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Tram Plaza
is located at 59th Street and Second Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
Each
cabin can carry up to 125 people. There are only a few seats so most
passengers will have to stand. The tram moves at a rate of approximately
16 miles per hour, and takes 4 to
5 minutes to complete the journey.
On the island a red minibus
meets the tram and transports passengers throughout the island. |
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The Roosevelt Island Tramway is an aerial tramway that spans the East
River and connects the two mile long Roosevelt Island that sits between Manhattan
and Queens, to Manhattan. It is the only commuter
aerial tramway in North America. |
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The
tramway was created 1976 as a means to shuttle residents to and from
Manhattan. Initially the tramway was supposed to be a temporary measure
until the opening of the subway station, but by the time the subway was
completed in 1989, the tramway was so popular, that it was decided
to continue its use. |
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| The tram was designed by Prentice &
Chan and Ohlhausen and built by the Swiss company Vonroll. It is operated
by Interfac on behalf of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation of the
State of New York, which is a state public benefit corporation created in
1984 to run services on the island. |
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| When New York bought this island in
1828, it became the location of a number of institutions. including a
prison, and a lunatic asylum. On the southern tip of the island there
remains the ruins of a smallpox hospital that was built in 1856. Due to
the condition of the castle-like ruins, the public are not allowed access,
except by specially arranged tours. |
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