No Activity on the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel Project
No Activity on the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel Project
By John Pegram[1]
The proposal for a rail freight tunnel between New Jersey and Brooklyn appeared to have been revived in January 2022. But there does not appear to have been significant activity idea for several years. The tunnel project appears to be dead.
Let’s review the evidence in chronological order.
Before 2022
There have been many proposals for a Cross-Hudson rail bridge or tunnel between New Jersey and New York, starting in the 19th Century. After several starts and stops,[2] interest in improved cross harbor rail freight was revived near the end of the 20th Century. The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) began study of the subject and then its responsibility for the project was transferred to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PA).
The PA and the Federal Highway Administration published the Final Tier I Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on this project in September 2015. It recommended further study of two alternatives: an enhanced rail float operation, at an estimated cost of over $116 million, and a rail tunnel projected to cost more than $7 billion.[3] Due to inflation, costs in 2024 would be over 30% greater.
Cross Harbor Partners, a joint venture of STV Incorporated/AKRF Inc., was awarded a contract to conduct the Tier II Environmental Impact Study on the Cross Harbor Freight Program (CHFP) in February 2018.[4] It is not clear whether any work was ever done under that contract. Work appears to have been formally suspended in or before 2020.
2022
On January 5, 2022, NY Governor Kathy Hochul announced plans to move forward with the Interborough Express (IBX) transit project as part of her 2022 State of the State address. The press release on this announcement concluded by saying, “Governor Hochul is also directing the Port Authority to complete environmental review for the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel.”[5] Both projects would share the LIRR Bay Ridge Branch right-of-way in Brooklyn and Queens, and the CSX Fremont Secondary in Queens.
On February 2nd, Governor Kathy Hochul and Congressman Jerry Nadler announced that the Port Authority would resume preparation of a Tier 2 EIS on the Cross Harbor Freight Movement Program.[6] Governor Hochul’s press release included the statement, “With the help of Representative Jerrold Nadler, federal funds from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have been repurposed to immediately resume the preparation of a Tier 2 EIS….”[7]
Curiously, I have not found any press release or news of an announcement by the FHWA of funding the CHFP Tier 2 EIS.
2023
A January 9, 2023 press release from Governor Hochul announced a number of infrastructure initiatives, including, “At Governor Hochul’s direction, the MTA will now initiate formal engineering of the IBX.” Nothing was said there about the CHFP.[8]
On the next day, as part of her State of the State message, Governor Hochul announced that the Interborough Express project will move forward using light rail following a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study. Nothing was said in the press release about the CHFP.[9]
2024
Governor Hochul’s 2024-2025 budget, announced in January 2024, included $45 million initiate formal design and engineering of the Interborough Express.[10] There does not appear to have been any proposal in that budget for funding of the CHRP.
My Inquiries and the Responses
In early 2023, I had heard nothing about the CHFP for over a year and I began to wonder about its status. I sent an inquiry to the PA’s Office of Media Relation, “What is the status of the Tier II EIS for the Cross Harbor Freight Program?” They informed me on March 6, 2023, “The Tier II EIS review is ongoing. All publicly available reports related to the Cross Harbor Freight Program for Tier I and Tier II are available on the project website….”
The last information on Port Authority’s “Cross Harbor Freight Program” webpage is dated May 5, 2017, reporting the issuance by the Port Authority of an RFP for consultants to conduct the Tier II Environmental Impact Study. The person named as the contact for questions, and comments in the “Public Input” section on that page is no longer employed by the PA. The feedback email address there, feedback@crossharborstudy.com, was then and now is inoperative.
On March 9, 2023, I made a Public Records Access request to the PA for “All reports made to PANYNJ in connection with the Cross-Harbor Tunnel Program Tier II EIS.” The PA responded on September 19, 2023, “A diligent search has been conducted, and no records responsive to your request have been located.”[11]
On November 7, 2023, I made a Public Records Access request to the PA for “A copy of each contract or agreement by the Port Authority from 2017 to date for consultants to conduct the Tier II Environmental Impact Study and/or complementary advanced planning and engineering work for the Cross Harbor Freight Movement Project.” On March 26, 2024, the PA produced a single agreement in response to that request, dated January 26, 2018.[12] The subject of that agreement was “to provide the performance of expert professional planning, environmental and engineering services in support of the development of a Cross Harbor Freight Program Tier II Environment Review on an “As-Needed” basis for 2018 through 2020….”
One would expect that, if consultants were proceeding with the CHFP Tier II Environment Review, there would be reports. Indeed, the “Description of Consultant Tasks” in the January 2018 agreement included, “Specific tasks to be performed by the Consultant may include, but shall not be limited to … 5. Provide monthly status reports to the Authority addressing accomplishments, issues, and schedule and budget status, including corrective actions, as necessary; ….”
On November 7, 2023, I requested reports from the PA, as follows:
“A copy of each written report received by the Port Authority since January 1, 2022 from consultants in connection with the Tier II Environmental Impact Study and/or complementary advanced planning and engineering work for the Cross Harbor Freight Movement Project,”
and
“A copy of each written report since January 1, 2022 by the Port Authority or its consultants to the US Department of Transportation, including but not limited to its Federal Highway Administration, in connection with the Tier II Environmental Impact Study and/or complementary advanced planning and engineering work for the Cross Harbor Freight Movement Project.”
No reports were produced to me in response to those requests. On May 1, 2024, the PA confirmed that no responsive records had been found.
I then asked the PA Office of Media Relations to “put me in touch with someone concerning the status of the Cross Harbor Freight Program.” The response on May 10, 2024 was “The short answer to your question about developments in the Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel is that there have been no new developments since you last inquired.”
I have made telephone and Email inquiries to the Federal Highway Administration regarding the status of FWHA funding for the NY-NJ Cross Harbor Freight Program, but have not yet received any substantive response.
Conclusion
The Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel proposal appears to be dead. For many reasons, some of which I have listed before,[13] I doubt that tunnel will ever be built.
As usual a PDF copy of this article is attached.
This article expresses the personal views of the author and does not express the views of his employer, or any client or organization. The author has degrees in law and physics, and has taken several engineering courses. After five years of work as an engineer, he has practiced law primarily in the field of patents for over 50 years, dealing with a wide variety of technologies. He is a life-long railfan and user of public transportation in the United States, Europe and Japan.
[1] © John Pegram, 2024.
[2] For a historical summary, see Mainwaring et al, The Development of the New York Cross Harbor Freight Movement Project (2016), available here. See generally, Wikipedia, Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel, available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-Harbor_Rail_Tunnel.
[3] CROSS HARBOR FREIGHT PROGRAM Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, Executive Summary, p. ES-13, available here. As explained in the Foreword to the Final Tier 1 Study, available here, it incorporates by reference many chapters of the Tier 1 Draft EIS, available here, including the Executive Summary.
[4] Copy attached.
[5] Press Release, “Governor Hochul Announces Plans to Move Forward with Major New Expansion of Transit Service in Brooklyn and Queens: The Interborough Express,” available at https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-plans-move-forward-major-new-expansion-transit-service-brooklyn-and
[6] Press Release, “Governor Hochul and Congressman Nadler Announce Port Authority to Resume Federal Environmental Review for Cross Harbor Freight Movement Program,” available at https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-and-congressman-nadler-announce-port-authority-resume-federal-environmental
[7] Id.
[8] Press Release, “Governor Hochul Announces Plans to Expand Major Transit Projects and Improve Roadway Safety,” available at https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-plans-expand-major-transit-projects-and-improve-roadway-safety.
[9] Press Release, “Governor Hochul Announces Public Transit Expansions to Increase Access, Affordability and Safety, “ available at https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-public-transit-expansions-increase-access-affordability-and-safety
[10] BBN Bloomberg, “Hochul Budget Includes $45 Million for Interborough Light Rail,” available at https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/hochul-budget-includes-45-million-for-interborough-light-rail-1.2022678. See Brachfield, “Interborough Express light rail project moves to next phase, Hochul says,” available at https://qns.com/2024/01/interborough-express-light-rail-project-moves-to-next-phase-hochul-says/.
[11] PRA #20231057.
[12] PRA #202312914. Copy of agreement attached.
[13] https://bqrail.substack.com/p/comments-about-the-interborough-express-6a6.