Central to the revitalization of Lower Manhattan is the rehabilitation of the public transportation system. With the creation of a memorial, that expects to receive 5 million visitors a year, the transformation of the World Trade Center site and the broader revitalization of Lower Manhattan into a community bustling with new cultural institutions and public spaces substantial upgrades to the area's rail, bus, ferry and street systems are key to retaining and accommodating the growing amount of people including residents, visitors and the increasing number of tourists following the clean-up at Ground Zero.

World Trade Center Transportation Hub - As designed, the World Trade Center (WTC) transportation hub -- built with two 150-feet-tall canopies extending from a glass- and steel-ribbed “body” -- sits at street level like a bird poised for flight, delivering natural light to the PATH train platform 60 feet below ground.

The $2 billion hub will sit at the northeast corner of the WTC site at Church and Vesey Designed to serve some 250,000 pedestrians per day, the new transportation hub is a critical component of the WTC redevelopment and Lower Manhattan’s revitalization. It will provide a significant economic boost for the region by increasing business and the quality of life for the people who work in this region. Once complete, the WTC Transportation Hub is expected to form an underground connection between the World Financial Center and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Fulton Street Transit Center. Through it, pedestrians will have access to Hudson River ferry terminals, PATH trains, 13 subway lines, and, potentially, a direct rail link to JFK International Airport.

The WTC Transportation Hub will serve an important role in providing seamless intermodal transfers for thousands of commuters. The WTC Transportation Hub designed as a green structure featuring state-of-the–art safety, security, and communications systems. It will also provide a large retail presence at the WTC Site with approximately 200,000 square feet planned for a wide variety of restaurants and retail stores that will improve the quality of life for those who live work and visit downtown.

Fulton Transit Center – The Fulton Street Transit Center design is a far cry from the dim, crowded station that currently serves nearly 300,000 riders a day with its 12 subway lines on five scattered platforms. The layout is the product of many months of research, community outreach, and exhaustive engineering strategies by the design team for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), led by international architecture firm Grimshaw.

The new design sorts out the maze of ramps and passageways within the station itself and establishes a walkway under Dey Street. The much anticipated underground link, which was reduced from 40 to 29 feet in width to accommodate underground utilities, will connect Fulton Center trains with the R/W line at Cortlandt Street and the World Trade Center transportation hub -- home to the PATH and, possibly, a direct rail line to regional airports. Tentative plans for that space include retail shops and other amenities, operations rooms, and, potentially, restaurants or public balconies.

The interior of the main entrance's conical structure (or “oculus”) is almost egg-shaped, allowing light to bounce between panes of glass and refract down to two levels below the street. The revised design shortens the oculus but retains its openness to natural light.

West Street Promenade - The tree-lined West Street promenade will be built along the World Trade Center site and Battery Park City. The promenade will ensure a more pedestrian friendly roadway adjacent to the World Trade Center memorial, and make West Street more amenable to commercial and residential development. It will also link the site physically and visually to the southern tip of Manhattan, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty.

At the southern end of West Street, the New York State Department of Transportation has already completed construction of "Promenade South", an open, tree-lined pedestrian area. The project includes a new plaza area, better crosswalks, a bikeway, and a u-turn for vehicles just north of Battery Place. In 2007, construction of the northern portion of the promenade will begin, between West Thames Street and Chambers Street.

South Ferry Subway Station - Construction of the new South Ferry Station is under way and will be completed in 2008. The newly redesigned station will accommodate a full-length, 10-car subway train, rather than the 5-car platform that exists today. The project will also correct other existing physical and operating deficiencies, reduce customer travel times, provide additional station entrances with ADA accessibility, and will offer a new free transfer between the 1 subway line and the R,W lines at Whitehall Street. The upgraded South Ferry Station will improve the commuter experience for passengers traveling to Lower Manhattan as well as for Staten Island residents headed for destinations in Manhattan.

Jamaica/Long Island and JFK Airport Access - In 2004, a feasibility study recommended a direct rail link from Jamaica to Lower Manhattan via the existing Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) Atlantic Branch and a new tunnel underneath the East River, with an intermediate stop in Downtown Brooklyn. The study recommended new train service from Jamaica to Lower Manhattan (leaving every six minutes during the peak periods) and a one-seat train ride from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Lower Manhattan.

In 2005, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and NYC Economic Development Corporation initiated the Lower Manhattan-Jamaica/JFK Airport Transportation Project, as the next step in the efforts to rebuild Lower Manhattan’s transportation system. This project will ensure that the required environmental review is undertaken before construction begins.