Cross Harbor Tunnel (PATH / NYCT/Freight) Staten Island - Brooklyn

In Crains Business Daily this week is a short story, that approval of a new Mall in Brooklyn (of course, I forgot the cross streets) is being held up until it can be confirmed that the design of part of the Mall would allow clearance for construction of the Cross Harbor Tunnel (approach, I guess).
The story did use the words 'raise up' the Mall section in question, which makes no darn sense to me.
Anyone hear anymore about this?

Cross Harbor Tunnel

I realize the plan is for freight, but got me wondering looking at the map (click on it for an expanded view).

You get some interest possibilities.

Service that perhaps bypasses NYC (yes, despite what many in NYC want to believe they're not the center of the universe :-)

Gives people in Brooklyn and Queens more direct access to points south.

Thoughts....

(and let's focus on how Amtrak could use this line.. not on the freight usage which is a given. ;-)

This has nothing to do with Amtrak or even passenger rail and can be filed in Dream category.

MODERATOR'S NOTE:

Thread temporarily locked while the Moderators discuss the appropriate forum for forward discussion...

I'm going to move this to the New York State Forum, since this isn't an Amtrak topic, it's more related to moving freight from Brooklyn to Greenville. It's for a rail freight tunnel not designed for Amtrak use, nor is it on an Amtrak route. If you wish to discuss possible Amtrak routings around NYC on EXISTING crossings and rail routes, please join the discussion here:
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=38551

Thank you!

-otto-

I've heard this story for years...its at least a hundred years old when tunneling under the Hudson was first thought of and revived decade by decade since. It was a hot topic in the '50s too.

Not going to happen. Trust me, NS and CSX have their main terminals over in North Jersey, and to pull out of North Bergen, South Kearny, Croxton, Oak Island, etc would cost a lot of money.

And perhaps there is no reason for it today, either, as rail freight through NY is not as important as it used to be: the breadth of the harbor has shrunk, LI is not as rail dependent on freight as was pre-interstate highway days, and what little New England through freight is left can be handled on existing routes because there is no real growth seen in the immediate future. In fact, in a turnaround from late 20th Century thinking, such a tunnel--any tunnel--has more benifet for passenger than freight traffic.

Not to mention that the NYNJ Rail ferry (formerly New York Cross Harbor) does a good job of transporting what traffic there is.

http://www.nynjr.com/

-otto-

Especially when they just got close to a million dollars in federal money to upgrade it all.

Congressman Jerry Nadler, who is very pro-rail, has been a big proponent of the cross-harbor freight tunnel. Why, I don't know.

The day that tunnel goes through is the day the devil needs long johns, a winter coat and a space heater. They only been talking about it since 1915.

I dont think this would ever be built in anyones lifetime. The cost would be astonishing, the time to build it would be just as bad. Plus what if there is a break down inside it? How wide is the bay where they want the tunnel?

And then there was supposed to be a subway tunnel from Brooklyn to Staten Island to start in 1925... we're still waiting for the Port Authority to start/finish that one.

-otto-

I just heard this story yesterday. We were talking about the harbor freight tunnel and apparently there was a heated debate and meeting over this in Maspeth, Queens. A local store owner expressed his contempt for extra truck traffic in the area. There was quite a strong presense of union labor to back the idea for the jobs it would provide for the construction. Supposedly the windows of his shop were smashed in the next day. I guess that is one way to take it to the nimbys.