MTA – City Hall Subway Station

I’m not ashamed to say I love this subway station; it’s in a great location, and yes, it’s shabby and lived-​in, with concrete platforms and yellow pipes for railings. You gotta problem wid dat? Plus, you can transfer between the uptown and downtown trains; since many stations used to allow this and have been sealed so that in a pinch – when you get on a train going in the wrong direction – you have to pay another fare just to get on the right train, it’s welcome to be able to transfer easily.
The other City Hall station, at the bottom of the 6 line, is the «showpiece» the other reviewer is speaking of. That station has been closed to the public since about 1945 because the curved platform won’t comfortably fit the longer cars in use today; there are periodic tours, however, because with its round design and glass ceiling tiles, chandeliers, and skylight, it’s pretty spectacular.
This City Hall station, on the BMT line (R, and N late nights) was originally designed with a lower level to accommodate express trains. This was back in 1918, and plans were changed to divert the express trains to Brooklyn after Canal street. This meant express trains have never been run out of this station, and the lower level has never even been finished. For more on this, go to:
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Anyone griping because this station hasn’t been renovated to make the tourists and transplants feel special – just put a sock in it. The MTA will get to it; they have a schedule of when certain stations are to be renovated. Remember how grungy the Bleecker Street station on the 6 line was? Yeah, that finally got done. This one will too, eventually, and people will complain about that too.

This review is for the local R train stop and late nights the N stops here. It is a really old station. It is not glamorous and it is nothing to travel out for your way for. This station does have a dedicated live human being announcer. She advises you where the next train is or if any delays are occurring on the Broadway lines. It is kind of old school but I appreciate it more than the computer announcements.

Avoid. This. Place.
After enjoying several major international cities’ mass-​transit rail systems, NYC brings a new low to the rankings. All I can say is that you had better now all the ins and outs of NYC’s entire system before descending the steps into this station. Moving on…

A major tourist stop. located in the area are Ground Zero, NYC hall, the Brooklyn Bridge and Tammany Hall. Vehicle traffic is a mess almost always.

Long way down
This station is so bad…
so many stair so much walking by the time you get to the train about 2 trains will pass and that is annoying… the escalators do not always work which can be annoying at times… so make sure you don’t wear your heals its a long way down

If you name a train station CITY HALL — not only it provides a literal meaning but many people, especially tourists — equate it with a symbolic meaning. When they glance at the subway map, they see «City Hall» train station — the first thought that rushes to their heads is a glamorous subway station that leads to the capital of this glorious city.
WRONG
Once you step off on to the platform, you get to see a semi curved subway station (at this point the RW line curves toward it’s way to Brooklyn) that hasn’t been renovated since who knows when. You see fresh paint covering old paint. The floors are dead black, sticky, filthy, and cracked. There is always large amount of leakage… everywhere, whether it is raining or not. The station also has a stench. They still have the old revolving exits, mixed with the modern ones, the stairs has never been renovated, and there are certain areas you don’t want to stand by yourself because of huge middle platform blockages.
What a way to symbolize the city.