In 1956, the Erie Railroad consolidated its operations with the Lackawanna Railroad and moved to Hoboken Terminal. A few years later, the small New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway ceased operations at the Erie Terminal, which was torn down soon afterwards. Without any reason to disembark other than some parking lots, ridership at the Erie tube station declined sharply. For nearly 30 years, the station served primarily as a transfer station between the Uptown and Downtown Tube routes, and was totally closed on evenings and weekends. (At the former World Trade Center station in 2001, it was still possible to see the abandoned electronic board that indicated with a light whether the Pavonia Station stop was in service or not.)