St. George Terminal

St. George Terminal is a ferry, railway, bus, and park and ride transit center in the St. George neighborhood of Staten Island, New York City. It is located at the intersection of Richmond Terrace and Bay Street, near Staten Island Borough Hall, Richmond County Bank Ballpark and Richmond County Supreme Court. St. George is one of the few remaining rail-sea connections in the United States.

History

A new ferry and rail terminal at the St. George site (then called St. George's Landing) and an extension of the Staten Island Railway (then called Staten Island Rapid Transit or SIRT) north from Vanderbilt's Landing (today's Clifton Station) had been proposed in the 1870s by the owners of the Staten Island Railroad, George Law, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Erastus Wiman, to replace the various ferry sites on the north and east shores Staten Island. St. George was selected due to it being the closest point from Staten Island to Manhattan, approximately a 5 miles (8.0 km) distance. The name of the terminal and the local neighborhood were renamed to St. George in honor of Law, allegedly as a concession by Wiman in order to build the terminal and connecting tunnel on land owned by Law. An extension of the line to Tompkinsville was opened in 1884, and the underground tunnel between Tompkinsville and the terminal was constructed from 1884 to 1885. The ferry terminal was opened in early 1886, while the rail terminal opened in March of that year. The terminal's entrance building would be opened in 1897.

The St. George rail terminal as originally built was constructed of wood, with no overhead obstructions. Adjacent to the station was a large freight terminal called the St. George Yard, where the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's freight operations exchanged with car floats to other terminals in the New York Harbor. The B&O also operated the SIRT and ferries under a 99-year lease signed in 1885. A trolley terminal for the Staten Island Electric Company was formerly located above the ferryhouse.

The St. George tunnel was lengthened in 1905. It was built with two portals at its north end; one on the geographic east side currently in use by the SIR, and an additional western portal intended for the Staten Island Tunnel, which would have traveled across the Narrows and connected to the New York City Subway's BMT Fourth Avenue Line in Brooklyn. In 1923 an excavation shaft for the Narrows tunnel was constructed at the south end of the terminal near Shore Road, though construction was halted in 1925.

On June 25, 1946, a large fire destroyed both the wooden ferry and rail terminals. Full service was restored in July of that year. A new facility was built by the city, opening on June 8, 1951, which led the tunneling shaft to be filled in. The new facility cost $21 million. The former freight yard was replaced by a NYCDOT Municipal Parking Lot when the new terminal opened, and is now also the site of the Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

The station served as the northern (eastern) terminus for the SIR North Shore Branch to Arlington and Port Ivory until its closure in 1953. The line used tracks 11 and 12 on the north end of the terminal, which are currently unused.

Plans for a renovation of the ferry terminal were announced in March 1997, and it received renovations in the 2000s as part of a $300 million renovation of several ferry terminals in the area, including the St. George and Whitehall Terminals. Currently, St. George hosts a direct rail-sea connection, one of a few left in the United States.

Ferry terminal

St. George Terminal is the southern terminal of the Staten Island Ferry; it runs only to Whitehall Terminal, on the southern tip of Manhattan near Battery Park. The Staten Island Ferry runs a 24-hour service between the two. During rush hours, ferries usually run at 15-to-20-minute intervals, decreasing to 30 minutes during the mid-days and evenings. For a few hours during the early morning, usually 12 a.m. to 6 a.m., a ferry is provided once every 30 minutes. During the weekends ferries run every 30 minutes. In November 2006, additional ferries running every 30 minutes were provided during the weekend morning hours, the most significant change in the ferry schedule for about three decades. In 2015, weekend-morning and late-night frequencies were increased to every thirty minutes.

In January 2019, NYC Ferry announced that it would start operating its St. George route. The route would run from the St. George ferry terminal to Battery Park City Ferry Terminal and West Midtown Ferry Terminal in Manhattan. Service on this route will begin in 2020.

Staten Island Railway station

 St. George
 
Staten Island Railway station (rapid transit)
Entrance to SIR station in St. George Terminal.
Station statistics
Address One Bay Street
Staten Island, NY 10301
Borough Staten Island
Locale St. George
Coordinates
Services Local  (All times)
Express  (Rush hours in peak direction only)
Transit connections Staten Island Ferry at St. George Terminal
New York City Bus local routes: S40, S42, S44, S46, S48, S51, S52, S61, S62, S66, S74, S76, S78
New York City Bus limited-stop routes: S81, S84, S86, S90, S91, S92, S94, S96, S98
Structure Open-cut
Platforms 6 island platforms (5 in regular service)
Tracks 12 (10 in regular service)
Other information
Opened March 7, 1886; 133 years ago (1886-03-07)
Station code 501
Accessible ADA-accessible
Station succession
Next north (Terminal)
Richmond County Bank Ballpark (Closed)
Next south Tompkinsville
Next north None
Next south Dongan Hills

The rail station, signed as St. George, which opened on March 7, 1886, is the northern terminus of the main line of the Staten Island Railway. Service is provided 24 hours a day, every day. It is also one of two stations that require the US$2.75 fare on entry and exit, the other being Tompkinsville. This station is handicapped accessible and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

This station is situated in an open cut below street level, with a four-lane bus terminal and parking lot above it. The station has five active platforms and ten tracks, numbered 1 through 10 from east to west. All tracks end at bumper blocks at their railroad northern (geographic eastern) ends. There is also a sixth island platform with two additional tracks (11 and 12) to the west (geographic north) no longer in revenue service, which historically served the SIRT's North Shore Branch. It currently acts as a passageway to the North Municipal Parking Field on Richmond Terrace, and towards Richmond County Bank Ballpark, one of two access points to this station. The track ballast is present through this construction zone. The mezzanine area has separate fare control areas: the east side for passengers entering, and the west side is for passengers exiting. Station booths and MetroCard vending machines are located on both sides. Just before each platform bay are the old destination indicators to the left and right of each platform entrance, corresponding to each departing track. There are green bulbs above these displays that indicate where the next train will be leaving from. This station originally opened with nothing overhead; no bus bays and no ramps. It was the site of a 1946 fire that nearly destroyed the terminal.

Just south of the station towards Tompkinsville, the SIR runs in the system's only tunnel, known as the St. George Tunnel.

Station layout

Station layout
G Street level Exit/Entrance, bus terminal, to Staten Island Ferry
North side elevator (Elevator PE-W) accesses bus/taxi, ferry, and SIR platform levels. South side elevator (Elevator PE-S) accesses passenger drop-off and ferry levels.
P
Platforms
Track 12 No regular service (No service: Richmond County Bank Ballpark)
Island platform, not in service
Track 11 No regular service (No service: Richmond County Bank Ballpark)
Track 10 No regular service
Island platform, not in service
Track 9 No regular service
Track 8 No regular service
Island platform, not in service
Track 7 No regular service
Track 6 Tottenville toward Tottenville PM rush hours (Great Kills)
Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
Track 5 Tottenville toward Tottenville PM rush hours (Great Kills)
Track 4 Tottenville toward Great Kills PM rush hours, Tottenville other times (Tompkinsville)
Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
Track 3 Tottenville toward Great Kills PM rush hours, Tottenville other times (Tompkinsville)
Track 2 Tottenville toward Great Kills PM rush hours, Tottenville other times (Tompkinsville)
Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
Track 1 Tottenville toward Great Kills PM rush hours, Tottenville other times (Tompkinsville)

New York City Bus

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates a number of bus routes in Staten Island, New York, United States. Some of them are the direct descendants of streetcar lines (see list of streetcar lines in Staten Island).

Departures are given below by loading bay.

Ramp Routes Destination Notes
A S61 LocalS91 Limited Staten Island Mall
  • S61 full-time
  • S91 PM rush-only limited-stop service.
S62 LocalS92 Limited Travis
via College of Staten Island
  • S62 all times.
  • S92 PM rush-only limited-stop service.
S66 Port Richmond
  • Weekdays only.
  • Via Grymes Hill.
S78 Charleston
Bricktown Center Mall
  • S78 all times.
  • Stopped at Ramp D prior to June 27, 2010 service reductions
B S51 LocalS81 Limited Grant City
via South Beach
  • S51 all times.
  • S81 PM rush-only limited-stop service.
S74 LocalS84 Limited Charleston
Bricktown Center Mall
  • S74 all times.
  • S84 PM rush-only limited-stop service.
S76 LocalS86 Limited Oakwood
  • S76 weekdays only.
  • S86 PM rush-only limited-stop service.
C S46 LocalS96 Limited Chelsea
West Shore Plaza
  • S46 all times.
  • S96 PM rush-only limited-stop service.
S48 LocalS98 Limited Arlington
  • S48 all times.
  • S98 PM rush-only limited-stop service.
D S40 LocalS90 Limited Old Place
Goethals Homes
  • S40 all times.
  • S90 PM rush-only limited-stop service.
S44 LocalS94 Limited Staten Island Mall
via Port Richmond
  • S44 full-time.
  • S94 PM rush-only limited-stop service.
S42 New Brighton
  • Runs rush hours and evenings only
  • Stopped at Ramp C prior to June 27, 2010 service reductions
S52 South Beach
Staten Island University Hospital

Nearby attractions

  • Empire Outlets
  • National Lighthouse Museum
  • Richmond County Bank Ballpark
  • St. George Theatre
  • Staten Island September 11th Memorial

External links

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Tips & Hints
Arrange By:
Andre Rocha
3 January 2017
Free boat ride with an excellent view of Manhattan, Liberty Statue and Ellis Island. Also: no lines at all and conveniently located in a subway station.
NYC Percent for Art
26 September 2012
Michael Falco's amazing mural, "Where Marsh Meets the Sea," is made up of hundreds of images photographed in Staten Island. Find time to check it out next time you're passing through.
Foursquare Insiders
11 September 2015
"What could be more glam than riding back and forth—in your new outfits, with your new personas—on the Staten Island Ferry? Plus, gorgeous views of Manhattan and the bridges." - Simon Doonan, author
ℳ????????♍
27 January 2019
Catch a free ride to Staten Island. The ferry departs every 30mins and takes about 25mins. Great views of lower Manhattan and you can sail by the Statue of Liberty. Tons of seating indoor and outdoor
A5ma_
2 August 2019
One of the best free touristic attractions in NY. Best time to take the ferry is when the sun is setting. The views are breathtaking.
Lluis Altimires
30 December 2015
Great way to see the Statue of Liberty and the Skyline of Manhattan.
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71,365 people have been here
Map
St George Ferry/S62 & S92, Staten Island, NY 10301, USA Get directions
Thu 7:00 AM–9:00 AM
Fri 7:00 AM–9:00 AM
Sat 10:00 AM–9:00 PM
Sun 10:00 AM–7:00 PM
Mon 7:00 AM–9:00 AM
Tue 7:00 AM–9:00 AM

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