MTA offering service to Hogwarts? Magical Harry Potter train line appears on subway sign

BY Lauren Johnston
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Originally Published:Monday, November 22nd 2010, 11:35 AM
Updated: Monday, November 22nd 2010, 6:30 PM

Photo/ Johnston

The 9 3/4 sign at the 14th Street Union Square subway stop.

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The MTA has cut service across the five boroughs, but seems to have added one exotic destination: Hogwarts.

An enchanted symbol has appeared on a 14th St. Union Square subway sign - one that any Harry Potter fan will recognize as a clever nod to the boy wizard's magical world: a maroon circle emblazoned with the mystical number 9 3/4.

For the muggles (i.e., non-magical folks), Potter and his gang of wizard pals gather at platform 9 3/4 to board a train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the magical academy where they learn to cast spells and mix potions.

The number is visible on the south side of 14th St., just around the corner from the Regal Cinemas Union Square 14, which shows the seventh installment of the wizard films based on author J.K. Rowling's books, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1," at least 16 times daily.

The charmed sticker is slapped in the slot that featured a "W" until June when that line went out of service. The design mimics standard Metropolitan Transportation Authority signage and at first glance could pass for a relic from the defunct No. 9 line.

It's such a close match, in fact, it might lead wizard fans to suspect an inside job. An MTA spokesperson said the agency had no ties to the subtle Potter promotion. More likely, it was the work of a design savvy fan.

"We are not part of any sort of Potter campaign, but I've seen things like that before," said spokesman Kevin Ortiz.

The fine for defacing MTA signage is $75.

Delighted wizard wannabes who spotted the sticker Sunday stopped short on the station stairs to snap photographs, and Potter chatter took over as fans explained the significance to fellow commuters.

The number was introduced in Rowling's first wizard book, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." Students traveling to Hogwarts are instructed to board their train at platform 9 3/4 - a destination that doesn't exist in the non-magical world.

Students first locate an enchanted brick wall, a portal to the magical platform, then charge toward it at full speed. When they burst through, they land on a bustling platform packed with cape-wearing, wand-wielding witches and wizards.

Is this subway sign just one example of subtle Harry Potter graffiti? We suspect the film's magic-loving fans may have planted more. If you spot a Potter clue, snap a photo and tweet us at @nydailynews.

ljohnston@nydailynews.com