nymtc regional freight plan - New York Metropolitan Transportation ...
nymtc regional freight plan - New York Metropolitan Transportation ...
nymtc regional freight plan - New York Metropolitan Transportation ...
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A Freight Plan for the NYMTC Region<br />
• Harlem River Yard to Fresh Pond Yard in Queens via Freemont Secondary Track.<br />
Once TOFC <strong>freight</strong> enters the region via the Hudson Line, it is constrained by clearance<br />
restrictions beyond the Bronx on the LIRR. This line is presently not cleared for<br />
TOFC at two and possibly three locations west of Sunnyside Junction. There are no<br />
current <strong>plan</strong>s to achieve this clearance.<br />
• Fresh Pond Yard to proposed Pilgrim State Hospital Yard in Deer Park via LIRR<br />
mainline. The LIRR mainline must be upgraded – possibly by adding a new <strong>freight</strong>only<br />
track – to make the development of an intermodal yard at Pilgrim State Hospital<br />
viable. This issue will be addressed in the Pilgrim EIS.<br />
• Fresh Pond Yard on the Bay Ridge and Montauk (west) branches of the LIRR to 65 th<br />
Street yard in Brooklyn and to a proposed new yard at Maspeth, Queens to be constructed<br />
as part of the Cross Harbor tunnel. Clearance constraints on the Bay Ridge<br />
and Montauk (west) branches of the LIRR preclude TOFC service from reaching the<br />
existing intermodal yard at 65 th Street in Brooklyn and the proposed yard at Maspeth,<br />
Queens (the abandoned Phelps Dodge site). The Maspeth site would be the main<br />
intermodal yard servicing the Cross Harbor tunnel (see Section 5.3.3), but even without<br />
a tunnel a smaller yard also could service TOFC traffic coming from the north via<br />
the Hudson Line, absent the existing clearance constraints. The Cross Harbor EIS will<br />
examine means of achieving double-stack clearance on these lines, which would be a<br />
more expensive project than just achieving TOFC clearance.<br />
<strong>Transportation</strong> Impacts<br />
In June 2001, NYSDOT completed a feasibility study of developing a rail yard at Pilgrim.<br />
The study found that with relatively minor line improvements on the LIRR mainline, an<br />
annual market of 300,000 tons of bulk transload traffic could be developed by 2005. With<br />
major infrastructure improvements, such as an additional track on the main line, the study<br />
forecast an additional market of 700,000 tons of intermodal cargo by 2020. Further analysis<br />
will be conducted by NYSDOT and PANYNJ in the “Hudson Line Railroad Corridor<br />
<strong>Transportation</strong> Plan,” “East-of-Hudson Rail Freight Study,” and “Pilgrim EIS.”<br />
Other Impacts<br />
No significant environmental impacts are associated with improving clearance on the<br />
Hudson Line to Harlem River. The impacts of further clearance to Pilgrim will be determined<br />
by the Pilgrim EIS. To the extent that these projects divert <strong>freight</strong> movement from<br />
truck to rail, they can have positive environmental impacts. They are not likely to have<br />
major economic impacts, except in the immediate vicinity of the yards serviced by the new<br />
lines. Physical barriers to implementation include the cost of upgrading rail infrastructure<br />
to accommodate modern rail equipment. The primary institutional barrier is coordination<br />
among multiple agencies and operators. These improvements can strengthen <strong>regional</strong><br />
connectivity in the Western, I-95 NE Thruway, I-87 NYS Thruway, and Long Island<br />
Expressway (I-495) corridors. These improvements involve introducing an intermediate<br />
stage of railroad technology to the region – TOFC clearance of 17’ 9” – still below the<br />
national double-stack clearance standard of 23 feet.<br />
Cambridge Systematics, Inc. 5-27