169-451: The North Shore Branch is a partially abandoned branch of the Staten Island Railway in New York City , which operated along Staten Island 's North Shore from Saint George to Port Ivory . The line continues into New Jersey via the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge to Aldene Junction in Cranford . The line started construction in 1884, and rapid transit service on the line started on February 23, 1886. Passenger service on
338-631: A Delaware Otsego (DO) subsidiary, for $ 1.5 million via a promissory note payable for over ten years. The NYS&W subsequently retained the Staten Island's freight operations, which served only ten customers by that time, and they had hopes of attracting more to boost profitability on the line. In 1989, the NYS&;W embargoed the trackage east of Elm Park on the North Shore Branch , ending all freight service to Saint George. Procter & Gamble ,
507-547: A car float at Saint George Yard. A smaller eastern portion, which provided seasonal passenger service to the Richmond County Bank Ballpark station (where the Staten Island Yankees played), operated from June 24, 2001, to June 18, 2010. In 2008, restoration was discussed along the mostly abandoned 6.1-mile (9.8 km) line as part of the island's light-rail plan. An environmental impact assessment
676-558: A cornice . A square cupola is at the center of the archway. The residents of Sailors' Snug Harbor were buried on the grounds in what was called "Monkey Hill". The location of the cemetery is across the road from the current Snug Harbor complex in Allison Pond Park, which used to be part of the original Snug Harbor campus. The pond served as a water supply for the Snug Harbor facility until 1939. The cemetery portion (surrounded by
845-659: A $ 72 million project to reactivate freight service on Staten Island and to repair the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge was announced by the NYCEDC and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey . Specific projects on the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge included repainting the steel superstructure and rehabilitating the lift mechanism. In June 2006, the freight line connection from New Jersey to
1014-430: A $ 72-million project to enhance the old signal system was completed. The Signaling system was enhanced with an FRA-compliant 100 Hz, track-circuit-based automatic train control (ATC) signal system. As part of the project, forty R44 subway cars and four locomotives were modified with onboard cab signaling equipment for ATC bi-directional movement. A new rail control center and backup control center were built as part of
1183-482: A completion deadline of June 16, 1888, two years after signing the bill. The bridge was completed three days early on June 13, 1888, at 3 p.m. At the time of its opening, the Arthur Kill Bridge was the largest drawbridge ever constructed in the world. There were no fatalities in the construction of the bridge. On January 1, 1890, the first train operated from Saint George Terminal to Cranford Junction . Once
1352-632: A decade of false starts. SIRT was transferred from the New York City Transit Authority's Surface Transit Division to its Department of Rapid Transit on July 26, 1993, and that year the Dongan Hills station became accessible, making it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 . MetroCards were accepted for fare payment at the St. George station beginning on March 31, 1994, and
1521-535: A donation by former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg . In 2006, the revenues and expenses of the nonprofit were both around US$ 3.7 million, and its year-end assets were $ 2.6 million. It is home to the Staten Island Children's Theater Association (SICTA) and the Staten Island Conservatory of Music . The Staten Island Botanical Garden maintains extensive gardens. The White Garden
1690-466: A few hundred feet of the easternmost portion of the North Shore Branch were reopened west to the Richmond County Bank Ballpark station to provide passenger service to the new Richmond County Bank Ballpark , home of the Staten Island Yankees minor-league baseball team. This service was discontinued in 2010, but the tracks and station remain in place. In 2003, Borough President James Molinaro and
1859-531: A filled-in bridge under McClean Avenue. This 4.1-mile (6.6 km) line left the Main Line at 40°37′08″N 74°04′18″W / 40.61889°N 74.07167°W / 40.61889; -74.07167 (south of the Clifton station), and was east of the Main Line. Although the right-of-way has been redeveloped, most of it is still traceable on maps; Lily Pond Avenue is built over the right of way where it passes under
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#17328514593272028-453: A fire destroyed the St. George Terminal; three people were killed, twenty-two were injured and damage totaled $ 22 million. The fire destroyed the ferry terminal, the four slips used for service to Manhattan and the SIRT terminal. Normal service was not restored until July 13, 1946, and a request for bids to build a temporary terminal was issued on August 21 of that year. On February 10, 1948,
2197-428: A full height pilaster was located at each corner. One observer in 1873 said that the chapel was a "plain but handsome brick building, without any cupola or belfry." The walls were repainted that year, with decorative elements resembling panels and pilasters. The chapel's bell tower and stained glass date to 1883. The chapel was relocated 200 feet (61 m) from its previous site in 1893. The Veteran's Memorial Hall
2366-434: A large plant near Arlington Yard , later called Port Ivory , resulting in additional traffic. The line's electrification project was completed on Christmas Day of 1925, cutting ten minutes off of travel time from Arlington to Saint George. In the 1930s, the SIRT began several projects to remove grade crossings along the formerly surface-level right-of-way , constructing the current concrete viaduct and open-cut sections of
2535-530: A line along the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge using B Division cars and loading gauge , but economic, political and engineering difficulties have prevented these projects from realization. In a 2006 report, the Staten Island Advance explored the restoration of passenger service on 5.1 miles (8.2 km) of the North Shore Branch between St. George and Arlington . Completion of a study
2704-532: A location at Snug Harbor in September 2015. After operating two locations for almost two years, the museum closed the St. George location and consolidated its operations in building A. The Museum hopes to expand to building B by 2022. Art Lab is a school of fine and applied art, founded in 1975 and offering art instruction and exhibitions. A 686-seat Greek Revival auditorium, the Music Hall hosts performing arts. It
2873-448: A nonprofit, Smithsonian -affiliated organization. Sailors' Snug Harbor includes 26 Greek Revival , Beaux Arts , Italianate and Victorian style buildings. Among those are "Temple Row", five interlocking Greek Revival buildings labeled A through E. The buildings are set in extensive, landscaped grounds, surrounded by the 19th-century cast-iron fence. The grounds also include a chapel and a sailors' cemetery. The cultural center includes
3042-674: A preliminary study found that daily ridership could exceed 15,000. Chuck Schumer , a senator from New York state, asked for $ 4 million in federal funding. A similar study, performed in 2009, explored the possibility of expanding the Hudson Bergen Light Rail line over the Bayonne Bridge and along the West Shore (including the Travis Branch right-of-way ), adding service to Staten Island Teleport and West Shore Plaza, and creating
3211-671: A project began to extend the high-level platforms at six stations. A station-rebuilding program began in 1985, and the line's R44s were overhauled starting in 1987. The B&O became part of the larger Chessie System in a merger with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), and the island's freight operation was renamed the Staten Island Railroad Corporation in 1971. The B&O and C&O became isolated from their other properties in New Jersey and Staten Island with
3380-558: A promissory note, and the NYS&W had hopes of attracting more customers to add profitability to the line. In 1989, the NYS&W embargoed the right-of-way east of Elm Park on the North Shore Branch, ending all rail freight traffic to Saint George. In 1990, Procter & Gamble , the line's primary customer, closed. The closure resulted in a major decline in freight traffic, with the Arthur Kill bridge being removed from service in July 1991, and
3549-481: A raised basement and an attic, and it is rectangular in plan with a gable roof. The main entrance contains a set of steps underneath a stone portico, consisting of six columns supporting a classic pediment. The structure was initially intended as a dormitory building. Building E is not open to the public as of 2018 . The Veteran's Memorial Hall, formerly the chapel, was designed by local builder James Solomon and constructed between 1855 and 1856. Stylistically, it
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#17328514593273718-469: A rapid transit system, and exempt from certain regulations. The line uses modified R44 and R211S subway cars, the latter of which will replace the R44s throughout 2024 and 2025. The Staten Island Rail Road was incorporated on August 2, 1851, after Perth Amboy and Staten Island residents petitioned for a Tottenville -to- Stapleton rail line. The railroad was financed with a loan from Cornelius Vanderbilt ,
3887-505: A red brick wall) is still owned by the Snug Harbor Center, while the remaining land was sold in 1975 to the city and turned into a public park with hiking trails. The majority of the over 7,000 bodies (including those of military sailors) now lay in unmarked graves because their headstones were removed in the 1980s and put into storage for preservation after the cemetery became inactive. Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden
4056-530: A replacement terminal was promised by Mayor William O'Dwyer . The new $ 23 million terminal opened on June 8, 1951, with ferry, bus and rail service in one building; portions of the new terminal were phased into service earlier. Ridership decreased from 12.3 million in 1947 to 4.4 million in 1949 as passengers switched from the rail line to city-operated buses due to a bus-fare reduction. In September 1948, about half of weekday trains were cut, night trains after 1:29 a.m. were cancelled, and thirty percent of
4225-471: A rotating collection of hands-on exhibits and an extensive year round live animal collection of exotic arthropods. The Children's Museum consists of the main building which was originally built in 1913 and the old Snug Harbor barn where the livestock was originally kept to feed the residents of Sailors' Snug Harbor. When the museum was developed, a modern walkway was built connecting the two structures to create one museum building. The Staten Island Museum opened
4394-473: A stone portico , consisting of six columns supporting a classic pediment . The structure was initially intended as a dormitory building. Building A has housed the Staten Island Museum since 2015. Building B was designed by Minard Lafever and constructed from 1839 to 1840. It is two stories high with an attic and a high basement, and it is rectangular in plan with a gable roof. The front facade
4563-460: A surplus exceeding the retirement home's costs by $ 100,000 a year. By the mid-20th century, however, Snug Harbor was in financial difficulty. Once-grand structures fell into disrepair, and some were demolished; the ornate white-marble Randall Memorial Church was torn down in 1952. With the arrival of the Social Security system in the 1930s, demand for accommodation for old sailors declined; by
4732-636: A transfer to the proposed Hudson–Bergen Light Rail . From there it would have run along the Jersey Central's line to Constable Hook , and then pass through a tunnel under the Kill Van Kull and connect with the North Shore Branch in New Brighton. They proposed several stops in Bayonne and Jersey City and a stop on Richmond Terrace. This 10 miles (16 km)-long line was estimated to take slightly less time than
4901-512: A year from the Staten Island site, and they found that it was unprofitable to keep operating the Staten Island facility. In June 1976, the trustees moved the institution to Sea Level, North Carolina . Two sailors on the Staten Island property held out until September 1976. The Trustees of the Sailors' Snug Harbor in the City of New York continues to use funds from the endowment to help mariners all over
5070-496: Is Lafever's oldest surviving work. The building consists of two stories as well as a raised basement and an attic, and it is rectangular in plan with a gable roof. The main entrance contains a set of steps underneath a stone portico, consisting of eight columns supporting a classic pediment. The sides of building C are eight bays wide, while the rear elevation is made of brick. Single-story passageways extend east to building D, west to building B, and south to an annex. Building C
5239-717: Is a railroad line in the New York City borough of Staten Island . It is owned by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority ( SIRTOA ), a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , and operated by the New York City Transit Authority Department of Subways. SIR operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing local service between St. George and Tottenville , along
North Shore Branch - Misplaced Pages Continue
5408-647: Is a collection of architecturally significant 19th-century buildings on Staten Island , New York City . The buildings are set in an 83-acre (34 ha) park along the Kill Van Kull in New Brighton , on the North Shore of Staten Island. Some of the buildings and the grounds are used by arts organizations under the umbrella of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden . Sailors' Snug Harbor
5577-479: Is a nonprofit, Smithsonian -affiliated organization that operates Sailors' Snug Harbor. Its primary purpose is "to operate, manage and develop the premises known as Sailors Snug Harbor as a cultural and educational center and park." In 2005, it was among 406 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $ 20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation , which was made possible through
5746-520: Is accessible from within the Ferry Terminal, and most of its trains are timed to connect with the ferry. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 6,151,400, or about 16,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. The line has a route bullet similar to subway routes: the letters SIR in a blue circle. It is used on timetables, the MTA website, some signage, and on R211S trains, but not on R44 trains. Like
5915-619: Is being worked on for the implementation of a bus rapid transit line on the North Shore Branch. The South Beach Branch opened on January 1, 1888, to Arrochar , and was extended to South Beach in 1893. The branch closed at midnight on March 31, 1953. It was abandoned and demolished, except for a few segments: a concrete embankment at Clayton Street and Saint John's Avenue, the Tompkins Avenue overpass, trestle over Robin Road in Arrochar and
6084-440: Is directly in front of building C and set back 15 feet (4.6 m) behind the iron fence. It is trapezoidal in plan and has a high archway in the center. Guard rooms with rectangular windows flank either side of the archway. Unused marble and sandstone from the construction of the original structures was used to create the quoins surrounding the archway and window openings. The top of the gatehouse has brick corbels supporting
6253-571: Is made of smooth stone and contains a small porch with a gable . The structure was initially intended as a dormitory building. Building B is not open to the public. Although the Staten Island Museum planned to expand there by 2022, the building is still being renovated as of 2023 . Building C, also known as the Administration Building, is a Greek Revival building designed by Minard Lafever and constructed from 1831 to 1883; it
6422-438: Is necessary to qualify the project for an estimated $ 360 million. A preliminary study found that ridership could reach 15,000 daily. U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York requested $ 4 million of federal funding for a detailed feasibility study. In 2012, the MTA released an analysis of North Shore transportation solutions which included proposals for the reintroduction of heavy rail, light rail or bus rapid transit using
6591-505: Is performed at NYCT's Clifton Shops, and any work unable to be done at Clifton requires the cars to be trucked over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to the subway's Coney Island Complex in Brooklyn . The right-of-way includes elevated, embankment and open-cut sections, as well as a tunnel near St. George. The Staten Island Railway uses Baltimore & Ohio Railroad-style color position light signals dating back to its B&O days. In 2007,
6760-509: Is provided by and Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CRCX) for its co-owners, CSX , Norfolk Southern Railway . As part of the project, a portion of the North Shore Branch was rehabilitated, the Arlington Yard was expanded, and 6,500 feet (1,981 m) of new track was laid along the Travis Branch to Staten Island Transfer Station at Fresh Kills. Soon after service restarted on the line, Mayor Michael Bloomberg officially commemorated
6929-586: Is represented by United Transportation Union Local 1440. Only the Dongan Hills , St. George , Great Kills , New Dorp and Tottenville stations have been renovated to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ; these stations have elevators and/or ramps. As part of the MTA's 2020–2024 capital plan, two additional stations are planned to be renovated to become ADA-accessible, Huguenot and Clifton . The Prince's Bay , Huguenot , Annadale , Great Kills, Dongan Hills, and Arthur Kill stations have park-and-ride facilities. The newest station on
North Shore Branch - Misplaced Pages Continue
7098-585: Is the second-oldest music hall in New York City, having opened in July 1892 with a performance of a cantata, "The Rose Maiden." In attendance were some 600 residents of the home who sat on plain wooden seats, and 300 trustees and their guests who occupied the venue's upholstered balcony seats. The S40 bus travels to and from the Staten Island Ferry and Staten Island Railway at St. George Terminal , stopping at Snug Harbor's front gate. Additionally,
7267-503: Is two stories high with an attic and a high basement, and it is rectangular in plan with a gable roof. The front facade is made of smooth stone and contains a small porch with a gable. The structure was initially intended as a dormitory building. Building D has housed the Noble Maritime Collection since 1992. Building E was designed by Richard Smyth and constructed in 1880. The building consists of two stories as well as
7436-722: The BMT Fourth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, the SIRT electrified its lines with third rail power distribution and cars similar to those of the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT). The first electric train was operated on the South Beach Branch between South Beach and Fort Wadsworth on May 30, 1925, and the other branches were electrified by November of that year. Electrification did not greatly increase traffic, and
7605-718: The Baltimore and New York Railway — 5.25-mile (8.45 km) line from Arthur Kill to the Jersey Central at Cranford, and was finished later in the year. On January 1, 1890, the first train operated from St. George Terminal to Cranford Junction . When the Arthur Kill Bridge was completed, the United States War Department was unsuccessfully pressured by the Lehigh Valley and Pennsylvania Railroads to have
7774-608: The Chemical Coast after crossing over the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge . A smaller eastern portion provided seasonal service to the passenger station for RCB Ballpark , where the Staten Island Yankees play. This service operated from June 24, 2001 to June 18, 2010. As of 2008, restoration was being discussed along this mostly abandoned 6.1-mile (9.8 km) line as part of the Staten Island light rail plan. In 2012,
7943-442: The Kill Van Kull at Elizabethport , and build other terminal facilities. The North Shore Branch opened for service on February 23, 1886, up to Elm Park cutting travel times to 39 minutes from an hour and a half via the ferry system. The Saint George Terminal opened on March 7, 1886, and all SIR lines were extended to this station. On March 8, 1886, the South Beach Branch opened for passenger service to Arrochar . The remainder of
8112-494: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority released an analysis of transportation solutions for the North Shore, which included proposals for the reintroduction of heavy rail, light rail , or bus rapid transit using the North Shore line's right-of-way. Other options included transportation systems management which would improve existing bus service, and the possibility of future ferry and water taxi services. Bus rapid transit
8281-549: The National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and the grounds was declared a National Historic Landmark district in 1976. The trustees sold the Staten Island site to the New York City government in two separate transactions in 1972 and 1974, totaling $ 9.7 million. However, the city incurred a budget deficit as a result of the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis , leaving the government unable to perform even minor maintenance. The trustees had also been losing about $ 300,000
8450-557: The Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art exhibits the works of local and international artists. The center also provides artist-in-residence exhibitions and 15,000 square feet (1,400 m ) of gallery space. It was founded inside the architecturally significant Greek Revival buildings of Sailors' Snug Harbor. Although the Newhouse was founded with a focus on artists who live or have their studios on Staten Island and art that reflects
8619-565: The Sailors' Snug Harbor station was served by the Staten Island Railway's now-defunct North Shore Branch . Although the station closed in 1953, a retaining wall and stairways from the station still exist. In an 1898 article in Ainslee's Magazine , "When The Sails Are Furled: Sailor's Snug Harbor," the soon-to-be-famous novelist Theodore Dreiser provided an amusing non-fiction account of
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#17328514593278788-492: The Vanderbilt's Landing -to- Tompkinsville portion of the North Shore Branch began on March 17, 1884, and the line opened for passenger service on August 1 of that year. The lighthouse just above Tompkinsville impeded the line's extension to St. George but, after the SIRT lobbied for an act of Congress , construction of a two-track, 580-foot (180 m) tunnel under the lighthouse began in 1885 for about $ 190,000. The SIR
8957-544: The transfer station began in April 2007. The Mount Loretto Spur is an abandoned branch whose purpose was to serve the Mount Loretto Children's Home . The spur diverged from the Main Line south of Pleasant Plains . The B&O Railroad served the non-electrified branch, which had some industry and a passenger station, until 1950. Although its track was removed during the 1960s and 1970s, some ties were visible until
9126-479: The $ 20.8 million estimate for the busway, and the $ 36 million and $ 38.5 million estimates for heavy rail and light rail, respectively. A report completed by the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) in 1991, which analyzed the potential use of inactive railroad rights-of-way for transit service, recommended that the North Shore Branch be reactivated for use by heavy rail in two phases. As part of
9295-513: The 1960s, but runs more or less at street level for a brief stretch north of Clifton, between the Grasmere and Old Town stations, and from south of the Pleasant Plains station to Tottenville—the end of the line. The terminus at St. George provides a direct connection with the Staten Island Ferry . St. George has twelve tracks, ten of which are in service. Tottenville has a three-track yard to
9464-694: The 1980s. A coal trestle is all that remains of the branch. South of the Richmond Valley station , a non-electrified spur, branched off the Tottenville -bound track. The spur, built in 1928, was called the West Shore Line by the B&;O Railroad and delivered building materials to the Outerbridge Crossing construction site near Arthur Kill. Years later, the track was used to serve a scrapyard owned by
9633-603: The Arthur Kill Bridge was completed, pressure was brought upon the United States War Department by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad to have the newly built bridge torn down and replaced with a bridge with a different design, claiming that it was an obstruction for the navigation of the large numbers of coal barges past Howland Hook on the Arthur Kill. They were not successful in these efforts, however. In 1905, Procter & Gamble opened
9802-492: The Arthur Kill swing bridge was damaged by an Esso oil tanker, and was replaced by a state-of-the-art, single track, 558 foot vertical lift bridge in 1959. The 2,000 ton lift span was prefabricated, then floated into place. The new bridge was raised 135 feet and since the new bridge aided navigation on the Arthur Kill, the United States government assumed 90% of the $ 11 million cost of the project. Freight trains started crossing
9971-425: The B&O for a railroad between Staten Island and New Jersey. The accepted proposal consisted of a 5.25-mile (8.45 km) line from the Arthur Kill to meet the Jersey Central at Cranford, through Union County and the communities of Roselle Park and Linden . Construction on this road started in 1889, and the line was finished in the latter part of that year. Congress passed a law on June 16, 1886, authorizing
10140-522: The B&O in 1900, after which the B&O became profitable again. On October 25, 1905, New York City took ownership of the ferry and terminals and evicted the B&O from the Whitehall Street terminal. The St. George Terminal was then built by the city for $ 2,318,720, equivalent to $ 78,630,372 in 2023. In anticipation of a tunnel under the Narrows to Brooklyn and a connection there with
10309-455: The Kissel gate on Kissel Avenue at the far western end of the property. The Italianate gate house at the north gate, as well as the mid-19th-century iron fence on Richmond Terrace, are New York City designated landmarks. Paul Goldberger wrote, "Snug Harbor has something of the feel of a campus, something of the feel of a small-town square. Indeed, these rows of classical temples, set side-by-side with tiny connecting structures recessed behind
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#173285145932710478-499: The New York City Subway, the line runs 24 hours a day every day of the year, and is one of the few 24/7 mass-transit rail systems in the United States. Fares are only collected at two stations, St. George and nearby Tompkinsville . Although the railway was originally considered a standard rail line, the existing line is severed from the national rail system , and only a small portion of the former North Shore Branch still sees freight use. The passenger operations are now regulated as
10647-417: The New York Port Authority. Since the Central Railroad of New Jersey became a New Jersey Transit line, a new junction would be built to the former Lehigh Valley Railroad . In order for all New England and southern freight to pass through the New York metropolitan area, a rail tunnel from Brooklyn to Staten Island, and a rail tunnel from Brooklyn to Greenville, New Jersey were planned. On December 15, 2004,
10816-458: The New York metropolitan area, two rail tunnels from Brooklyn (one to Staten Island and the other to Greenville, New Jersey ) were planned. On December 15, 2004, a $ 72 million project to reactivate freight service on Staten Island and repair the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge was announced by the NYCEDC and the PANYNJ. Projects on the Arthur Kill Bridge included repainting the steel superstructure and rehabilitating its lift mechanism. In 2006,
10985-411: The North Shore Branch and the South Beach Branch at midnight on March 31, 1953, due to competition from city-operated buses; the South Beach Branch was abandoned shortly afterwards, and the North Shore Branch continued to carry freight. On September 7, 1954, SIRT applied to discontinue passenger service on the Tottenville Branch on October 7 of that year; a large city subsidy allowed passenger service on
11154-445: The North Shore Branch ended on March 31, 1953, although freight service continued to run along part of the North Shore Branch until 1989. In 2001, part of the line on the east end was reactivated for a short extension to Ballpark, which was in use from 2001 to 2010. In 2005, freight service on the western portion of the line was reactivated, and there are proposals to reactivate the former passenger line for rail or bus service. Trains on
11323-465: The North Shore Branch to its terminus at Erastina was opened in the summer of 1886. The new lines opened by the B&O railroad were called the Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway, while the original line from Clifton to Tottenville was called the Staten Island Railway. In 1889–1890 a station was put up at the South Avenue grade crossing at Arlington in 1889–1890, where trains were turned on their way back to St. George. Various proposals were made by
11492-419: The North Shore line's right-of-way. Other options included system management , which would improve existing bus service, and the possibility of future ferry and water taxi service. Bus rapid transit was preferred for its cost ($ 352 million in capital investment) and relative ease of implementation. In January 2018, the project had yet to receive funding. As part of the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program, $ 4 million
11661-400: The North Shore of Staten Island. About 2 miles (3.2 km) of rock fill along the Kill Van Kull needed to be built to deal with opposition from property owners in Sailor's Snug Harbor . In order to get property for the line to pass over the cove at Palmer's run, the company had to undergo a contest in litigation. In Port Richmond, some property was acquired, displacing businesses and homes. On
11830-440: The Port Authority commissioned a study on the feasibility of rebuilding the North Shore line and restoring passenger service to St. George. In a 2006 report, the Staten Island Advance explored the restoration of passenger services on 5.1 miles (8.2 km) of the North Shore Branch between St. George Ferry Terminal and Arlington station . The study needed to be completed to qualify the project for an estimated $ 360 million, but
11999-425: The Port Richmond Viaduct to Arlington Yard has remained intact and in good condition, though the former station sites and infrastructure are dilapidated and need rehabilitation or replacement should passenger service be reactivated. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad , operators of the SIRT until 1971, began construction on the line in 1884. In order to build the North Shore Branch, property needed to be acquired along
12168-549: The Rosebank neighborhood, which would bridge the longest gap between two stations ( Grasmere and Clifton ). The area was once home to the Rosebank station on the railway's now-defunct South Beach Branch, which was located east of the proposed station site. Several proposals have been made to connect the SIR to the subway system, including the abandoned, unfinished Staten Island Tunnel and
12337-526: The Roselli Brothers. This siding went out of service on June 14, 2011. The track divided in two under Page Avenue, with the rails still in place. The line's right-of-way, an easement on property owned by Nassau Metals, was later used by CSX. Although sections of the old tracks have been removed, others remain in the overgrowth. Sailors%27 Snug Harbor Sailors' Snug Harbor , also known as Sailors Snug Harbor and informally as Snug Harbor ,
12506-584: The SIRT via the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The royal train, which was constructed by Pullman Standard, followed an hour later. These two trains terminated at the Stapleton freight yard, which was cleaned up for the occasion. Each of the trains were hauled back to Cranford Junction by a SIRT switcher after the Queen's motorcade left the yard. The trains, that afternoon, then went south to Baltimore. In November 1957,
12675-625: The SIRT's accumulated debt, and the line was briefly profitable in the 1940s. All East Coast military-hospital trains were handled by the SIRT during the war, and some trains stopped at Staten Island's Arlington station to transfer wounded soldiers to a large military hospital. The need to transport war materiel , POW trains and troops made the stretch of the Baltimore & New York Railway between Cranford Junction and Arthur Kill extremely busy. The B&O also operated special trains for important officials, such as Winston Churchill . On June 25, 1946,
12844-612: The State) decided to maximize the profits on the Manhattan property. They changed the proposed site of the institution to another piece of land bequeathed by Randall: a 130-acre plot on Staten Island overlooking the Kill Van Kull. The land was purchased in May 1831. The institution began with a single building, now the centerpiece in the row of five Greek Revival temple-like buildings on the New Brighton waterfront. The first building, now building C,
13013-733: The Staten Island Botanical Garden, the Staten Island Children's Museum , the Staten Island Museum , the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, and the Noble Maritime Collection, as well as the Art Lab and the Music Hall. The site is considered Staten Island's "crown jewel" and "an incomparable remnant of New York's 19th-century seafaring past." It is a National Historic Landmark District . Several buildings in
13182-680: The Staten Island Expressway. The Robin Road trestle is the only remaining intact trestle along the former line. Developers purchased the land on either side of its abutments during the early 2000s, and the developers, the New York City Department of Transportation , and the New York City Transit Authority all claimed ownership. Townhouses have been built on both sides of the trestle. The Travis Branch , from Arlington Yard to Fresh Kills , runs along
13351-473: The Staten Island Ferry, but would result in passengers spending less time waiting and transferring. The New York City Department of Transportation undertook a study called North Shore Transit Corridor, which proposed using the right-of-way as a guided busway , which would decrease travel times to and from St. George for bus routes from across the island. Specially equipped buses were to enter and leave
13520-599: The Staten Island Railway was completed, and became operated in part by the Morristown and Erie Railway under contract with the State of New Jersey and other companies. The Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge was renovated in 2006 and began regular service on April 2, 2007, sixteen years after the bridge closed. A portion of the North Shore Line was rehabilitated, and the Arlington Yard was expanded. Soon after service restarted on
13689-665: The Staten Island Railway, Arthur Kill , opened on January 21, 2017, and is ADA-compliant. The station is between (and has replaced) the now-demolished Atlantic and Nassau stations, which were in the poorest condition of all the stations on the line. On June 1, 2005, the Staten Island Rapid Transit Police Department was disbanded and its 25 railroad police officers became part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department . The MTA Police Department
13858-505: The United States. Another set of buildings, labeled F through H, are respectively located south of buildings D through B, and are connected to each other and to the buildings immediately north of them. The Great Hall and Music Hall are located east of buildings H through F. South of the Music Hall is the Veteran's Memorial Hall, formerly known as the chapel. A matron's house and a maintenance building are south of buildings H through F and east of
14027-480: The branch continued to carry freight. The third rail on the line was removed by 1955. On October 21, 1957, four years after North Shore Branch passenger trains ended, the very last SIRT special—a train from Washington carrying Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to the Staten Island Ferry from a state meeting in Washington, D.C., with President Eisenhower —crossed the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge . There
14196-505: The branch to continue. In 1956, work began on the replacement of the Arthur Kill swing bridge by a single-track, 558-foot (170 m) vertical-lift bridge , which opened in August 1959. The prefabricated, 2,000-ton bridge was floated into place. The new bridge could rise 135 feet (41 m) and, since it aided navigation on Arthur Kill, the federal government assumed 90% of the project's $ 11 million cost. Freight trains started crossing
14365-533: The branch used tracks 10 through 12 at the Saint George Terminal . Trains originally consisted of two and three cars during the AM and PM rush hours, and one car at other times; by the end of passenger service, trains used only one car. The fares on the branch were collected by the conductor on the train, who had to pull a cord, similar to how it was done with trolleys. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad , which owned
14534-502: The branch, wanted to reduce service on the branch, and eventually abandon it. They purposely looked the other way when conductors skimmed money from the collected fares, allowing them to show a lower ridership to the Interstate Commerce Commission , and in return improve their chances for abandoning the branch. The North Shore branch of the SIRT began at Saint George Terminal, using the northernmost platform and tracks of
14703-580: The bridge when it opened on August 25, 1959. The Travis Branch was extended in 1958 to a new Consolidated Edison power plant in Travis (on the West Shore), allowing coal trains from West Virginia to serve the plant. Operation of the Tottenville line was turned over to the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (a division of the state's Metropolitan Transportation Authority ) on July 1, 1971, and
14872-434: The bridge when it opened on August 25, 1959. The B&O became part of the larger C&O system through a merger with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway . The freight operation on the island was renamed the Staten Island Railroad Corporation in 1971. The B&O and C&O became isolated from their other properties in New Jersey and Staten Island, with the creation of Conrail on April 1, 1976, by merger of bankrupt lines in
15041-424: The card enables free transfers for a continuous ride on the subway and bus systems, for many riders there is effectively no fare for riding the SIR, as long as they do not need to make a second transfer. Riders can also transfer between a Staten Island bus, the SIR and a Manhattan bus (or subway) near South Ferry . Because of this, the SIR's 2001 farebox recovery ratio was 0.16; for every dollar of expense, 16 cents
15210-484: The chapel. The Staten Island Children's Museum and World Trade Center Educational Tribute are in the center of the grounds, south of the maintenance building and matron's house, while the Snug Harbor Administration building is south of the museum. On the west end of the site are five cottages labeled A through E. Buildings A through E are individually listed as landmarks, as are the 131-year-old chapel and
15379-408: The company's employees were laid off . After backlash, service was slightly increased. On September 22, the Interstate Commerce Commission allowed the SIRT to abandon the ferry it had operated for 88 years between Tottenville and Perth Amboy, New Jersey , and the ferry operation was transferred to Sunrise Ferries of Elizabeth, New Jersey on October 16. SIRT discontinued passenger service on
15548-655: The complex are New York City designated landmarks . Snug Harbor was founded through a bequest after the 1801 death of Revolutionary War soldier and ship master Captain Robert Richard Randall , namesake of the nearby neighborhood of Randall Manor . In his will, Randall left his country estate in Manhattan , bounded by Fifth Avenue , Broadway , 10th Street, and the southern side of 8th Street in present-day Greenwich Village , to build an institution to care for "aged, decrepit and worn-out" seamen. The first meeting of
15717-504: The construction of a 500-foot (150 m) swing bridge over the Arthur Kill , after three years of effort by Erastus Wiman. The start of construction was delayed for nine months by the need for approval of the Secretary of War , and another six months due to an injunction from the State of New Jersey . This required construction to continue through the brutal winter of 1888 because Congress had set
15886-464: The corporation of Sailors' Snug Harbor took place in 1806. In its first election, then-Mayor DeWitt Clinton was elected president. Several challenges to Randall's will took place; one by a Stephen Brown who alleged that Randall failed as executor of the estate of his grandfather in New Jersey from which the Randall estate was derived, and one from Anglican Bishop John Inglis of Nova Scotia who alleged he
16055-649: The country. The Sailors' Snug Harbor Archives are preserved at the Stephen B. Luce Library at the State University of New York 's Maritime College in the Bronx . The Snug Harbor Cultural Center and the Staten Island Botanical Garden were established in 1975. The former would operate the buildings, while the latter would maintain the gardens on the grounds. On September 12, 1976, the Snug Harbor Cultural Center
16224-557: The creation of Conrail on April 1, 1976, in a merger of bankrupt lines in the northeastern U.S. Their freight service now terminated in Philadelphia , but for several years afterward B&O locomotives and one B&O freight train a day ran to Cranford Junction . In 1973, the Jersey Central's car float yard was closed; however, the B&O's car-float operation was later brought back to Staten Island at Saint George Yard, after having ended in September 1976. This car-float operation
16393-650: The east of the station, which itself has two tracks and an island platform. Rolling stock consists of modified R44 subway-type cars built in early 1973, added to the end of the R44 order of subway cars for New York City Transit; they were the last cars built by the St. Louis Car Company . They are being replaced by seventy-five R211S subway cars, which entered service on October 8, 2024. The line also has four BL20G locomotives manufactured by Brookville , which were delivered in 2009 and are used for work service. Heavy maintenance
16562-479: The east side of the island. There is currently only one line on the island, and there is no direct rail link between the SIR and the New York City Subway system, but SIR riders do receive a free transfer to New York City Transit bus and subway lines, and the line is included on official New York City Subway maps. Commuters on the railway typically use the Staten Island Ferry to reach Manhattan . The line
16731-461: The exhibit of a houseboat that Noble converted into an artist's studio "compelling... It is a home on the water and an artist's lair all in one, complete with wooden surfaces, portholes, an engineer's bed, a drawing table, and printmaking and etching implements." The New York Sun called the Noble Collection "an unsung gem among New York museums." The Staten Island Children's Museum features
16900-574: The final freight train was operated in April 1992. Afterwards, the North Shore Branch and the Arthur Kill Bridge were taken over by CSX. The right-of-way was sold again in 1994, to the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), whose purchase was followed by a decade of false starts. During the early 2000s, plans for reopening the Staten Island Rapid Transit line in New Jersey were announced by
17069-781: The first phase, St. George would be connected with Arlington Yard, where an intermodal facility could divert express bus and car passengers that went to Manhattan via the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. The second phase would connect the yard with the New Jersey Transit system and the Travis Branch, providing alternate ways of getting to Manhattan and capturing the reverse commuter market from Staten Island to New Jersey. The DCP's Staten Island Reverse Commute UTMA Study projected 419 work trips from Staten Island to Woodbridge and Edison in New Jersey, and expected that number to increase if
17238-625: The freight line connection reopened from New Jersey to the Staten Island Railroad, including the Arthur Kill Bridge. Regular service began on April 2, 2007 (16 years after it had closed) to ship container freight from the Howland Hook Marine Terminal and other industrial businesses. The service at the marine terminal is part of the PANYNJ's ExpressRail system completed with of the single-track Chemical Coast connector. Service
17407-453: The grand facades, are initially perplexing because they fit into no pattern we recognize — they are lined up as if on a street, yet they are set in the landscape of a park. They seem at once to embrace the 19th-century tradition of picturesque design and, by virtue of their rigid linear order, to reject it." The grounds include a 1893 zinc fountain featuring the god Neptune, now indoors with a replica in its place. The New York Times described
17576-426: The guideway at Howland Hook, Morningstar Road, Broadway or Bard Avenue, and operate nonstop to the ferry, or with a local stop near St. George. The study estimated that the guided busway would carry 12,000 passengers in the peak direction in the peak hour, compared to 9,000 for a regular busway, 18,000 for light rail, and 24,000 for heavy rail. The guided busway was estimated to cost $ 20.5 million to construct, lower than
17745-490: The history of Staten Island or Snug Harbor, the Newhouse moved on to a broader focus on contemporary art. Unlike many New York museums, the Newhouse has the space to mount large shows and large works, and can add outdoor sculpture to the mix. The Noble Maritime Collection is a museum in building D, with a particular emphasis on the work of artist/lithographer/sailor John A. Noble (1913–1983). It opened in 2000 after seven years of planning. The Washington Post called
17914-410: The interiors of building C and the chapel. The five main buildings and chapel were made landmarks in 1965; and the building C and chapel interiors in 1982. Building A was designed by Richard Smyth and constructed in 1879. The building consists of two stories as well as a raised basement and an attic, and it is rectangular in plan with a gable roof . The main entrance contains a set of steps underneath
18083-524: The island's West Shore . The branch was built in 1928 to serve Gulf Oil along the Arthur Kill , south from Arlington Yard into the marshes to Gulfport. It was extended to Travis to serve the new Consolidated Edison power plant in 1957. In 2005, the branch was renovated and extended from the old Con Edison plant to the Staten Island Transfer Station at Fresh Kills; regular service to
18252-493: The island's most prominent residents, organized the Staten Island Rapid Transit Company (SIRT) on March 25, 1880, and partnered with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) to build a large rail terminal on the island and centralize the six-to-eight ferry landings. He secured an extension on a land-purchase option from George Law by offering to name it " St. George " after him. Construction of
18421-419: The line entered an open cut, crossing under the Bayonne Bridge approach and continued west to the Arlington Yard and station at South Avenue. Rapid transit service continued via a northern spur to Port Ivory ; freight service passed the current Howland Hook Marine Terminal (adjacent to Port Ivory) and crossed the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge to Cranford Junction in New Jersey. The right-of-way from
18590-536: The line exists today, except for abandoned tracks and supports, much of which has eroded into the kill. Beyond West Brighton near a NYCDEP water pollution control facility, the line rose onto a reinforced concrete trestle known as the Port Richmond Viaduct, crossing Bodine Creek and running for about a mile through the Port Richmond neighborhood. West of Nicholas Avenue near Port Richmond High School ,
18759-887: The line was extended using the Staten Island Railroad Company Line in New Jersey and the Amtrak Northeast Corridor. That same year, the Revitalizing the Staten Island Railroad study was conducted by the New York Cross Harbor Railroad Terminal Corporation, which recommended restoring the line from St. George to Cranford in Union County, New Jersey, with connections at Elizabeth Arch for the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line of New Jersey Transit. In 2001,
18928-466: The line was purchased by the city of New York. As part of the agreement, freight on the line would continue to be handled by the B&O under the Staten Island Railroad. The first six R44 cars (the same as the newest cars then in use on the subway lines in the other boroughs) were put into SIRT service on February 28, 1973, replacing the ME-1 cars which had been in service since 1925. Between 1971 and 1973,
19097-471: The line's primary customer, closed in 1990, resulting in a further decline in freight traffic. On July 25, 1991, the Arthur Kill Bridge was removed from service, and the line's final freight train operated on April 21, 1992. The North Shore Branch and the Arthur Kill Bridge were then taken over by Chessie's successor, CSX Transportation (CSX). The line and bridge were sold again in 1994 to the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), followed by
19266-731: The line, Mayor Michael Bloomberg officially commemorated the reactivation on April 17, 2007. Along the remainder of the North Shore Branch, there are still tracks and rail overpasses in some places. The Regional Plan Association 's A Framework for Transit Planning in the New York Region released in 1986 recommended extending the proposed Second Avenue Subway from Manhattan under Water Street to Staten Island via Liberty State Park in New Jersey. The line would have descended into bedrock at Pine Street, stop at South Ferry, and would have emerged under Liberty State Park in Communipaw, New Jersey with
19435-443: The line. Three afternoon express trains were added to the schedule on April 7, 1999, nearly doubling the previous express service. The express trains skipped stops between St. George and Great Kills. A several-hundred-foot section of the easternmost portion of the North Shore Branch was reopened for passenger service to the Richmond County Bank Ballpark , home of the Staten Island Yankees minor-league baseball team, on June 24, 2001;
19604-568: The line. On February 25, 1937, the Port Richmond–Tower Hill viaduct was completed, becoming the largest grade crossing elimination project in the United States . The viaduct was more than 1 mile (1.6 km) long, and spanned eight grade crossings on the North Shore Branch of the SIRT. The opening of the viaduct marked the final part of a $ 6 million grade crossing elimination project on Staten Island, which eliminated 34 grade crossings on
19773-458: The main hall. Various maritime-themed decorative elements and carvings are located on the ceiling and walls, and there are two clerestory windows on the north and south walls resembling the sun and moon. Building C's interior was renovated in 1884. The rotunda was again restored in the 1990s. Building C houses part of the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art . Building D was designed by Minard Lafever and constructed from 1831 to 1841. It
19942-527: The marshes of the island's western shore to Gulfport in the early 1930s. The Port Richmond–Tower Hill viaduct, the nation's largest grade-crossing-elimination project, was completed on February 25, 1937. The viaduct, more than a mile long, spanned eight grade crossings on the SIRT's North Shore Branch and was the final part of a $ 6 million grade-crossing-elimination project on the island which eliminated thirty-four crossings on its north and south shores. Freight and World War II traffic helped pay some of
20111-434: The mid-1950s, fewer than 200 residents remained. In the 1960s, the institution's trustees proposed to redevelop the site with high-rise buildings; the then-new New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission stepped forward to save the remaining buildings, designating them landmark structures. A series of legal battles ensued, but the validity of landmark designation was ultimately upheld in 1968. The buildings were added to
20280-407: The newly built bridge replaced with a bridge with a different design; according to the railroads, it was an obstruction to navigation of the large numbers of coal barges past Holland Hook on Arthur Kill. In 1897, the terminal at Saint George (which served the railroad and the ferry to Manhattan) was completed. Improvements were made to the SIRT after the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) took control of
20449-467: The north and south shores of Staten Island. While the viaduct was being constructed, service on the branch was operated on one track. With the opening of the viaduct, the stations at Port Richmond and Tower Hill reopened as elevated stations. Arthur S. Tuttle, state director of the PWA, cut ribbons to dedicate the reopened stations, and rode over the 1 mile (1.6 km) of the viaduct and the 7 miles (11 km) of
20618-462: The northeast United States. As a result, their freight service was truncated to Philadelphia , however, for several years afterward, one B&O freight train a day ran to Cranford Junction , with B&O locomotives running through as well. By the year 1973, the Jersey Central's car float yard at Jersey Central was closed. Afterwards, the car float operation of the B&O was brought back to Staten Island at Saint George Yard. This car float operation
20787-477: The northwestern corner of Staten Island, the B&O purchased a farm and renamed it " Arlington "; the B&O built a freight yard on the farm by 1886. The SIR was leased to the B&O for 99 years in 1885. The proceeds of the sale were used to complete the terminal facilities at St. George, pay for 2 miles (3.2 km) of waterfront property, complete the Rapid Transit Railroad, build a bridge over
20956-590: The obstreperous and frequently intoxicated residents of Snug Harbor. The American maritime folk song collector William Main Doerflinger collected a number of songs from residents at Sailors' Snug Harbor which were among those published in his 1951 compilation, "Shantymen and Shantyboys", reprinted in 1972 as "Songs of the Sailorman and Lumberman". In 2004, local performing arts company Sundog Theatre commissioned an original play by Damon DiMarco and Jeffrey Harper about
21125-528: The old right-of-way for bus rapid transit. The 2012 plans included the West Shore/Teleport extension, which would add seven new stations, including two new stops in the vicinity of the former Arlington terminal. In July 2018, the MTA indicated that it was retaining a consultant to advise on an environmental impact assessment for the bus rapid transit line on the North Shore Branch. Staten Island Railway The Staten Island Railway ( SIR )
21294-587: The only two Staten Island Railway stations with turnstiles, received OMNY readers in December 2019. During the early 2000s, plans to reopen the Staten Island Rapid Transit line in New Jersey were announced by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). Since the Central Railroad of New Jersey became a New Jersey Transit line, a new junction would be built to the former Lehigh Valley Railroad . So all New England and southern freight could pass through
21463-485: The original line (from Clifton to Tottenville) was called the Staten Island Railway. In 1886, Congress passed a law authorizing the construction of a 500-foot (150 m) swing bridge over Arthur Kill , after three years of effort by Wiman. The bridge was completed three days early, on June 13, 1888, at 3 p.m. The Arthur Kill Bridge was the world's largest drawbridge when it opened, and there were no fatalities in its construction. In 1889, construction began on
21632-452: The other buildings are at the center of the eastern, western, and southern walls. A staircase on the left (east) side of the main hall, with iron railings and wooden wainscoted walls, connects the first and second floors. The second floor consists of a balcony surrounding the main hall with a cast-iron railing. There are fourteen doorways leading off the second floor balcony. The vaulted ceiling rises from brackets at all four corners of
21801-682: The past, passengers had avoided paying the fare by exiting at Tompkinsville and walking a short distance to the St. George Ferry Terminal. As a result, the MTA installed turnstiles at Tompkinsville and a new station building, which opened on January 20, 2010. On October 23, 2017, it was announced that the MetroCard would be phased out and replaced by OMNY , a contactless fare payment system also by Cubic, with fare payment being made using Apple Pay , Google Pay , debit/credit cards with near-field communication technology, or radio-frequency identification cards. The St. George and Tompkinsville stations,
21970-568: The plaintiffs. By the time the will challenge was settled, the once-rural land around the Manhattan estate had become well-developed. Snug Harbor's trustees (appointed by Randall's will, they included the mayor of New York City, the president and vice president of the Marine Society, senior ministers of the Episcopal and Presbyterian Churches, the head of the Chamber of Commerce, and the chancellor of
22139-493: The possibility of a rail belt line around the island. Mayor Michael Bloomberg included reactivation of the North Shore line in his 2009 campaign for mayor, and the MTA hired SYSTRA Consulting in 2009 to think of further options for the North Shore Line's right-of-way. An approximately 1-mile (1.6 km) portion of the western end is used for freight service as part of the Howland Hook Marine Terminal transloading system called ExpressRail , which opened in 2007 and connects to
22308-461: The project. The line uses NYC Transit-standard 600 V DC third-rail power. Trains run up to 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) in passenger service, although trains are limited to 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) on tail tracks, sidings and in yards. Demetrius Crichlow has been the railway's president and chief officer since his appointment in October 2024. The workforce, about 200 hourly employees ,
22477-435: The property of the B&NY and merged it with the Staten Island Railway. The line had been worked with B&O and SIRT equipment since it opened in 1890. By 1949, there were no longer any staffed offices along the line except at Arlington. All of the stations on the line, with the exception of Harbor Road, Lake Avenue, Livingston and Snug Harbor, had waiting rooms and agents. The stations without waiting rooms were flag stops ;
22646-589: The property, built in the mid-19th century in the Greek Revival style, is designated as a city landmark. Several gates flanked by granite posts were embedded in the fence. The grounds are accessed by numerous gatehouses that date to the period between 1851 and 1875. They are designed in the Italianate , Second Empire , and Romanesque styles. The main vehicular entrance is the western gatehouse, which dates from 1880. The northern gatehouse on Richmond Terrace
22815-561: The railroad and ferry were in receivership . On September 17, 1872, the company was sold to George Law in foreclosure . The following April 1, the Staten Island Rail Road was transferred to the Staten Island Railway Company. By 1880 the railway was barely operational, and New York State sued (through Attorney General Hamilton Ward ) to dissolve the company in May of that year. Erastus Wiman , one of
22984-539: The reactivation on April 17, 2007. As of 2019, the New York City Department of Sanitation's contractor was moving containers of municipal solid waste by barge from Queens and Manhattan to the Howland Hook Marine Terminal for transfer to rail there. Along the remainder of the North Shore Branch, there are still tracks and rail overpasses in some places. Elected officials on Staten Island, including State Senator Diane Savino , have demanded
23153-402: The rear is a one-story extension with an office and sacristy . The chapel has stained glass windows inside. Inside is a rectangular space that could fit 600 people. The space also contains wooden pews and wainscoted walls. The coved ceiling has a recessed panel with two lamps. A gallery on the north end is supported by two cast-iron columns and has recessed wood paneling. An apse at
23322-647: The replacement of the railway's aging R44 cars. Although the Metropolitan Transportation Authority initially planned to order R179s for the Staten Island Railway, it was later decided to overhaul R46s to replace the R44s. However, the R46 overhaul plan was also dropped, and 75 R211S cars will replace the R44s. In the meantime, the R44s are receiving intermittent rounds of scheduled maintenance to extend their usefulness until at least 2025. There has been discussion of building an in-fill station in
23491-476: The route project in a two car train. The project eliminated 37 grade crossings including ones at several dangerous intersections and the 8-foot-high (2.4 m) crossing over Bodine Creek. Around this time, the Lake Avenue and Harbor Road stations were constructed. In the 1940s, freight and World War II traffic helped pay off some of the debt the SIRT had accumulated, briefly making the SIRT profitable. During
23660-512: The second World War, all of the east coast military hospital trains were handled by the SIRT, with some trains stopping at Arlington on Staten Island to transfer wounded soldiers to a large military hospital. The need to transport war material, POW trains, and troops, made the stretch of the Baltimore & New York Railway between Cranford Junction and the Arthur Kill extremely busy. The B&O also operated special trains for important officials such as Winston Churchill . In 1945, SIRT purchased
23829-508: The service was discontinued on June 18, 2010. A new station building at Tompkinsville opened on January 20, 2010, with turnstiles installed to prevent passengers from exiting (free of charge) at Tompkinsville and walking the short distance to the St. George ferry terminal. Although the Staten Island Railway originally consisted of three lines, only the north-south Main Line is in passenger service. It has been grade-separated from all roads since
23998-527: The sole Staten Island-to-Manhattan ferry operator on the East Shore , his first involvement in a railroad. The line was completed to Tottenville on June 2, 1860. Under the leadership of Vanderbilt's brother, Jacob H. Vanderbilt, the Staten Island Rail Road took over several independent ferries. The Staten Island Railway and ferry line made a modest profit until the explosion of the ferry Westfield at Whitehall Street Terminal on July 30, 1871. By July 1872,
24167-420: The south end surrounds a raised former altar area. At the center of an apse is a doorway to the office, which has plastered walls with bookcases built into them, as well as a stone fireplace. When built, the main entrance was through a central round arch at the front, which was topped by a pediment surrounded by Doric pilasters. A round-arched window and lintel flanked either side of the main entrance, while
24336-485: The station became the 50th MTA rapid transit station to accept them. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) restored the line's original name on April 2 of that year as the MTA Staten Island Railway (SIR). On July 4, 1997, the MTA eliminated fares for travel between Tompkinsville and Tottenville as part of the year's "One City, One Fare" fare reductions. United Transportation Union Local 1440,
24505-488: The station. The remainder of the North Shore Branch, to its terminus at Erastina , was opened in the summer of 1886. On January 1, 1888, the South Beach Branch opened for passenger service to Arrochar . In 1893, the South Beach Branch was extended from Arrochar to a new terminal at South Beach . The new lines opened by the B&O were known as the Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway, and
24674-414: The statue as sitting "in the middle, astride a shell held aloft by sea monsters, his trident raised. Jets of water spurt from the fountain's center and from bouquets of metal calla lilies to its sides." Also on the grounds is a bronze statue of Robert Randall by Augustus Saint-Gaudens . An iron railing surrounds the property. About 1 ⁄ 3 mile (0.54 km) of the fence on the northern edge of
24843-437: The terminal. After running through the St. George Freight Yard (near the modern Ballpark Station ), the line ran on the shore of the Kill Van Kull from New Brighton to West Brighton . The line ran on land between St. George and New Brighton, and on a ballast-filled wood trestle supported by a wood retaining wall through Livingston and West Brighton. Though the right-of-way is distinguishable, little evidence of this portion of
25012-528: The train would only stop if there was someone waiting at the station. The station at Port Ivory, which was used for workers of the Procter & Gamble Plant and was only open for the morning and evening rush hour, closed around the year 1950. SIRT discontinued passenger service on the North Shore Branch to Arlington at midnight on March 31, 1953, along with service on the South Beach Branch . Passenger service had ceased because of city-operated bus competition, though
25181-409: The tunnel was never built. During the 1920s, a branch line along Staten Island's West Shore was built to haul building materials for the Outerbridge Crossing . The branch was cut back to a point south of the crossing after the bridge was built. The Gulf Oil Corporation opened a dock and tank farm along Arthur Kill in 1928; to serve it, the Travis Branch was built south from Arlington Yard into
25350-484: The two trains had to be reconfigured. Done at the Camp, the two diesel locomotives in the front were dropped from the two consists, allowing the trains to pass over the bridge, which had a limited load capacity. Awaiting the return of the equipment from Staten Island, the two diesel trains were sent to Cranford Junction. On the morning of October 21, the press train, consisting of 10 cars, left the Camp in New Jersey and traveled to
25519-399: The union representing SIR employees, was concerned about the fare reduction in part because of an expected increase in ridership. No turnstiles were installed at the other stations on the line, and passengers at St. George began paying when entering and exiting; fares had previously been collected on board by the conductor. The removal of fares was blamed for an immediate spike in crime along
25688-548: Was a "transitional" building, with stylistic elements mainly rooted in Italianate architecture as well as some elements of Greek Revival architecture . The design of the chapel is based on that of a typical New England church. The chapel contains a gable roof. The front entrance consists of a tower with a belfry projecting from the front end of the chapel. The entrance leads to a plaster-walled vestibule with three round arches and three plaques. The brick facade has six round-arched windows on each side, separated by pilasters . At
25857-671: Was a proper collateral heir through his common ancestor John Crooke. The corporation was ironically legally represented by Thomas Addis Emmet , a former member of the Society of United Irishmen , an organization inspired by the success of the American Revolution to fight the British in Ireland. Future President Martin Van Buren also served on the defense team, and Daniel Webster provided counsel to
26026-425: Was a royal train and a press train and they traveled over the Reading Railroad and the B&O to get to Camp Kilmer in New Jersey. Since British royalty was being transported, the movement was done in secrecy with high security. The trains reached the Camp by traveling via the Port Reading Branch of the Reading Railroad. In order to travel to Staten Island, which required traveling over the Arthur Kill swing bridge,
26195-522: Was allocated for an analysis of Staten Island light rail . The North Shore Branch closed to passenger service at midnight on March 31, 1953. A small portion of the western end is used for freight service as part of the ExpressRail intermodal network at the Howland Hook Marine Terminal . The network, which opened in 2007, connects to the Chemical Coast after crossing the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge . The North Shore Branch served Procter & Gamble , United States Gypsum , shipbuilders and
26364-409: Was an administration building while the remaining structures were dormitories. The buildings are parallel to each other, but due to the differing facade designs, buildings B and D appear to be set back from buildings A, C, and E. They were regarded in one book as "the most ambitious moment of the classic revival in the United States" and the "most extraordinary" suite of Greek temple-style buildings in
26533-558: Was created in 1998 with the merger of the Long Island Rail Road Police Department and the Metro-North Railroad Police Department. The MTA Police Department then opened its newest patrol district, Police District #9, which began covering the Staten Island Railway. The cash fare is $ 2.90, the same fare as the New York City Subway and MTA buses . Fares are paid on entry and exit only at St. George and Tompkinsville . Rides not originating or terminating at St. George or Tompkinsville are free. Fares are payable by MetroCard or OMNY . Since
26702-435: Was damaged in 2014, and the building is not open to the public as of 2018 . The buildings are set in extensive, landscaped grounds. There are five gates, two of which are vehicular gates, and the other three of which are used by pedestrians only. The vehicular gates are the west gate on Snug Harbor Road and the east gate on Tysen Street. The others are the north gate on Richmond Terrace, the south gate on Henderson Avenue, and
26871-477: Was founded as a retirement home for sailors after Captain Robert Richard Randall bequeathed funds for that purpose upon his 1801 death. Snug Harbor opened in 1833 as a sailors' retirement home located within what is now Building C, and additional structures were built on the grounds in later years. The buildings became a cultural center after the sailors' home moved away in 1976. The grounds and buildings are operated by Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden,
27040-413: Was governor of Snug Harbor. In 1890, Captain Gustavus Trask , the governor of Snug Harbor, built a Renaissance Revival church, the Randall Memorial Chapel and, next to it, a music hall, both designed by Robert W. Gibson . At its peak in the late 19th century, about 1,000 retired sailors lived at Snug Harbor, then one of the wealthiest charities in New York. Its Washington Square area properties yielded
27209-424: Was inspired by Vita Sackville-West 's famous garden at Sissinghurst . Connie Gretz's Secret Garden was dedicated in 2000 with funding from local resident Randy Gretz, in honor of his late wife; it contains a castle, a maze and walled secret garden. The New York Chinese Scholar's Garden , an authentic, walled, Chinese garden , was built in 1998 in the style of the famous gardens of Suzhou . Established in 1977,
27378-471: Was leased to the B&O for 99 years in 1885. Proceeds of the lease were used to complete the terminal at Saint George, pay for two miles of waterfront property, complete the Rapid Transit Railroad, build a bridge over the Kill Van Kull at Elizabethport , and build other terminal facilities. The North Shore Branch opened for service on February 23, 1886, to Elm Park . The Saint George terminal opened on March 7, 1886, and all SIR lines were extended to
27547-478: Was opened to the public. In 2008, the Cultural Center and the Staten Island Botanical Garden merged to become the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden . The five interlocking Greek Revival buildings at Snug Harbor are located on the northern end of the grounds, near Richmond Terrace, and are known as buildings A through E from west to east. The five buildings were designed by Minard Lafever and Richard Smyth, and constructed from 1831 to 1880. Building C
27716-403: Was originally an administrative building, though it also included bedrooms, kitchens, dining rooms, washrooms, and recreational rooms. The portico entrance leads to a main hall that is 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 stories high, with a vaulted ceiling containing a dome in the center, as well as ash floors. Nine doorways lead from the main hall to other rooms on the first floor, while the three passageways to
27885-494: Was recovered in fares (the lowest ratio of MTA agencies). The low farebox recovery ratio is part of the reason the MTA sought to merge the SIR with the subway to form MTA Subways in October 2002: to simplify accounting and subsidy of a single line. Before the 1997 introduction of the one-fare zone, with the MetroCard's free transfers from the SIR to the subway system and MTA buses, fares were collected from passengers boarding at stops other than St. George by onboard conductors. In
28054-442: Was taken over by the New York Dock Railway in September 1979, and was ended the following year. Only a few isolated industries on Staten Island were using rail service for freight, meaning that the yard at Saint George was essentially abandoned. In April 1985, the Chessie System sold the railway to the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYS&W), a subsidiary of the Delaware Otsego Corporation (DO), for $ 1.5 million via
28223-408: Was taken over by the New York Dock Railway in September 1979, and ended the following year. Only a few isolated industries on Staten Island continued to use rail services, and the yard at Saint George was essentially abandoned. In April 1985, as a result of a decline in freight traffic, the Chessie System sold the Staten Island Railway to the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYS&W),
28392-421: Was the first known work to be designed by Minard Lafever and completed in August 1833. When Sailors' Snug Harbor opened with the completion of building C, it became the country's first home for retired merchant seamen. The residents were referred to as "inmates" in the parlance of the day. From 1867 to 1884, Captain Thomas Melville , a retired sea captain and brother of Moby-Dick author Herman Melville ,
28561-418: Was the preferred option for its cost and relative ease of implementation, which would require $ 352 million in capital investment. The analysis evaluated the alternatives according to their ability to "Improve Mobility", "Preserve and Enhance the Environment, Natural Resources and Open Space", and "Maximize Limited Financial Resources for the Greater Public Benefit". Since 2015, the MTA has been planning to utilize
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