Why Do Trains Still Pass Through New York's Abandoned City Hall Station?

Beneath New York City Hall lies an abandoned subway station that closed to passengers in 1945. Yet more than 80 years later, trains still travel through it. Why? Opened in 1904 as part of New York City's first subway, the old City Hall station was designed with magnificent tiled arches, chandeliers, and skylights. It was one of the most elaborate underground stations ever built in the city. But behind its remarkable architecture was an engineering problem. As New York's subway expanded, longer trains and growing passenger demand exposed the limitations of City Hall's unusually curved platform. On December 31, 1945, the station closed to regular passenger service. The strange part? The railway never stopped operating. In this Erased Structures documentary, we investigate the original subway plans, the engineering decisions that shaped City Hall's underground loop, why the station became obsolete, and how the No. 6 train continues using the same railway today. *Historical research and references:* New York Transit Museum — Old City Hall Station https://www.nytransitmuseum.org/old-c... Museum of the City of New York — Ghosts of the 6 Train https://www.mcny.org/story/ghosts-6-t... NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission — Original IRT Subway Interior Designation https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/... Erased Structures explores forgotten infrastructure, abandoned railways, hidden tunnels, lost engineering systems, and the structures that remain beneath our cities. Subscribe for more historical engineering investigations. #nycsubway #abandonedstations #hiddeninfrastructure #forgottenengineering #infrastructurehistory