New York Tunnel Extension
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The New York Tunnel Extension (also New York Improvement and Tunnel Extension) is a combination of railroad tunnels and approaches from
It was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) at the beginning of the 20th century to improve railroad access throughout the greater New York City area,[1] and led to the line's then-new passenger facility, Pennsylvania Station.
Planning
The PRR had consolidated its control of railroads in New Jersey with the lease of United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company in 1871, thereby extending its rail network from Philadelphia northward to Jersey City. Crossing the Hudson River, however, remained a major obstacle. To the east, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) ended at the East River. In both situations, passengers had to transfer to ferries to Manhattan. This put the PRR at a disadvantage relative to its closest competitor, the New York Central Railroad, which already served Manhattan via its Grand Central Station.[2][3]: 28
Early tunnel and bridge proposals
Various plans to build a physical link across the Hudson River were discussed as early as the 1870s, and both tunnel and bridge projects were considered by the railroads and government officials.
The technology of tunnel-building was still primitive and risky in the 1880s, and this gave impetus to a major bridge design proposal promoted by engineer Gustav Lindenthal.[8]: 20 [4]: 200 The bridge would be situated between Hoboken, New Jersey and 23rd Street in Manhattan. However, due to the congested shipping conditions in New York Harbor, the design called for an enormous bridge span that would have been twice that of the Brooklyn Bridge. At one point, plans for the bridge called for it to carry 14 tracks.[3]: 29 Although Congress granted Lindenthal's company a charter in 1890 for construction of a bridge, the huge $27 million project cost would have to be shared by several railroads.[9] The Panic of 1893 made large capital investments nearly impossible for some time, as one third of the nation's railroads failed.[8]: 20 [4]: 200 Some foundation masonry was laid on the Hoboken side in 1895, but the PRR was unsuccessful in getting other companies to share in the expenses, and the bridge project was abandoned.[9]
Revised plans
The PRR, working with the LIRR, developed several new proposals for improved regional rail access in 1892.
The original proposal for the PRR and LIRR terminal in Midtown, which was published in June 1901, called for the construction of a bridge across Hudson River between 45th and 50th Streets in Manhattan, as well as two closely spaced terminals for the LIRR and PRR. This would allow passengers to travel between Long Island and New Jersey without having to switch trains.[12] In December 1901, the plans were modified so that the PRR would construct the North River Tunnels under the Hudson River, instead of a bridge over it.[13] The PRR cited costs and land value as a reason for constructing a tunnel rather than a bridge, since the cost of a tunnel would be one-third that of a bridge. The North River Tunnels themselves would consist of between two and four steel tubes with the diameter of 18.5 to 19.5 feet (5.6 to 5.9 m).[14] The New York Tunnel Extension quickly gained opposition from the New York City Board of Rapid Transit Commissioners, who objected that they would not have jurisdiction over the new tunnels, as well as from the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, which saw the New York Tunnel Extension as a potential competitor to its as-yet-incomplete rapid transit service.[15] The project was approved by the New York City Board of Aldermen in December 1902, on a 41-36 vote. The North and East River Tunnels were to be built under the riverbed of their respective rivers. The PRR and LIRR lines would converge at New York Penn Station, an expansive Beaux-Arts edifice between 31st and 33rd Streets in Manhattan. The entire project was expected to cost over $100 million.[16]
The PRR created subsidiaries to manage the project. The Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York Railroad and the Pennsylvania, New York and Long Island Rail Road, were the New Jersey and New York parts, respectively. The PNJ&NY was incorporated February 13, 1902, and the PNY&LI was incorporated April 21, 1902. They were consolidated into the Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad (PT&T) on June 26, 1907.[9]
Design and construction
The design and construction aspects of the project were organized into three principal divisions: the Meadows, North River, and East River divisions.[17][18] As of 2021, there are revived plans to renovate and expand the Meadows and North River divisions as part of the Gateway Program.
Meadows Division
The original PRR route in New Jersey ran to the
: 29North River Division
The North River Division ran from the west portal of the tunnels to Manhattan. The PRR ultimately decided to build a pair of
Construction on the North River tunnels began in 1904 under the supervision of O'Rourke Engineering and Construction Company.[22][3]: 33 Boring operations were completed on October 9, 1906.[23] Service from New Jersey to Manhattan began on November 27, 1910, once Penn Station was completed.[24]
East River Division
The East River Division managed construction of tunnels running across Manhattan, and under the East River to
The tunnels were built by
Operation during the PRR era
By the time construction was complete, the total project cost for the station and associated tunnels was $114 million (equivalent to $2.7 billion in 2023[28]), according to an Interstate Commerce Commission report.[29]: 156–157 [3]: 29
The North River Tunnels carried PRR trains under the Hudson; for some years PRR electric engines also pulled Lehigh Valley Railroad or Baltimore and Ohio Railroad trains to New York. The East River Tunnels carried LIRR and PRR trains to the Sunnyside Yard in Queens.[3]: 30 As part of the New York Connecting Railroad improvement project, a connection from the East River Tunnels to the New Haven Railroad tracks was also built. New Haven trains began running through the East River Tunnels, serving Penn Station, in 1917 after the Hell Gate Bridge opened.[3]: 30 [20]
The electrification of the New York Tunnel Extension, including the station, was initially 600-volt
After the New York Tunnel Extension opened, some PRR suburban trains continued to serve the Exchange Place station, where passengers could board the PRR ferry, or the Hudson Tube system (later called PATH), to downtown Manhattan.[3]: 54 The ferry from Exchange Place ended service in 1949,[31] and the Exchange Place PRR terminal closed in 1961.[32]
One branch, the freight-only Harrison Branch, split off the line just east of its west end and ran west to a connection with the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's Harrison Cut-off and the Erie Railroad's Paterson and Newark Branch.[citation needed]
Trackage rights
The following non-PRR railroads used the line:
- Baltimore and Ohio Railroad during World War I[33]
- Lehigh Valley Railroad
- New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
Operation by successor railroads
The PRR merged into
See also
- Access to the Region's Core – tunnel project, canceled in 2010
- Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel – project proposed in 1993
- East Side Access – tunnel project, completed in 2023
- Gateway Project– project proposed in 2011
- New York Connecting Railroad – follow-up to Tunnel Extension, completed in 1917
- Penn Station Access – proposed project
References
- ^ American Society of Civil Engineers.; Gibbs, George. (1910). The New York tunnel extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad; station construction, road, track, yard equipment, electric traction, and locomotives. New York.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ OCLC 234257275.
- ^ OCLC 911046235
- ^ . Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ Burr, S.D.V. (1885). Tunneling Under The Hudson River: Being a description of the obstacles encountered, the experience gained, the success achieved, and the plans finally adopted for rapid and economical prosecution of the work. New York: John Wiley and Sons. p. 24 ff.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ^ "TROLLEY TUNNEL OPEN TO JERSEY; President Turns On Power for First Official Train Between This City and Hoboken. REGULAR SERVICE STARTS Passenger Trains Between the Two Cities Begin Running at Midnight. EXERCISES OVER THE RIVER Govs. Hughes and Fort Make Congratulatory Addresses -- Dinner at Sherry's in the Evening". The New York Times. February 26, 1908. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-670-03158-0.
- ^ a b c d e Couper, William. (1912). History of the Engineering Construction and Equipment of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's New York Terminal and Approaches. New York: Isaac H. Blanchard Co. pp. 7–16.
- ^ "The Project Gutenberg eBook of The New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad, The North River Division, By Charles M. Jacobs". www.gutenberg.org. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "PENNSYLVANIA'S NEW PLANS OUTLINED; Big Improvements to be Made in Long Island's Acquisition. NO THOUGHT OF MONTAUK POINT Ferry Connection from Jersey City to Bay Ridge and Tunnels to Follow, an Official Says". The New York Times. May 8, 1900. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- The World's Work: A History of Our Time. XX: 13187–13204. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ^ "Nearly Twenty Miles Through Tubes and Tunnels" (PDF). New York Times. November 9, 1908. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
- . Paper No. 1150.
- ^ a b c d Mills, William Wirt (1908). Pennsylvania Railroad tunnels and terminals in New York City. Moses King. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- ^ "Completion of the Pennsylvania Tunnels and Terminal Station". Scientific American. Library of American civilization (v. 102). Munn & Company. May 14, 1910. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- ^ a b "O'ROURKE WILL BUILD PENNSYLVANIA TUNNEL; New York Firm Gets Contract for North River Section. BRITISH TO BORE OTHER TUBE S. Pearson & Son, Limited, of London, the Successful Bidders for Work Under the East River". The New York Times. March 12, 1904. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ "THE PENNSYLVANIA OPENS ITS SECOND RIVER TUBE; A Real Experience Tramping Through the Bores. HEADINGS MEET EXACTLY Brief Ceremonies as the Engineers Pass the Shield of the New North River Section. THE PENNSYLVANIA OPENS ITS SECOND RIVER TUBE". The New York Times. October 10, 1906. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ Industrial Magazine. Geo. S. Mackintosh. 1907. p. 79. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ "FOURTH RIVER TUBE THROUGH; Last of Pennsylvania-Long Island Tunnels Connected -- Sandhogs Celebrate". The New York Times. March 19, 1908. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ "DAY LONG THRONG INSPECTS NEW TUBE; 35,000 Persons Were Carried on the First Day of Pennsylvania's Tunnel Service. ACCIDENT MARRED OPENING Morning Trains Delayed Two Hours by Broken Third Rail -- Some Complaints Over Extra Fare". The New York Times. September 9, 1910. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- Gross Domestic Product deflatorfigures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ^ Droege, John A. (1916). Passenger Terminals and Trains. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 156.
droege Passenger Terminals and Trains.
- ^ Donovan, Frank P. Jr. (1949). Railroads of America. Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing.
- ISBN 978-0-8232-1677-2. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- ^ "JERSEY CITY DEPOT CLOSED BY PENNSY; Trains to Exchange Plac Will Now Come Here". The New York Times. November 18, 1961. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- ^ "B&O Railroad Museum".
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- ^ Nowakowski, Patrick (April 24, 2017). Metro-North/LIRR Committee Meeting (Board meeting). Event occurs at 15:45. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
Bibliography
- Clarke, George C. (September 1910). "The New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Site of the Terminal Station". Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers. LXVIII.
- Noble, Alfred (September 1910). "The New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The East River Division". Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers. 68. Paper No. 1152.
- Temple, E.B. (September 1910). "The New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Meadows Division and Harrison Transfer Yard". Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers. 68. . Paper No. 1153.
- Lavis, F. (September 1910). "The New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Bergen Hill Tunnels". Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers. 68. Paper No. 1154.
- Brace, James H.; Mason, Francis (September 1910). "The New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Cross-Town Tunnels". Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers. 68. Paper No. 1158.
- Brace, James H.; Mason, Francis; Woodard, S.H. (September 1910). "The New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The East River Tunnels". Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers. 68. Paper No. 1159.
- Gilbert, G.H.; Whiteman, L.I. (1912), The Subways and Tunnels of New York, Wiley and Sons, ISBN 9785876055989