N E W Y O R K
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Historical Background of the New York & Western Railroad... |
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The
New York & Western Railroad, a wholly owned subsidiary of the New York
Central, is a bridge route servicing traffic between Upstate NY/New England
and the Mid-Atlantic region via a connecting line around New York City
(map).
After World War II,
the Port of NY Authority proposed this Declining revenues on the part of NH and PRR, along with the LIRR's evolution into the busiest passenger line in the nation breathed life into the NY&W creation on December 31, 1951. Early in the Spring
of 1951, the LIRR/PRR sold off the freight only Bay Ridge Branch, as well as
the 65th Street yard in Bay Ridge. These operations where from Fresh Pond
Junction, Queens through Brooklyn to the Bay Ridge Terminal and Brooklyn Car
Floats. Old rival NYC, always seeking alternate routing, purchased the newly
formed bridge route and in typical Central style, made it a subsidiary: NY&W
- The New York & Western. Finally, in the late 1950's the NY&W leased for 99 years the trackage rights and use of all facilities from the now defunct Rahway Valley Railroad interchanging at Cranford Junction, NJ and Summit, NJ with the DL&W. The merger provides NY&W customers with access to the Summit, NJ interchange and the DL&W's rich mix of eastbound freight destined for NY and New England. Presently, the NY&W handles well in excess of 150,000 car loads annually. Future plans call for a Federal Transportation Project (FTP) connection utilizing either a bridge or tunnel at the Veranzano Narrows, between Bayridge and Staten Island, or by tunnel between Bayridge and Greenville, NJ. This would provide competitive run through service without the requirement for car float operations. This bridge route, the long sought after detour around New York City and the elimination of the Selkirk crossing for cross Hudson traffic by the New York Central, is the basis for the railroad's slogan "... The TriState Gateway". |