The Canal Street station (formerly Canal Street–Holland Tunnel) is an express station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Canal Street, Vestry Street, and Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) in Lower Manhattan, it is served by the A and E trains at all times, and the C train at all times except late nights. History The station opened on September 10, 1932, as part of the city-operated Independent Subway System (IND)'s initial segment, the Eighth Avenue Line between Chambers Street and 207th Street. Construction of the whole line cost $191.2 million. Service at this station was provided with express service from its onset. On February 17, 1953, the New York City Board of Transportation installed two devices at either end of the station to alert police of passers-by above of emergencies in the station. The devices, which cost $1,100, were called "Call-a-Cop." In the station agent booth, an agent could set off an alarm bell and turn on a red warning light aboveground at Canal and Walker Streets on Sixth Avenue by lightly pushing on a treadle. The warning lights were placed atop eight-feet tall metal poles located at subway entrances. This device would have been installed at other stations if the pilot here was successful. Station layout This station has four tracks and two island platforms, which are each approximately long. There are two diamond crossovers allowing express trains to cross to the local track or local trains to cross to the express track. One is located to the south of the station for downtown (southbound) trains and the other is located to the north of the station for uptown (northbound) trains; this can be a bottleneck for trains in either direction. The platforms are offset, and a signal tower is located at the south end of the southbound platform. This underground station is located on the street of the same name, which is the boundary of SoHo and Tribeca. The station sits one block west from the entrance to the Holland Tunnel outside of the Tribeca North Historic District. Much of the surrounding area is characterized by its historic loft architecture. Several public parks are located near the station. Above the north end of the station at Canal Street and 6th Avenue are Albert Capsouto Park, Duarte Square, and Grand Canal Court. At the south end of