=November 5, 2015|website=Curbed NY|access-date=November 5, 2015}}</ref> When the hub opened in March 2016, the director of the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|Port Authority]], Pat Foye, declined to hold an event to celebrate the opening of the Hub, describing it as "symbol of excess" and noting he was "troubled with the huge cost" of the construction project.<ref name="Symbol of Excess">{{cite news|url=http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2016/02/8591588/port-authority-declines-celebrate-calatrava-designed-transportation-h|title=Port Authority declines to celebrate Calatrava-designed transportation hub|last=Rubinstein|first=Dana|date=February 22, 2016|newspaper=[[Capital New York]]|location=Albany, N.Y.|access-date=February 26, 2016}}</ref>

=== Opening ===
[[File:Oculus glass ceiling going through repairs.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|Workers open up the glass ceiling to make repairs]]

On March 3, 2016, the Oculus partially opened to the public, along with new entrances. Only the west end of the Oculus and the Westfield Mall corridor to Four World Trade Center was opened.<ref name="Verrill 2016" /><ref>{{cite web|title=World Trade Center transportation hub, dubbed Oculus, opens to public|website=ABC7 New York|date=March 3, 2016|url=http://abc7ny.com/1229181/|access-date=July 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.panynj.gov/press-room/press-item.cfm?headLine_id=2353|title=Port Authority Announces Opening of World Trade Center Transportation Hub|date=January 19, 2016|work=Port Authority of New York, New Jersey|access-date=January 29, 2016|archive-date=February 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203034610/http://www.panynj.gov/press-room/press-item.cfm?headLine_id=2353|url-status=dead}}</ref> Two months later, on May 26, 2016, PATH riders received a direct underground link to Fulton Center and the Cortlandt Street–Church Street station through the Oculus.<ref>{{cite web|title=WTC Oculus link to Fulton Center officially opens|website=am New York|date=May 26, 2016|url=http://www.amny.com/transit/world-trade-center-oculus-link-to-fulton-center-now-open-1.11845464|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref> The PATH entrance into 2 World Trade Center opened on June 21, 2016, and the temporary PATH entrance to outside 7 World Trade Center closed five days later.<ref>{{cite web|title=New PATH entrance at World Trade Center transit hub to open Tuesday|website=NJ.com|date=June 20, 2016|url=http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2016/06/new_path_world_trade_center_hub_entrance_to_open.html|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref><ref name="World Trade Center 2016" /> Yet another entrance opened to the public when the [[Westfield World Trade Center]] mall was opened on August 16.<ref name="Rogers 2016">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/fashion/westfield-world-trade-center-opening-john-legend.html|title=John Legend Performs at Westfield World Trade Center Opening|last=Rogers|first=Katie|date=August 17, 2016|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Kirby 2016">{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/08/a-look-at-the-wtc-mall-thats-reopening-today.html|title=Here's a Look at the World Trade Center Mall That's Reopening Today|last=Kirby|first=Jen|date=August 16, 2016|website=Daily Intelligencer|access-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref> On September 8, 2016, the restrooms were opened on the south side of the mezzanine. The last two station platforms in the hub, Platforms C and D, were also opened, as was the permanent West Concourse walkway.<ref name="Higgs 2016">{{cite web|last=Higgs|first=Larry|title=New platforms, bathrooms open at $4B WTC transit hub|website=NJ.com|date=May 26, 2016|url=http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2016/09/new_platforms_bathrooms_open_at_4b_wtc_transit_hub.html|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref><ref name="World Trade Center 2016" /> On December 19, the direct underground link to the New York City Subway's World Trade Center station, at the northeast corner of the complex, reopened.<ref name=nyt-20161218 /><ref name=opening20161218 />

Following the 17th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in 2018, the rubber seal of the Oculus's skylight broke.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Berger|first=Paul|date=2019-05-12|title=The World Trade Center's $3.9 Billion Oculus Has Rip in Its Skylight|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-world-trade-centers-3-9-billion-oculus-has-rip-in-its-skylight-11557669721|access-date=2021-09-13|issn=0099-9660}}</ref> As a result, for the 18th anniversary in 2019, the skylight was unable to open as scheduled.<ref name="Kim 2019" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2019/09/10/leaky-oculus-skylight-wont-be-open-for-9-11-tribute/|title=Leaky Oculus skylight won't be open for 9/11 tribute|last=Meyer|first=David|date=September 10, 2019|website=New York Post|access-date=September 12, 2019}}</ref>

=== Notable incidents ===
On October 13, 2016, the first birth inside the Oculus occurred.<ref>{{cite web|title=Woman Gives Birth At World Trade Center's New Transit Hub|website=CBS New York|date=October 13, 2016|url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/10/13/oculus-baby-girl-delivered/|access-date=February 13, 2017}}</ref> A woman was walking through the station with her husband when she went into labor, eventually giving birth on the floor.<ref>{{cite web|last=Plagianos|first=Irene|title=Woman Gives Birth to Baby Girl on Floor of WTC Oculus, Officials Say|website=DNAinfo New York|date=October 14, 2016|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20161014/financial-district/baby-born-wtc-oculus|access-date=February 13, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214004040/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20161014/financial-district/baby-born-wtc-oculus|archive-date=February 14, 2017}}</ref> Another woman had previously given birth inside the old PATH station in August 2015.<ref>{{cite web|last=Musumeci|first=Nichole|title=Police officer helps deliver baby girl at World Trade Center PATH station|website=New York's PIX11 / WPIX-TV|date=August 4, 2015|url=http://pix11.com/2015/08/04/baby-born-at-the-world-trade-center-path-station/|access-date=February 13, 2017}}</ref>

A few months later, on February 11, 2017, the first death inside the Oculus occurred.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/woman-dies-falling-escalator-world-trade-center-oculus-article-1.2969881|title=Woman dies after she falls off escalator inside World Trade Center Oculus while reaching to grab hat|publisher=NY Daily News|date=February 11, 2017}}</ref> A woman from New Jersey, Jenny Santos, fell to her death from an escalator. News reports initially said she was trying to retrieve a hat dropped by her sister, but lost her balance and fell;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/woman-falls-to-her-death-inside-world-trade-center-oculus|title=Woman falls to her death inside World Trade Center Oculus|publisher=Fox News|date=February 13, 2017}}</ref> it was later revealed that she "was pretending to be flying" while lying on the escalator's handrail.<ref name="NY Daily News 2017">{{Cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/n-woman-played-superhero-oculus-escalator-fall-article-1.2970829|title=N.J. woman played superhero on Oculus escalator before fall|date=February 14, 2017|newspaper=NY Daily News|access-date=February 15, 2017|language=en}}</ref> After her death, there was some focus on the height of the {{Convert|3|ft|4|in|adj=on}} handrails, and how they could pose a safety risk.<ref name="NY Daily News 2017" />

== Adjacent transit connections ==
{{Multiple image
|align=right
|direction=vertical
|width=250
|image1=Dey Street Concourse (27618340356).jpg
|caption1=The World Trade Center station's connection to the [[Cortlandt Street (BMT Broadway Line)|Cortlandt Street]] station.
|image2=Dey Street Concourse (27374601290).jpg
|caption2=The connection to Cortlandt Street leads to the [[Dey Street Passageway]] into the [[Fulton Center]], where passengers can access the [[Fulton Street (New York City Subway)|Fulton Street]] station.
|image3=Dey Street Concourse (27042549783).jpg
|caption3=This concourse is free to use, though entering either the PATH station or the New York City Subway stations requires paying the system's respective fare.
}}

The Transportation Hub is designed to connect the PATH subway system to the [[New York City Subway]] system. The {{NYCS trains|Broadway-Seventh South Ferry|type=service}}, which runs through the Transportation Hub, was reconstructed under this project to run above the PATH mezzanine.<ref name=NYTimes-NewJewel-2014 /> The {{NYCS trains|Broadway-Seventh South Ferry|apos=y|time=nolink}} rebuilt [[WTC Cortlandt (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|WTC Cortlandt]] station, which opened in September 2018, has direct access into the Hub.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cortlandt Street Station, Damaged on Sept. 11, Reopens 17 Years Later|website=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=September 8, 2018|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/nyregion/cortlandt-street-subway-station-911.html|access-date=September 8, 2018}}</ref> There is also a direct access to the [[Chambers Street–World Trade Center/Park Place/Cortlandt Street (New York City Subway)|Chambers Street–World Trade Center/Park Place/Cortlandt Street]] station complex.<ref name="NYTimes-NewJewel-2014">{{cite news|title=Out of Dust and Debris, a New Jewel Rises|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/nyregion/fulton-center-a-subway-complex-reopens-in-lower-manhattan.html|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|last=Yee|first=Vivian|date=November 9, 2014}}</ref> The {{NYCS trains|Broadway south|apos=y}} [[Cortlandt Street (BMT Broadway Line)|Cortlandt Street–Church Street]] station also has direct access into the Hub. In addition, the [[Dey Street Passageway]] along Dey Street connects the Transportation Hub east to the [[Fulton Center]], providing access to the {{NYCS trains|Fulton Street Transit Center|type=service}}. A passageway, known as the West Concourse, connects west to [[Brookfield Place (New York City)|Brookfield Place]] and the [[Battery Park City Ferry Terminal]].<ref>{{cite web|title=World Trade Center Station – PATH|website=The Port Authority of NY & NJ|url=https://www.panynj.gov/path/wtc-station.html|access-date=February 19, 2018|archive-date=February 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203224044/https://www.panynj.gov/path/wtc-station.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Between September 2003 and April 2004, the [[Lower Manhattan Development Corporation]], the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]], the Port Authority, and the [[New York City Economic Development Corporation]] conducted a feasibility study of the [[Lower Manhattan–Jamaica/JFK Transportation Project]]. It would use the [[Long Island Rail Road]]'s [[Atlantic Branch]] to [[Downtown Brooklyn]] and a tunnel to Lower Manhattan to provide faster service to [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/2503/2503_cases/2503-cs2-jfk-airtrain.pdf|title=Case Study Report: John F. Kennedy International Airport AirTrain|last1=Gosling|first1=Geoffrey D.|last2=Freeman|first2=Dennis|date=May 2012|website=[[San Jose State University|sjsu.edu]]|publisher=Mineta Transportation Institute|access-date=July 24, 2016|page=7|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924215316/http://transweb.sjsu.edu/PDFs/research/2503/2503_cases/2503-cs2-jfk-airtrain.pdf|archive-date=September 24, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The Tunnel From Nowhere|first=Eliot|last=Brown|url=http://observer.com/2009/03/the-tunnel-from-nowhere/|newspaper=New York Observer|date=March 24, 2009|access-date=February 28, 2010}}</ref> The project was halted in 2008 before an environmental impact statement could be created.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/13398352/1225401337|title=Lower Manhattan-Jamaica/JFK Transportation Project, Summary Report, Prepared for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, and PANYNJ|date=December 2008|website=Scribd|publisher=Parsons/SYSTRA Engineering, Inc.|access-date=February 5, 2017}}</ref>

{{As of|September 2018}}, current services include:<ref name=submap />

{{NYCS service legend
| alltimes = show
| allexceptnights = show
| nightsonly = show
| nightsweekends =
| weekdaysonly = show
| allexceptrush =
| allexceptweekdays =
| dailyexceptrush =
| rushonly =
| rushpeak = show
| custom_icon_1 =
| custom_text_1 =
| custom_icon_2 =
| custom_text_2 =
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Services !! Line !! Station !! {{access icon}} !! Notes
|-
| '''{{NYCS Broadway-Seventh Brooklyn|time=colorshow}}''' || [[IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line]] || [[Park Place (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|Park Place]] || [[File:Aiga elevator.svg|20px|alt=Elevator access to mezzanine only]] || rowspan=4 | Part of the Chambers–WTC/Park Place/Cortlandt Street complex
|-
| '''{{NYCS Eighth far south express|time=colorshow}}''' || [[IND Eighth Avenue Line]] || [[Chambers Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|Chambers Street]] || [[File:Aiga elevator.svg|20px|alt=Elevator access to mezzanine only]]
|-
| '''{{NYCS Eighth far south local|time=colorshow}}''' || [[IND Eighth Avenue Line]] || [[World Trade Center (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|World Trade Center]] || {{access icon}}
|-
| '''{{NYCS Broadway south|time=colorshow}}''' || [[BMT Broadway Line]] || [[Cortlandt Street (BMT Broadway Line)|Cortlandt Street]] || {{access icon}}
|-
| '''{{NYCS Broadway-Seventh South Ferry|time=colorshow}}''' || [[IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line]] || [[WTC Cortlandt (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|WTC Cortlandt]] || {{access icon}} ||
|}

{{stack|float=right|{{Lower Manhattan transit}}}}

The [[Fulton Street (New York City Subway)|Fulton Street]] station complex (where the [[Fulton Center]] opened in November 2014) is two blocks away to the east and is fully compliant with the [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990]].<ref name="NYTimes-NewJewel-2014" /> It features the following services:<ref name="submap">{{NYCS const|map}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Services !! Line
|-
| '''{{NYCS Broadway-Seventh Brooklyn|time=colorshow}}''' || [[IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line]]
|-
| '''{{NYCS Lexington south|time=colorshow}}''' || [[IRT Lexington Avenue Line]]
|-
| '''{{NYCS Eighth Cranberry|time=colorshow}}''' || [[IND Eighth Avenue Line]]
|-
| '''{{NYCS Nassau south|time=colorshow}}''' || [[BMT Nassau Street Line]]
|}

{{Clear}}

[[File:WTC door Feb 2017.jpg|thumb|right|Doorway between PATH and New York City Subway stations, including the back of the preserved door from 9/11 with the words "MATF 1 / 9 13" spray-painted on it. This was a message from [[Urban Search and Rescue Massachusetts Task Force 1]] of [[Beverly, Massachusetts]], who searched the [[World Trade Center site]] on September 13, 2001<ref name=nyt-20161218 />]]

At the northeast end of the station is the exit to the [[World Trade Center (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|World Trade Center]] station of the New York City Subway. The doors and original [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990|ADA-accessible]] ramp, as well as the structure from the first [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] leading into the station, survived the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref name=opening20161218 /> The station itself was not damaged, but it was covered by dust and was subsequently closed.<ref name="Tirella 2016" /> The passageway reopened to provide an ADA-connection from the temporary PATH station to the New York City Subway station, but was closed again when the temporary PATH station closed for a reconstruction.<ref name="Tirella 2016" /> The passageway was then covered in plywood for preservation purposes.<ref name=nyt-20161218 /> The renovated entrance, leading to the New York City Subway station from the Oculus headhouse and the [[Westfield World Trade Center]], opened on December 19, 2016.<ref name="opening20161218">*{{Cite news|url=http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2016/12/when_will_the_e_train_be_connected_to_wtc_hub.html|title=When will the E Train be connected to WTC hub?|last=Higgs|first=Larry|date=December 13, 2016|newspaper=NJ.com|access-date=December 16, 2016}}
* {{cite news|title=WTC Oculus E train access opens Monday|work=am New York|date=December 18, 2016|url=http://www.amny.com/transit/world-trade-center-oculus-e-train-entrance-to-open-1.12774675|access-date=December 19, 2016|archive-date=October 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003140508/http://www.amny.com/transit/world-trade-center-oculus-e-train-entrance-to-open-1.12774675|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Tirella 2016">{{cite news|last=Tirella|first=Talia|title=Long-closed passageway from original WTC to reopen on Monday|work=New York's PIX11 / WPIX-TV|date=December 18, 2016|url=http://pix11.com/2016/12/18/long-closed-passageway-from-original-wtc-to-reopen-on-monday/|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref> The newly reopened passageway retained its pre-9/11 design, including an original door on display that has the words "MATF 1 / 9 13" spray-painted on it (a message from [[Urban Search and Rescue Massachusetts Task Force 1]] of [[Beverly, Massachusetts]], who searched the [[World Trade Center site]] on September 13, 2001). There is a plaque above the spray-painting, explaining the message on the door.<ref name=nyt-20161218 /> PATH was required to preserve the passageway's original design as per Section 106 of the [[National Historic Preservation Act]], as a condition for getting funding to construct the Oculus and new stations. The passageway was not made ADA-accessible again until 2017, as there are twenty-six steps down from the mezzanine to the Oculus headhouse's lobby.<ref name="nyt-20161218">{{cite web|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|title=A Vestige of the Original World Trade Center Returns to Duty|website=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=December 18, 2016|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/18/nyregion/a-vestige-of-the-original-world-trade-center-returns-to-duty.html|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref>

The [[M55 (New York City bus)|M55]] [[New York City Bus]] route runs northbound on Church Street and 6th Avenue to [[Midtown Manhattan|Midtown]], and southbound to [[South Ferry (Manhattan)|South Ferry]] on Broadway.<ref>{{Cite NYC bus map|M}}</ref>

{{Clear}}

== Notes ==
{{external media
| topic =
| width = 240px
| float = right
| image1 = [https://www.flickr.com/photos/mbernero/15967515007/ A 1974 photo of the old station]
}}
{|
|- valign=top
|nowrap|{{reflist|group=note}}
|{{notelist}}
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category multi|World Trade Center (PATH station)|WTC Transportation Hub}}
* [https://www.panynj.gov/path/en/stations/world-trade-center-station.html PATH&nbsp;– World Trade Center]
* {{NYCS ref|1=http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/showpix?nsta=28300|2=World Trade Center|3=Port Authority Trans-Hudson}}

{{external media
| title = {{small|Google Maps Street View}}
| width  = 240px
| image1 = [https://maps.google.com/?ll=40.712882,-74.01162&spn=0.002789,0.011619&layer=c&cbll=40.712886,-74.011625&panoid=nXYiKkoMQHkAAAQWggQHGA&cbp=12,113.84,,0,-8.73&t=m&z=17 Vesey Street entrance]
| image2 = [https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7126564,-74.0117896,3a,75y,236.14h,82.1t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-amICcAgP20w%2FVginiwy62UI%2FAAAAAAAA0sg%2FaS6bpOQt1c8!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2F-amICcAgP20w%2FVginiwy62UI%2FAAAAAAAA0sg%2FaS6bpOQt1c8%2Fw203-h101-n-k-no%2F!7i8704!8i4352?hl=en Temporary station lobby]
| image3 = [https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7126564,-74.0119908,3a,75y,190.48h,89.6t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-EZhGsC3f_0s%2FVginmOqHigI%2FAAAAAAAA0sw%2FxbCz_0BGjHw!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh6.googleusercontent.com%2F-EZhGsC3f_0s%2FVginmOqHigI%2FAAAAAAAA0sw%2FxbCz_0BGjHw%2Fw203-h101-n-k-no%2F!7i8704!8i4352?hl=en Temporary station turnstiles]
| image4 = [https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7118041,-74.0101995,3a,75y,326.87h,78.83t,2.8r/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sAF1QipMp61bizZ1DO-z0AdvttCuqCR8fWef-EuJOkX_7!2e10!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMp61bizZ1DO-z0AdvttCuqCR8fWef-EuJOkX_7%3Dw203-h100-p-k-no-pi5.987282-ya214.35486-ro-2.7240202-fo100!7i5376!8i2688 New station lobby]
| image5 = [https://www.google.com/maps/@40.712277,-74.0122198,3a,75y,257.04h,88.1t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-VCIFV7FtWNo%2FVginitsUvuI%2FAAAAAAAA0ro%2F61dFA1DKRZ4!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh6.googleusercontent.com%2F-VCIFV7FtWNo%2FVginitsUvuI%2FAAAAAAAA0ro%2F61dFA1DKRZ4%2Fw203-h101-n-k-no%2F!7i8704!8i4352?hl=en New station island platform]
| image6 = [https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7119328,-74.012042,3a,86.7y,177.67h,99.88t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-LRk2x3wuiMY%2FV8w7kLA9AWI%2FAAAAAAAAB2I%2FjmbO2HnsjNo-2vijqmPILevzXTmt4PHLQCLIB!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2F-LRk2x3wuiMY%2FV8w7kLA9AWI%2FAAAAAAAAB2I%2FjmbO2HnsjNo-2vijqmPILevzXTmt4PHLQCLIB%2Fw203-h101-n-k-no%2F!7i8704!8i4352!6m1!1e1 WTC Transportation Hub]
| image7 = [https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7109827,-74.0116801,3a,75y,247.51h,89.96t/data=!3m9!1e1!3m7!1s-qIeyG_bCLbo%2FVtzFj3B4RnI%2FAAAAAAAAABA%2FnVsASboS21A!2e4!3e11!5s20150801T000000!6s%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2F-qIeyG_bCLbo%2FVtzFj3B4RnI%2FAAAAAAAAABA%2FnVsASboS21A%2Fw203-h101-n-k-no%2F!7i8704!8i4352 WTC Transportation Hub inside]
}}

{{WTC navigation}}
{{PATH (rail system)}}
{{Transportation in New York City|state=autocollapse}}
{{Financial District, Manhattan|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:1971 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:2003 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures destroyed in the September 11 attacks]]
[[Category:Financial District, Manhattan]]
[[Category:PATH stations in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1971]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 2003]]
[[Category:Santiago Calatrava structures]]
[[Category:Transportation projects in New York City]]
[[Category:Transit hubs serving New Jersey]]
[[Category:World Trade Center]]
[[Category:Neo-futurist architecture]]
[[Category:Railway stations located underground in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 2016]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States closed in 2001]]