nymtc regional freight plan - New York Metropolitan Transportation ...

A Freight Plan for the NYMTC Region
Table 4.2
Rail Analysis Summary Table
Task 4 Task 5
Performance Measures 1 Current/Anticipated Deficiencies 1 Possible Solutions/Alternatives
Rail Freight Traffic Levels:
• Rail carloads exchanged with
East-of-Hudson origins/
destinations
• Container or trailer groundings
in the East-of-Hudson
region
Rail Freight Levels of Service:
• (Proprietary information, may
be difficult to acquire)
Rail Freight Market Share:
• Rail as a percentage of total
regional freight traffic
Rail Freight Competition:
• Number of competing carriers
(preserving service options
through future mergers)
Rail Terminal Access:
• Number of access modes
(truck, barge/ferry)
• Number of alternative access
truck routes
• Connection time/distance to
nearest limited-access highway
or mainline rail head
• Average cost of dray
operations
Congestion Issues that Limit Potential
Traffic Levels:
• Scheduling conflicts with passenger
rail service in East-of-Hudson market
• Emerging rail congestion on West-of-
Hudson rail network
Operating Restrictions that Limit
Levels of Service:
• Clearance restrictions on East-of-
Hudson rail network
• Weight restrictions on East-of-
Hudson rail network
• Limited freight operating windows
between passenger service
Capacity/Infrastructure Deficiencies
that Limit Market Share:
• Yard and terminal capacity limits
growth
• Lack of an efficient cross-Hudson rail
link
• Heavy taxation on railroad property
in New York State limits railroad
investments in rights-of-way 2
Limited Rail Terminal Access:
• Hunts Point, Harlem River, Fresh
Pond, and 65 th Street rail yards have
poor highway access that requires
trucks to travel extensively on local
roads
• Trucks serving proposed Pilgrim
intermodal terminal will need direct
access to LIE to avoid use of local
streets
Infrastructure Improvements:
• 17’ 9” TOFC vertical clearance program: 3
- Metro North Hudson Line (underway)
- To Fresh Pond yard and Long Island Bay
Ridge Line in Brooklyn
- To Pilgrim State Hospital site
• 20’ 8” East-of-Hudson double-stack vertical
clearance program on all major rail lines
• Create sufficient lateral clearances in keeping
with AAR envelopes, paying extra attention to
electrified third rails and station platforms on
LIRR and MNR lines
• Increase weight limits on select railroad lines
(ongoing)
• Improve West-of-Hudson rail line and terminal
capacity (ongoing)
• Increase East-of-Hudson terminal capacity
(ongoing)
• Develop new intermodal rail terminal at
Maspeth, Queens (Phelps-Dodge) and Pilgrim
State Hospital (Long Island)
• Construct a permanent Cross-Hudson freight
rail connection
• Provide direct truck access from proposed
Pilgrim intermodal terminal to the LIE
Policy Improvements:
• Support the East-of-Hudson Rail Freight
Operation Task Force (EOHRFOTF)
• Monitor impacts of toll pricing on river crossings
and rail mode share to shift discretionary
traffic away from the most congested periods
• Eliminate or reduce railroad taxation to spur
railroad investment in infrastructure
improvements
Operating/Technology Improvements:
• Continue coordination between passenger and
freight rail operations, particularly on the
Hudson Line and LIRR
• Revitalize cross harbor car floats as a near-term
solution to improved cross-Hudson
connectivity
• Restore freight service to Staten Island
1 Performance Measures and Deficiencies identified here cover all aspects of the rail transportation system. However, in keeping
with the scope of the Regional Freight Plan, the focus of subsequent project tasks was on deficiencies related to groundside access.
2 Issue has subsequently been resolved.
3 Canadian Pacific equipment requires 17’ 9” clearance.
Note: The tables in this section are intended to show, in outline form, the evolution of project definitions over time, and their relationship
to performance measures and deficiencies. The solutions listed represent an initial menu of actions, prior to evaluation. For
current project definitions and detailed descriptions of benefits and impacts, turn to Section 5.0.
Cambridge Systematics, Inc. 4-4