STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Good news for Staten Island commuters: The MTA says it plans to open the new South Ferry subway station Tuesday afternoon, and trains should be rolling through by the evening rush hour.

For commuters this means more subway options and it should be be much easier to get off the 1 train. Easier access to the R and W trains should be available as well.

The station was destroyed five years ago, during Hurricane Sandy, in October, 2012, when it was flooded from the tracks to the mezzanine with 15 million gallons of salt water and sewage that poured in.

It destroyed all of the electrical and mechanical systems in the station, which was only two years old at the time.

Commuters went six months without a Whitehall station 1 train connect after the storm while the MTA spent $2 million to revitalize the old South Ferry for interim use.

The old South Ferry station reopened in April 2013, but the 108-year-old station is not wheelchair-accessible and, because of the station's curved design, riders could only exit and enter from the first five cars. It was also the loudest platform in the MTA's network.

The main entrance to the new station was redone last summer, as part of the restoration project.

The turnstiles to the new station were closed for the morning commute Tuesday, but according to the MTA the station should reopen around noon.