Map of the former Staten Island Railway South Beach line

NEW YORK — Last year, MTA Staten Island Railway (SIR) saw an impressive gain in ridership attributable to a series of factors, including the increase of p.m. rush hour express service and the unprecedented jump in gasoline prices which persuaded many commuters to leave their cars at home. From 2007, annual ridership climbed 6.1 percent to 4.38 million in 2008 while the average number of customers using SIR on an average weekday rose 5.1 percent to 15,713. “We greet these ridership figures with great enthusiasm,” said SIR General Manager John Gaul, who noted that there was no single reason for

The federal government has sued Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern, saying the company is violating federal law by delaying Amtrak’s Crescent trains that operate between New York and New Orleans.

New York Operation Lifesaver (NYOL), a non-profit organization and leader of rail safety education, and Buffalo Southern Railroad hosted #STOPTrackTragedies, Mock Crash for Safety, on September 24, which closed out Rail Safety Week.