New-York tribune., 1901-08-28
paPK-AVE. Reform.

The most hopeful announcement yet made
concerning the railroad tunnel in Park-aVe. Is
that plans are being practically considered-lf
not more than consideration using electric
traction for local trains and for running them
around loop underneath the present station
and station yard. This is the scheme which
was advocated in these columns some days ago.
There appears to he no reason for doubling its
practicability. and that it would remedy the
major part of the evil conditions now existing
seems to be beyond question. To repeat what
we said last week the plan involves the use
of the two side tunnels exclusively for suburban
trains with grades at the southern ends lead
ing into and out of a subway loop under the
ward and station. around which the electric
trains would pass in regular procession, leaving
the present terminal facilities entirely for long
distance trains passing through the central tun-
mel The suburban passengers, who form the
majority of patrons of the roads, would under
such an arrangement travel through a tunnel
MS cool and sweet and pleasant as is the street
car tunnel on the lower part OF Park-ave.
The passengers through trains would pass
through the central tunnel. which. with the
reduced number OF locomotives, could easily be
kept clean and we'll ventilated.
The reduction in locomotive traffic-and indeed
in car trafiic-through the tunnel would be enor
nous. According 70 the present schedule, there
are about 32s trains leaving or entering the
Grand Central Station daily. or these 1S4 are
local or suburban trains, which would be run
by electricity, thus reducing the number OF
steam trains from 32s 10 IA, a reduction Of
more than 56 per cent. Nor Is that all At
present, owing to lack OF room In the Forty
second-st. yards. most OF the trains, after run
ming into the station and dlscharglng their
ho ba, TO ha rIty,h hacl
again TO Mott Haven for cleaning and for stor
age until they are wanted for sending out,
when they are again run down 10 the station.
There Is thus a pretty steady procession OF
empty trains passing 10 and fro through the
tunnel, pulled pushed by noisy and unclean
steam locomotives. The proposed plan would
do away with all that. for there would be plenty
OF storage room for the through trains in the
station yards. and II none could be found there
for the local trains they would be run up 10
Mott Haven by electricity. 1t is thus safe 10
estimate that this plan would take out of the
tunnel at least - per cent Of the coal burning
locomotives II the combustion OF coal and
consequent emission OF gas, smoke and cnders
were reduced to Onefourth the present magni-
tude. and confined strictly TO the we'll ventilated
central tunnel. there would, we think. be little
ground fer complaint.
IT mas Decn easy 10 cfltlclSe ana 10 condemn
the railroad company for maintaining the nui-
sances of the tunnel-more easy than to suggest
practical remedies Now that practical rem
edy has been proposed. and has apparently been
adopted, the energy Of criticism is properly TO
be turned into encouragement of the company
in the prompt and complete fulilment OF the
reform Perhaps the strongest encouragement
is the reminder that, despite the great cost OF
the change. ii will doubtless soon prove profit
able in dollars and cents. The cost of operat-
ing the station and yard viii BE much decreased
So, probably, will be that of operating local
trains. AS for the growth of suburban traffic
it will doubtless be enormous. The country
along the Harlem and Hudson River roads In
Westchester County should years ago have been
occupied as densely as is that along the rail-
roads running into New-Jersey. There can be
no doubt that such improvement OF transporta-
tion service as Is now proposed would power
| fully conduce. though late to that end