The sun., 1904-08-29
6.TRACK ROAD TO The SUBURBS
THE NEW HAVEN ANNOUNCES AN
SS,OOO,OOO IMPROVEMENT.
Through Trains Under Town From the West
to the East-Westchester Folks to
BE Carried Direct by Elevated or Sub

BE Carried Direct by Elevated or SUBJ
way to tho Battery-This in . Year.
Plans, to bc put in operation Immediately,
for the construction of a six-track electric
and steam railroad running through The
Bronx to New Rochelle and that part Of
Westchester lying along the Sound, for con-
Meeting with the Pennsylvania tunnel and
the Long Island system at Long Island City
by means Of the proposed New York Con-
Meeting Railway over Randall's and Wards
islands to Mott Haven, and for enabling OK
press trains from the West to be sent thus
without change direct to Boston and New
England were announced by the New York,
New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company
yesterday. The company intends to spend
5000. 600 or more on this tremendous i'm
provement Of suburban rapid transit from
New York.
Incidentally it is announced that arrange
ments have been made with the INTERIOR
ough Rapid Transit Company, with whose
subways and elevated terminals the New
Haven lines will connect, to send tbs trains
over their lines, thus giving New Rochelle,
Mount Vernon and other neighboring
communities direct access to the downtown
business section.
Through passenger trains from the
South and West will run over the Pennsy-
vania tracks through the Pennsylvania
tunnel to Long Island City, thence over
the connecting railway to Astoria, by
viaduct to Mott Haven and over the Harlem
branch OF the New Haven road through
to Boston and the East.
The Harlem branch Of the New Haven,
which is to be six-tracked. runs from the
Harlem River at Willis avenue and 133d
street, the terminus Of the Second avenue
elevated line Of the Interborough road. to
New Rochelle The work awaits only the
formal approval Of the State and city au-
thorities. If this is granted promptly 1t is
expected that active construction work
will be begun by Oct. |, and it is hoped that
through express service from the Battery
to New Rochelle and the other points may
be in operation in little more than q year.
The time will depend upon the rapidity
with which bridges at the New Rochelle
end Of the line. where the most difficult
work is to be done, can be constructed.
The directors, it is announced, are al
ready considering further plan for the
construction Of a branch from West Farms
along the Bronx Valley to Woodlawn, in
the southern part Of Mount Vernon, Civ.
ing that district also a through express
service from the Battery. This matter,
however, will lie in abeyance until the
Fart already settled upon is well under
way.
The reconstruction OF the Harlem section
of their line, go the New Haven officials
announce, will be done In the most thorough
manner possible. 1t will amount, In fact,
to the building Of an entirely new road.
The route OF the existing line will be fol-
lowed except where slight Emergencies
are required to eliminate curves, but the
rebuilt line will be practically without
grades and curves and entirely free from
grade crossings. For that reason the
number and arrangement Of the tracks
will allow exceptionally fast time to be
made. Bridges will be put in even where
streets exist on paper only, to avoid the
possibility OF delay in the future when the
streets may be built.
OF the six tracks from the Harlem to
New Rochelle. four will be electrically
equipped with the third rail system, and
two will be left for the use OF steam trains.
Two of the electric tracks will be for eI-
press trains, running every fifteen minutes,
and the other two for local trains, with
the same headway. The two tracks to be
used for steam traction will handle freight
and will also provide the connection with
the New York Connecting Railway, which
the New Haven and the Pennsylvania lines
have united to build.
1t is announced that the land required
for the six-traoking has already been ac-
quired. The road will start on a viaduct,
crossing streets and highways, from the
Harlem River to East 14eth street. Be-
yond l4sth street the line will be depressed
and the streets carried overhead on steel
bridges. !"
The new construction will also include
drawbridges over East Chester Bay, where
there is to be an open waterway OF 900
feet, and across West Chester Creek. The
cut at Hunts Point, which runs through
solid rock, is to be deepened to nearly fifty
feet, lessening the grade to five feet, and
the existing curves will be reduced 30 that
none will be more than 2 degrees The
four tracks to be added will be laid to the
north of the present double track line, the
space between tracks being increased from
twelve to thirteen feet. now the standard
of the road.
All stations will be set on the north side
of the line, so far as possible. When the
local arrangement Of the street makes it
necessary to place them on the south side.
as at West Farms subway passage will
connect them with the passenger platforms.
The present wooden station buildings will
be replaced by new ones OF brick and
masonry.
The formal application to the State Rail-
road Commissioners shows that the present
estimate of the cost Of the improvement is
s7,7oi ,s9l, but it is expected that this will
bc exceeded. According to Chief Engineer
{. NJ. Ingersoll's report the cost OF six
tracking, eliminating grade crossings and
constructing new stations will amount to
sl.S25,s9i.
B. +. Simmons Of Boston, assistant chief
Of the electrical department OF the road,
estimates the cost of the electrical equip
ment at $2,s70, ,Oo0-seventy electrically
equipped cars at S75o,OOO, the third rails
and equipment, cables for drawbridges
and wire cables, $l,O$l 900; power house,
500 oo0 two sub-stations, $3.50, 900, and a car
barn, slO0,OOO The power house will be
bull. as near the middle OF the branch as
The availability of site with water power
viii permit. The two sub-stations will Ike