Rector Street
The Rector Street station has two side platforms and is located on a small section of Greenwich Street that was significantly shortened by the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel to the north and the World Trade Center the South. Greenwhich Street was restored as a through-street on the NYC Street grid (but not open to public vehicular traffic around the World Trade Center during the rebuilding of the site in the 2010s). It is very, very close to the stop of the same name on the BMT R line ranging from about 200 feet at the northern end of the stations to right across Trinity Place at the southern ends (if there was a downtown entrance to the R train here it would be on the same side). The station has two side platforms for the three track line with no free crossover or under. The southbound platform has only high turnstiles for fare equipment. There is no reason to ever need to get on a downtown train here (the next stop is South Ferry) because the R station is so close anyway if one were wanting to take the 1 train south to transfer to the R there. Each platform has a series of Rector Street name tablets with some, in the extension portion of the station, visibly looking different than those that are original.
For exits: On the downtown platform at is northern end there is one street stair on the NW corner of Rector St & Greenwich Street coming from two high entrance turnstiles directly on the platform. Next in the middle of the station two staircases lead up to a tiny intermediate level where there is a high turnstile that leads out to a staircase mid block on Greenwich Street between Rector and Edgar Streets. The final station exit is just south of Edgar Street in the Plaza that ends Greenwich Street due to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Here high entrance/exit turnstiles lead up to a single staircase. Directly across from this area, where a street obviously once ran in between, there are two streetstairs for the Uptown platform, these lead down to two high entrance turnstiles. The full time entrance where the stations one token booth is on a tiny mezzanine accessed by a single staircase at the northern end of the uptown platform that leads to the NE corner of Rector and Greenwhich Streets.
2012: Post Superstorm Sandy: The South Ferry Station was severely damaged during Superstorm Sandy and when 1 train service was restored south of Chambers Street on November 13 it began terminating at Rector Street and reversing via the South Ferry Loop. This made the downtown platform a complete exit platform and the MTA removed all the high turnstiles from the 3 Exits. Making this platform the only subway station with no fare control equipment between the street and the platform. MTA employees manned the platform and told passengers "No Train Service" who wondered downstairs. Trains are actually terminating using the former South Ferry Loop to reverse.
March 5 and 6, 2013: On two visits to the downtown platform I noticed fare equipment starting to appear, at the southern entrance passengers must pass through the frames of two sets of regular turnstiles although new arms for them haven't been installed. There is a single slam gate as well. The middle entrance has a single high entrance (no MetroCard reader yet) turnstile and the northern entrance is directly on the platform with a high entrance/exit and high exit only turnstile. None of these have MetroCard readers yet.
April 4, 2013: The South Ferry Loop Station temperarily reopens (for 2 to 3 years) and fare control resumes on the Downtown platform. All 3 of the downtown platform street stairs are now entrances as well, nothing is exit only anymore. Turnstile arms have been installed but no MVMs. This station has gained 1 more entrance (the middle staircase used to be exit only) because of Superstorm Sandy.
Photos 1-5: September 17, 2005; 6-20: May 19, 2010; 21-29: November 15, 2012; 30-50: March 6, 2013; 51-53: November 21, 2012; 54-56: November 21, 2012
Station Subway Lines (1989-2005)
