Freight rail council unveils action plan for NYC metro area

An NYC-area coalition has released a plan with 21 initiatives that the group says can help increase the volume of rail freight coming through the region.

   A coalition of public and private organizations dedicated to promoting greater rail freight use in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan region has released an “action plan” consisting of 21 initiatives that the group says can help reach a goal of increasing the volume of rail freight entering and leaving the region.
   The Metropolitan Rail Freight Council’s action plan, which was released in late May, is meant to be a guiding document dedicated to not only growing rail freight capacity and volumes, but also investing in and preserving rail freight infrastructure, creating quality jobs, promoting environmental sustainability, creating an infrastructure bank, and ensuring a more resilient freight supply chain for the New York City metro area, according to the council.
   Proposed solutions to what the Freight Council has said is an overreliance on trucking to move goods around the region rather than rail and other methods, are identified through various projects outlined in the action plan. The proposals complement ongoing efforts to increase rail capacity in the region, including enhancing infrastructure in both New Jersey and New York, the council said.
   Among the 21 initiatives that the action plan references are 11 that are already in progress, such as Cross Harbor freight improvements, replacement of the Travis Industrial Track rail, purchasing clean diesel locomotive, and railyard expansion at Hunts Point. But five initiatives that are still in the planning stage are also included, such as railcar clearance improvements in New York and New Jersey, and building a new six-mile segment of track.
   Five of the initiatives are still in the conceptual stage. These include building new rail access to Raritan Center in New Jersey; creating a rail freight-focused infrastructure bank that would serve as an annual, region-wide renewable funding pool for rail projects; and preserving trackage rights for future rail use.
   “New York & Atlantic is uniquely positioned to help foster economic expansion in the Metropolitan Region. Our greatest opportunities for future growth come from bringing consumer goods—especially food—and building materials to the area,” James Bonner, president of Metropolitan Rail Freight Council member New York & Atlantic Railway, said of the action plan. “And with those shipments come tremendous benefits to the region – jobs that pay well, economic growth and cleaner air – a win-win-win for all of us.”