The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-04-17
The Vanderbilt Rapid Transit Scheme
at Albany.

at Albany.
The Vanderbilt Tunnel Railroad bill is to be
considered in the State Senate to-day rs q spe-
cal order, and as this now appears to be the
only instalment of rapid transit the people of
New York are likely to receive from the Legis-
lature this session it is well to inquire how
much they will be benefited by the proposed
grant. The bill proposes to allow Mr.. Wander
bilt to construct a double track railroad for
cars propelled by steam from the City Hall
park to Fifty-ninth street and Fourth avenue
there to connect with the Harlem Railroad
and from Fifty-ninth street across town to the
Hudson River, to intersect the track of the New
York Central and Hudson River Railroad.
Authority is given to the incorporation
to take and use any public grounds,
parks or places he may require for
platforms, stations &C., without charge or
compensation, and he is empowered to appro-
pirate 50 much of the public streets along the
route as will be necessary for the construction
and maintenance Of openings for light and
ventilation six feet in diameter at intervals of
not less than twenty feet apart These appear
rs they are, the people might be induced to
submit to them provided they received in re-
turn well-managed railroad of sufficient ex-
tent and capacity to accommodate their wants.
If the road is only to be freight line for the
Harlem and Hudson River Railroads, and will
not meet the necessities of the citizens of New
York, then the grant of such powers and privi-
leges to any individual is unjustifable.
The bill authorizes the charge of ten cents
for passenger fare over any portion of the lne
and as the road only runs to Fifty-ninth street
and Fourth avenue, and from thence across
town to the Hudson River, it is clear that the
charge is high enough to debar the laboring
classes from using it at all. The route affords
none of the real advantages of rapid transit,
which is only valuable as enabling the popula-
ton of the city now huddled together in over
crowded localities to spread out into the
extreme northern part of the island and into
Westchester county. 1t for distances beyond
Fifty-ninth street that a steam railroad
would be of the greatest public benefit.
There are no provisions in the bill
to compel the incorporation to run passenger
trains for city travel at all. If he should
please to do so he may use the road simply as
an extension Of the Hudson River and Harlem
Railroads, collecting an extra ten cents from the
passengers and running freight and express
trains day and night as feeder to the trunk
lines. 1t is possible that this may be the real
object of the bill. Ii so it is most extraor-
binary grant, and one the Legislature would
not be likely to make except on corrupt con-
siderations. IT, however, the intention
should be to secure at least thus much
rapid transit for the suffering people
Of the city, the Legislature should
see that their interests are protected i'll the
bill Provisions should be inserted compelling
the incorporation to run trains for way passen-
gers at least every ten minutes in the day and
every half hour at night and prohibiting the
use OF the road for freight trains between the
hours OF six A. Nj. and eight T. M. There
can be no objection to such provisions, pro-
ylded the road is really what purports TO be-
line OF rapid transit for the use of the citi-
zcns of New York. Should the Legislature
neglect TO make these amendments. or should
they be objected 10 by the incorporation the