Arthur Kill station opening TOMMOROW to little fanfare.

[Around the Horn]

If you look at the view here: http://www.earthcam.net/projects/newyorkwheel/

 

You can see that the NY Wheel construction site is just northwest of the western end of Ballpark station. If you look at the left edge of the camera view, you can see the elevator heading to Ballpark's platform (since that station is ADA-accessible).

 

Cool, thanks! That definitely gives me a better understanding of the site.

[Lawrence St]

If ballpark would reopen, that would be great! What do you guys think of an extension from Ballpark to the former ROW of the North Shore Branch? Because dosent a track continue for like 2 parking lots then end going north from Ballpark?

[Fresh Pond]

Anybody know if ball park is going to reopen?

It won't

[agar io]

If you look at the left edge of the camera view, you can see the elevator heading to Ballpark's platform (since that station is ADA-accessible).

 

Speaking of which... How is that elevator still there? If the MTA wanted to close the station permanently, I'd assume they would want to get rid of all the entrances to the platforms.

New Station Features: 

• ADA-compliant ramps

The MTA decided to "save" money by building ramps at all ADA-accessible SIR stations except two stations with elevators, one of which is now closed? I really don't know what executives were thinking. With that money, half the existing stations could get ramps...

 

(Not saying that Arthur Kill isn't a good station; it's just that the MTA could have saved money in other ways as well.)

[P3F]

Speaking of which... How is that elevator still there? If the MTA wanted to close the station permanently, I'd assume they would want to get rid of all the entrances to the platforms.

 

There are chain link fences that block access to the staircases and elevator.

[agar io]

There are chain link fences that block access to the staircases and elevator.

I saw the fences on Google Maps. The real question is, why don't the MTA just remove the elevator and use the parts to service other elevators in the MTA system?

[Around the Horn]

I saw the fences on Google Maps. The real question is, why don't the MTA just remove the elevator and use the parts to service other elevators in the MTA system?

 

How do we know they haven't done that already?

[agar io]

How do we know they haven't done that already?

They could have, but then the elevator structure is still there. I'd have thought the MTA would remove the whole thing instead of letting the shaft structure rot.

[Lawrence St]

It won't

And how do you know that if I may ask? From catching up on my reading, Ballpark was originally supposed to serve the Staten Island Mets right? Then got shut down due to the unforeseen 2010 budget problems. However, if Around The Horn says that a mall should be opening soon, rename Ballpark to "Staten Island Mall", then run service over there since you would be giving commuters a chance from Lower Staten Island and from the City to go there.

[checkmatechamp13]

Regarding the Ballpark station, it's only a couple of minutes away on foot (to give you an idea, the S40/44 pick up at the ferry terminal, pick up at a stop right outside the terminal on Richmond Terrace, and then stop at Wall Street which is right by the old Ballpark station). And I'm not sure, but they'll probably put a path straight from the ferry terminal to the mall (near the ferry parking lots) instead of forcing people to walk out to Richmond Terrace

[P3F]

The New York Wheel is expected to, on average, bring 4 million customers a year. To compare, the entire Staten Island Railway's ridership is 4.4 million people a year swiping at St. George and Tompkinsville.

 

Even if only half of the Wheel visitors would use an SIR shuttle from St. George to a renamed Ballpark station, that is still 2 million a year. That's a lot of ridership gained simply from running a single track shuttle (which can presumably be operated by one T/O at a time).

 

If SIR is advertised as the way to get to the Wheel (by the Wheel company, the and the NYCDOT), then people will use it. Most tourists have MetroCards anyway, so it would simply be two more swipes.

[Lawrence St]

And also integrate the station as a terminal with a second track installed at Ballpark (or "The North Island" as I like to call it since it is the northernmost terminal on SIR) with a switch just before the station, and run service like this:

 

Weekdays:

3 trips to Ballpark via local.

A special trip from Tottenville to St. George then reverse onto the wye trackage to Ballpark.

Rest of the trips originate at St. George.

 

Weekends: 20 total trips to Ballpark from Tottenville with select trains stopping at Saint George then running via the wye trackage to Ballpark.

 

Specials: Ballpark "specials" would run via SIR express, stopping at Great Kills, Grasmere, Clifton, Tompkinsville, then Ballpark.

[Mtatransit]

Regarding the Ballpark station, it's only a couple of minutes away on foot (to give you an idea, the S40/44 pick up at the ferry terminal, pick up at a stop right outside the terminal on Richmond Terrace, and then stop at Wall Street which is right by the old Ballpark station). And I'm not sure, but they'll probably put a path straight from the ferry terminal to the mall (near the ferry parking lots) instead of forcing people to walk out to Richmond Terrace

There is already a path I call it the riverwalk. It ends after the SI Yankee Statium, and ends at the construction site of the wheel.

The New York Wheel is expected to, on average, bring 4 million customers a year. To compare, the entire Staten Island Railway's ridership is 4.4 million people a year swiping at St. George and Tompkinsville.

 

Even if only half of the Wheel visitors would use an SIR shuttle from St. George to a renamed Ballpark station, that is still 2 million a year. That's a lot of ridership gained simply from running a single track shuttle (which can presumably be operated by one T/O at a time).

 

If SIR is advertised as the way to get to the Wheel (by the Wheel company, the and the NYCDOT), then people will use it. Most tourists have MetroCards anyway, so it would simply be two more swipes.

No one is going to pay for a train ride that is a 5 min walk. I have no idea why they built ballpark Station in the first place. Instead they should get started on the North Shore busway

[Lawrence St]

The idea was to REPLACE that 5 minute walk with a train that people can use coming from lower Staten Island or Manhattan.

[checkmatechamp13]

In the other thread, we're talking about how pointless a South Ferry-Bowling Green shuttle is because it's such a short walk.

 

Granted, it wouldn't cause the operational issues the SF-BG ferry would, but here, it's about a 6 minute walk to the actual Ballpark station, but much of the retail is between the St. George station and Ballpark station (see this image of the construction). So basically, once you walk out of the ferry terminal, you're right there.

 

It says "The two development sites are located steps from the Staten Island Ferry in St. George, and are currently used as parking for the Richmond County Bank Ballpark and the St. George Ferry Terminal."

 

Now if the development (and the old Ballpark station) was over by say, Jersey Street then yes I would agree that reviving the shuttle and maybe running a few special trains would be helpful. But that's not the case.

[P3F]

And also integrate the station as a terminal with a second track installed at Ballpark (or "The North Island" as I like to call it since it is the northernmost terminal on SIR) with a switch just before the station, and run service like this:

 

Weekdays:

3 trips to Ballpark via local.

A special trip from Tottenville to St. George then reverse onto the wye trackage to Ballpark.

Rest of the trips originate at St. George.

 

Weekends: 20 total trips to Ballpark from Tottenville with select trains stopping at Saint George then running via the wye trackage to Ballpark.

 

Specials: Ballpark "specials" would run via SIR express, stopping at Great Kills, Grasmere, Clifton, Tompkinsville, then Ballpark.

This kind of service pattern would not really work for the main purpose of running trains to the Wheel and mall.

 

First off, it is doubtful that ridership from the South Shore line to the Wheel will be high. The majority of the visitors will be coming from the Staten Island Ferry. Thus, there is no reason to run direct service from Ballpark to the South Shore line. On the off chance that somebody wants to get to Ballpark from the South Shore, they can make a transfer at St. George.

 

Second, there needs to be regular service. People cannot rely on a service that isn't regular, in such a situation. In my opinion, the best running schedule for this shuttle is as follows:

 

Service, when it runs, is always on 10 minute headways. One train runs the line, spending time as such:

 

-5 minutes spent at St. George

 

-1 minute running to Ballpark

 

-3 minutes spent at Ballpark

 

-1 minute running to St. George

 

Service operates May 1 to September 30. In May and September, service operates 10:30 AM-6:30 PM every day. In June, July, and August, service operates 10:30 AM-9:30 PM on weekdays, and 9:00 AM-10:00 PM on weekends.

 

Timeframes would be adjusted based on the Wheel's operating schedule.

[P3F]

No one is going to pay for a train ride that is a 5 min walk. I have no idea why they built ballpark Station in the first place. Instead they should get started on the North Shore busway

The vast majority of New York Wheel patrons will be tourists unfamiliar with the area. If it is hammered into them the SIR is the way to the world-class attraction, they will take it.

 

The can even promote special "New York Wheel Metrocards", which can be used to get from any subway station to the Wheel, and then back. (In reality, these would simply be two-trip cards since two fares are all that is needed; one to get to the Wheel, and one to get back).

[Fresh Pond]

And how do you know that if I may ask? From catching up on my reading, Ballpark was originally supposed to serve the Staten Island Mets right? Then got shut down due to the unforeseen 2010 budget problems. However, if Around The Horn says that a mall should be opening soon, rename Ballpark to "Staten Island Mall", then run service over there since you would be giving commuters a chance from Lower Staten Island and from the City to go there.

Staten Island Yankees*

 

It's actually faster to walk to the ballpark from leaving St. George than it actually is waiting for the train. The new mall is being built between the terminal and the ballpark, so that dinky shuttle really won't save any time. One could walk down Richmond Terrace, or even walk down the waterfront (that's actually the fastest way) and you'll still get there before the train would.

[Union Tpke]

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/01/empire_outlets_gets_another_20.html

Empire Outlets will pay to deck over the SIR tracks in the area.

[Deucey]

Isn't the ballpark Station like a 5 min walk from St George? Connected by a nice riverwalk?

Yes but no.

 

Ballpark has an entrance in front of the stadium that is at the beginning of the walkway to the waterfront. One then goes to the right to walk up the stairs into St George terminal

[S78 via Hylan]

The overpasses are DOT property and needed to allow people to cross over the tracks. They'll never close them.

That's interesting. I rode the line today to check out Arthur Kill and saw that the entrances to Nassau were sealed off.

[P3F]

For those wondering about the station's ridership, here is a timelapse of a typical morning rush hour at Arthur Kill, taken about a month after opening. What I found interesting is the amount of people getting off the southbound trains (since the video spans roughly 6:20-7:15 AM); it is much higher than I would expect. 

[Mtatransit]

That's interesting. I rode the line today to check out Arthur Kill and saw that the entrances to Nassau were sealed off.

The platform are sealed off but the access the the over pass is not.

[Union Tpke]

Screen Shot 2017-04-25 at 4.15.05 PM by spicker613, on Flickr

The demolition of the platforms at Nassau and Atlantic will be completed by the end of May.

[bstar1]

Yes