The North Shore Branch is an abandoned branch of the Staten Island Railway in New York City, which operated along Staten Island's North Shore from Saint George to Port Ivory. The line continues into New Jersey via the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge to Aldene Junction in Cranford.
The abandoned North Shore Branch. The Bayonne Bridge can be seen in the background.
The overpass over Nicholas Avenue (looking east) between the Port Richmond Viaduct and the open-cut section of the line.
Viaduct station at Tower Hill
This poster, from March 1953, was for a protest against the planned discontinuance of service on the North Shore and South Beach Branches of the SIRT.
The Staten Island Railway (SIR) is a rapid transit line in the New York City borough of Staten Island. It is owned by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (SIRTOA), a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and operated by the New York City Transit Authority Department of Subways. SIR operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing local service between St. George and Tottenville, along the east side of the island. There is currently only one line on the island, and there is no direct rail link between the SIR and the New York City Subway system, but SIR riders do receive a free transfer to New York City Transit bus and subway lines, and the line is included on official New York City Subway maps. Commuters on the railway typically use the Staten Island Ferry to reach Manhattan. The line is accessible from within the Ferry Terminal, and most of its trains are timed to connect with the ferry. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 6,151,400, or about 19,500 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.
A Staten Island Railway local train of R44s at the Great Kills station
Poster publicizing a March 1953 meeting protesting SIRT cuts
An R44 at Grant City heading to St. George in July 1973
R44 train at Oakwood Heights