At this point, it looks as if the latter is likely to consist of a cross-harbor railroad tunnel, probably preceded by increased investment in rail car float barges.

In terms of the project's main goal - to reduce New York City's dependence on trucks - the study projects that a rail tunnel will eliminate over twice as many truck-miles per year as improved rail car float operations and measures aimed at managing truck trip demand. The rail tunnel itself will be over twice as effective in reducing truck trips if it is combined with expanded port facilities in Brooklyn. A combined rail/truck tunnel, on the other hand, unsurprisingly reinforces the city's truck dependence.

An open question for the rail tunnel is whether to connect Brooklyn to the waterfront Greenville Rail Yard in Jersey City, or to the North Shore rail line in Staten Island. The Staten Island alignment would be easier to advance politically, since it would remain entirely within New York City. It would also connect to a part of the New Jersey rail network that is less congested than that running into Greenville. However, it would require an active track connection between Staten Island and New Jersey, and that has proven elusive in recent years because of local concerns in Union County (see MTR #210). The existing Arthur Kill rail bridge may also prove a capacity constraint along the two-track system into Brooklyn envisaged in EDC's work. Heavy freight use of the North Shore line could complicate passenger rail operations there as well.

The biggest constraint of all for the tunnel may be finding construction money. While attention is now on the MTA capital budget, a multi-year NY State DOT capital budget will also have to be established in early 2000. The DOT budget generally contains provision for rail freight capital improvements. NYC freight tunnel advocates in the legislature would do well to investigate possible rail tunnel design and engineering needs for inclusion in DOT's pending 5-year plan.

Canadian Pacific (CP) and CSX railroads continue to fight over the terms of CP's access to New York City via the Hudson Line, though the companies have told the Surface Transportation Board that they are seeking a negotiated settlement. CP now says it wants to serve the Harlem River Yard and the Hunts Point Market directly, instead of via switching controlled by CSX. Since the STB ruled that CP could serve NYC as part of the breakup of Conrail, CP and CSX have clashed over CP's access to customers between Albany and NYC and over CSX's charges for switching and other services. Journal of Commerce

In early September, United Parcel Service yanked many of its shipments off of the rails and moved them onto highway-plying trucks. The reason: continued service problems plaguing east coast freight railroad operations following the giant merger of the Conrail system into those of Norfolk-Southern and CSX. The railroads claim that things are improving, and that the frequency of complaints is slowing, but delays and congestion continue to recur. System congestion is worse and train speeds are slower overall for both railroads since the Conrail acquisition. Shippers' concerns are mounting as the peak economic season approaches. Journal of Commerce