Closings and cancellations following the September 11 attacks

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Closings and cancellations following the September 11 attacks, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 7 August 2025

Numerous closures and cancellations ensued following the September 11 attacks, impacting prominent landmarks, buildings, and access to Lower Manhattan. Additionally, many significant sporting and other events were either postponed or called off. Concerns over potential further attacks led to the shutdown of key sites, with surrounding streets also blocked off. When these locations eventually reopened, security measures were greatly intensified. Several U.S. states declared a state of emergency in response.

Lower Manhattan

At 11:02 a.m. on the day of the attacks, Mayor Rudy Giuliani urged residents south of Canal Street to evacuate cautiously and at a measured pace. The area was engulfed in dust and rubble, compounded by power outages that disabled traffic signals. Emergency responders were given priority access to manage fires, building collapses, and injured individuals. Due to subway closures, vehicle restrictions, and sealed tunnels, over one million workers and inhabitants evacuated mostly on foot, crossing bridges and ferries en route to Brooklyn and New Jersey.

On September 12, all vehicle traffic was prohibited south of 14th Street; subway stations below Canal Street were bypassed, and pedestrian access was restricted beneath Chambers Street. Vehicle movement south of Canal Street did not resume until October 13.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) remained shut from September 11 because of debris and structural damage caused by the World Trade Center collapse but reopened on September 17, despite early futures trading coverage by CNBC.

Bridges and tunnels

For at least twenty-four hours after the attacks, bridges and tunnels leading into Manhattan were closed to all non-emergency vehicles, disrupting supply deliveries and resulting in shortages for restaurants. Beginning September 27, single-occupancy vehicles were banned from entering Lower Manhattan from Midtown during weekday mornings (5:30 a.m. to noon) to alleviate congestion caused by enhanced security protocols and closures.

New York City Subway

Subway lines and stations beneath the World Trade Center ceased operations minutes after the initial plane impact. All subway services were halted between 10:20 a.m. and 12:48 p.m. Numerous trains in Lower Manhattan lost electrical power requiring evacuation; others continued running under modified safety procedures due to signal malfunctions.

The IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, which runs beneath the World Trade Center between Chambers Street and Rector Street, suffered extensive damage including destruction of the Cortlandt Street station that needed complete reconstruction. Service was truncated back to 14th Street. Following flood remediation efforts, express service partially resumed on September 17 with trains operating between Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street and 14th Street; meanwhile, and trains stopped at every Manhattan station but bypassed stops between Canal Street and Fulton Street until October 1. Full restoration on these routes occurred by September 15, 2002; however, Cortlandt Street station remained closed until September 8, 2018.

The nearby BMT Broadway Line also experienced disruptions due to its proximity to the debris site. The Cortlandt Street station remained closed until September 15, 2002 for cleanup and repairs. Starting September 17, 2001, services on the and lines were suspended and substituted by extended routes on the and , respectively. In Queens, the R train replaced the suspended Q service while N trains took over for R trains. Regular BMT Broadway Line operations resumed on October 28.

The IND Eighth Avenue Line, with its terminal for the train beneath Five World Trade Center, escaped physical damage though was covered in soot. E trains extended service to Euclid Avenue, covering for halted train routes. Some stations stayed closed until early October; the World Trade Center station reopened in January 2002.

The nearby IRT Lexington Avenue Line, which is the sole subway line connecting Midtown with Lower Manhattan near the World Trade Center site, faced severe overcrowding until the BMT Broadway Line returned to service; its Wall Street station reopened on September 21.

The IND Sixth Avenue line along with the BMT Nassau Street line remained unaffected due to their distance from the disaster zone.

No subway fatalities or train losses occurred; however, a bus manufactured by Motor Coach Industries was destroyed while another sustained damage but was later repaired featuring commemorative artwork.

PATH

PATH swiftly evacuated passengers from Manhattan trains following the initial plane impact. The World Trade Center PATH station sustained extensive damage, causing a complete suspension of services there. By the afternoon, PATH resumed operations on the Uptown Hudson Tubes route to 33rd Street. Due to switch configuration issues, Exchange Place remained out of service, prompting PATH to implement alternate routes: Hoboken to Journal Square, Hoboken to 33rd Street, and Newark to 33rd Street. On June 29, 2003, Exchange Place reopened with modifications, and a temporary World Trade Center station began operation on November 23.

Ferries

Liberty Water Taxi and NY Waterway operated terminals at the World Financial Center, but NY Waterway halted service there because of restricted zones, redirecting operations to Midtown and Wall Street. Liberty Water Taxi also ceased its services. That evening saw the emergence of impromptu ferry routes connecting New Jersey, Brooklyn, and Queens, which collectively transported nearly half a million evacuees using vessels including Circle Line Tours boats, NY Waterway ferries, private dining boats, tugboats, and fireboats.

Buses

Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus services south of Canal Street were temporarily suspended; both MTA and NJ Transit adjusted bus routes to accommodate passengers arriving via ferry terminals in Brooklyn and New Jersey.

Intercity transit

The Port Authority Bus Terminal remained closed until September 13. Nationwide rail service by Amtrak was halted until 6 p.m., while Greyhound Bus Lines suspended its Northeast corridor bus routes but reinstated them by September 13.

North American airspace

On his first day as FAA National Operations Manager, Ben Sliney ordered a complete shutdown ("ground stop") of all U.S. and Canadian civilian airspace, except for military, law enforcement, and medical flights. This extraordinary measure triggered activation of the Security Control of Air Traffic and Air Navigation Aids (SCATANA) protocol. Domestic flights were diverted to their closest airports; non-military flights required explicit FAA and Air Force authorization. Only a limited number of private aircraft received clearance; notably, the earliest non-military approval was granted to the aerial photography unit of the Civil Air Patrol. United Airlines temporarily canceled all international flights. Passengers and grounded planes underwent intensive security screenings. By September 13, Amtrak had expanded capacity by 30% to assist stranded travelers. President George W. Bush was transported to a secure location aboard Air Force One.

International flights were rerouted primarily to airports in Atlantic Canada, avoiding U.S. and major Canadian hubs; some South American-bound flights were diverted to Mexico, as its airspace remained open. The New York metropolitan airports (JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark) closed again Thursday night but reopened the following morning; during closure, LaGuardia recorded only one government VIP jet departure.

Civilian air traffic recommenced on September 13 under heightened security protocols that prohibited items such as box cutters used in the attacks. Reinforcements for cockpit doors began installation in October 2001 and were mandated for larger airlines by 2003. Initially, grounded aircraft were permitted to complete their journeys before limited commercial service resumed; clearing passenger backlogs required several days.

A mistranslation led controllers to suspect hijacking of Korean Air Flight 85, prompting U.S. and Canadian officials—including Prime Minister Jean Chrétien—to direct the U.S. Air Force to intercept the aircraft near Whitehorse, Yukon. Evacuation preparations took place in Anchorage and Whitehorse. The plane ultimately landed safely without incident.

Precautionary building closures and evacuations

After it became clear that the attacks were deliberate, a large number of U.S. companies shut down operations, and key national landmarks along with skyscrapers in financial districts were evacuated amid concerns about additional threats.

United States

United Nations Headquarters located in New York City
The majority of tall buildings in New York City (including the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building), Chicago (notably the Willis Tower), and Philadelphia
Washington Monument situated in Washington, D.C.
Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and their ferry services in New York City
Every state capitol along with adjacent government offices
Major attractions such as the Mall of America near Minneapolis, Seattle's Space Needle, and the Columbia Center
Federal facilities in Washington, D.C., including the White House, United States Capitol, Supreme Court Building, and Blair House; roughly one million federal workers were sent home
The D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles (while other government offices in D.C. remained operational)
The United States Patent and Trademark Office
NASA, encompassing all field centers and its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Leading resorts and theme parks such as Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Knott's Berry Farm, both Florida and Hollywood locations of Universal Studios, SeaWorld, and Six Flags
All film and television studios based in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Every Westfield shopping center across the nation, including the underground mall beneath the World Trade Center
Boston's notable skyscrapers: the John Hancock Tower and the Prudential Tower
Houston's Enron Complex along with several downtown high-rises
San Francisco's distinctive Transamerica Pyramid
Various buildings in downtown Cleveland such as the Terminal Tower, federal building, and the Key Tower
Pittsburgh's prominent U.S. Steel Tower
Detroit's well-known Renaissance Center
Minneapolis' tallest building, the IDS Tower
Headquarters towers for Bank of America and Wachovia located in Uptown Charlotte
Saint Paul's World Trade Center in Minnesota
Indianapolis' landmark OneAmerica Tower
Buffalo's recognizable HSBC Tower
Syracuse's twin structures known as the AXA Towers
Sunset Bronson Studios situated in Hollywood
AOL Headquarters based in Dulles, Virginia

International

Governmental and cultural event cancellations and postponements

In the aftermath of September 11, numerous global events were either postponed or cancelled due to heightened security concerns and a widespread atmosphere of mourning. Notable interruptions included:

The voting scheduled for September 11 during the New York City mayoral primary was suspended; elections in Syracuse and Buffalo, New York were also postponed.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) originally planned for Brisbane, Australia, was deferred as leaders opted to remain in their home countries amid uncertainty; it was subsequently held at Coolum Beach, Queensland.
Mexico City's Independence Day Parade set for September 16 was delayed by one day as a mark of respect; other festivities proceeded but without fireworks displays.
Retailer Abercrombie & Fitch chose to cancel its Christmas 2001 edition of A&F Quarterly, citing that it was not appropriate given the national sentiment.

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