23 St-Ely Av (E,M) transfer to Court Square (G,7)

The transfer corridor between 23 St-Ely Avenue and Court Square is quite long and opened around 1990 as part of the sweetheart deal, giving Citibank a zoning bonus for the building of it's Citicorp Building (also known as 1 Court Square) that opened in 1989. It was the tallest tower (at fifty stories) in New York City outside of Manhattan, until the new Skyline Tower opened in the area in 2021. The transfer passageway consists of two unique sections, with an exit in the middle of them that is the full time staffed exit for both stations. There is also a skylight here underneath the plaza. The entrance from street level to the subway entrance has escalators, set inside the building next to the main Citicorp Building on the south side of 44 Drive across from Hunter Street that ends.

From 2001 until 2018, when it was removed because it saved the average commuter 11 seconds, the transfer passageway also included a single unidirectional set of two moving walkways. One moving walkway ends and a second begins where the exit is, but can only move one direction of traffic at a time. This walkway was installed when the G train was cut back to Court Square during rush hours and middays in 2001. It was a way to comprimise with G train riders who were used to doing the much shorter up, via the mezzanine, and back down again transfer at Queens Plaza to reach Manhattan-bound trains a bit easier. At Court Square, transferring G passengers now had to contend with a long walk down a corridor. Originally it was intended to change directions depending upon the rush hour (from the G during AM hours to the G during PM hours) but in 2009 it seemed to be permanently in the E,M train-bound direction giving riders getting off the G train a slightly faster transfer. Surprisingly when it wsd out of service (this is the MTA) they had correct 'This Moving Walkway is Out of Service' signs.
Photos 1-6: August 14, 2008; 7-9: December 29, 2008; 10 & 11: December 30, 2010; 12 & 13: June 8, 2011; 14-20: May 25, 2013; 21-28: September 3, 2023

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A sign to excuse the inconvenience of one of Court Squares moving walkways being out of service, I'm surprised the MTA has signs for moving walkways, the two at court square are the only two in the entire subway system.

Looking down the transfer corridor between Court Square and 23 St-Ely Avenue, with the closed off moving walkway to one side.

The Court Square and 44 Drive station exit in the middle of the connection corridor beneath the Citicorp Building.

A view of the passageway from the central area to the Court Square-G train-platform.

Looking down the passageway from the Court Square G train platform back towards the central exit.

A closed entrance staircase (its only open during weekdays) from the Court Square plaza down to the subway actually to the G train near the main Citibank entrance

An entrance to the Court Square-23 St-Ely Avenue blends right into the facade of some new buildings.

A close-up of the staircase and escalators down to the main central entrance to 23 St-Ely Av/Court Square

The central atrium area and turnstiles to the center of the Court Square-23 St Ely Avenue Complex beneath the Citicorp Building.

The central exits beneath the Citicorp Building

The busy transfer corridor between the G train and the E/M train it's used by passengers in both directions

The crowded passageway of passengers transferring

The E, M end of the moving walkway

The closed Moving Walkway

A little Garden at street level in the modern entrance to the transfer passageway

A Skylight surrounds the turnstiles

The main escalators entrance to Court Square, the 7 train has been fully added

Across the street from the in building subway entrance (the visible diamonds make up the station's skylights

Up the stairs to the exit (with an escalator on each side)

Passing the exit while riding the moving walkway

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