New Brighton station (Staten Island Railway)

New Brighton was a station on the abandoned North Shore Branch of the Staten Island Railway. It had two tracks and two side platforms. It was located in the New Brighton section of Staten Island, at the north end of Westervelt Avenue and Richmond Terrace (near Jersey Street).[2] It was the closest original North Shore station to the Saint George Terminal, 0.7 miles (1.1 km) from the station.[3]

New Brighton
Former Staten Island Railway station
General information
LocationWestervelt Avenue & Richmond Terrace
Staten Island
Coordinates40.6469°N 74.0893°W / 40.6469; -74.0893 (New Brighton station)
Line(s)North Shore Branch
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
History
OpenedFebruary 23, 1886 (1886-02-23)
ClosedMarch 31, 1953 (1953-03-31)
Previous namesWestervelt Avenue[1]
Former services
Preceding station Staten Island Railway Following station
Sailors' Snug Harbor
toward Port Ivory
 North Shore Branch St. George
Terminus

History

The station opened on February 23, 1886 along with the rest of the North Shore branch west to Elm Park.[2][4][5] The station was located near the edge of the Kill Van Kull, several feet below street level.[2][6][7][8] The southernmost (St. George-bound) platform was constructed directly at the rear of apartment buildings. A wooden stationhouse, signed "NEW BRIGHTON R.R. STATION," was located at street level at the foot of Westervelt Avenue between the buildings. The stationhouse led to an overpass and stairs down to the northern (west-bound) platform. Canopies were located at the eastern end of the station. West of the station, the line crossed Jersey Street at-grade.[2]

The New Brighton station is referred to as Westervelt Avenue on the map of the 1939 IND Second System plan, which would have connected the SIRT to subway lines in Brooklyn via the incomplete Staten Island Tunnel; New Brighton would have been the last stop on the North Shore Branch before entering the tunnel.[1][9]

The station was closed and abandoned on March 31, 1953, along with the other passenger stations on the North Shore Branch.[2][4] No trace of the station exist today. In the late 1990s, the Bank Street Bridge, which crossed over the line from Richmond Terrace near Jersey Street,[2] was eliminated due to safety issues.[10] Around that same time, Bank Street was extended east of Jersey Street adjacent to the former SIR right-of-way and parallel to Richmond Terrace, to provide access to the parking lot for the Richmond County Bank Ballpark.[10] As of 2015, there are plans to reconstruct the bridge.[11]

New Brighton is one of the stations to be returned to operation under the proposals for reactivation of the North Shore branch for rapid transit, light rail, or bus rapid transit service. The potential station site has been moved farther west between Franklin and Lafayette Avenues, currently used by a farmer's market and the Atlantic Salt corporation; the latter owns the North Shore right-of-way east to Bank Street.[12][6]

References
  1. Roger P. Roess; Gene Sansone (August 23, 2012). The Wheels That Drove New York: A History of the New York City Transit System. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 416–417. ISBN 978-3-642-30484-2.
  2. Pitanza, Marc (2015). Staten Island Rapid Transit Images of Rail. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4671-2338-9.
  3. Office of Diane J. Savino (2013). "State Senator Diane J. Savino's 2013 Staten Island Railway Rider Report" (PDF). nysenate.gov. New York State Senate. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  4. Leigh, Irvin; Matus, Paul (January 2002). "State Island Rapid Transit: The Essential History". thethirdrail.net. The Third Rail Online. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  5. Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences (1916). Proceedings - Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences, Volumes 5-6. New Brighton, New York: Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  6. "North Shore Alternatives Analysis: Rail Alignment Drawings Arlington-St. George" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  7. "North Shore Alternatives Analysis: Public Meeting THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 7:00 p.m." (PDF). zetlin.com. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 22, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  8. "NORTH SHORE 2030: Improving and Reconnecting the North Shore's Unique and Historic Assets" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Economic Development Corporation, New York City Department of City Planning. December 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  9. Project for Expanded Rapid Transit Facilities, New York City Transit System, dated July 5, 1939
  10. "BANK STREET BRIDGE". forgotten-ny.com. Forgotten New York. December 21, 1999. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  11. Office of the Mayor of New York City (2015). "The City of New York Executive Budget Fiscal Year 2016: Bill de Blasio, Mayor" (PDF). Government of New York City. Government of New York City. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  12. "NYCT NORTH SHORE ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS: Alternatives Analysis Report" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. August 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
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