The Staten Island Rapid Transit, also known as the Staten Island Rail Lines, is a company in the New York City borough of Staten Island that operates Subway and Railroad service in that borough. Service is provided 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Operated by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (SIRTOA), a unit of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The system is considered a commuter railroad under the jurisdiction of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) as the western portion of the North Shore Branch is connected to the national railway system.
SIRT operates with modified R44 New York City Subway cars, as well as the R55 and R83 cars, and is run by the New York City Transit Authority, an agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and operator of the New York City Subway. Although there is no direct rail link between the SIR and the MTA NYC subway system, there is a free in system transfer between the Purple Line and the R line. The system is included on official New York City Subway maps. Some commuters who use the Red, Blue and Brown lines may also use the Staten Island Ferry to reach Manhattan and get a free transfer between Saint George and either Bowling Green or South Ferry; the lines are accessible from within the Ferry Terminal and most NYC Subway lines connect to the ferry.
Services
All lines provides full-time local service in Staten Island:
- The Blue Line is the first line to operate under SIRT. The route runs between Saint George and Tottenville along the east side of the borough and operates for 14 miles. This is the only line not to operate underground, although it runs in a tunnel between the St George terminal and Tompkinsville. This line is also one of the two lines originally operated by B&ORR (Baltimore and Ohio Railroad). This line, however, is the only line that survived after MTA takeover, making it the oldest line in operation.
- The Red Line runs between Saint George and Staten Island Mall, serving the western and northern shore. The part of the line that operates in a subway matter originally operated by B&ORR. The line closed on March 31, 1955 due to low ridership, but reopened on February 28, 1973 following delivery of new R44 cars from the MTA and completion of the new subway portion of the line. The line between Port Richmond and New Brighton as well as between Travis and Staten Island Mall are operated underground.
- The Green Line operates between Port Richmond and Bayview on the west side of Staten Island. The line runs underground for the entire line. The line operates under Port Richmond Av between Port Richmond and Westerleigh, under Richmond Av between Graniteville and Staten Island Mall and under the KWV Parkway between Wegener Park and Huguenot. After Hugenot, it operates at grade and elevated along the Blue line, turning south after Prince's Bay and ending at Bayview Avenue and Hylan Blvd. This is one of the three north-south lines to open on September 13, 1981.
- The Yellow Line runs between Port Richmond and South Beach along northeast Staten Island. It is a subway for the entire route. The line operates under Clove Road for the entire route except at its terminals and at Concord. This is one of the three north-south lines to open on September 13, 1981.
- The Orange Line operates between Port Richmond and Oakwood Beach. The line is both a subway and an elevated, then opencut line. South of Emerson Hill is when the subway ends. This is one of the three north-south lines to open on September 13, 1981.
- The Purple Line runs between Port Ivory and Bay Ridge- 95 Street, Brooklyn, and goes through mid-Staten Island. It operates under the Clove Lakes Parkway, Victory Boulevard, and Watchogue Road. The line is a subway except at at Port Ivory. This line is the only line to operate outside of Staten Island and connect with the New York City Subway. The line opened with the Brown Line on August 25, 1991.
- The Brown Line operates between Saint George and Tottenville through mid-Staten Island and the South Shore. The Brown Line only goes outdoors in the terminals. Between the Terminals, the line operates under Victory Boulevard and the Pearl Harbor Expressway, but the line also operates along its own right-of-way, most notably between Tottenville and Sharrots Road and between Ardent Heights and Clove Lake. The line opened with the Purple Line on August 25, 1991.
Future service
There is a proposal to connect Newark Liberty Airport and Staten Island with a new route dubbed the "Pink line". This route would operate between Newark Liberty Airport and Staten Island Mall, only making stops at Old Place and Jersey Gardens. Jersey Gardens and Newark Liberty Airport would be new stations served by the pink line.
Line descriptions
Lines have a route bullet similar to other subway routes and show their respective colors on a circle and show their terminal in the bullet. Lines run 24 hours a day and is one of only six mass-transit rail lines in the United States to do so (the others being the PATCO Speedline, the Red and Blue Lines of the Chicago 'L', the Green Line of the Minneapolis-St. Paul METRO, the PATH lines, and the New York City Subway). From May 2020 to May 2021, Purple service overnight was suspended between Shore Acres and Bay Ridge due to the NYC subway closing overnights during the Coronavirus Pandemic.
On weekdays, most express service to St. George is provided on the Blue, Red and Brown line between 6:15 AM and 8:15 AM and from St. George from 4:30 PM to 7:50 PM. Blue express trains run non-stop between St. George and Great Kills, with one stop at New Dorp; Red express trains run non-stop from St. George to Arlington, with one stop at Port Richmond, and Brown express trains run non-stop from St George to Staten Island Mall, with a stop at Manor Heights. In January 2019, Red express service was expanded from peak service to rush hour service, with all local service ending at Arlington in the Rush Hour. Starting March 2020, express service was expanded to run from 5:00AM to 9:00AM and from 3:30PM to 8:00PM.
Express service is noted on trains by the presence of 'express' directly underneath it.