The Lost and Abandoned Stations of the NYC Subway

Ryan Socash of It’s History takes a deep dive into the long and varied history of the integral New York City subway system.

In doing so, he looks at the state of mass transportation before the subway existed, the first underground train in New York City, how the surrounding system was built, and which of those subway stops have been abandoned after being built.

Stations were abandoned by far one of the most  notable if not tragic cases of abandoned subway stations is the decommissioned City Hall Station…  The Worth …was closed in 1962 …the 91st Street subway station, which closed in 1959, was a six-track station belonging to the IND  line that never opened and remained unused …

NYC Subway Ghost Station

There were also those stations that only made it to the idea stage.

Thanks to the tightening  of New York Cty’s budget, there are also many lost  subway lines that were planned but never built. One of these lost lines is the Fulton street line   which was planned to run west under the east river  from downtown Brooklyn to Manhattan …and believe it or not there was even an underwater line planned to  run from Brooklyn to Staten Island.

Despite its shortcomings, the New York City subway system is a lifeline for millions of New Yorkers.

Serving millions of New Yorkers every day, there is little question as to the incredible impact the New York City subway system has had on the city’s reputation as a massive hub of transportation.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.