Railroad Forums 

Discussion relating to the past and present operations of the NYC Subway, PATH, and Staten Island Railway (SIRT).

Moderator: GirlOnTheTrain

 #1199370  by ThirdRail7
 
SIRT riders sound off about their system.

SI train riders gripe about rail service
http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/s ... -1.5655679" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A brief "fair use" quote:

The riders of Staten Island's lone rail line said in a survey that their train is a failure, citing poor security, cleanliness and transit connections.

The survey of more than 1,200 riders released Tuesday by State Sen. Diane Savino's office showed riders were clamoring for service that would make their commutes safer and less aggravating.

"They spend a lot of time in that long, intolerable commute thinking about what would make their lives easier," said Savino, who represents Staten Island's north shore and parts of Brooklyn.
 #1199552  by Fan Railer
 
ThirdRail7 wrote:SIRT riders sound off about their system.

SI train riders gripe about rail service
http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/s ... -1.5655679" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A brief "fair use" quote:

The riders of Staten Island's lone rail line said in a survey that their train is a failure, citing poor security, cleanliness and transit connections.

The survey of more than 1,200 riders released Tuesday by State Sen. Diane Savino's office showed riders were clamoring for service that would make their commutes safer and less aggravating.

"They spend a lot of time in that long, intolerable commute thinking about what would make their lives easier," said Savino, who represents Staten Island's north shore and parts of Brooklyn.
Interesting article. While I would normally take the side of "they should be grateful to have service at all," there is a reasonable stake in the desire for a safer atmosphere and a more coordinated schedule. The system is, after all, classified as a railroad by the FRA and not a subway, so I for one would expect a level of service that is at least slightly stepped up from the somewhat more chaotic service that is a metro system. Afterall, why shouldn't SIR riders complain a little? They're stuck with one of the oldest cars in the fleet, with no new cars coming to replace them for almost a decade.
 #1199619  by MattW
 
Having ridden the line myself, I can't say I'd want to use it every day. Most of my complaints with the system stem from the trains themselves. Just sitting at the terminal before departure, it was bucking like a wild horse. They weren't that clean either, and once we got moving, the shaking got exponentially worse. It was also very slow given that station stops were about every two minutes or so with no other options. At least its big brother the subway has express service mixed in, and I know the SIR runs express service during the peak periods, they should be able to run something resembling express service all day. I had ridden the bus (S78 I think?) down to Tottenville from St. George, and of the two, I think my better experience was on the bus.
 #1199844  by Head-end View
 
Fan Railer, you should have been there 40 years ago and seen the old cars that preceded the R-44's! LOL! Though we were able to see out the front of those old cars. How I miss them now for that reason.....
 #1199848  by Backshophoss
 
SIRT is a isolated part of NYCTA,and with no direct connection to boot,still recovering from Sandy as well.
Last known report is their shop needs reconstruction,unknown if they are carfloating equipment to Bay Ridge,then
getting SBK to haul their stuff to the nearest TA shop.
If memory serves,the Brookvilles were floated then Lifted by cranes to the tracks at St George.
Staff morale is most likely at an all time low,due to not having the proper facilitys to maintain the fleet,
and it shows.
 #1200242  by umtrr-author
 
I rode the SIRT last year from end to end as a tourist. It was only the second time I was on it.

I was surprised to learn, or be reaquainted with, the following:

- If you ride from any point to any point other than the St. George Ferry Terminal and Tompkinsville, where you need to pay a fare to leave, it's a freebie. There aren't even turnstiles to collect fares.

- I think I'm getting this right, but going from a train on the subway system in the other four boroughs, the SIRT is a free transfer after taking the Staten Island Ferry over (also free).

- I learned too late that if you "pay to get out" at St. George, take the Staten Island Ferry back, and then get on at one of the stations near the ferry terminal, that's a free transfer.

Ah, here's some official information that's a lot better than my faulty memory:

http://web.mta.info/nyct/sir/sirfare.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So, given that...

Is it feasible (not would it be favored, which I doubt) to change the fare structure to bring in more revenue to the SIRT which would then be used for maintenance, capital improvements, etc.? Or, for example, is the ridership other than to and from St. George and Tompkinsville just too much of a non-factor to justify collecting fares at every station?
 #1200248  by Head-end View
 
Hope you enjoyed the round-trip. I did one in 1972 on the old cars with a front window view. I tried to do it again about 10 years ago, but gave up about half-way to Tottenville. It's just not much fun when you can't see out the front.
 #1200423  by ExCon90
 
umtrr, I rode the line a few years ago, when only St. George had turnstiles. On the northbound trip about half the passengers bailed out at Tompkinsville to walk to St. George -- apparently they've plugged that leak since then. I was thinking about the fare situation as we stopped at the various stations on the way north, and I'd guess that the cost of fencing and gating all those little stations would outweigh any revenue they would gain from intermediate travel. (A Proof-of-Payment system might be an answer if the political will exists to make it work, but even then the gain in intermediate fare collection might not be worth it.) And you can really get some mileage out of a Metrocard from SI. You have 2 hours from the time you swipe at St. George to get to South Ferry, take the subway to a station in Manhattan, and change to a crosstown bus without additional fare.