North Shore Branch

North Shore Branch
The abandoned North Shore Branch. The Bayonne Bridge can be seen in the background.
Overview
Type	Rapid transit Rail freight transport
System	Staten Island Railway
Status	Abandoned
Locale	Staten Island, New York, US
Termini	Saint George Cranford Junction
Stations	14
Operation
Opened	February 23, 1886
Closed	March 31, 1953
Owner	Staten Island Railway
Operator(s)	Staten Island Railway
Technical
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	1925

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 Cranford Junction.

The line started construction in 1884, and rapid transit service on the line started on February 23, 1886. Passenger service ended on March 31, 1953, and freight service ended by 1989. In 2005, freight service on the western portion of the line was reactivated, and there are proposals to reactivate the former passenger line for rail or bus service.

Trains on the branch used tracks 10 through 12 at the Saint George Terminal. Trains originally consisted of two and three cars during the AM and PM rush hours, and one cars at other times; by the end of passenger service, trains used only one car.

The fares on the branch were collected by the conductor on the train, who had to pull a cord, similar to how it was done with trolleys. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, which owned the branch, wanted to reduce service on the branch, and eventually abandon it. They purposely looked the other way when conductors skimmed something off the top, allowing them to show a lower ridership to the Interstate Commerce Commission, and in return improve their chances for abandoning the branch.

The North Shore branch of the SIRT began at Saint George Terminal, using the northernmost platform and tracks of the terminal. After running through the St. George Freight Yard (near the modern Ballpark Station), the line ran on the shore of the Kill Van Kull from New Brighton to West Brighton. The line ran on land between St. George and New Brighton, and on a ballast-filled wood trestle supported by a wood retaining wall through Livingston and West Brighton. Though the right-of-way is distinguishable, little evidence of this portion of the line exists today, except for abandoned tracks and supports, much of which has eroded into the kull.