{"id":5613,"date":"2025-02-13T00:24:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-13T05:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vanshnookenraggen.com\/_index\/?p=5613"},"modified":"2025-02-13T14:46:51","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T19:46:51","slug":"why-the-ibx-wont-reach-the-bronx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vanshnookenraggen.com\/_index\/2025\/02\/why-the-ibx-wont-reach-the-bronx\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the IBX Won’t Reach the Bronx"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"
Hell Gate Bridge in 1917, right before it opened. Wikipedia<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When the Interboro Express (IBX) was announced<\/a> in January, 2022 by Gov. Kathy Hochul, it came as a welcome surprise to many who had been following the saga of the Triboro Line<\/a>, a circumferential transit line connecting Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, first proposed by the Regional Plan Association in the mid 1990s. Running along the LIRR Bay Ridge Branch and over the Hell Gate Bridge, the Triboro Line was going to slash travel times between the outer boroughs, especially between the Bronx and Queens. But when the IBX was presented, many were shocked to see that no connections to the Bronx were included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked about this, the MTA claimed that there was not enough capacity<\/a> [PDF, pg. 2] on the Hell Gate Bridge to support the IBX as well as existing freight and passenger traffic. The MTA even claimed that if the IBX were to ever continue to the Bronx, it would need a new bridge. In 1925, a new East River Bridge might seem sensible, but in 2025 the idea seems as distant as landing men on the surface of Pluto. Given that the Hell Gate Bridge is far from operational capacity, why can’t the IBX use it to reach the Bronx?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the surface, the Hell Gate Bridge, with three active tracks and a fourth that could be easily reactivated, seems to have more than enough capacity. To understand why this might not be the case, we must first understand how the Hell Gate Bridge is used today, and what is planned for it tomorrow.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Hell Gate Bridge<\/a> was opened in 1912, built by the New York Connecting Railroad (which was co-owed by the Pennsylvania and New Haven Railroads). Since 1975, the bridge is owned by Amtrak. Built with four tracks, two for passenger service and two for freight, today Amtrak uses the bridge for its Northeast Corridor (NEC) regional and Acela trains. A third track is used for CSX (the fourth track was removed in the 1970s). CSX owns the Oak Point Yard at the base of the bridge in the Bronx, and the Fremont Secondary, a single track running off the bridge into Queens. The Fremont Secondary connects to the Fresh Pond Yard, and the LIRR Bay Ridge Branch south of there, which is owned by the LIRR (MTA).<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Map
Map showing location of the Hell Gate Bridge as it relates to other NYC rail lines.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When the Triboro Line was first proposed in the mid-1990s, the Hell Gate Bridge was only used by a few Amtrak NEC passenger trains, and a maybe-once-a-day freight train run by CSX. Amtrak has since increased service on the NEC, and is looking to increase service in the future<\/a>. CSX currently runs between 1 and 3 freight trains per day over the bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freight traffic on the Bay Ridge Branch comes mostly from a car float<\/a> that moves freight cars across New York Harbor on barges. Traffic has tripled in the last 30 years, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has struck a deal with New York State to provide space along the IBX for future freight service. The PANYNJ is moving forward with a Tier II EIS<\/a> for their Cross Harbor Rail Tunnel, which aims to connect the Greenville Yard in Jersey City, NJ with the Bay Ridge Branch in Brooklyn. The PANJNY projects up to 21 trains per day will use the tunnel, and up to 12 trains per day will cross the Hell Gate Bridge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Bronx, the MTA is currently building out Penn Station Access<\/a> (PSA) which will upgrade the NEC to allow for a new Metro North service serving Penn Station. PSA is being designed to so that each service is segregated: Amtrak trains will use the outer tracks and not stop, while Metro North will use the inner tracks and stop at island platform stations.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Penn\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Penn Station Access track schematic showing proposed expansion of the Northeast Corridor tracks in the Bronx.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In their EIS for PSA<\/a> [PDF], the MTA projects that once operational, 161 combined Metro North\/Amtrak passenger trains per day will cross the Hell Gate Bridge. Broken down, there is an average of 3.3tph in either direction, though up to 6tph in peak directions. Trains will be scheduled around open slots at Penn Station and on the New Haven Line. PSA trains are planned to turn around at New Rochelle, so headways will be determined on when PSA trains can slip past through-trains between Grand Central Terminal and New Haven. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freight<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Primary\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Primary Access Routes into West-of Hudson Region. Source PANYNJ Cross Harbor Tunnel EIS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Most freight that comes into the New York region is destined to pass on through (most through the Port of Elizabeth). Rail freight arrives in New Jersey from the west and south via CSX and Norfolk Southern railroads. From the north, CSX runs freight down the west side of the Hudson River from the Selkirk Yard just outside of Albany. Norfolk Southern brings in freight from the south and west. In New Jersey, the freight is either moved to container ships, placed on trucks, or moved to rail yards. Within a certain zone in New Jersey, all freight is switched to Conrail Shared Assets<\/a> railroad, a legacy carrier left over from the Conrail consolidation in the 1970s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A small amount of freight runs down from Selkirk along the east side of the Hudson, along the Amtrak Empire Corridor and Metro North Hudson Line. This traffic ends at Oak Point Yard in the Bronx, at the foot of the Hell Gate Bridge. While CSX does have operation rights along the NEC, because of the high volume of passenger service on the line, freight into Connecticut is usually run from Selkirk through Massachusetts first, and then down into CT. Freight that runs over the Hell Gate Bridge is mostly destined for Long Island. Freight to and from Long Island is mostly trash, construction materials (like lumber or gravel), and beer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only traffic that crosses the harbor itself does so on barge floats<\/a> run by the PANJNY. This operation is run as a relay between a number of small rail carriers at yards along the way. Beginning at the Greenville Yard in Jersey City, NJ, barges move the cars to the 65th St Yard in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, which sorts them. Next, the New York & Atlantic RR connects these cars and runs them to the Fresh Pond Yard in Queens. From here, CSX will take some trains over the Hell Gate Bridge, and the rest will be sent to Long Island over the LIRR. In the last half decade, the PANYNJ has invested heavily<\/a> into this operation, with new barges that can carry more tonnage.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"\/<\/a>
Tugboat Marjorie McAllister guides the rail barge to the 65 Street transfer bridge. The tug, built in 1974 Main Iron Works Inc. of Houma, La., is powered by two 16-cylinder EMD engines, the same model that is used on many locomotives. \u2014Raymond Mercado<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Mixing freight and passenger service is something that the United States is particularly bad at, even in the days of mass long distance train travel. Most Amtrak routes run on rail owed by private freight carriers. Legally, Amtrak always has the right-of-way on private lines. But in practice, Amtrak trains are routinely delayed by freight trains<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freight trains are longer, heavier, and slower than the average passenger train. Freight trains do not run on tight schedules in the same way that passenger rail does. In a region with such high passenger rail volumes as New York, most freight traffic is segregated on their own tracks. While CSX owns its tracks on the west side of the Hudson, most of the tracks on the east side are owned by the MTA or Amtrak. Ultimately, Amtrak has the final say in who gets to use their bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A freight rail tunnel under the harbor has been discussed in some way since the late 1800s. Due to the size of the project, it was always going to be massively expensive, whereas moving freight cars around the harbor on barges was relatively cheap. As freight shifted to trucks, new automobile bridges and tunnels were built to connect the region, and the need for a rail tunnel dwindled. But with the growth in freight and traffic over the last 30 years, the idea for a tunnel has come back. Calls for the tunnel have been championed<\/a> by Congressman Jerry Nadler, and supporters claim that the tunnel will help take hundreds of trucks off of local crossing and roads.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Projected\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Projected Cross Harbor Rail Tunnel Alt Daily Ops<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This claim is somewhat debatable because, eventually, the containers on the rail cars will shift to the backs of trucks; Last-mile operations ultimately require this transfer. It’s that by building new transload facilities (where freight is moved from train to truck) within the city or on Long Island, trucks are making more local deliveries and fewer cross-regional deliveries. Frewer trucks criss-crossing the region is better for the roads, traffic, and the air. Moving more rail by freight doesn’t so much take trucks off of all roads, just key congested crossings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving more freight through the region by rail is a stated policy goal of NYS DOT<\/a>. DOT projects that in the next 25 years, the region will see an increase of 34% in “commodity flow volume”<\/a>, and most of this traffic will be brought in on the backs of trucks. To keep our roads from being a giant parking lot of trucks, the city and state will invest in transload facilities over the next decade. Located mostly in Brooklyn, Queens<\/a>, and Long Island, these transfer facilities will keep trucks out of Manhattan and congested regional crossings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real improvement that a tunnel offers is in efficiency. Instead of taking apart a freight train in New Jersey and having multiple operators move the cars around, then reassemble the train in New York (which can take up to two days), with a tunnel, a single operator can take one train from beginning to end. If the same operator were to do that today, it could take up to 48 hours to run up to Selkirk and back down. Freight that today must wait days to be moved across the region wastes space for trains further afield. Moving freight through the region at a fraction of the time speeds up traffic all the way from Chicago and Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n