The old South Ferry subway station will reopen for business in the first week of April, Gov. Cuomo announced today.
The 100-year-old loop station has been closed since 2009, when the MTA opened a $545 million replacement stop directly above it.
The MTA will use the old station while doing repairs on the new one, which was severely damaged in Hurricane Sandy.
The cost to fix the brand new station — which was heavily flooded — could be as high as $600 million.
It will take two years to complete the repairs, officials said.
“It became clear that the time necessary to repair it would be too long a period to deny our customers a direct link to lower Manhattan,” said MTA Interim Executive Director Thomas Prendergast.
“We are working to ensure that all elements and systems are fully operational, safe and reliable before restoring service to the old station, but our primary goal remains restoring the new South Ferry station as soon as possible.”
One of the disadvantages of the old station is its unusual layout.
It was built on a sharp curve.
The platform can only accommodate the first five cars of the ten-car subways, so passengers who are disembarking at that station must sit in the front.