Staten Island Railway debuts first new station in nearly 50 years

This past Saturday, the Staten Island Railway (SIR) debuted a brand new station—the first in almost 50 years, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced. The Arthur Kill station, as it’s known, replaced the existing Nassau and Atlantic Stations along the line in Tottenville, Staten Island’s southern most neighborhood.

Built at a cost of $27.4 million, the construction of this station was largely prompted by the fact that the Nassau and Atlantic stations were smaller and weren’t fully equipped to handle the new fleet of trains now operated by the SIR.

The Arthur Kill Station is part of a larger $386 million investment in the SIR that’s coming out of the MTA 2015-2019 Capital Program. The funds will go towards the replacement of the some of the fleet, to build countdown clocks on all stations along the railway, carry out station repairs, enhance the radio equipment, and build three new power substations.

At the Arthur Kill station, the northbound and southbound platforms are connected by an overhead structure. The overpass connecting the two sides is covered with canopies and windscreens—the latter of the two have been used by local artist Jenna Lucente to create 28 laminated glass panels that depict the wildlife and landscape that are unique to the area.

Check out a video of new station below:

The new station is located on Arthur Kill road between Lion Street and Bernard Avenue and comes with a 150-spot parking lot. The station is ADA-compliant, and provides transfers to the S78 bus route. Previously trains making stops at Nassau and Atlantic only had single-door boarding, but with this new station, customers are able to board through all doors.

“The new Arthur Kill station offers more transportation options to Staten Island residents by giving motorists the choice to leave the driving to us and take Staten Island Railway,” MTA Chairman Thomas F. Prendergast, said in a statement. “This station reinforces the Governor’s commitment to all parts of our transportation network. We know our customers here want more choices, and we are working hard to improve their options.”

The new Arthur Kill station has been in the works since the 1990s, according to DNAinfo, which reports that the project broke ground in 2013, and was supposed to be complete by 2015. Hurricane Sandy and the subsequent design implemented in the aftermath delayed the project until its opening this past weekend.

• Long-Delayed Arthur Kill Staten Island Railway to Open Saturday [DNAinfo]