World’s costliest train station to open at Ground Zero in NY

New York: The most expensive train station in the world opened in New York, on the site of the World Trade Centre destroyed 14 years ago in the 9/11 attacks.

It was built in 13 years and is known as World Trade Centre Transportation Hub next to the site of the Twin Towers, which were destroyed in the al Qaeda hijackings.

The centre connects the PATH commuter rail to New Jersey with New York subway lines, provides indoor pedestrian access to the Trade Centre towers and will also house an enormous shopping and restaurant plaza.

The building, designed by Spanish-Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava and called Oculus, is a giant oval made up of steel ribs and glass laid out in elliptical shape, reaching for the sky like wings of a bird.

The space measures 350 feet (107 meters) long by 115 feet (35 meters) at its widest point, according to Calatrava’s website.

Initially budgeted at $2 billion, it has spiralled to $3.85 billion according to a spokesperson in Calatrava’s office, which would make it the most expensive station in the world.