Tottenville
Arthur Kill opened on January 21, 2017 and as of January 2024, whether it can be called New York City’s newest subway station (it opened 3 weeks after the Second Avenue subway opened) is debatable as part of the question of is the Staten Island Railway a NYC subway Line? Reasons for yes: it’s on the subway map, operates as a rapid transit line under the Department of Subways, uses slightly modified subway cars. Reason for no it was devolped as part of the national railway network (although this connection has been severed), its own union and other direct operations staff. It’s a question I don’t have a good answer too.
The modern station is located at street level just east of the overpass bridge of Arthur Kill Road. The station was built as part of the replacement of the nearby Atlantic and Nassau stations. The new station is roughly 700 feet in the middle and from each of the two now demolished former stations. The new station was built to provide faster service (trains could only open one door of the last car, that was keyed open by the conductor at these two stations) and provide an ADA accessible station. 150 additional parking spaces for railway riders were also added.
The station is located at street-level with two 300 foot-long side platforms for trains that begin just west of the bridge across the tracks of Arthur Kill Road. Arthur Kill Road then goes downhill and runs parallel to the south side of the railway. These platforms are slightly offset from one another (about a car length) with the St. George-bound platform running farther west than the Tottenville-bound platform. These two side platforms have their only entrances at the southern end of the Tottenville-bound platform, and towards the southern end of the St. George-bound platform.
These single entrances are both under a fully enclosed with glass (and artwork) pedestrian bridge with the steel framework painted a cream color. Off the pedestrian bridge are two, quite long, ADA accessible ramps (that contain two switchbacks) and a staircase down to each platform. The ramps are covered and nearly fully enclosed by glass windscreens.
The main entrance area is along the St. George-bound platform. Here, at the same level as the platform there are bike racks and a small all concrete entrance plaza that leads out to a pedestrian traffic light across Arthur Kill Road. Directly across is the entrance to the station’s 150 space Park-and-ride lot, with two entrances, one on each side of the lot from Arthur Kill Road.
Just south of the crosswalk is a set of bus stops for the S78 bus. The stop on the Tottenville-bound side of Arthur Kill Road, next to the railway station is a conventional turn off for buses to stop and not block traffic (there’s no street parking along Arthur Kill Road) but the stop for Bricktown Mall-bound buses is in a proper bus turn-off with a little median between the bus stop and street.
The Tottenville-bound platform has its own entrance accessed via a short staircase and a continuation of its ramp, via another switchback, down to Ellis Street. This entrance leads down to a grassy plaza with some bike racks. These are across Ellis Street from some warehouses and light industry, including an Access-A-Ride contractors depot.
The Tottenville-bound platform has just a tiny canopy hanging with the back of its enclosed by glass ramp providing a windscreen for two benches. The St. George-bound platform shows the SIR has double-down on early ‘90s glass block with a small but slightly larger than the Tottenville-bound platform wind-screened area covered by a canopy that runs about half a car length from the one platform entrance.
Photos 1-32: June 22, 2015; 33-76: November 28, 2023;
Arts For Transit at Arthur Kill
Tottenville Sun, Tottenville Sky, 2016
Laminated Glass
By Jenna Lucente
