Freight Branch adjacent to PATH tracks in Jersey City

[MaRoFu]

Apparently there is a freight spur (possibly part of the Passaic and Harismus Line) in Jersey City that runs adjacent to the PATH Journal square station and tracks. I'm just curious if any trains still run on the line, because when I looked on Google Earth, all I found was a branch leading to the River Line (which is most likely inoperable as there seems to be lots of vegetation on the rails), another branch leading to the National Docks Line (tracks long removed), and after passing through the PATH yard, the track just ends on the abandoned PRR Exchange Place viaduct.

[rr503]

Yeah this is a stub of the P&H line from when it used to connect to the river line which was torn up to make way for the HBLR. The remaining trackage was used up until 2012 ish by NS trash trains from South Kearny to run around their trains, but when the contract went to CSX, that practice was ended.

[Jim Kaufman]

When I worked the old West Shore (very sporadic, stayed on east side of Hudson River), we used this track to get to Kearney Yard, Waverly Five Yard and back door to to ex-EL yard , Croxton Yard. It was pretty cool to be pulling a train through Journal Square and watch the commuters on Path platforms seeing an old freight train going through.

[Fishrrman]

I guess I've been out of things for a while (last time I ran freight into North Jersey was back around 1990), but the "National Docks Secondary" which ran from CP Nave, to Green, and Upper Bay -- is now gone?

I guess that would also include the old "Erie freight tunnel" from Croxton to Nave?

What route does freight travel now, coming in off the Southern Tier (NJRail Bergen County Line) to get to Oak Island?

- J.Albert

[rr503]

National Docks is still there, but the connection to the old River Line is of course severed -- all traffic goes into Long Dock over towards Croxton.

Traffic from the north into OI goes down the Northern Branch (or, I guess on the rare occasion that such a move is necessary, from Croxton) via Long Dock/National Docks/Upper Bay.