Roosevelt Island Red Bus Shuttle Schedule To Queens Subway Station and Manhattan During Tram Outage - It's Almost Here!

Image From RIOC

The time is rapidly approaching for the shutdown of the Roosevelt Island Tram, initially planned for July 2009, now scheduled to begin on March 1, 2010. RIOC and POMA, the contractor for the Roosevelt Island Tram Modernization Program, are ready to begin and promise that the Tram will be returned to service by September 2010.

RIOC has published their plans for Red Bus Shuttle service to Queens subway station during morning rush hours and Manhattan near 2nd Avenue and 59th street during Weekends and non-rush hour weekdays. Click on image below to enlarge.

Image From RIOC

During rush hour weekday mornings, the Red Bus Shuttle will pick up passengers in Southtown near the Riverwalk Bar & Grill on the half hour starting at 7 AM until 9:30 AM, stopping 5 minutes later at the Q102 stop across from PS/IS 217 and then proceed to Queens Plaza South and Jackson Avenue where residents can take the E, G, R, V, 7, W, or N subway lines. The shuttle bus trip to Queens subway will take approximately a half hour from Southtown.

During n0n-rush hour weekdays, the Red Bus Shuttle will pick up passengers in Southtown near the Riverwalk Bar & Grill on the hour starting at 10 AM until 2:00 PM, stopping 5 minutes later at the Q102 stop across from PS/IS 217 and then proceed to Second Avenue and 59th Street. Return trips from Manhattan will be on the hour starting at 10:30 AM until 2:30 PM. The shuttle bus trip to Manhattan will also take approximately a half hour from Southtown.

Between 3-7 PM weekdays there will be no Red Bus Shuttle service to or from Manhattan due to rush hour traffic but will resume at 7 PM to Manhattan on the hour until 11 PM with returns from Manhattan starting at 7:30 PM until 11:30 PM.

Weekend Red Bus service to Manhattan will be on the hour starting at 10 AM until 11 PM with return trip on the hour starting at 10:30 AM until 11:30 PM.

Regular Fares will be $1, Seniors, Disabled and children 5-16 years of age 50 cents.

No final determination yet on the status of temporary ferry service during tram outage. According to RIOC' VP Of Operations Fernando Martinez:

Before we can make a final decision on the ferry service, we have to first get the approval from the Ops Committee and then the full RIOC Board.

The Operations Committee is scheduled to meet on February 17 and the full RIOC Board on February 18. Following the February 18 RIOC Board Meeting there will be a Town Hall Meeting where the public can discuss these issues with RIOC.

UPDATE 2/23/10 - The Red Bus Schedule to Queens and Manhattan during the Tram outage has been revised as illustrated below.

Revised Red Bus Schedule Image From RIOC

The new schedule includes an additional Red Bus Stop at the Seniors Center at 546 Main Street and a 3:30 PM weekday bus shuttle from Roosevelt Island to Manhattan with a return from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island at 4 PM. Everything else is the same. The additional afternoon bus shuttle was scheduled for the returning school kids. According to RIOC President Steve Shane:

Since the 3:30 bus was added at the special behest of Matt Katz for the returning kids from school, please do whatever that can be done to get the word out to the community. I am presuming that during the months of July and August, will not be necessary as the school kids will either be away at camp or in any event, not attending a Manhattan school.