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"PATH" is Open: Trains Arriving Today at WTC Station
Aired November 24, 2003 - 15:26 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The path to recovery continuing in New York City. This morning, commuters from New Jersey arrived aboard PATH trains at the World Trade Center Station. It's the first time that's happened since 9/11. The new station was opened yesterday in a ceremony that was both emotional and symbolic, as CNN's Michael Okwu reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Train rides are rarely this symbolic. On 9/11, this was the last PATH commuter train to roll into the World Trade Center. It rescued the last people standing on the platform before the south tower collapsed. On this day, loaded with victims' families and dignitaries, it was the first to return.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (R), NEW YORK CITY: I think most of the people that rode the PATH train this morning realized just how important it is to not let the terrorists win.
OKWU: The station's infrastructure was redone over 16 months for $323 million, the first phase towards completely restoring the station. The transformation conjures memories of a dark, dank, ash- ridden well, six levels below the street. An estimated 1.2 million tons of debris from the World Trade Center destroyed the infrastructure here, and more than that.
But operators of the PATH train may have saved lives that day. After the first plane hit, Victoria Cross Kelly remembers calling her train master.
VICTORIA CROSS KELLY, PORT AUTHORITY: I described to him what was happening and the fact that the police were getting everybody out of the concourse and out of the building.
RICHIE MORAN, PORT AUTHORITY: She says, "I don't want any more trains offloaded." And I could tell by her anxiety how important it was at that time.
OKWU: Moran started rerouting New York-bound trains back to New Jersey. PATH officials say after the second plane hit, three to five trains carrying 800 to 1,000 passengers would have normally arrived.
MORAN: There's nobody that works here at PATH that didn't lose a friend or extended family member.
OKWU: Officials say the last PATH train left 48 minutes before the south tower collapsed. It was 9:11 a.m. On this day, there was no time to reflect on irony or coincidence, just on loss, progress and the healing power of symbolism.
Michael Okwu, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 24, 2003 - 15:26 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The path to recovery continuing in New York City. This morning, commuters from New Jersey arrived aboard PATH trains at the World Trade Center Station. It's the first time that's happened since 9/11. The new station was opened yesterday in a ceremony that was both emotional and symbolic, as CNN's Michael Okwu reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Train rides are rarely this symbolic. On 9/11, this was the last PATH commuter train to roll into the World Trade Center. It rescued the last people standing on the platform before the south tower collapsed. On this day, loaded with victims' families and dignitaries, it was the first to return.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (R), NEW YORK CITY: I think most of the people that rode the PATH train this morning realized just how important it is to not let the terrorists win.
OKWU: The station's infrastructure was redone over 16 months for $323 million, the first phase towards completely restoring the station. The transformation conjures memories of a dark, dank, ash- ridden well, six levels below the street. An estimated 1.2 million tons of debris from the World Trade Center destroyed the infrastructure here, and more than that.
But operators of the PATH train may have saved lives that day. After the first plane hit, Victoria Cross Kelly remembers calling her train master.
VICTORIA CROSS KELLY, PORT AUTHORITY: I described to him what was happening and the fact that the police were getting everybody out of the concourse and out of the building.
RICHIE MORAN, PORT AUTHORITY: She says, "I don't want any more trains offloaded." And I could tell by her anxiety how important it was at that time.
OKWU: Moran started rerouting New York-bound trains back to New Jersey. PATH officials say after the second plane hit, three to five trains carrying 800 to 1,000 passengers would have normally arrived.
MORAN: There's nobody that works here at PATH that didn't lose a friend or extended family member.
OKWU: Officials say the last PATH train left 48 minutes before the south tower collapsed. It was 9:11 a.m. On this day, there was no time to reflect on irony or coincidence, just on loss, progress and the healing power of symbolism.
Michael Okwu, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
