Canal Street (J,Z) - The SubwayNut

The Canal Street (Centre Street) Station of the Nassau Street line is half-abandoned, this is because of a reconfiguration of the Nassau Street line in 2004 that resulted in the closing of the former Jamaica-bound platform and tracks and rerouting those trains onto the inner track of the currently open Broad Street-bound platform. The only platform currently open that serves Nassau Street trains in both directions. When the station opened in 1919 it was actually a terminal station, and had two island platforms to serve the four track line with the middle tracks terminating within the station, and the outer tracks continuing south to Chambers Street. The inner terminal tracks were last use by Weekend J trains in the 1990s before their weekend terminus was extended to Chambers Street. A currently tiled over portion whose outline is clearly visible (all former holes in the wall between the former middle tracks have been tiled over) of the always in existence wall between the inner tracks shows a now closed gap in the walls for train crews passing between the terminal tracks.

Presently the island platform has a very simple layout with a complex trimline mostly of green tiling with an upper shades of gray border forming an angular looping pattern with Canal Street written in it at various intervals along with Cs. All the platform columns are also tiled white with just the upper gray with an angular looping pattern giving them a trimline.

The stations only direct exit is towards its southern end: two staircases lead up off the platform up to an intermediate level, and then a short wider staircase leads up to another small intermediate level where turnstiles are and MVMs before doubling-back to an entrance set into the storefronts of the west side of Centre Street between Canal Street and Walker Street.

Farther up the platform (north) two separate single staircases each lead down to a small intermediate landings that look nearly identical where the connections from the Jamaica-bound platform are now behind doors and then to each of the Manhattan Bridge Line side platforms. Using one of these side platforms is the only way to access the station's other connections.

The station has two abandoned exits. The now closed Brooklyn-bound platform once had it's own small mezzanine with two staircases up from this platform to a very small fare control area on an intermediate landing that led out to two streestairs both at the SE corner of Canal and Centre Streets. Towards the northern end of the Broad Street-bound platform is a closed mezzanine that once led to an exit near the NW corner of Canal Street and Centre Street.
1-6: February 3, 2004; 7-19: July 30, 2009; 20-22: September 23, 2023; 23-26: September 24, 2023;

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One of two of the now closed underpass that used to lead to the now abandoned Jamaica-bound platform

A sign on some plywood on the soon to be abandoned Jamaica-bound platform

The staircase to the Uptown N,Q platform on the soon to be abandoned Jamaica-bound platform its a nightmare

Cinderblocks block the former openings to the Broad Street-bound platform in the already abandoned center trackway, this platform is now used by both services

The lights of an entering Jamaica-bound train

Trash has accumulated in the abandoned central trackway in this portion of the station now fully abandoned

Looking down the now only open platform at Canal Street with tiled columns and clean from a renovation

The central platform wall, notice the old and now tiled over niches that used to be openings to the abandoned other platform and Cs in the trimline

Canal is written in the trimline that faces the platform

This now cinder blocked and tiled off area was once used by employees on terminating trains to get to a train on the opposite platform without walking all the way around

A passenger enters the system at Canal Street

The one staircase from street level to the platform

Just outside of the turnstiles a column covered in service advisories

The store front entrance to the J,M,Z station at Canal Street

The top of the stairwell from the street has the replica 'vintage' light fixtures and subway written in mosaic tile

The intermediate landing coming up from one of the N,Q platforms the doors lead to the abandoned cross-under to reach the Jamaica-bound platform

Looking down the platform to its one exit

The staircase from the Uptown and Queens N,Q trains

Looking down one of the staircases to the N,Q trains a sign tells late night passengers to use the upper level via tunnel platform

Sign just after the turnstiles for the two staircases down to the J/Z platform (and the direction of the N/Q - don't enter here for the 6 and R trains)

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