Chapter 2 – Existing Transportation Conditions and Major Markets Tier 1 Draft EIS
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Chapter 2 – Existing Transportation Conditions and Major Markets Tier 1 Draft EIS 2. Existing Transportation Conditions and Major Markets Section 2.1 presents an overview and route description of the existing Empire Corridor rail system. Section 2.2 describes the importance of the Empire Corridor to major markets, including the existing regional transportation market. Section 2.3 describes the linkages of the Empire Corridor to other rail routes. Sections 2.4 through 2.9 present the existing conditions of the Empire Corridor freight and passenger rail service relative to current rail operations, infrastructure, deficiencies, and safety considerations. 2.1. Empire Corridor Rail System 2.1.1. Railroad Ownership Exhibit 2-1 illustrates track ownership on the Empire Corridor. Amtrak owns, maintains, and dispatches the southernmost 20 miles of track on Empire Corridor South (west side line of former New York Central Railroad), from Penn Station to the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge that spans the Harlem River at the northern tip of Manhattan. Metro-North leases the track22 along the east side of the Hudson River, from the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge to Poughkeepsie, for its Hudson Line service with responsibility for maintenance and dispatching. With the exception of one short (6.8-mile) segment owned by Amtrak west of the Schenectady Station, located between the station and Hoffmans, CSXT is the owner of the Empire Corridor West rail infrastructure from Poughkeepsie to Niagara Falls. This CSXT corridor comprises the Hudson Subdivision (Poughkeepsie north to Albany-Rensselaer and west to Hoffmans); Selkirk Subdivision (Hoffmans to Amsterdam); Mohawk Subdivision (Amsterdam to Syracuse); Rochester Subdivision (Syracuse to Buffalo); Buffalo Terminal Subdivision in Buffalo; and Niagara Subdivision (Buffalo to Niagara Falls). In 2012, NYSDOT facilitated a lease agreement between CSXT and Amtrak for portions of the Empire Corridor between Poughkeepsie, Albany-Rensselaer, and Hoffmans, NY. When combined with previous lease agreements for portions of the corridor within this 94-mile segment, Amtrak assumed full responsibility for dispatching and maintenance from the northern boundary of Metro- North control through Albany to Hoffmans, where CSXT’s freight-only Selkirk Branch joins the Empire Corridor. The 2012 lease agreement marks the first time in the corridor’s history that passenger-only carriers have controlled the entire Empire Corridor from New York to Albany and beyond. CSXT retains responsibility for the operation of freight trains within the territory leased by Amtrak as well as on the Metro-North Hudson Line. West of Hoffmans, CSXT remains responsible for maintenance and dispatching of the Empire Corridor. North of the Buffalo Terminal Subdivision, CSXT owns the Niagara Subdivision as far as CP-28. In December 2012, Amtrak took over ownership, control, and maintenance of approximately 0.37 mile of former CSXT and Canadian National Railway track from immediately west of CP-28 to the U.S.- Canada international border on the Whirlpool Bridge. The Whirlpool Bridge, a railroad and vehicular passenger bridge located at the international border crossing, is owned and maintained by the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission. 22 / Midtown TDR Ventures LLC (the company that now owns the assets of the former Penn Central Railroad) owns the right-of-way fee interest. High Speed Rail Empire Corridor Program Page 2-1 New York State Department of Transportation Tier 1 Draft EIS Chapter 2 – Existing Transportation Conditions and Major Markets Exhibit 2-1—Empire Corridor Ownership 2.1.2. Route Description Empire Corridor South (New York City to Albany) Empire Corridor South extends 142 miles (Mileposts [MPs] 0 to 14323) north from Penn Station to 23 / Mileposts referenced in this EIS are measured south to north using Hudson Line mileposts from Grand Central Terminal. Mileposts referenced extend north to Albany-Rennselaer, then east to west on Empire Corridor West. Although Empire Corridor South extends to Page 2-2 High Speed Rail Empire Corridor Program New York State Department of Transportation Chapter 2 – Existing Transportation Conditions and Major Markets Tier 1 Draft EIS approximately one mile north of Albany-Rensselaer Station in Rensselaer County (refer to Exhibit 2-3). This route continues from Manhattan through the Bronx (Bronx County), Yonkers and Croton-Harmon (Westchester County), Poughkeepsie (Dutchess County), extending to approximately one mile north of Albany-Rensselaer Station (Rensselaer County). The line runs through the Hudson Valley (Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Columbia counties, passing close to Rockland, Orange, Ulster, and Greene counties on the opposite side of the Hudson River) north to the Capital District (which includes Rensselaer County). Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA’s) Metro-North Railroad (Metro-North) operates Hudson Line commuter rail service (formerly Hudson River Line and New York Central Railroad) between Poughkeepsie and Grand Central Terminal (GCT) (MPs 0 to 73.5). Empire Corridor South consists of the Empire Connection and the Metro-North/CSXT Hudson Line. The Empire Connection runs from Penn Station, northward along the west side of Manhattan, across the Harlem Ship Canal at Spuyten Duyvil Bridge (refer to Exhibit 2-2), and then joins with Metro-North’s Hudson Line, a distance of 10.8 miles. The Hudson Line is double tracked north of the Croton-Harmon Station at Croton-on-Hudson (Milepost 33.2), with some three-track sections, and is mostly four tracks (two express and two local) and includes an electrified third rail to the south. The southern portion of the Hudson Line begins at interlocking Control Point (CP) 12 on the Hudson Line, where the Empire Connection from Penn Station joins Metro-North’s Hudson Line from GCT. The length of the segment is 21.4 miles, ending at Croton-Harmon, MP 33.2. Exhibit 2-2 - Spuyten Duyvil Bridge over Harlem Portions of the Hudson Line have 110 mph River passenger train operation and limited freight activity (approximately four trains a day). The Empire Corridor South has a capability of accommodating the second highest rail car weight limit class (286,000 pounds) for freight. Metro- North operates between roughly 50 (weekend) and 77 (weekday) daily roundtrips along the Hudson Line, of which approximately half are express trains servicing Poughkeepsie and half are local trains to Croton-Harmon Station. Amtrak operates thirteen daily roundtrips (weekdays) along the Empire Corridor South between Albany-Rensselaer and New York City, with eleven daily roundtrips on the weekends. In addition to Empire Service to Buffalo and points beyond, this section of track also accommodates Amtrak service that extends north of Schenectady Station on the Canadian Pacific Railway to Montreal (Adirondack—one daily roundtrip) and Vermont (Ethan Allen Express—one daily roundtrip). There is also one daily connecting service from Albany- Rensselaer to Boston, Massachusetts. With few exceptions, the tracks generally follow the east shoreline of the Hudson River. The northern portion of the Metro-North Hudson Line begins at MP 33.2 at Croton-Harmon Station and ends at MP 73.5 at Poughkeepsie Station. The under running third rail electrification ends at MP 143, the mileage from Penn Station to MP 143 totals to 142 miles. This is because the mileposts, as designated by the railroads, skip a mile where the Hudson line merges with the Empire Corridor at the Manhattan-Bronx county line near the Spuyten Duyvil Station. High Speed Rail Empire Corridor Program Page 2-3 New York State Department of Transportation Tier 1 Draft EIS Chapter 2 – Existing Transportation Conditions and Major Markets Exhibit 2-3—Empire Corridor South Croton-Harmon Station and all trains north of that point are operated with conventional diesel electric locomotives. Parts of this segment have sharper curvature than do segments to the south. These curves limit maximum speed to 60 to 70 mph; otherwise, 80 mph is the predominant speed. The northern section above the Hudson Highlands, where the Hudson River and the railroad are significantly straighter, allows for 90 mph operation of passenger trains. Leaving Croton-Harmon Station to the north, Amtrak intercity trains stop only at Poughkeepsie. Page 2-4 High Speed Rail Empire Corridor Program New York State Department of Transportation Chapter 2 – Existing Transportation Conditions and Major Markets Tier 1 Draft EIS The CSXT Hudson Subdivision south of Albany-Rensselaer begins at Poughkeepsie Station, MP 73.5, and ends at Albany-Rensselaer Station, MP 142.1. This segment has the highest maximum authorized speeds (MAS) on the Empire Corridor, with speeds of up to 110 mph. The higher speeds are, in large measure, due to generally following the Hudson River, which is comparatively straight relative to segments to the south. The higher speeds also reflect extensive investment by New York State since the 1970s. Empire Corridor West (Albany to Buffalo) Empire Corridor West extends 294 miles west (MPs 143 to 437) from approximately one mile north of Albany-Rensselaer Station to just east of the Buffalo-Exchange Street Station (refer to Exhibit 2-4). This section of track passes through the Mohawk Valley from the Capital District cities of Albany (Albany County) and Schenectady (Schenectady County), passing through the central- western New York cities of Utica (Oneida County), Syracuse (Onondaga County) and Rochester (Monroe County) in the Finger Lakes Region, and Buffalo (Erie County) on Lake Erie. Outside of these metropolitan areas, the railroad also passes through the more rural counties of Montgomery, Herkimer, Madison, Cayuga, Wayne, Monroe, and Genesee. This section of track is a two-track line that is the busiest freight track in the state, carrying one of the highest volumes on the CSXT system nationwide. This is the only railroad crossing upstate/western New York that can accommodate the maximum freight rail car weight (315,000 pounds). The entire line west of Hoffmans (west of Schenectady) also has adequate clearance for double-stack intermodal trains. CSXT operates this as a high-volume railroad that is heavily used by 50 to 60 daily freight trains.