(Newser) – It's been left off the NYC subway map for almost 17 years after it was destroyed and buried under rubble on 9/11—but a "quietly, poignantly defiant" version of the Cortlandt Street subway station under the World Trade Center is now open again for business. Redubbed WTC Cortlandt, the station reopened Saturday, with Metropolitan Transportation Authority chief Joe Lhota in a statement calling it "symbolic of New Yorkers' resolve in restoring and substantially improving the entire World Trade Center site," per the BBC. The station cost nearly $182 million to reconstruct and includes a newly rebuilt ceiling, an updated ventilation system, and a brighter feel, with quotes from the Declaration of Independence and the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights imprinted on a white marble mosaic.

The reopening of the station is not only "the last major piece in the city's quest to rebuild what was lost" on 9/11, and a symbol of "rebirth," per the New York Times: It also serves as a "glaring reminder of the dysfunction among the region’s transit agencies," with rebuilding not even kicking off until three years ago. Still, "I wouldn't have missed this day for the world," said Andy Byford, the head of the New York City Transit Authority, at the opening. "This is such a meaningful day ... for the city and the country." (Read more September 11 stories.)

