.JPG?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=th&_x_tr_hl=en-US)
MTA NYC Transit President Andy Byford at a recent Advance editorial board with the MTA. (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Major changes, including the addition of a new route, the discontinuation of two existing routes, additional service and extended schedule spans, are coming to the borough's newly redesigned express bus network on Sunday, Oct. 7.
Many of the new changes had been previously announced at an Editorial Board meeting of the Staten Island Advance with the MTA, borough president's office and ATU Local 726.
The MTA has since offered additional information regarding the changes, including how resources are being reallocated in order to optimize the network.
SIM5x, SIM6x
In order to offer additional service across multiple lines, the MTA has announced it will discontinue the SIM5x and SIM6x routes, beginning Oct. 7.
"We have always said that this redesign of the express bus network is a collaborative process where we're listening to the customers riding the buses every day and the bus operators who drive these routes," said MTA NYCT president Andy Byford.
The experimental single-stop route from the South Beach Park-and-Ride on Father Capodanno Boulevard had recently been extended to make two additional Hylan Boulevard stops, but still has not garnered enough ridership to justify the route.
"SIM5x and SIM6x customers can take the SIM5 and SIM6, which serve the same stops between Manhattan and Staten Island. The buses and personnel freed up by this change will be used on routes where additional service is in demand," said an MTA spokesperson.
SIM9
The MTA will implement a new route -- the SIM9 -- that will begin at Hylan Boulevard and Richmond Avenue, traveling down Hylan Boulevard and then turning right onto Midland Avenue. It will then travel along Father Capodanno Boulevard, stopping at the South Beach Park-and-Ride, before heading to the West Side of Manhattan. In Manhattan, the SIM9 will follow the same route as the SIM7 and SIM33.
This route will complement the existing SIM7 route, which runs exclusively along Hylan Boulevard before traveling to the West Side.
"Early in the process we had it (the SIM7) on Father Capodanno," said MTA planner Jonathan Hawkins. "After public outreach we modified it to move it back to Hylan, and now I think that what's become clear is that we got that a little wrong and it really needs both Hylan and Father Capodanno service."
EXTENDING SIM4/SIM4c
After previously announcing a late-night shuttle from the Eltingville Transit Center for South Shore commuters, the MTA has announced it will extend the SIM4/SIM4c route farther south and later into the night.
Once the changes are implemented, the SIM4/SIM4c route will be extended to Huguenot Avenue and Woodrow Road, running until 2:15 a.m.
"The shuttle bus was a temporary improvement to immediately deliver additional service south of Eltingville Transit Center, and this improvement is now being made permanent and more efficient," according to an MTA spokesperson.
SERVICE INCREASES TO MANHATTAN
The SIM1, SIM2, SIM7, SIM22, SIM31, SIM32 and SIM34 will receive increased service on Manhattan-bound trips.
SERVICE INCREASES TO SI
The SIM1, SIM2, SIM3, SIM4, SIM7, SIM22, SIM31, SIM33 and SIM34 will receive increased service on Staten Island-bound trips.
SPAN INCREASE
The SIM3c evening rush hour span has been extended to begin 95 minutes earlier, at 6:25 p.m.
The SIM7 evening rush hour span has been extended to end 30 minutes later, at 7:30 p.m.
ADDITIONAL SERVICE TO CSI
To accommodate riders traveling to the College of Staten Island, three morning trips have been added to the SIM4c, leaving Midtown at 8 a.m., 8:50 a.m. and 9:50 a.m.
REALIGNMENT OF SCHEDULES
Routes that won't be receiving increased service will have their schedules realigned to optimize existing resources.
For example, the SIM10 has experienced overcrowding during the early morning rush between 4 and 5 a.m. However, some SIM10 trips later in the day have been underutilized. As a result, the schedule will be reconfigured to address existing conditions.
"This redesigned network launched with 68 more trips each weekday, 62 more trips each Saturday, 60 more trips each Sunday than the network it replaced, and with these new schedule changes, we will add 38 more weekday trips since the launch as a result of customer feedback and observations on the ground," according to an MTA spokesperson.