NJ Transit derailment at NYP -- a real mess and the future?

[blue streak 1]

Well - this event could not come at a worse time for Gov Christie. (hee-Hee) He will now have to look at the possibility of a shut down of a tunnel ( but maybe not; -- politicians can be myoptic). This derailment brings up so many limbs on the tree that it will be difficult to cover all the possibilities. The main point is that not having additional tunnels has all sorts of consequences. Will start with NJ Transit and go clockwise.

1. Without the 2 additional ARC tunnels NJT and Amtrak were limited in using just one tunnel depending on the exact location of the derailed cars? So when a North river river tunnel is shut down for the same reason ( not if just when) the same 1 tunnel operation will have to occurr. (even though some fleeting thru the remaining tunnel can occurr).

2. The new station in or near NYP needs long platforms to handle the lenghtened / combined trains that happened today.

3. Since the western ends of tracks 1-8 / 10? at NYP were probably blocked their east end tail tracks could be used to make up longer combined Amtrak trains for the available tracks that maybe could be split at Newark?

4. Blockage of Hudson river trains to Albany also occurred. A direct MSR connection from the Hell Gate Bridge line to the CSX line near Mott Haven yard needs to be built and Amtrak crews qualified  from there to High Bridge Yard to Spuyten Duyvill so these trains can be operated NYP - Albany near normally?

5. In the longer term the HSR connection proposed from NYP to GCT needs to be completed giving a smoother connection to the Hudson river line. Maybe the NYC water tunnel that needs to be completed to south of NYP can be speeded up or a portion built to allow sooner construction of this rail line connection.  .

6. Two additional tracks need to be tunneled under the East river for additional traffic on the Hell Gate Bridge line. These tunnels if designed properly will give NYP the longer platforms it desperately needs which probably would be tracks 1 - 8.

[Dutchrailnut]

Even if Water tunnel is completed there won't be guaranteees construction can be done near it.

 Water tunnel No 1 has never been shut down and its not known if it can be shut down.

  even if its fixed it will still be needed for future expansion.

 so construction will still not be allowed within 100 feet of watertunnel.

If and only If a connection to GCT could be made where would they go ?? no clearance for overhead catenary in park avenue tunnel or the bronx trough.

 so where hell would trains go ??

[henry6]

Interesting question, Dutch, and the answer is easy: run through service to New Haven!  Share the equipment, keep it moving, keep it bringing in money rather than sitting in a yard somewhere. At least it opens the door for such marketing of service.  And I am talking in broad, general terms and not specific trains and destinations.  Perhaps a round trip to Stamford makes more sense than all the way to NH or New London.  And maybe it originates in Philadelphia or Long Branch or Dover.  The point is that if the track and tunnel happen, the opportunity to market and utilize exists.