Harold Interlocking

Harold Interlocking is a large railroad junction located in New York City. It is the busiest rail junction in the United States.[1] It serves the Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains, the Long Island Rail Road, and New Jersey Transit. The junction is being rebuilt to address congestion problems and occasional accidents.

Location and operation

The junction is located in Queens, east of the East River Tunnels and next to Amtrak’s Sunnyside Yard. During the rush hour period, over 40 trains per hour pass through the interlocking; and a total of 783 trains each weekday.[2][3] In addition to Amtrak trains, the interlocking serves the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and New Jersey Transit (NJT).

Congestion

The complexity of the junction and the large volume of traffic has caused frequent delays and occasional accidents in this portion of the Northeast Corridor.[4][5]

History

The Pennsylvania Railroad built the Harold Interlocking in 1908 as part of the New York Tunnel Extension project, which built Pennsylvania Station, the North River Tunnels (under the Hudson River), the East River Tunnels and Sunnyside Yard.[2]

Planned improvements

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) began construction of several infrastructure improvements to the junction area in 2009, however a major project to redesign and rebuild the interlocking required additional funding.[6] In May 2011, a $294.7 million federal grant was awarded to address congestion at the interlocking. The work will allow for dedicated tracks to the New York Connecting Railroad right of way for Amtrak trains arriving from or bound for New England, thus avoiding NJT and LIRR traffic. A grade-separated route is being constructed for Northeast Corridor Trains.[7][8] MTA is constructing and managing the improvement project concurrently with the adjacent East Side Access Project.[1]

Coordinates: 40°44′55″N 73°55′37″W / 40.7485°N 73.927°W / 40.7485; -73.927

References

  1. 1 2 "Harold Interlocking Northeast Corridor Congestion Relief Project". Capital Program. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  2. 1 2 Bibel, George (2012). Train Wreck: The Forensics of Rail Disasters. JHU Press. p. 83. ISBN 9781421406527.
  3. ↑ Via, Cynthia (2011-08-30). "Federal transit funding arrives for Sunnyside Yards". Forest Hills/Rego Park Times.
  4. ↑ McGeehan, Patrick (2012-05-22). "Guiding Hundreds of Trains, a Junction Named Harold". New York Times.
  5. ↑ "Rail Safety Section Abbreviated Report. Case No. 6935; Date of Accident: March 29, 2002; Carrier: Long Island Rail Road; Type of Accident: Collision". Office of Modal Safety & Security. New York State Public Transportation Safety Board. 2002-10-18. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  6. ↑ "MTA reaches two milestones on East Side Access". Railway Track & Structures. Simmons-Boardman. 2015-12-08.
  7. ↑ "Maloney Hails Federal Grant to Ease Amtrak Delays in NYC, Spur High-Speed Rail in NE Corridor - $294.7 Million Grant to Improve "Harold Interlocking", a Delay-Plagued Junction For Trains in the NE Corridor". Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney. 2011-05-09.
  8. ↑ Colvin, Jill (2011-05-09). "New York Awarded $350 Million for High-Speed Rail Projects". DNAinfo.com. Retrieved 2011-05-13.

External links

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