u/archedpathway

Made a map to illustrate how Staten Island's rapid transit network could potentially look like in the future.

The MTA is planning 2 new bus rapid transit (BRT) lines on the North and West Shore. The former would convert most of the abandoned SIR North Shore branch to a busway, with two new BRT lines, S1 & S2, running between West Shore Plaza, Arlington & St. George. The S53, S54 and S57 would also be rerouted onto the new busway.

West Shore BRT is planned to run down the medians of MLK Jr Expressway, Richmond Av and Korean War Veterans Parkway. This would form a new north-south line on the West Shore between the Bayonne/8 St HBLR station and Arthur Kill.

Unfortunately, there hasn't been much recent news on either project. The FEIS for North Shore BRT was completed back in January 2024. The project's status was still in "Planning" as of February 2025, per the MTA's website.

West Shore BRT is also not planned to be built until after North Shore BRT is operational. The West Shore Alternatives Analysis was also still in "Planning" in August 2024.

Added Staten Island to the subway map to show what its future rapid transit network could look like with the North & West Shore BRT.

The former would reuse SIR's abandoned North Shore Branch and act as a trunk line for local bus routes.

Three local buses, S53, S54 & S57 are planned to use the North Shore Busway. Two new BRT services, S1 & S2, would operate between St. George and Arlington or West Shore Plaza.

The proposed West Shore BRT would run in the median of the Korean War Veteran's Parkway & Richmond Av. It would open after North Shore BRT is built. An alternative via West Shore Expressway was also evaluated in the MTA's 2023 20 Year Needs Assessment but scored much worse. I haven't seen a designation for the service so I just labeled it WS 🤷‍♂️

There's been little news lately on both projects. The FEIS for North Shore BRT was completed back in Jan 2024; its status on the MTA's website still says "Planning" and was last updated in Feb 2025. The West Shore Alternatives Analysis was still ongoing in Aug 2024.

Today's subway map is an updated version of the diagrammatic Vignelli design from the 1970s. The key difference now is that most subway services are color-coded based on which Manhattan trunk line they use (e.g. yellow for Broadway Line trains, orange for 6th, blue for 8th, etc.)

I've seen versions of this idea applying the 1970s route colors to the new design. But when Vignelli's map debuted in 1972 it also featured gray parks and beige waterways, so those are included here too.

Lines that didn't exist back then are colored based on similar historical routes. The W and Z are orange, like the EE and JJ. Though one liberty I've taken is making the M blue instead of teal, to better reflect the old K/KK service via Chrystie & 6th Avenue.

Lastly, the Staten Island Railway, which was not included on the original 1972 map, is orange, matching its appearance on the lesser-known but similarly styled 1974 Commuter Rail Guide by Joan Charysyn. (Charysyn was a designer at Unimark International who oversaw the physical design and printing of Vignelli's map.)