Cortlandt St.-WTC transfer restored

Two days ago, word leaked out that the Fulton Street plans had changed due to cost concerns. Specifically, it seemed as though the free transfer from the R/W Cordlandt St. stop to the E at the World Trade Center would be cut.

Well, worry not, Wall Street workers. According to today’s reports, the free transfer ain’t going anywhere. The Gray Lady reports:

An underground walkway connecting the R and W subway lines to the E line in Lower Manhattan will be built along with a new downtown subway hub, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said yesterday. But it was not clear what would be cut from the station project to free up the $15 million needed for the connector.

The authority’s chairman, Peter S. Kalikow, revived the half-block connector between the E line and the two other lines two days after members of the agency’s board complained that it was being left out of plans for the Fulton Street Transit Center, which includes an architecturally ambitious glass building with a conical roof.

That’s good news for Fulton Street as it strives to become the biggest transfer point in the New York City subway system. As for the $15 million, I can’t help but think that maybe some of the $50 million surplus from 2005 that was doled out as that ridiculous holiday discount could have been put to better use.