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9 Train Makes Surprise Stop in Washington Heights

By Nigel Chiwaya | June 19, 2014 1:56pm | Updated on June 19, 2014 4:17pm
 The 9 train made a surprise trip downtown Thursday, 9 years after it was canceled by the MTA.
The 9 train made a surprise trip downtown Thursday, 9 years after it was canceled by the MTA.
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DNAinfo/Nigel Chiwaya

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — All aboard the zombie train!

The long-defunct 9 train made a surprise trip downtown Thursday morning, almost a decade after it was axed by the MTA.

The ghost train, which was actually a 1 train that didn't properly change the sign in one of its first car's windows, stopped at the 181st Street 1 station before heading south.

The 9 train operated for 14 years alongside the 1 line from Van Cortlandt Park to the South Ferry. Implemented as a way to help uptowners travel downtown faster, the 9 train ran on a skip-stop service pattern during peak hours peak hours above 137th Street.

The MTA announced plans to eliminate the train in 2004, citing decreased ridership, and the last 9 train ran on May 27, 2005.

The MTA isn't as tickled by the 9's resurrection — a spokeswoman told DNAinfo that the incident was a mistake.

"That was an error, and we are investigating how it happened," she said.