The Staten Island Railway (SIR) is the only rapid transit line in the New York City borough of Staten Island and is operated by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority, a unit of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The railway was historically considered a standard railroad line, but today only the western portion of the North Shore Branch, which is disconnected from the rest of the SIR, is used by freight and is connected to the national railway system.

While the first rail proposal for rail service on Staten Island was issued in 1836, construction did not begin until 1855 after the project was attempted a second time under the name Staten Island Railroad. This attempt was successful due to the financial backing of William Vanderbilt. The line opened in 1860 and ran from Tottenville to Vanderbilt's Landing and connected with ferries to Perth Amboy, New Jersey and New York, respectively. After the Westfield ferry disaster at Whitehall Street Terminal in 1871, the railroad went into receivership and was reorganized into the Staten Island Railway Company in 1873. In the 1880s, Erastus Wiman planned a system of rail lines encircling the island using a portion of the existing rail line, and organized the Staten Island Rapid Transit Railroad in 1880, in cooperation with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O), which wanted an entry into New York. B&O gained a majority stake in the line in 1885, and by 1890 new extensions to the line were in service. In 1890, the Arthur Kill Bridge opened, connecting the island to New Jersey. This route proved to be a major freight corridor. After a period of financial turmoil in the 1890s which saw both B&O and the Staten Island Rapid Transit Railroad company enter bankruptcy, the railroad was restructured as the Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway (SIRT), and was purchased by the B&O in 1899.

In 1924, SIRT began electrification of its lines, to comply with the Kaufman Act, which had become law the previous year. New train cars, designed to be compatible with subway service, were ordered, and electric service was inaugurated on the system's three branches in 1925. Through the 1930s and 1940s grade-crossing elimination projects were completed on the three branches. During World War II, freight traffic on the SIRT increased dramatically, briefly making it profitable. In 1948, the New York City Board of Transportation took over all of the bus lines on Staten Island, resulting in a decrease in bus fares from five cents per zone to seven cents for the whole island. Riders of the SIRT flocked to the buses, resulting in a steep drop in ridership. Service on the branches was subsequently reduced. In 1953, the SIRT discontinued service on the North Shore Branch and South Beach Branch. The South Beach Branch was abandoned shortly thereafter while the North Shore Branch continued to carry freight. While the SIRT threatened to discontinue service on the Tottenville Branch, the service was preserved as New York City stepped in to subsidize the operation. The last grade crossings on the line were eliminated in 1965. In 1971, New York City purchased the Tottenville line, and the line's operation was turned over to the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority, a division of the state-operated Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Freight service continued until 1991.

Improvements were made under MTA operations. The line received its first new train cars since the 1920s, and several stations were renovated. The MTA rebranded the Staten Island Rapid Transit as the MTA Staten Island Railway (SIR) in 1994. Fares on the line between Tompkinsville and Tottenville were eliminated in 1997 with the introduction of the MetroCard. In 2010, fare collection was reintroduced at Tompkinsville. A new station on the main line, Arthur Kill, opened in 2017, replacing the deteriorated Nassau and Atlantic stations. It was the first new station opened on the main line in seventy years. While the railway does not serve residents on the western or northern sides of the borough, light rail and bus rapid transit have been proposed for these corridors. Freight service in northwestern Staten Island was restored in the 2000s.

Corporate history YearsCompanyAbbreviationNotes1836–1838Staten Island Rail-Road CompanyFailed attempt to build the railway.1851–1873Staten Island Railroad CompanySIRRCreated by Vanderbilt in 1851; was sold to Law in 1872, and then sold to the Staten Island Railway Company in 1873.1873–1884Staten Island Railway CompanySIRWCreated to assume operations of the SIRR, and was leased by the SIRTR in 1884. It continued to operate as a separate company.1880–1899Staten Island Rapid Transit Railroad CompanySIRTRCreated to build extensions; was sold to the SIRT in 1899.1899–1971Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway CompanySIRTCreated to operate the SIRTR; was sold by the B&O to the MTA in 1971. Was commonly known as the SIRT.1971–presentStaten Island Rapid Transit Operating AuthoritySIRTOACreated in 1971 to transfer operations of the SIRT from the B&O to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA); publicly known as MTA Staten Island Railway (SIR) since 1994.

Early history

The railway's predecessor, the Staten Island Rail-Road Company, was incorporated on May 21, 1836. However, the company lost its charter in 1838 because the railroad was not built within two years after it was incorporated.

Attempts to start a rail line on the island were restarted in 1849 and 1850, when residents of Perth Amboy and Staten Island held meetings concerning a possible Tottenville-to-Stapleton line. Like the previous attempt in 1836, they faced financial difficulties, and sought out the help of William Vanderbilt—a son of Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt and a resident of Staten Island. Vanderbilt had conceived of such a railroad as a way to reduce the monopoly of the Camden and Amboy Railroad, which was the only mean of reaching Philadelphia. Since the plan conceived by the local residents followed Vanderbilt's proposed route, he helped charter the Staten Island Railroad Company (SIRR) on August 2, 1851, in order to build the rail line. The articles of association for the company were filed on October 18, 1851.

The railroad's charter gave it two years to be built, but after encountering multiple difficulties, the deadline was extended by two years in 1853, and a further three years in January 1855. Construction eventually commenced in November 1855.

On April 23, 1860, passenger operations began between Vanderbilt's Landing and Eltingville A second locomotive was added to the line on May 5, 1860, with the remainder of the line expected to be completed in the following month.

Ferry expansion: 1860–1873 Over the next month, the remainder of the line was built between Annadale and Pleasant Plains as a single-track line, with a passing siding at Huguenot. The line was extended to Annadale on May 14, 1860, and was completed to Tottenville on June 2, 1860, with a formal opening of the railroad.

In March 1864, William Vanderbilt, the then president of the railroad company, bought the ferries serving Vanderbilt's Landing, which were operated by attorney George Law. This brought both the railroad and the ferries under the same company. In 1865, the railroad took over operation of the New York & Richmond Ferry Company, and would later assume direct responsibility for operating the ferry service to Manhattan. The Perth Amboy and Staten Island ferries were also taken over by the railroad under the leadership of Jacob Vanderbilt, who increased service.

On July 30, 1871, the boiler of the ferry "Westfield" exploded at Whitehall Street Terminal, killing 85 and injuring hundreds. As a result of the disaster, on March 28, 1872, the railroad and the ferry went into receivership. On September 17, 1872, the property of the company was sold to George Law in foreclosure, with the exception of the ferry "Westfield", which was purchased by Horace Theall. Some time after, Law and Theall sold the SIRR and ferry to the Staten Island Railway Company (SIRW). The charter for the SIRW was created on March 20, 1873. The ferry and rail services were split into separate companies to prevent problems with one from leading to the demise of the other, while ensuring that connecting service could still be provided for passengers.

Organization: 1880–1884 By 1880, the SIRW was barely operational Although it was floundering, the railway become the centerpiece of a plan to develop the island by a Canadian, Erastus Wiman. To this end the Staten Island Rapid Transit Railroad Company (SIRTR) was organized on March 25, 1880 and incorporated on April 14, 1880.

Wiman's plan called for a system encircling the island using two miles of the SIRW between Vanderbilt's Landing and Tompkinsville. His plan also called for the centralization of all ferries from one terminal, to allow for transportation to New York City and New Jersey. Wiman approached Robert Garrett, president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O), to back the plan, and Garrett agreed. The SIRTR began to seek legislation to acquire various rights-of-way needed to implement Wiman's plan.

On April 3, 1883, the SIRTR gained control of the SIRW and its boats. On the same date, at the annual meeting of the SIRW, Erasmus Wiman gained control of the railway by being elected to the board of Directors of the Railroad and becoming the railway's president. At the meeting, Wiman laid out his proposals for rail lines on Staten Island. Wiman also proposed a bridge across the Arthur Kill from Tottenville to Perth Amboy.

On June 27, 1883, a meeting of the directors of the SIRW and the SIRTR formally ratified the merger of the two companies under the leadership of Wiman, who was named president.

On June 30, 1883, the SIRTR leased the SIRW for a term of 99 years, to become effective when the line opened between Clifton and Tompkinsville. The line between Vanderbilt's Landing and Tottenville continued to be operated by the SIRW. While the control of the railroad included control of Vanderbilt's ferry, the North Shore Ferry was leased separately and was operated by Starin, whose lease was set to expire on May 1, 1884. On July 18, 1884, the SIRTR outbid Starin for the North Shore operation.

Expansion: 1884–1890 Around March, 1884, grading work on the section between Clifton (previously Vanderbilt's Landing) and Tompkinsville began; the section opened on July 31 that year, with passengers services beginning the following day. The section was further expanded to St. George in 1885 to connect with the ferries to Manhattan.

Construction of the North Shore Branch began on March 17, 1884, and was completed the following year. The branch opened for service on February 23, 1886, with trains terminating at Elm Park. A month later, on March 7, 1886, a new St. George Terminal opened; North Shore trains operated between Elm Park and St. George, and East Shore trains operated between St. George and Tottenville. In mid-1886, the North Shore Branch opened a new terminal at Erastina Place.

On June 16, 1886, Congress passed a bill authorizing the construction of a swing bridge over the Arthur Kill, which Wiman had proposed three years prior. The bridge was completed on June 13, 1888, just three days before the completion deadline set by Congress. The first train to cross the bridge was on January 1, 1890.

Shortly after the construction of the Arthur Kill Bridge, the North Shore tracks were extended to the bridge; however, even a few years after the extension, most trains terminated at Erastina.

A branch, then known as the Arrochar Branch, was opened to Arrochar on January 1, 1888, as a double-tracked line. The branch split off at Clifton Junction and had two stops—Fort Wadsworth and Arrochar. During fiscal year 1893, the SIRTR purchased land to extend the line to South Beach and the South Beach Branch was completed in 1894.