The Richmond Valley station is a

Staten Island Railway The Staten Island Railway (SIR) is a rapid transit line in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Staten Island. It is owned by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (SIRTOA), a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Trans ...

station in the neighborhood of Richmond Valley,

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Located at Richmond Valley Road and

Amboy Road Amboy Road is a major north-south artery along the South- East Shore of the New York City borough of Staten Island. It is approximately long. Amboy Rd. was originally part of an extensive Native American trail system used by Algonquian peoples ...

on the main line, the station is a mixture of open cut (below grade level) at the north end and grade level at the south end.

History

The station opened on June 2, 1860 with the opening of the Staten Island Railway (SIR) from Annadale to

Tottenville Tottenville is a neighborhood on the South Shore of Staten Island, New York City. It is the southernmost settlement in both New York City and New York State. Tottenville is bounded on three sides by water: the south side abuts New York Bight w ...

. The opening of the station gave the surrounding area a separate identity from Tottenville. While it had been considered part of Tottenville, it became its own neighborhood once the area was named Richmond Valley by the SIR. The station consisted of a wooden stationhouse and a ticket office, which were located on the northbound platform, which was located to the south of the Richmond Valley Road grade crossing. However, the southbound platform was located to the north of the Richmond Valley Road. On the evening of March 9, 1874, someone set the passenger and freight depot at the station on fire. They had cut a hole through the floor underneath in the building and set a pile of straw and wood ablaze. The fire was discovered in time to save the building. In 1940, the grade crossing at Richmond Valley Road was eliminated as the street was raised over the railroad tracks as part of a project to remove grade crossings across Staten Island. The platforms at the station were replaced in 1970. Under the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Plan, the station is undergoing a complete overhaul as part of the

Enhanced Station Initiative Since the late 20th century, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has started several projects to maintain and improve the New York City Subway. Some of these projects, such as subway line automation, proposed platform screen doors, the FA ...

. While the station would remain open during the project, construction in adjacent areas would require occasional one-direction service at the station on certain weekends. Updates would include cellular service, Wi-Fi, charging stations, improved signage, and improved station lighting. The station would feature many of the improvements made at the new Arthur Kill station, which is the next stop to the south. As part of the overhaul, the station would have artwork installed as part of the

MTA Arts & Design MTA Arts & Design, formerly known as Arts for Transit and Urban Design, is a commissioned art program directed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the transportation systems serving New York City and the surrounding region. Since 198 ...

program. The project, which began on June 4, 2018, would repair the station's concrete structure, platforms, staircases, canopies and columns. The $2.2 million contract was to be completed after ten months.

West Shore Line

Directly to the south of the station, a non-electrified spur branched off of the

-bound track, which once ran all the way to the

Arthur Kill The Arthur Kill (sometimes referred to as the Staten Island Sound) is a tidal strait between Staten Island (also known as Richmond County), New York and Union and Middlesex counties, New Jersey. It is a major navigational channel of the Port of ...

. The spur, built in 1928, was called the

West Shore Line The River Line was a Conrail rail line located between Jersey City, New Jersey and Selkirk, New York, running along the west side of the Hudson Palisades and, after passing through a tunnel at Haverstraw, New York, along the west bank of the ...

by the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

(B&O), which owned the Staten Island Rapid Transit. It was used to deliver building materials to the

Outerbridge Crossing The Outerbridge Crossing, also known as the Outerbridge, is a cantilever bridge that spans the Arthur Kill between Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and Staten Island, New York. It carries New York State Route 440 (NY 440) and New Jersey Rou ...

construction site near the Kill. Years later, the track was used to serve a scrapyard owned by the Roselli Brothers. Until 2013, the track remained intact to Page Avenue, with the right-of-way ballasted, and with the switch in working condition to allow for trains to be stored, as evidenced by the fouling point sign. However, that year, the connection was severed. The rails still exist past the old connection just to the west of the right-of-way. Underneath Page Avenue, the track split into two other tracks, with the rails still in place. The right-of-way for the line was an easement on the property of Nassau Metals, and was later used by CSX. Some sections of the old tracks have been removed, while others still remain in the overgrowth.

Station layout

There are two

side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...

s and the station is orange color with the south overpass appearing to be an addition during a renovation. Because of the short platform, only the first 3 cars in the direction of the train traveling can be platformed here. Mill Creek, which leads to the

, passes beneath part of the platform, and travels underneath the SIR through a culvert.

Exits

The station has exits on both its north and south ends. The north exit leads to Richmond Valley Road while the south exit leads to Amboy Road.

References

External links

Staten Island Railway station list1950 Photo of Richmond Valley Station (TrainsAreFun)

Richmond Valley Road entrance from Google Maps Street View

South entrance from Google Maps Street View

Platforms from Google Maps Street View
{{Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority Staten Island Railway stations Railway stations in the United States opened in 1860 1860 establishments in New York (state)