Bay Ridge Branch

Freight rail line in New York City

Bay Ridge Branch

Looking west from 14th Avenue in Borough Park, Brooklyn

Overview
Status| Active
Owner| Long Island Rail Road
Locale| Brooklyn and Queens, New York City
Termini|

* 65th Street Yard
* Fresh Pond Junction

Stations| 17 (all former)
Service
Type| Freight
System| Long Island Rail Road
Operator(s)| New York and Atlantic Railway
History
Opened| 1876 (1876)[1]
Completed| 1883 (1883)[2]
Passenger service ended| 1924 (1924)[3]
Electrification installed| 1927 (1927)[4]
Electrification removed| 1968 (1968)
Technical
Number of tracks| 1–4
Track gauge| 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

Route map

|  |  |

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| NYCR Fremont Secondary

to Hell Gate Bridge

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Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue

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Lower Montauk Branch

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Fresh Pond Junction

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Myrtle Avenue Line

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Myrtle Avenue

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Cypress Avenue

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Canarsie Line

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Evergreen Branch

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Cooper Avenue Junction

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Brooklyn/Queens line

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|  | Wilson Avenue
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East New York Tunnels

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|  | Bushwick Avenue–Aberdeen Street
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​ Jamaica Line

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|  | Broadway Junction
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​ Fulton Street Line

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Atlantic Branch (East New York)

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|  | Atlantic Avenue
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|  | Sutter Avenue
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|  | Livonia Avenue
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New Lots Line

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|  | New Lots Avenue
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| NY 27

Linden Boulevard

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Canarsie Line

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|  | Linden Shops
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Rugby

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Kouwenhoven

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Vanderveer Park

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Kings County Central Junction

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Ocean Avenue

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​ Brighton Line ( | Manhattan

Beach Junction

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Ocean Parkway

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​ Culver Line (Parkville)

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Sea Beach Line

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West End Line (62nd / New Utrecht)

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Fort Hamilton Parkway

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Eighth Avenue

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​​ Fourth Avenue Line

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| I-278

Gowanus Expressway

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Third Avenue

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South Brooklyn Marine Terminal

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Bay Ridge

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|  | 65th Street Yard
|  |

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| NYNJ car floats

across Hudson River

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Greenville Yard

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|  |
|  |  |  |  |  |

This diagram:

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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 Transportation's Fremont Secondary (to the Hell Gate Bridge) at Glendale, Queens with the Upper New York Bay at Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

Car float service provided by New York New Jersey Rail operates between Greenville Yard at Greenville, Jersey City and the 65th Street Yard at the Bay Ridge end of the line.[5]

## History

[edit]

### Early history

[edit]

The first part of the line was opened by the New York, Bay Ridge and Jamaica Railroad in 1876, from Bay Ridge to the crossing of the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad near New Utrecht.[1]

An extension from New Utrecht east and northeast to New Lots opened in 1877, and at the same time the New York and Manhattan Beach Railway opened the line from New Lots north to East New York.[6] An extension north from East New York to Cooper Avenue (and then northwest to Greenpoint, later the Evergreen Branch) opened in 1878,[7] and the Long Island City and Manhattan Beach Railroad (incorporated February 24, 1883, merged with the New York and Manhattan Beach and New York, Bay Ridge and Jamaica into the New York, Brooklyn and Manhattan Beach Railway August 27, 1885) built from Cooper Avenue north to the Montauk Branch at Glendale in 1883.[2]

### Decline

[edit]

Passenger service on the line ended in 1924.[3] The entire line was electrified, starting on July 8, 1927, for New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad freight trains coming off the New York Connecting Railroad (Hell Gate Bridge).[4] Electric operation ended on December 31, 1968.[8]

### Recent years

[edit]

On June 4, 1999, Mayor Rudy Giuliani announced that New York City reached an agreement to open and operate the 65th Street Yard with the New York and Atlantic Railway, which would use it as an intermodal facility to expand its customer base. The takeover of Conrail by Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation was expected to significantly increase rail freight movement into New York City. The yard was completely renovated by the New York City Economic Development Corporation. The NYCEDC also began work on a two-year Cross Harbor Freight Movement Study to evaluate options for a freight tunnel.[9]

Triple track sharing an open cut with BMT Sea Beach Line (left)

Crossing Ralph Avenue

## Proposals

[edit]

A proposed Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel from New Jersey to Brooklyn would use the Bay Ridge Branch to reach the rest of Long Island, with the line upgraded to double-stack clearances. The state is conducting an environmental review of the project.[10]

Another proposal would have the New York City Subway use the tracks to link Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx via the Hell Gate Bridge.[11] In 1996 the Regional Plan Association conducted a study to determine the feasibility of the rail link.[12] Based on Paris's RER commuter rail system, the Triboro RX proposal would create a loop around the city. It was first proposed by the Regional Plan Association in 1996. The proposed line, discussion of which was revived in 2012, would connect to all non-shuttle subway services.[13] Obstacles for the proposal include the proposed Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel, the lack of electrification on the line, and the single-tracking in some parts of the line. Additionally, there is debate on where the line's northern terminus would be: some, including MoveNY,[14] call for it to end at Hunts Point,[11] while others suggest it end at Yankee Stadium.[13]

## Interborough Express

[edit]

See also: Interborough Express and Proposed expansion of the New York City Subway § Triboro RX/Interborough Express

In mid-October 2019, the MTA announced that it would study the feasibility of restoring passenger service on the Bay Ridge Branch between Bay Ridge and Astoria, a portion of the proposed Triboro RX route.[15] On January 23, 2020, the MTA Board awarded a $1.3 million contract to study the feasibility of restoring passenger service to this section to AECOM.[16] In November 2021, Acting MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said that money from Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act could be used to fund the completion of the Bay Ridge Branch project.[17]

In early January 2022, as part of her State of the State address, New York governor Kathy Hochul announced that the state would move forward with the Bay Ridge Branch Line by conducting an environmental study on the Interborough Express, a 14-mile (23 km) corridor using the existing Bay Ridge Branch from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to Jackson Heights, Queens.[18] The study would consider whether the line should be heavy rail (rapid transit or regional rail), light rail, or bus rapid transit.[19][20] End-to-end travel times are expected to be 40 minutes, and weekday ridership is initially projected to be 74,000 to 88,000. The route would connect up to 17 subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road. A feasibility study was also completed on January 20, 2022.[21][22][23] Governor Hochul also announced that she had directed the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to complete an environmental review for the Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel for freight.[24] Hochul announced in her January 2023 address that the project would proceed as a light rail corridor.[25] Reasons for the light rail choice include faster service, easier construction—mostly fitting in existing right of way with a short on street segment, availability of off-the-shelf rolling stock and a lower overall cost, estimated at $5.5 billion, or about $48,000 per expected daily rider. The proposed headway is 5 minutes during peak hours and 10 minutes at other times. Freight use would continue, requiring separated tracks.[10]

## Former stations

[edit]

The following passenger stations once existed on the line:[26]

Station  | Date opened  | Date closed  | Notes

|
|
|

Bay Ridge  | 1893  | May 14, 1924 | Connection to 65th Street Yard
Third Avenue  | June 2, 1883  | May 14, 1924  |
Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad Crossing  | June 2, 1883  | 1894  | Crossing with the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad
Parkville  | June 2, 1883  | 1884  | Connection to the Prospect Park and Coney Island Railroad[27]
Manhattan Beach Junction  | 1884  | 1915  | Former junction with the Manhattan Beach Branch
Ocean Avenue  | July 18, 1877  | May 14, 1924  |
Kings County Central Junction  | June 29, 1878 | late 1878  |
Vanderveer Park  | 1878  | May 14, 1924  | Originally named Flatlands
Kouwenhoven  | July 18, 1877  | May 14, 1924  |
Rugby  | 1888  | May 14, 1924  | Originally named Ford's Corners
New Lots Road  | July 18, 1877  | 1897  |
East New York | July 18, 1877  | May 14, 1924  | Junction with Atlantic Branch, originally named Manhattan Crossing
Fulton Street  | 1914  | May 14, 1924  |
Bushwick Avenue  | July 18, 1877  | May 14, 1924  | Originally Central Avenue
Central Avenue  | June 2, 1883  | 1884  |
Cooper Avenue Junction  | June 2, 1883  | 1894  | Junction with Evergreen Branch
Cypress Avenue  | 1888  | May 14, 1924  | Originally named Dummy Crossing, then Ridgewood
Myrtle Avenue  | 1893  | May 14, 1924  | At the intersection with Fresh Pond Road, track continues north as the New York Connecting Railroad and connects west/east to the Lower Montauk Branch
Fresh Pond | 1869  | 1998[28] | Originally named Bushwick Junction (Lower Montauk Branch)

## See also

[edit]

* Manhattan Beach Branch
* Rail freight transportation in New York City and Long Island

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "PRR Chronology, 1876" (PDF). (116 KiB), April 2005 Edition
2. ^ a b Interstate Commerce Commission, Valuation Report, New York, Brooklyn and Manhattan Beach Archived June 26, 2002, at archive.today
3. ^ a b "INVENTORY OF DECKING OPPORTUNITIES OVER TRANSPORTATION PROPERTIES Final Report: 6.2: TRANSIT AND RAILROAD OPEN CUTS: BROOKLYN" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of City Planning. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
4. ^ a b "PRR Chronology, 1927" (PDF). (100 KiB), July 2004 Edition
5. ^ Braden, Dustin (July 6, 2016). "US ports set to receive millions to improve freight fluidity". Journal of Commerce.
6. ^ "PRR Chronology, 1877" (PDF). (156 KiB), April 2005 Edition
7. ^ "PRR Chronology, 1878" (PDF). (126 KiB), June 2006 Edition
8. ^ "LONG DARK ROAD. The Bay Ridge LIRR branch - Forgotten New York". forgotten-ny.com. March 29, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
9. ^ "Mayor Announces Agreement With New York & Atlantic Railway To Reactivate Brooklyn Rail Yard". www.nyc.gov (Press release). Mayor's Press Office. June 4, 1999. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
10. ^ a b Luczak, Marybeth (January 11, 2023). "Light Rail Selected for New York's Interborough Express Project". Railway Age.
11. ^ a b Wishnia, Steven (August 22, 2013). "How About A Subway Linking Brooklyn, Queens & The Bronx WITHOUT Manhattan?". Gothamist. Archived from the original on August 21, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
12. ^ "Third Regional Plan Summary". Regional Plan Association. May 1, 1996. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013.
13. ^ a b Rubinstein, Dana (April 25, 2012). "The surprising return of the three-borough 'X line' subway". Capital New York. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
14. ^ MoveNY home page
15. ^ Rivoli, Dan (October 15, 2019). "Advocates Push to Revive Three Old Rail Lines in City". NY1. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
16. ^ Offenhartz, Jake (January 23, 2020). "The MTA Is Considering A New Train Line Connecting Bay Ridge To Astoria". Gothamist. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
17. ^ Levy, Kayla (November 12, 2021). "Federal Money Could Finance Astoria To Brooklyn Train: MTA Brass". Astoria-Long Island City, NY Patch. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
18. ^ WABC (January 5, 2022). "Proposed transit line would connect Brooklyn, Queens to 17 subway lines, LIRR". ABC7 New York. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
19. ^ Chung, Jen (January 5, 2022). "Hochul Promises "Inter-Borough Express" Rail Service To Connect Brooklyn And Queens". Gothamist. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
20. ^ Geberer, Raanan (January 5, 2022). "Hochul's new 'Interborough' proposal would link Brooklyn, Queens with rail service". Brooklyn Eagle. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
21. ^ Gold, Michael (January 20, 2022). "Transit Line Connecting Brooklyn and Queens Moves Step Closer to Reality". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
22. ^ Duggan, Kevin (January 20, 2022). "Hochul unveils more details about Interborough Express in new study". amNewYork. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
23. ^ Interborough Express (IBX)—Feasibility Study and Alternatives Analysis, Interim Report, MTA, January 2022
24. ^ "Interborough Express". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 5, 2021. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
25. ^ Martinez, Jose (January 10, 2023). "Hochul Calls MTA 'Lifeblood' of New York, but Transit Plans Lack Meat". The City. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
26. ^ "Bay Ridge line". lirrhistory.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2000.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
27. ^ Manhattan Beach Division Timetable; June 1884 (TrainsAreFun)
28. ^ Sengupta, Somini (March 15, 1998). "End of the Line for L.I.R.R.'s 10 Loneliest Stops". The New York Times. Retrieved December 24, 2007.

## External links

[edit]

KML file (edit • help)

Template:Attached KML/Bay Ridge Branch

KML is not from Wikidata

* Media related to Bay Ridge Branch (Long Island Rail Road) at Wikimedia Commons
* A visual tour of the line
* Additional images and commentary
* History of the proposals for conversion to mass transit
* Study and proposal for integration within NYC subway system Archived June 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
* Proposal for cross harbor freight tunnel
* Brooklyn / Queens Interborough Express - Proposal Announcement (January 2022)

* v
* t
* e

Long Island Rail Road

Main routes|

* Main Line
* Atlantic Branch
* Montauk Branch

Branch
services|

* Babylon Branch
* Belmont Park Branch
* Central Branch
* City Terminal Zone
* Far Rockaway Branch
* Hempstead Branch
* Long Beach Branch
* Oyster Bay Branch
* Port Jefferson Branch
* Port Washington Branch
* Ronkonkoma Branch
* West Hempstead Branch

Freight
operations|

| Operator|

* New York and Atlantic Railway

|

Freight-only branches|

* Bay Ridge
* Bushwick
* Mitchel Field

Defunct
branches|

* Bethpage
* Cedarhurst Cut-off
* Creedmoor
* Evergreen
* Manhattan Beach
* Manorville
* Montauk Cut-off
* Northport
* Rockaway Beach
* Sag Harbor
* Southern Hempstead
* West Brighton Beach
* White Line
* Whitestone

Acquired
railroads|

* Brooklyn and Jamaica Railroad
* Flushing and North Side Railroad
* South Side Railroad of Long Island
* Central Railroad of Long Island
* New York and Manhattan Beach Railway
* New York, Woodhaven and Rockaway Railroad

Other|

* East Side Access
* History
* Cobble Hill Tunnel
* Rolling stock
* Stations
* accessibility
* Morris Park Facility
* Hillside Facility
* West Side Yard
* MTA Arts & Design
* Cannonball

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