Rockaway Beach Branch
Rockaway Beach Branch | |
---|---|
standard gauge | |
Operating speed | ~35–45 mph (56–72 km/h) |
The Rockaway Beach Branch was a
After a 1950 fire, the Jamaica Bay bridge was closed and the line south of Ozone Park sold to the city, which rehabilitated the portion south of Liberty Avenue and connected it to the New York City Subway system as the IND Rockaway Line. The portion north of the subway connection was closed in 1962, and three proposals exist for the reuse of the line.
Operations
Early history
The New York, Woodhaven and Rockaway Railroad was incorporated on March 21, 1877
An agreement was made with the Long Island Rail Road in 1880 to operate over its
After a delay caused by financial problems,
The company went bankrupt and was sold under foreclosure on July 30, 1887 to Austin Corbin, owner of the LIRR, who reorganized it as the New York and Rockaway Beach Railway (NY&RB) on August 19, 1887 and transferred the property on September 1, 1887. The old Far Rockaway Branch west of Arverne was soon connected to the NY&RB at Hammels,[1][12] and was abandoned west of the new connection.[4] The NY&RB began operating trains to Far Rockaway over this connection.[13]
From 1898 to 1917, the
The NY&RB was operated independently until July 1, 1904, when the LIRR leased it as the Rockaway Beach Division.
This extension also included another connecting track from the Montauk Branch west of
In 1939, a project to eliminate grade crossings was begun on the Rockaway Peninsula by elevating the line there, and completing plans that had existed since 1901. The elevated structure was completed to Hammels in 1941 and between Hammels and Far Rockaway in 1942.[4]
The June 1947 weekday schedule shows 68 trains crossing Jamaica Bay north to south:
- 28 trains to Rockaway Park from Penn Station and 14 from Brooklyn
- five trains to Far Rockaway from Penn and one from Brooklyn
- two to Jamaica from Penn and one from Brooklyn
- 11 to Penn from Penn, and one from Brooklyn to Penn
- two to Brooklyn from Penn and three from Brooklyn to Brooklyn
Many trains had quick connections at the
Final years
A fire on the
The LIRR, then on the verge of bankruptcy, saw the Rockaway Beach Branch south of
All stations south of Ozone Park were taken out of service on June 27, 1955, and no trains ran on the line south of Ozone Park during the winter of 1955–1956 to allow the New York City Transit Authority to rebuild the line for subway operations.[4] After an extensive rebuild of all trestles and converting the line for transit operations, which included a connection to the IND Fulton Street Line at Liberty Avenue via the former Fulton Street elevated line, the city began operating it as the IND Rockaway Line on June 26, 1956 to great fanfare.[27][28][29][30][31]
The line's connection with the Atlantic Branch at Woodhaven Junction, consisting of an interlocking, tunnel portal and incline that rose to meet the elevated Rockaway Branch, was closed and removed in October 1955. This connection had primarily been used to allow trains from Brooklyn to reach Aqueduct Racetrack. The remains of the interlocking can still be seen in the Atlantic Avenue tunnel, while the incline is now used by Logan School Bus Company, who parks their bus fleet along the incline.[32]
LIRR service continued on the remaining 3.5-mile (5.6 km) portion of the Rockaway Beach Branch between Rego Park and Ozone Park, under a lease from the New York City Transit Authority.[33][34] Ridership sharply declined, however, and the line and its stations began to deteriorate due to vandalism and lack of maintenance.[33][35][36][37][38]
On May 9, 1958, the New York Public Service Commission approved the LIRR's application to discontinue facilities at the five stations on the line, except for the platforms and suitable shelters. Two platforms would have to be preserved at Ozone Park, while one platform would have to be preserved at the other stations. At this point, just four daily weekday trains had operated on the branch, two Ozone Park-bound and two Penn Station-bound. The LIRR's application to eliminate two of these four trains was rejected. It had sought to eliminate the train leaving Ozone Park at 8:41 AM, which had an average of 92 riders a day, and the train leaving Penn Station at 7:01 PM, which had an average of 62 daily riders.[39]
No connection with the parallel IND Rockaway Line was made in Ozone Park, further hurting any potential ridership growth.[36] The LIRR, realizing that the truncated operation was better served by the subway, quietly ceased service on June 8, 1962 following approval from the New York Public Service commission. At the time, the Rockaway Beach Branch was the LIRR's only passenger-service branch, aside from the City Zone Terminals (Penn Station, Atlantic Terminal, and Long Island City), that ran entirely within the New York City limits.[25][40][4][33][41]
Legacy and planned restoration
The city never filed to abandon the isolated section of double trackage between Rego Park and Ozone Park, due to the intended connection to the
The right-of-way was sold to the City of New York and is now in most sections administered by the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services ("DCAS"), except for a 7 acres (2.8 ha) section in Forest Park that has been mapped as parkland. The line remains officially out of service and is known by locals as "the forgotten spur", a name which dates back to the mid-1950s when the subway plans for the spur were dropped.[35][40][46]
Much of the original infrastructure has either been removed, damaged, rotted or undermined, though some rails, wooden ties, electrical towers and even de-electrified third rails can still be found in some sections, with much of it dating from 1908 or earlier, when the line was originally electrified.[47] The failure to reactivate the northern portion of the line had been attributed to the potential high costs of connecting it to the Queens Boulevard Line, and capacity issues on the line which persist today, making the Fulton line connection more feasible.[23][48] There are proposals for rail service and a rail trail on this right-of-way. One proposal juxtaposes both plans.[49]
The Rockaway Beach Branch is a regular haunt for hikers and urban explorers who have documented the abandoned stations along this route. The right-of-way can be easily be seen, especially along the abandoned elevated embankment in Woodhaven and Ozone Park.[40] The line is owned by the City of New York, with certain areas around the former junction with the Montauk Branch that have been redeveloped for interim use, including the Logan Bus Company lot.[50][51]
20th century plans
Since service ended in 1962, there have been repeated talks of restoring the line to active passenger service. The first of these proposals was a 1963 proposal that would have reactivated the line by connecting it to the IND Queens Boulevard Line.[52][53][54]
As part of the 1968 Program for Action, there was a proposal to re-extend the LIRR to John F. Kennedy International Airport via the Van Wyck Expressway.[55] Many Rockaway and central Queens residents wanted the link to run along the disused Rockaway Beach Branch, rather than along the Van Wyck, so that Rockaways residents could simultaneously get express service to Manhattan.[56] The revised plan via the Rockaway Beach Branch was approved by the New York City Board of Estimate in 1969.[57] The $210 million LIRR plan faced great criticism, and one particular section received heavy opposition. New York State Senator John J. Santucci, representing the Rockaways, raised concerns that a 2,900-foot (880 m) tunnel for the link, which would connect to the Rockaway Beach Branch, would require razing part of Forest Park, a plan that was opposed by his constituents.[58]
Santucci said that the link's construction would irreversibly destroy part of the park, destroying a community landmark and "stripping away the resources of the people for the luxury of the few".[59] In October 1974, the president of the Hammel Holland Seaside Civic Association wrote to Mayor Abraham Beame, "It is our earnest plea to you that your decision on this rape of Forest Park be rescinded." The association's president further said that although it would be cost-ineffective to create a premium service to JFK Airport, the Rockaway Beach Branch should still be reactivated for local passengers.[60] In April 1976, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Chairman William Ronan said that the link was "not feasible" due to the economic downturn and a corresponding decrease in air traffic.[61]
A subsequent study for a dedicated two-lane
A study completed by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) in October, 1990 titled "Coordinated Program to Improve Mass Transportation Accessibility between Queens and Manhattan", recommended using the branch to connect with the Jamaica Elevated to use the lower level of the Archer Avenue lines. The estimated cost for the line was $282 million in 1988 prices, with $80 million used for the extension from Aqueduct to JFK Airport.[64]: 99, 101
A report completed by the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) in 1991, which analyzed the potential use of inactive railroad rights-of-ways for transit service, recommended that a subway line be constructed to provide faster service to Midtown and to better serve southeastern Queens through the construction of park-and-ride facilities near JFK Airport. The cost of a subway line on the right-of-way was estimated to be $641 million in 1989 according to a study conducted by the Port Authority.[64]: 131 [65] The DCP issued a paper on airport access in March, 1991 and proposed two rail alignments using the branch.[64]: 97, 99, 102
Route A would have run from Midtown Manhattan to JFK and LaGuardia Airports running through the 63rd Street Tunnel and Sunnyside Yard, above the LIRR on an elevated structure from 58th Street to Winfield Junction and then to White Pot Junction, over the Rockaway Beach Branch, before using two tracks of the IND Rockaway Line to Howard Beach, from where a 2 miles (3.2 km)-long extension could be built to JFK. Route B would have deviated at 48th Street, running via Northern Boulevard to 54th Street, from where it would extend on an elevated structure to connect with the New York Connecting Railroad at 64th Street, connecting with the LIRR Main Line near 51st Street. The DCP report recommended using the branch for subway service as opposed to commuter rail service so more stops could be added and so that the fares could be lower.[64]: 97, 99, 102
21st century plans
In 2001, the
An MTA study of the feasibility of reactivating the line found that it would not be convenient to 68% of commuters traveling between the outer boroughs and the Rockaways; in addition, people traveling from Far Rockaway would have to wait longer, on average, for a train. MTA also cited high operational and construction costs as detriments.[66] It has been argued that restoration is needed to enable redevelopment of the Rockaways, "a potentially very-attractive area that has long suffered from slow transit service. Higher property values and influxes of people attracted by fast service to Midtown could revitalize en-route neighborhoods like Richmond Hill."[67]
The success of a new
The Genting Group, which operates the racino and has been asked to construct the convention center, was evaluating several plans to increase transportation access, and was committed to paying for part of the transportation improvements. Queensway advocates are against resumption of rail service, stating that current bus service fills current transportation needs in the area.[68] Congressmen Hakeem Jeffries and Gregory Meeks added their support for the project in March 2013. Both representatives will push to allocate federal transportation subsidies to study a plan for restored passenger service.[69]
Another suggestion for reuse was proposed in the MTA's Twenty-Year Capital Needs Assessment for 2015-2034, published in October 2013. An issue the MTA is trying to address is to provide transversal routes between the core trunk routes. The report suggests that the cheapest, easiest, and quickest way of doing this is to revitalize existing lines like the freight-only
The state of New York approved a new MTA study to reactivate the Rockaway Beach Branch, with the report due by March, 2017.[73] As of January 5, 2017, the MTA and Port Authority are evaluating use of the Rockaway Beach LIRR for a one-seat trip between Penn Station and Grand Central and JFK.[74] Though a study of the branch's possible reactivation was completed in September 2018, it was not published until October 2019, following the publication of a news story about the study's delayed release.[75][76] The study concluded that reactivation as an LIRR line may cost $6.7 billion, while as a subway line it may cost $8.1 billion.[77] This cost estimate has been questioned by a report put out by QueensRail Corp and TEMS (see Rockaway Beach Branch § QueensRail), which showed that the real costs would fall in the range of $3.4 to $3.7 billion.[78]
If either option is carried out, the branch would require considerable reconstruction. Under the LIRR restoration option, the stations at Rego Park, Parkside, Woodhaven, Ozone Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Howard Beach would be rebuilt. The subway option is similar except that it would not rebuild the LIRR's Rego Park station, and would rebuild the Brooklyn Manor station instead. Other obstacles would include developments that have been built in the right-of-way after the branch's 1962 abandonment, as well as severe deterioration to much of the existing infrastructure.[79] A second component of the study examined options for possible extensions to JFK Airport, including a possible connection to the AirTrain JFK or a wholly-new alignment.[80]
Many people who live along the line support the conversion either to a rail trail or back to a rail line. Many others, whose properties abut the ROW, are opposed to the ROW's redevelopment in any manner.[81] A number of properties adjacent to the right-of-way have expanded their property fences over sections of the former right-of-way without legally acquiring the rights to the land.[50][51]
Queensway
In 2005, residents began suggesting a conversion of the line to either a rail trail or
In October 2014, the Friends of the Queensway announced that they had finished a year-long study on the viability of the Queensway. However, it still needs about $122 million in funding.[88] Friends of the Queensway stated that they wanted to appeal to city mayor Bill de Blasio for funding, because it supported two of the mayor's agendas: the Vision Zero traffic safety initiative, and de Blasio's proposal for more parkland in the city; under the plan, there would be bike lanes, walking trails, and access points at major intersections.[89] It would benefit the local economy and include, among other things, "exercise stations, food concessions and outdoor nature classrooms".[90] So far, $1.2 million has been raised.[91] After the feasibility study about the branch's possible reactivation was published in October 2019, a Friends of the Queensway member said, "Our hope is that the high costs provide an opening to consider a park."[77] Andrew Yang, in his campaign for the 2021 New York City mayoral election, expressed support for the proposed park.[92][93]
The proposed park has been criticized by transit advocates such as the Queens Public Transit Committee, who prefer to rebuild the rail line as a
In September 2022, mayor Eric Adams announced that the Queensway would be built.[96][97] Adams announced that $30 million had been allocated to construct the park's first phase, between Metropolitan Avenue and Forest Park, and that an additional $5 million would be spent on environmental studies.[96] The announcement was controversial because the plans did not include space for a future rail line, as QueensLink proponents had proposed.[98][99] The New York Times wrote that "both sides feel passionately that they are in the right", since central Queens lacked both parkland and rail lines.[99] QueensLink supporters continued to advocate for converting the line into a combined rail and park corridor.[100][101] The federal government provided $117 million in early 2024 for the Queensway plan.[102][103]
QueensRail and QueensLink
QueensRail Corp, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded by the Queens Public Transit Committee in 2016 to promote better transit in Queens and specifically reusing the Rockaway Beach Branch for transit.[104] In contrast to the Queensway, which was conceived as a park project, QueensRail was conceived as a transportation project.[105] In March 2017, the Queens Chamber of Commerce held a debate to discuss both plans. Travis Terry of Friends of the Queensway argued for the park while Rick Horan of QueensRail argued his for rail service; when prompted, both said a compromise was not possible.[106] Soon after, Horan reached out to blogger and cartographer Andrew Lynch, who outlined a proposal where both parks and rail would be integrated side by side.[107] Under Horan and Lynch's concept, the right of way would include both a new park and a rail line above. The name QueensLink was chosen to represent how the plan would "link" the northern and southern parts of Queens; the team considered the "rail" in QueensRail too specific and derisive.[105]
QueensLink officials pressured the MTA to release the Rockaway Beach Branch reactivation study in October 2019.
TEMS's report, released in June 2021, showed the $8.1 billion cost estimate had used non-standard formulas related to inflation, contingency costs, and professional services. By recalculating the costs based on approved Federal Transit Administration guidelines the report found that the true costs would lie between $3.4 and $3.7 billion. The report also found that the project would have a significant economic benefit for the city.[78]
List of stations
Miles | Name | Opened | Closed | Re-opened |
---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Street
|
July 1, 1913 | 1925 | ||
Rego Park
|
May 1928 | June 8, 1962 | ||
Matawok
|
1910 | May 25, 1913 | ||
Parkside
|
September 15, 1927 | June 8, 1962 | ||
Brooklyn Hills
|
1882 | 1911 | ||
Brooklyn Manor
|
January 9, 1911 | June 8, 1962 | ||
Woodhaven Junction
|
1893 | June 8, 1962 | ||
Ozone Park
|
1883[109] | June 8, 1962 | ||
Aqueduct
|
1883 | October 3, 1955 | June 28, 1956 as Aqueduct–North Conduit Avenue
| |
Ramblersville
|
June 1899 | June 27, 1955 | June 28, 1956 as Howard Beach
| |
Hamilton Beach
|
October 16, 1919 | June 27, 1955 | ||
Howard's Landing
|
1898 | October 23, 1907 | ||
Goose Creek
|
1888 | September 1935 | ||
The Raunt
|
1888 | May 23, 1950 | ||
Broad Channel
|
1880/1881 | May 23, 1950 | June 28, 1956 as Broad Channel
| |
Beach Channel
|
1888 | May 31, 1905 | ||
Hammels formerly Hammel |
August 26, 1880[10] | 1941 | ||
Holland
|
August 26, 1880[10] | October 3, 1955 | June 28, 1956 as Beach 90th Street
| |
Steeplechase
|
April 1903 | October 3, 1955 | June 28, 1956 as Beach 98th Street
| |
Seaside
|
August 26, 1880[10] | October 3, 1955 | June 28, 1956 as Beach 105th Street
| |
Rockaway Park
|
August 26, 1880[10] | October 3, 1955 | June 28, 1956 as Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street
|
Gallery
-
Southbound track at White Pot Junction
-
Underpass for northbound track
-
Wireless electricity pole with ceramic insulators
-
Former Glendale Junction remnant
-
Glendale Junction
-
IND Rockaway Line running above adjacent derelict Rockaway Beach line
-
Rockaway Park station before 1913
See also
- Bloomingdale Trail, an abandoned viaduct in Chicago
- High Line (New York City), a rail trail in the west side of Manhattan
- Delancey Street – Essex Streetsubway station in lower Manhattan
- Harsimus Stem Embankment
- Montauk Cutoff
- Promenade plantée
- Rail trail
- Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC)
- Reading Viaduct, an abandoned viaduct in Philadelphia
References
Citations
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The New-York, Woodhaven and Rockaway Railroad, which began operations on Thursday last, has already grown into popular savor by reason of the comparative shortness of the route and the superior accommodation
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{{cite web}}
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- ^ Horan, Rick (March 24, 2016). "QueensRail is the New Ferry!". The Rockaway Times. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
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- ^ Benjamin Fang (March 2, 2017). "QueensWay vs. QueensRail". Brooklyn Downtown Star. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
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