Reflection Cove: New York City’s South Ferry Subway Station

Post created on 04/04/2025.

Welcome to the first edition of Reflection Cove! I originally had this post series named as Friday Rewind, but I decided to choose a new name because these posts aren’t going to be solely posted on Fridays. The purpose of these posts are to look back at a prior post, or series of posts, that I’ve made & follow up to see how things are now. With a recent visit to New York City under my belt, I thought it be a perfect time to take a look back at one of the Big Apple’s quirkiest & most interesting (to me) subway stations; the Whitehall Street – South Ferry complex.

Historical Summary

The entrance vestibule of the South Ferry subway station during renovation in 2017.

The beginnings of what is known today as the Whitehall Street – South Ferry subway station complex date back to 1877, when the original Manhattan elevated rail lines were being constructed. The original ferry terminal in Lower Manhattan – located where Battery Park & the modern Staten Island Ferry Terminal are situated today – was connected to the elevated 2nd, 3rd, 6th, & 9th Ave rail lines, operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (or IRT). The IRT also constructed what is today the numbered lines of the New York City Subway network. As Manhattan’s public transit landscape shifted from elevated rail lines & vintage trolley/streetcar lines to today’s bus & subway lines, the original ferry terminal & elevated rail structures & stations were all demolished. Elevated service to South Ferry officially ended in 1950.

In 1905, the IRT constructed what is today known as the outer loop of the South Ferry Loop station, with the separate inner loop station opening in 1918. Each loop track comprised of a single curved side platform, which created large gaps between the train doors & the platform edges. During the same year, 1918, the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (or BMT) opened the Whitehall Street station, which today serves three subway services – though at varying times. The station comprises of three tracks & two island platforms. While the three stations were close in proximity in terms of entrances, they all functioned as physically separate stations. The inner loop of South Ferry ultimately closed in 1977, while the outer loop was retrofitted over the years to be equipped with gap filler mechanisms to allow customers to safely board & alight trains. Besides the use of the gap fillers, the platform was never expanded to accommodate 10-car trains. This meant that only the first 5 cars can board & alight customers, therefore requiring everyone wishing to exit to scramble towards the front of the train before Rector St.

In 2001, due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, service on the (1) south of Chambers St was suspended for roughly a year to allow crews to rebuild the section of tunnel that was destroyed by the collapse of the original World Trade Center towers. In 2009, as part of an effort to rebuild portions of Lower Manhattan following the incident, the South Ferry complex was completely rebuilt – with a new two track, island platform station situated below the existing loop station. The complex would also include a mezzanine connection to the existing Whitehall Street station, allowing seamless transfer between lines. While many residents & visitors alike enjoyed the station complex from the onset, the initial usage would be somewhat short-lived due to Superstorm Sandy – which struck the northeastern US in 2012. Sandy’s landfall in the New York City region caused immense flooding across the subway system & basically turned the newer South Ferry station into a fish tank. As a result of the damage caused by the storm, the outer loop reopened in 2013 & operated once more until 2017, when the newer platform reopened following completion of renovations & repairs.

Reopening a closed subway station: South Ferry and Cluny – La Sorbonne – 03/09/2013
Restoration of the South Ferry Loop is nearly complete! – 03/31/2013
South Ferry Subway Station Update – 05/21/2013
Final Countdown for South Ferry Loop – 06/21/2017
Farewell to the Loops! “Newer” South Ferry Station Reopens! – 06/27/2017

Service Summary

The following subway lines serve the South Ferry side of the complex:

(1) Local: Serving at all times.
(2) Local: Not scheduled. Only serving during detours (planned & unplanned), which is rare. (3) trains being detoured here is even more rare. In many instances, if there is planned construction work or an unexpected service interruption that involves the (3) in Manhattan, service is typically suspended due to the limited capacity that the 7th Ave Line can hold south of Chambers St.

The following subway lines serve the Whitehall St side of the complex:

(N.) Local: Serving only during overnights (typically after 11:00pm each night, continuing until about 5:00am the next morning). During all other times, the (N.) operates using the Manhattan Bridge tracks & bypasses Lower Manhattan.
(R) Local: Serving at all times. During overnights, trains heading northbound will terminate here using the center track, as the line focuses on primarily Brooklyn service only. From the 1990s through 2016, the (R) did not enter Manhattan at all during overnights, with northbound trains terminating at 36th St in Brooklyn.
(W.) Local: Serving during weekdays only (typically between 6:00am & 11:00pm), with southbound trains terminating here using the center track. In most instances when the (7) line is closed west of Queensboro Plaza for planned construction work, special 20-minute weekend service is established to allow customers an alternate avenue to enter & leave Manhattan (service hours vary when this weekend service is active).

Station Tour

Because the station complex has always fascinated me, I decided to do a walk through of the station mezzanine & the platforms. Please note that my path through the complex is as follows:

2017: Whitehall St platforms > Mezzanine level (inside fare control only) > South Ferry Inner Loop Platform.
2025: South Ferry Newer Platform > Mezzanine level (inside fare control only) > Whitehall St platforms.

I decided not to exit fare control on either trip, but probably should have to get photos of the Staten Island Ferry building.

Whitehall St Station Platforms

Originally opened on 09/20/1918

Honestly, there’s not a whole lot that I found of interest while taking a look at the Whitehall St platforms.

I only took photos of the southbound platform area. A separate island platform is situated on the opposite side for northbound trains.

Mezzanine Level

Whitehall St side originally opened with the station on 09/20/1918, with renovation & expansion taking place between 2005 & 2009 as part of construction of the newer South Ferry complex

During both of my visits to the complex, the mezzanine level was undergoing some degree of construction. Obviously for 2017, work was still going on to get the newer South Ferry platform back up & running. However, for 2025, it appeared that work was being performed on the artwork wall.

Looking past the station booth during renovations.

Now, you may be thinking, which artwork wall am I referring to? Because the station does have multiple artwork displays on the mezzanine level. The answer is on Wikipedia – a sweeping glass tile wall mural called See it split, see it change. I was very disappointed that most of the artwork was covered by construction barriers.

South Ferry Outer Loop Platform

Originally opened on 07/19/1905
Closed between 09/11/2001 & 09/15/2002 due to the 9/11 terror attacks
Closed again on 03/16/2009 due to the initial opening of the newer platform
Reopened on 04/04/2013 due to damage to the newer platform caused by Superstorm Sandy
Permanently closed on 06/27/2017 upon reopening of the newer platform

While the newer platform level was being repaired & renovated, a portion of artwork wall was removed & a temporary corridor was constructed to connect the outer loop platform to the mezzanine.

Temporary signage directing customers to board (1) trains at the outer loop.

South Ferry Newer Platform

Originally opened on 03/16/2009
Temporarily closed between 10/29/2012 & 06/27/2017 due to damage caused by Superstorm Sandy

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which operates the public bus & subway systems in New York City today, did a great job in getting the newer South Ferry platform & other portions of the complex restored for service. I specifically timed my 2017 trip to fall during the month of May for a few reasons – but one of them being to be able to see the older outer loop platform before it permanently closed. My 2025 visit back to the city allowed me to see the newer platform for the first time.

Overall, I’m very glad that I got to see the entire Whitehall St – South Ferry station complex in its current state, but also the old South Ferry outer loop platform before it permanently closed. While I kinda miss witnessing the quirks of the old station, I also know that the MTA had to find a long-term remedy for congestion at the south end of the (1) line & merely modifying the old loop wasn’t going to cut it.

With all this being said, please let me know what you think? I might do another post on the complex in the future.