LRT, BRT studied as Staten Island options

Written by Douglas John Bowen

MTA New York City Transit has scheduled its final open house for May 10 to gather public comments as the Staten Island North Shore Alternatives Analysis Study nears completion. Light rail and Bus Rapid Transit are among the options examined.

“Passenger rail service on the Staten Island North Shore Branch ended in 1953. Freight service ended in 1989,” notes NYCT. “The right-of-way has remained largely untouched since then. The AA study, funded by the Staten Island Borough President’s Office, has been examining and evaluating potential modes of travel, including: light rail, such as Hudson-Bergen Light Rail [Transit, or HBLRT, pictured at left] and Bus Rapid Transit service, among others.”

Attendees at the open house, which will be held at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, may offer suggestions as NYCT announces results of its study.

Last fall MTA NYCT culled three final options from a list of seven alternatives; those options included LRT, BRT, and improved bus service. The LRT option would run between St. George and Arlington, with trains continuing to West Shore Plaza along South Avenue, in mixed traffic with road vehicles.

Staten Island is not served by the city’s subway network, though MTA NYCT does provide Staten Island Railway service along the borough’s eastern shore, which links with Staten Island ferry service to and from Manhattan.

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