The Roosevelt Island Tramway is an aerial tramway in New York City that
spans the East River and connects Roosevelt Island to the Upper East Side
of Manhattan. Prior to the completion of the Mississippi Aerial River Transit in
May 1984 and the Portland Aerial Tram in December 2006, it was the only commuter
aerial tramway in North America. Over 26 million passengers have used the
tram since it began operation in 1976. Each cabin has a capacity of up to 110
people and makes approximately 115 trips per day. The tram moves at about 17.9
mph and travels 3,100 feet in 3 minutes. At its peak it climbs to 250 feet above
the East River as it follows its route on the north side of the Ed Koch
Queensboro Bridge, providing views of the East Side of Midtown Manhattan. Two
cabins make the run at fifteen-minute intervals from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.
and continuously during rush hours. It is one of the few forms of mass transit
in New York City not run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority,
but uses that system's MetroCard and has free transfers to that system.
The tram is operated by LPOA on behalf of the Roosevelt Island Operating
Corporation of the State of New York, a state public benefit corporation created
in 1984 to run services on the island. History
= Early history = Roosevelt Island had been connected to
Manhattan by a trolley line that crossed over the Queensboro Bridge from its
opening in 1909. Trolleys to and from Queens stopped in the middle of the
bridge to meet an elevator, which then took passengers down to the island. As
the only connection to the rest of the city from the island, the trolley
remained in service until April 7, 1957, long after most other trolley service
had been dismantled in the city, and was the last trolley line in New York State;
it was replaced by buses. At that time, a bridge to Queens was completed,
requiring a roundabout trip to reach Manhattan.
Beginning in the mid-1970s, Roosevelt Island was redeveloped to accommodate
low- to mid-income housing projects, necessitating the construction of a new
public transit connection to the city. The trolley tracks had deteriorated
beyond repair and the Roosevelt Island subway station serving the island via
the 63rd Street subway connection had not yet been completed. In 1971, the
Urban Development Corporation retained Lev Zetlin Associates to select and
design a transit connection to Roosevelt Island. James A O'Kon PE led the LZA
team in carrying out a feasibility study and design. Three alternate modes were
studied: a ferry, an elevator from the bridge, and the aerial tramway. The
tramway was selected and the system was designed for bidding. Von Roll was
selected to supply and erect the tram and its equipment. It was opened in July
1976 as a temporary solution for the island's commuting needs. As the subway
project fell further behind schedule, the "tram" became more popular and was
converted into a permanent facility, and the tram held a monopoly for service
between Roosevelt Island and the rest of Manhattan until the subway connection to
the island was finally completed in October 1989.
The tram was the last holdout for the use of tokens in the New York City
transit system. Initially, it used a special token, which was later replaced
by the standard variety for subways and buses. Although tokens were phased out
in favor of the MetroCard by 2003, the tram did not start to accept MetroCards
until March 1, 2004. The fare is the same as that on the buses and subways:
U.S. $2.75 for a one-way trip, with free transfers to the subway and buses.
During the 2005 New York City transit strike, the tramway was one of the few
intra-city public transportation systems still in operation, due to the fact that
it is privately operated. = Breakdowns =
On April 18, 2006, at about 5:22 p.m. EDT, the two trams were stuck over the
East River for seven hours because of mechanical problems, trapping 69 people.
Rescue baskets capable of holding up to 15 people were sent up to the stranded
cable cars at 10:55 p.m., with children and elderly going first, and each rescue
taking about 20 minutes. These baskets also carried supplies to the trams, such
as blankets, baby formula, and food, for the remaining passengers. Passengers on
the Roosevelt Island–bound tram were rescued by about 2:55 a.m. on April 19,
while those on the Manhattan-bound tram were not rescued until 4:07 a.m.
The April 2006 incident had been the second time in eight months that the
tram system lost power. On September 2, 2005, more than 80 people were trapped
on the tram for over 90 minutes. After that incident, state inspectors cited
the Roosevelt Island Tramway for not having an operational diesel backup, or
Motor-generator system. The State Department of Labor said the system did
not pass electrical inspection and could not run when the April 18 power outage
took place. The tramway suspended operations after
the April 2006 incident, reopening on September 1, 2006. The tram's backup
electrical systems were refurbished, and "in case of an emergency, each car now
is equipped with blankets, water, food, and a toilet with a privacy curtain. Car
attendants will carry cell phones with their radios."
= Renovation = On March 1, 2010, the tramway was closed
as part of a $25 million project to upgrade and modernize the system. With
the help of the French company Poma, all components were replaced except for the
three tower bases. Among the improvements, the new tram cables and
cars are now allowed to operate independently of each other in a
"dual-haul" system. Prior to this, the cars had to travel at the same time,
which presented maintenance and emergency response issues. The old
cabins may be preserved on Roosevelt Island and/or a museum.
The tramway reopened November 30, 2010, at 11 a.m. The project was completed in
nine months, two months longer than originally planned.
Accessibility and transfers The tram is wheelchair accessible.
Bicycles are permitted on the tram. In Manhattan, the entrance to the system
is at Tram Plaza at 60th Street and Second Avenue. The closest New York City
Subway station is the complex at Lexington Avenue / 59th Street on the
IND Queens Boulevard Line and Lexington Avenue – 63rd Street on the IND/BMT 63rd
Street Lines are also nearby. On Roosevelt Island, the "Red Bus" route
meets the tram and offers transportation around the island for free. During the
tramway reconstruction, the Red Bus was extended to Queens Plaza and the
Manhattan side of the Queensboro Bridge. The publicly operated Q102 bus also
provides transportation on the island. The Roosevelt Island subway station is
located north of the tramway entrance. In popular culture
Film Gerard Damiano's film Odyssey, the
Ultimate Trip may have been the first film to feature the tramway, which
carries one of the lead female characters into Manhattan for a modeling
interview. The House on the Edge of the Park shows
the tram at 6:07 minutes into the film as how it appeared in the late 1970s.
The Sylvester Stallone thriller Nighthawks depicted the tramway as a
terrorist target where United Nations delegates were taken hostage.
In Brian DePalma's Scarface the tramway can be seen in the background as Tony
makes a phone call following the aborted assassination attempt in New York City.
It was used in the opening credits of City Slickers.
In the 1994 film Léon: The Professional it can be seen when Natalie Portman's
character, Mathilda, is traveling on it alone.
The Roosevelt Island Tramway was featured prominently in a climactic
battle in the 2002 film Spider-Man, in which the Green Goblin throws Mary Jane
Watson off the Queensboro Bridge, and Spider-Man must choose between saving
her or passengers on the tramway. Shooting of this movie caused the Tram
to be out of service for weeks. It also appeared in the 2005 horror
movie Dark Water. The bridge and tram are also featured at
the end of the 2013 film Now You See Me. TV
In an episode of the series CSI New York, it was erroneously referred to as
the nation's only operating tramway. The projected fate of the tramway was
shown in episode 4 of the first season of Life After People: The Series.
The tram was featured in a 2012 episode of White Collar, with Neal Caffrey
leaping from a Manhattan-bound tram to one going back to Roosevelt Island.
In an episode of the series Impractical Jokers titled "Captain Fatbelly", Joe's
punishment for losing is standing on top of one of the tramway cars dressed as a
superhero and completing tasks while dealing with the constantly rocking car.
Other The tram was featured prominently in the
Universal Studios Florida theme park attraction Kongfrontation, which opened
in 1990 and closed in 2002. The ride consisted of passengers boarding a
recreation of a Roosevelt Island Tram where they promptly came face-to-face
with King Kong. The recreation did take certain liberties with regard to
accuracy as the real trams, for example, do not have seats. The real tram also
runs in a straight line, while the ride trams navigated curves.
A virtual version of the tramway is seen in fictional Liberty City of the Grand
Theft Auto gaming series. In Grand Theft Auto IV the player can ride the cable
car between the fictional Colony Island and Lancet.
See also Lists of crossings of the East River
Transportation in New York City Footnotes
References External links
Official website "Roosevelt Island Tram Modernization
Project". RIOC. Manhattan entrance on Google Maps Street
View Roosevelt Island entrance on Google Maps
Street View Pictorials
"Roosevelt Island Tram". nycsubway.org. Berne, Laurent. "TPH 110 V Roosevelt
Island Tramway". Remontees Mecaniques. Technical data and pictures about the
new ropeway "Soaring High Above New York City on an
Aerial Tramway". Greg Goodman. July 29, 2011. Photo essay
"Fotografías del teléferico de Roosevelt Island" [Pictures of the Roosevelt
Island tramway]. Guia Turistica de Nueva York.
"Tram". Kogeto. Panoramic video of tram ride