The secret ghost tunnel in Central Park was built by the MTA and will open in December after two decades of permanent closure. The rare use of the tunnel has garnered it a mysterious presence amongst New York commuters. However, the secret will be revealed for all to see this coming winter as the tunnel will be included on an updated version of the subway map. Read below to find out what trains will pass right through this hidden passage below Central Park!
The secret ghost tunnel in Central Park is located between 57th and 63rd Streets between Seventh and Lexington Avenues. According to several archives at the New York Transit Museum, the tunnel has only been used twice before during the summer of 1995 and the winter of 1998 when ongoing repairs forced a detour from the usual route.
The only trains that will go through this newly unearthed secret ghost tunnel in Central Park are part of the Q line as they make their way northbound from 57th Street. This overdue change in the train’s route will take effect in December as the Q trains redirect their destination from Astoria in the Queens borough. The tunnel stretches for over half a mile underneath Central Park and was built in 1976 in an effort to maintain the island of Manhattan and Queens connected along 63rd Street. The tunnel was part of a bigger project focusing on the creation of a new subway line along Second Avenue but the plans were halted when a recession hit the city during the late 1970’s. The project was expected to exceed the costs of $37 million and after it’s inception more than 100 years ago it will finally come to completion this coming winter.
The Second Avenue Subway project can be traced back to 1929 when a series of plans were proposed to begin construction on a north-south trajectory. One of the plans that were considered included a two-track subway that could travel from the Bronx to Lower Manhattan. Several of the tunnels for this subway in specific were completed but once the recession hit they were left in the dark, unconnected to the rest of the subway network, and of no particular use.
The reincorporation of the secret ghost tunnel in Central Park into the Q trains marks a step forward for the NYC subway system which has been lacking in the development of infrastructure since the 1980’s. As more improvements and extensions are added in the years to come, mass transit will become even more accessible for residents of Manhattan. As a result, each train will hold more passengers by the hour and capacity during rush hour will improve significantly. This is of particular importance as the city’s population density continues to increase and puts new demands on NYC’s public transportation.
