The Oak Point Link, also known as the South Bronx–Oak Point Link, is a long

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

line in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, United States, along the east bank of the

Harlem River The Harlem River is an tidal strait in New York, United States, flowing between the Hudson River and the East River and separating the island of Manhattan from the Bronx on the New York mainland. The northern stretch, also called the Spuyt ...

. It connects the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line (on the

Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad was a railroad built in what is today the West Bronx and South Bronx in New York City, United States. It ran from the junction between the West Side Line and the Hudson River Railroad near Spuyten Duyvil ...

section) with the

Harlem River Intermodal Yard Harlem River Yards (also known as Harlem River YardCSX Transportation

Oak Point Yard The Oak Point Yard is a freight railroad yard located in the South Bronx, New York City. The yard is owned by CSX Transportation, and is a base for CSX's local deliveries in the area, including to the Hunts Point Cooperative Market and for trai ...

at the north end of the

Hell Gate Bridge The Hell Gate Bridge, originally the New York Connecting Railroad Bridge or the East River Arch Bridge, is a steel through arch railroad bridge in New York City. Originally built for four tracks, the bridge currently carries two tracks of Amtr ...

History

In 1975, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) began planning a set of improvements to modernize the freight system for the New York City and Long Island area to promote increased rail freight service and to expand and stabilize the existing industrial job base. A key element of the plan was the raising of 18 low overhead bridges between

Selkirk Yard Selkirk Yard is a large freight railroad yard located in Selkirk, New York, about south of Albany. The yard is owned by CSX Transportation and is its major classification yard for the northeastern United States and the gateway to points east ...

near Albany and Highbridge Facility in the Bronx to have vertical clearances of at least ; this project was estimated to be completed in 1982. The increased vertical clearance was intended to allow 25% of conventional boxcars and trailer-on-flatcar (TOFC) fleets to operate along New York City's freight lines; TOFCs could only reach New York City from rail terminals in New Jersey. At the time, freight access via the Hudson Division was limited by overhead clearances of and capacity limitations due to passage over the New Haven, Harlem and Hudson commuter rail lines. New York State's Intermodal Study found that 9.6 percent of conventional rail cars in the United States were too high to use the Hudson Division in 1977, a number that increased to 15.4 percent in 1979 and was expected to soon increase to 40 percent. To avoid clearance issues on the Hudson Division, 6,000 cars were rerouted via Springfield, Massachusetts and New Haven, Connecticut, a route that provided an addition of clearance, but delayed shipments by 24 to 36 hours and added of travel. In September 1981, an Environmental Assessment was published by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and the NYSDOT to address the development of a TOFC facility at the Harlem River Yard and to provide clearance improvements between Highbridge Yard and Oak Point Yard. On December 3, 1981, the USCG published a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement. The project's funding was provided by the 1974 Rail Preservation Bond Act and the 1979 Energy Conservation Bond Issue, and from the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorize ...

Alternatives

Prior to the study conducted by the USCG and the NYSDOT, options to ameliorate the issue included a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River, the rehabilitation of the

Poughkeepsie Bridge The Walkway over the Hudson (also known as the Poughkeepsie Bridge, Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, Poughkeepsie–Highland Railroad Bridge, and High Bridge) is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, New York ...

, the use of the

North River Tunnels The North River Tunnels are a pair of rail tunnels that carry Amtrak and New Jersey Transit passenger lines under the Hudson River between Weehawken, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, New York City, New York. Built between 1904 ...

, a cross-harbor rail ferry, the use of low-profile piggyback equipment and the use of the Harlem, New Haven, and Hudson Divisions through the removal of clearance restrictions. All of the options, with the exception of the options to remove clearance restrictions were quickly rejected. The Harlem Line option was dismissed since it would have required the lifting of 53 bridges, with many of the bridges to be lifted located every other block in a -long stretch in the Central Bronx, requiring the lifting of adjacent streets and properties. The New Haven Line option was dismissed due to a conflict with passenger service as the line's

catenary In physics and geometry, a catenary (, ) is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends in a uniform gravitational field. The catenary curve has a U-like shape, superfici ...

would have to be raised, requiring a great expenditure and disrupting service on the Northeast Corridor. Multiple alternatives were considered to achieve the project's goals during the project's engineering studies, all using the Hudson Division between Selkirk and Highbridge Yards. The alternatives decided upon took into account expected expansion of commuter and intercity passenger service through Mott Haven Junction during most of the day, which would have hindered service via the Port Morris Branch. Three options were considered, but were dismissed at the beginning of the planning process. The Zig Zag Route would have made improvements to the existing Port Morris Branch, including the installation of crossovers, the raising of bridges in some locations, and the depression of the track in others. This option was deemed unacceptable due to conflicts with passenger traffic along the route, and Conrail and the MTA informed NYSDOT that they would refuse to consider clearance improvements along this route due to the conflicts. Projects for passenger traffic in 2000 would have limited freight movement along this route to a few hours at night. The 138th Street Connector would have connected Harlem River Yard with the Hudson Division at East 138th Street, avoiding Melrose Junction, and like the Zig Zag route, it would have required the installation of crossovers, the raising of bridges in some locations, and the depression of the track in others. This route would have also resulted in conflicts with passenger service, albeit somewhat less than the Zig Zag Route. This route would have required the construction of a rail trestle with steep grades to avoid conflicts with structures such as the Major Deegan Expressway. The Market Route East subalternative would have started at the southern end of Highbridge Yard using the existing single track servicing the Bronx Terminal Market and would have passed along the east edge of the overflow parking area at Yankee Stadium before running parallel to the Hudson Division, crossing Exterior Street to the shore at the East 149th Street Bridge, and then following the Shore Route alignment. This option would have required an at-grade crossing just north of East 150th Street on Exterior Street, would have required the elimination of 80 parking spots at Yankee Stadium, and would have required the relocation of four businesses. Trains would have had to run very slowly through this route. The remaining options were the Shore Route, the Offshore Route, and the Market Route West subalternative. The Shore Route would have consisted of a one-track concrete trestle running from Highbridge Yard to Lincoln Avenue for . To provide a clearance of , several highway bridges would have needed to be modified and the shoreline would need to be stabilized. In addition, three bridge crossings over the Harlem River would have needed to be modified. This option would have cost $58.5 million. This option would have eliminated 20 parking spaces at Yankee Stadium, would have restricted the use of a portion of the Bronx shoreline, and would have disrupted some nearby businesses. Construction on this option was expected to take 2 to 2.5 years. The Offshore Route would be very similar to the Shore Route, with the exception that it would have been constructed beyond the bulkhead and pier line from Highbridge Yard to the East 138th Street Bridge, a distance of . This option was estimated to cost $45.5 million, and would have required Congressional deauthorization of a portion of the Harlem River channel, which could have taken at least 18 months to complete. This option was expected to be cheaper than the Shore Route as its engineering and construction were simpler and because the cost of required real estate acquisitions was much lower. This option had a greater chance than the Shore Route option of getting hit by boats.The Market Route West is subalternative for the section between Highbridge Yard and the East 149th Street Bridge. The Market Route West/Shore Route alternative would cost $44.5 million, while the Market Route West/Offshore Route would have cost $38.5 million. These options would have been constructed in a fenced alignment using ballasted track. This option would have allowed for enhanced flexibility of market operations if abandoned sidings on the Terminal Market's east edge were reconnected This option would have required the loss of 85 parking spaces at Yankee Stadium, and would have cutoff an access ramp to the Major Deegan Expressway from the north end of Bronx Terminal Market. The construction of these options would have limited the Port Morris Branch for local freight use. Four options were considered for the TOFC plant (Oak Point Yard and Harlem River Yard in the Bronx, 65th Street Yard in Brooklyn and Sunnyside Yard in Queens), and it was decided to build it at Harlem River Yard. A new main line track would have been constructed along the southern perimeter of the TOFC yard for trains to and from Oak Point and Long Island.

Opening

The line, constructed and owned by the

State of New York New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. state ...

, opened in 1998 to allow better freight rail access to the city by eliminating the need to use the

Port Morris Branch Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad was a railroad built in what is today the West Bronx and South Bronx in New York City, United States. It ran from the junction between the West Side Line and the Hudson River Railroad near Spuyten Duyvil ...

, a more circuitous route that crossed busy commuter lines and whose tight turns (at Mott Haven and Melrose) limited the length of freight cars. It was funded in part by the

. The new line was built with a

structure gauge A structure gauge, also called the minimum clearance outline, is a diagram or physical structure that sets limits to the extent that bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure can encroach on rail vehicles. It specifies the height and width of pl ...

high enough for trailer-on-flat car (TOFC)

intermodal freight transport Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation (e.g., rail, ship, aircraft, and truck), without any handling of the freight itself when changing ...

service, but is not high enough for double stack container service, due to limits imposed by city bridges crossing over the line and the high tides on the Harlem River. Construction of the line began in 1983 and cost $187 million to complete. Including that sum, more than $375 million of public money has been spent to upgrade track to TOFC clearance between

near Albany and Fresh Pond Junction yard on Long Island. The line also gives Canadian Pacific Railway (CP)'s subsidiary Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) access to New York City. The access was mandated by the Surface Transportation Board to give competition to

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

's post- Conrail breakup monopoly on New York City and encourage freight in the area to use rail. CP uses

trackage rights Railway companies can interact with and control others in many ways. These relationships can be complicated by bankruptcies. Operating Often, when a railroad first opens, it is only a short spur of a main line. The owner of the spur line may ...

over CSX and Metro-North from

Schenectady Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

south along the east side of the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

to the connection. The first train to use it ran on October 12, 1998, according to ''The New York Times''. In 2010 CSX and CP's

Delaware and Hudson The Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) is a railroad that operates in the Northeastern United States. In 1991, after more than 150 years as an independent railroad, the D&H was purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). CP operates D&H ...

subsidiary asked the Surface Transportation Board to approve an arrangement where CSX will carry freight for D&H over the Oak Point link, though D&H retains trackage rights. D&H in turn will carry freight for CSX from Saratoga, NY to the Canada–US border. Local service from Oak Point Yard runs to an interchange with the

New York and Atlantic Railway The New York and Atlantic Railway (NY&A) is a short line railroad formed in 1997 to provide freight service over the tracks of the Long Island Rail Road, a public commuter rail agency which had decided to privatize its freight operations. An af ...

(NY&A) at Fresh Pond Junction Yard in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

. From Fresh Pond the NY&A takes freight to customers on the Long Island Rail Road, as well as the city-owned

65th Street Yard The 65th Street Yard, also Bay Ridge Rail Yard, is a rail yard on the Upper New York Bay in Sunset Park and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Equipped with two transfer bridges which allow rail cars to be loaded and unloaded onto car floats, the last ...

Bay Ridge Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by Sunset Park to the north, Dyker Heights to the east, the Narrows and the Belt Parkway to the west, and Fort Hamilton Army Base an ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, via the

Bay Ridge Branch The Bay Ridge Branch is a rail line owned by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and operated by the New York and Atlantic Railway in New York City. It is the longest freight-only line of the LIRR, connecting the Montauk Branch and CSX Transporta ...

References

Sources

External links

*
Comprehensive List of Float Bridges Located Throughout New York Harbor (1866-Present)
Rail infrastructure in New York (state) Delaware and Hudson Railway Rail freight transportation in New York City Transportation in the Bronx Port Morris, Bronx {{wikidataCoord