Three years back in the year 2016, with much speculation the World Trade Center Transportation Hub was inaugurated in Lower Manhattan of New York City. Opening of a rail station is a normal thing but the World Trade Center Transportation was made with staggering investment of $4 billion in public money, which also made it the world’s most expensive train station ever made!
In memory of 9/11
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We all remember the tragic terror attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11. During the attacks, along with skyscrapers, the train station below with a subway and New Jersey rail were also demolished. Later, proposal for a new station with an awe-inspiring architectural centerpiece was made, and completed successfully.
Let’s see what makes it the most expensive train station and how it looks from inside.
The mastermind behind the grand architecture
The famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava is the one who designed the entire hub. Though it took double the time and money, the final product was worth all of that. The architect is known for similar soaring white structures.
The centrepiece of the hub is the Oculus, a round or eye-like design, which is 350 ft long, (nearly the size of a soccer field). The Oculus features 75,000 sq ft of retail space.
Today the train station serves thousands of PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) commuters every day. For them, this must be a common sight and an everyday experience, but for world and outsiders, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub is still the most expensive train station on the planet!
The cavernous hall features white steel ribs that touches the structure’s rood and form a skylight known as the Wedge of Light. The expansive space is built on heated, white Italian marble flooring, which keeps the station warm in the cold days. The exteriors of the building features steel arches coming out from the center that looks like a bird is being released from a little kid’s hands.
Along with serving thousands of commuters each day, this train station in New York is no less a prime tourist attraction, which one can not miss out on!
