The Staten Island Railroad freight line, which is NYC’s only connection to the national freight rail network and which reopened in 2007 after lying dormant for 16 years, has reached an important milestone. At a press event yesterday, CSX announced that it will operate “direct flight” freight rail service between Staten Island and Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and four other cities in the Midwest and New England.
NYC Economic Development Corporation officials said that the new CSX service would eliminate 45,000 truck trips per year. Previously, most freight trains leaving from Staten Island made stops in Newark or Elizabeth, NJ to pick up additional cargo. But the new service became possible as a result of increased business at the NY Container Terminal in Howland Hook, Staten Island — which, in turn, can be traced back to the decision to repair and reopen the freight line. Since it reopened in April 2007, officials said, the freight line has eliminated 125,000 truck trips. (The line is also used to transport some of NYC’s residential waste to landfills in other parts of the country.)
The rehabilitation of the freight line, which closed in 1991, was a decade-long process. NJ’s Union County and NYCEDC agreed to jointly rehabilitate the line in 1997 (MTR # 132) but cost escalations and disputes over land and funding held up progress until the Port Authority stepped in to complete the connection on the New Jersey side (MTR # 541).
Speaking to the SI Advance, Congressman Jerrold Nadler praised the connection and said he hoped its success would boost support for the Cross Harbor Rail Tunnel proposed between Bayonne, NJ and Brooklyn that would connect Brooklyn and Queens to the national freight rail network and remove up to a million trucks from city streets annually.
The article doesn’t say how many trains cross the bridge per day, or how often they have to raise it for ships, but chances are there’s still plenty of room for passenger rail. So why are people still talking about light rail for a revived North Shore Line, instead of a nice commuter rail line that would allow people to get to jobs in central New Jersey or transfer for trains to Midtown?
The north Shore Rail Line,first, is in a different place. It goes from the Staten Island Ferry along the Kill Van Kull. It is of enormous economic etc importance to New York and Staten Island. It would reconnect the important historic waterfront commuities and cultural institutions; Snug Harbor/ Chinese Gardens etc. Sacred Sites and Waterfront Park at West Brighton (Indian Village Site/ Revolutionary War site etc), This and the Greenway Trail would bring tourists off the SI Ferry and bring people to restore and live in great historic affordable houses; ALL requiring goods and services which bring jobs;
Creating an thriving independent economy which is sustainable in any market. This is the greast unused resource in New York.
staten island is part of new jersey new york stole it staten island is in the stone age we need a train too nyc this is nuts the way we travel either give staten island too new jersey and let theme build trains to nyc or build it already stop the bs this makes me want too fight. there are four bridges too new jersey from staten island only one too bk the ferry is a waist of time the bus takes way too long staten island people cant take it anymore
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