Great Kills station

Great Kills is a Staten Island Railway station in the neighborhood of Great Kills, Staten Island, New York. It is located on an open cut west of Giffords Lane and Amboy Road on the main line. It has two side platforms and turquoise blue canopies and walls.

Great Kills
Staten Island Railway station (rapid transit)
Train terminating at the station
Station statistics
Address	Giffords Lane & Brower Court Staten Island, NY 10308
Borough	Staten Island
Locale	Great Kills
Coordinates	40.55125°N 74.15132°W
Services	Local  (All times) Express  (Rush hours in peak direction only)
Transit	New York City Bus: S54, SIM5, SIM6
Structure	Open-cut
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	April 23, 1860[1]
Rebuilt	1933 1997
Station code	513[2]
Accessible	ADA-accessible
Former/other names	Gifford's Gifford's Lane
Station succession
Next north	Bay Terrace
Next south	Eltingville
Location
Track layout to Bay Terrace to Eltingville
Street map

History

Station house located above the platforms at Giffords Lane

The station's original name was Gifford's, a previous name of the neighborhood honoring Daniel Gifford, a local commissioner and surveyor. The name also survives in Giffords Lane and Giffords Glen, which are adjacent to the station. The station was also known as Gifford's Lane.[1][3] Both names appeared on the October 16, 1921 timetable.[4]

The station opened on April 23, 1860, with the opening of the Staten Island Railway from Vanderbilt's Landing to Eltingville.[1][5] It was rebuilt in the early 1930s to eliminate grade crossings, but with great difficulty. Workers had to dig 30 feet below ground level in order to avoid the underground springs and deep quicksand that laced the vicinity of the right-of-way. The project was finished by 1933.

Station layout

The station is located in an open cut and has two tracks and two side platforms. Afternoon rush-hour express trains from St. George end their non-stop runs at this station. Local trains operating in the peak direction begin or end their runs here. New switches were installed in 1997 south of the platforms. The remains of a spur are visible in this area. The New York City Department of Transportation operates a park and ride lot near the station.

M	Overpass	Exit/entrance, connection between platforms
G	Street level	Station house, exit/entrance, buses, parking Ramps on both sides of the station
P Platform level	Side platform
	Southbound	← toward Tottenville (Eltingville) ← rush hour express toward Tottenville (Eltingville) ← rush hour local termination track
	Northbound	→ toward St. George (Bay Terrace) →
	Side platform

Exits

This station is handicapped-accessible in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act via a pair of long ramps. In addition, there are stairs and an overpass leading to Brower Court and Nelson Avenue. The Great Kills Veterans Memorial is outside the entrance on the northbound side. The north end at Giffords Lane has the standard SIRT street-level stationhouse, and staircases leading to a heavily used commercial district.[6]

References

1. Irvin Leigh and Paul Matus (December 23, 2001). "SIRT The Essential History". p. 4. Archived from the original on January 4, 2009. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
2. "Station Developers' Information". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
3. Miscellaneous Documents of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company and Subsidiary Companies, 1869.
4. Time-Table No. 8, October 16, 1921, from "Gary Owen's S.I.R.T. Pages".
5. Staten Island Railroad, commencing Monday, April 23d, 1860, from "Gary Owen's S.I.R.T. Pages".
6. "Map of NYC Subway Entrances". NYC Open Data. City of New York. Retrieved July 10, 2018.

External links

Media related to Great Kills (Staten Island Railway station) at Wikimedia Commons

• Staten Island Railway station list
• Staten Island Railway general information
• Giffords Lane entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Nelson Avenue (handicap) entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View