The interior of an express train to St. George on Thursday. Riders say the train is habitually late. (Staten Island Advance/Vincent Barone)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – As dozens of Staten Island Railway commuters waited at the Huguenot station for the 7:43 a.m. express to St. George, there was a common worry: The train would be late and they'd miss their ferry connection.

"I miss the ferry all the time. It happens almost every day — it's probably going to happen right now, " said commuter Denise Piazza, as she boarded her train.

Louis Phillips, of Huguenot, says that, in the past five work days, his 7:58 train from Huguenot to St. George arrived on time at the ferry terminal just once. On Thursday, at least, he was glad the train picked him up as per schedule.

According to Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) ridership statistics, the SIR averages 15,000 commuters per weekday. Serving as the only train line in the borough, it's a vital connection to the ferry for the East Shore and South shore, whose residents face the longest commuting times in the country.

But in the past year, commuters say they have noticed a sharp decline in service reliability.

In State Sen. Diane Savino's 2013 SIR report, 1,200 survey participants gave train service on Staten Island an "F," with comments mentioning that the train is delayed several times each week. And a train that's even a few minutes late to the ferry, could mean being anywhere from 15-45 minutes late to work.

The railway is scheduled to run in coordination with the Department of Transportation's ferry service. Next to each departing train time, the SIR schedule shows the correlating ferry's departure time.

FILE PHOTO: Passengers wait at the Clifton Station as train service is suspended following a train derailment at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in St. George, Thursday, August 7, 2014.(Staten Island Advance/Bill Lyons)

Ms. Piazza's 7:28 a.m. train from Huguenot should arrive in St. Goerge in time for the 8 a.m. boat. The schedule says that Phillips' 7:58 a.m. train should empty passengers in the ferry terminal in time for 8:30 a.m. boat. Too often that's not the case, they say.

WAIT: WET LEAVES?

Ms. Piazza and Phillips have been told by MTA staff that in the fall, wet leaves on the tracks caused delays, but Phillips doesn't buy that.

"The trains are always late. They are constantly overshooting their platforms and have to stop to double back," Phillips said. "One time I was on a train on my way home and its doors just didn't open at my stop. I had to get off at the next stop and wait for a train going back in the other direction... I don't know what's going on, but it's ridiculous."

If Ms. Piazza or Phillips miss their ferries, they have to wait at least 15 minutes for the next rush hour boat.

But for the commuters catching the 8:28 a.m. train from Huguenot, the stakes are higher.

Their train is scheduled to catch the 9 a.m. ferry into Manhattan. After 9 a.m., the ferry service returns to its off-peak schedule and departs on the half hour. So the 8:28 train into St. George is late, commuters could face being 30 to 45 minutes late to work given the shift in ferry runs.

TROUBLING TREND

An express train from Tottenville pulls out of the Huguenot Station on Thursday morning, heading to St. George. (Staten Island Advance/Vincent Barone)

Frank Curto, Peter Competiello and Robert Capone are 8:28 train regulars at the Huguenot station. Competiello has been riding the SIR for 27 years. Capone and Curto say they've commuted on the SIR for about a decade.

"You used to be able to set your watch to the train. Not anymore," Campetiello said.

The three had their doubts as they waited for the 8:28 train on Thursday. They said their train had missed the 9 a.m. ferry every day that week.

Piling into their usual third car, the group checked their watches. "Okay, if we make it to New Dorp by 8:42, we have a chance," said Curto.

RACE TO THE FERRY

There's an unwritten rule among SIR riders. If a commuter is hoping to catch the train's correlating ferry boat, they must move to the train's first car as it pulls into St. George and be ready to sprint through the terminal's turnstiles. And that's if the train is even five minutes late.

"God forbid you have to buy a MetroCard. You're done for," said Capone.

The Staten Island Railway's fleet of 64 cars is one of the oldest in the MTA's subway system, dating back to the early 1970s.

IMPROVEMENTS ON THE WAY

Commuters at the Huguenot station board the 8:15 express train to St. Goerge on Thursday morning. (Staten Island Advance/Vincent Barone)

The MTA's current version of its five-year capital program allots $372 million to replace the SIR fleet with brand new cars. A portion of the money will also go to line improvements, like adding three new power substations to increase power supply for the new cars.

When asked if they thought the improvements would bring better service, Curto, Capuno and Competiello looked at each other and shrugged. Maybe. But then Curto reference the common excuse he's heard from the railway staff.

"Well, that's not going to pick up the wet leaves," he said, half-joking.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on where you're traveling from, the ferry is occasionally running late, itself. This gives late SIR riders an occasional break.

"That's if you're lucky," said Competiello. "If the boat is late, sometimes you can make it through the ferry doors as they close by the skin of your teeth."

"If the schedule says this train should make the 9 a.m. boat, then it should make the 9 a.m. boat," said Curto.

As their train pulled past the Clifton stop, Capuno called for a time check. It was 8:48 a.m. Their train was running on time. Eventually, the train made it to St. George just four minutes late, which gave riders the opportunity to catch the 9 a.m. boat.

"The first time this week," Curto said. "And it's already Thursday."