NYCT to build new Staten Island Railway station

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) President Carmen Bianco and other Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and elected officials late last week broke ground on the first new MTA Staten Island Railway station to be built since the MTA took over the private rail line in 1971.

The 27-month construction project is scheduled to begin this fall. The new station will replace the existing Atlantic and Nassau stations in the Tottenville section of the borough.

"We are pleased to finally get this project funded and off the shelf," said Bianco in a prepared statement. "This new station will replace two outmoded facilities, finally offering our Staten Island customers the kind of station and amenities that they deserve."

Named the Arthur Kill Station, the new facility will feature ADA-compliant ramps, two concrete side platforms with canopies, windscreens and benches, and surveillance cameras and customer assistance intercoms at platform off-hour waiting areas. Slated to open in late 2015, the station will be able to accommodate a four-car train. A 150-car parking lot will be built across the street.

A $15.3 million construction contract was awarded to John P. Picone Inc. for the project, which has been fully funded by NYCT's amended 2010-2014 capital program.

The original Nassau Station featured an 80-foot platform that was extended to 300 feet about 40 years ago. The extension was closed in 2010 because of its deteriorated condition.