ExCon90 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 02, 2022 10:23 pm
I don't know enough about tunnel engineering to have an opinion, but I believe the plan was to connect SIRT to the BMT Fourth Avenue line, possibly at 95th St., and the equipment ordered for SIRT was compatible. That would have made a long haul even to Whitehall St., and I think even if it had been placed in service a lot of people would have bailed out at St. George and taken the ferry rather than straphang all the way in, presumably running express from 59th St. with a change at DeKalb. Would have been a bit embarrassing to have the trains running half empty through the tunnel (a widely read daily tabloid would have loved it), although passengers for midtown might have found it worth while. And now that I think of it, for midtown passengers staying on the train would have saved a subway fare in each direction. My own feeling is that passengers who took the bus to St. George would continue to use the ferry (coffee, Danish and a restroom available).
If you look at the Wikipedia page on the subject you'll find a lot of information on this subject. I know how many feel about the accuracy of info on Wiki but I also looked at 2 books I have in my personal 'library" and found the info was pretty much the same in content:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staten_Island_Tunnel
The Wiki article has a copy of a 1912 map (plan 51) showing what the then "powers that be" had in mind for the connection.
My reference books:
"Subway - The Curiosities, Secrets and Unofficial History of the New York City Transit System" by John E. Morris published in 2020 Pages 150-152
"The Routes Not Taken - A trip Through New York City's Unbuilt Subway System" by Joseph B. Raskin published in 2014 Pages 123-125
The connection was to leave the 4th Av subway in an area between 67th St and 65th St (starting just south of the 59th St station. It has been ages since I have been in that area but I seem to recall indentations in the tunnel walls (downtown and uptown) indicating a connection of some sort. The info in my references now identify what the intent was. These days with the loss of railfan windows on today's equipment it would be difficult to make these out.