The MTA have announced a couple of updates that will be a benefit for Staten Island. The next generation of buses is coming and it will provide riders with free Wi-Fi and USB charging ports. The MTA is also fund 5-million dollars to a study on a light rail system that will connect Staten Island to New Jersey.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the MTA will be adding 2,042 tech-eqipped buses to the transportation fleet over the next five years. This next generation of MTA bus will provide the public with enhanced amenities: 35 to 55 USB charging ports, Wi-Fi hotspots on all rides, and digital information screens providing riders with travel information to reduce anxiety about missing stops and better enabling riders to plan the arrival of their destinations. These changes will finally welcome the MTA into the 21st Century. These new buses will replace about 40% of the MTA’s current buses and should start hitting the streets this month, first to Queens, then Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx. Staten Island will not be seeing these buses until as early 2018 to 2020.

Another thing the MTA is bringing to Staten Island is a light rail connecting the island to New Jersey. According to a MTA spokemans, there has been interest among several communities on possible opportunities involving the Rockaway Beach and West Shore (Staten Island) rail corridors. The are estimating that the SIEDC will cost $5 million.

In 2014, there was a campaign for the light rail petitioned by SIEDC, asking the state to fund the study and shed light to plan developments headings to the west side of Staten Island. A light rail connecting us to New Jersey is a start, but we are patiently and eagerly waiting to be connected to the rest of the borough.

Posted by Anthony Licciardello on
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