The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-03
Route Over Hell Gate
 Bridge Opened On Sunday

Yesterday the Federal Express was reinaugurated, running via the new four track Hell Gate Bridge which forms a part of the New York Con- meeting Railroad. The opening of this route completes the direct rail con- nection, via New York City, between the New Haven and Pennsylvania sys- tems, and links New England with the states lying west and south of the Hudson and East Rivers.
 Additional trains over this new route are to be operated as soon as schedules can be adjusted. The Ad- ans Express Company will operate two trains each way over this route. The Colonial Express will be rein augurated within very short time, and a through summer train, which is likely to be known as the Washing ton-Bar Harbor Express will be oper- ated to provide facilities for those pa irons of the New Haven and Pennsyl- vania who live in the south and west and who summer in New England re- sorts. This makes @ total of five trains each way daily. conference has been arranged to take place in Boston the latter part of this month to consider operating and traffic prob lems in connection with the running of additional trains over the He'll Gate bridge route.
 It is the intention of the managers of the New Haven railroad and the Pennsylvanian to utilize the New York Connecting Railroad to the fullest pos sib1e extent both for the convenience of their patrons and for the operating benefits to be derived.
 The construction of the New York Connecting RailroaId has attracted the attention of the entire engineering world. It represent cost of over s27, ,00O, 900 and has been under con structioni for four years. The He'll Gate bsidge itself is the longest steel arch bridge in the world, having a span of 1,017 feet between the faces of the opposite towers, which rise to a height of 250 feet. Some idea of it's magnitude may be gained from the fact that it contains more steel than both the Manhattan and Greensboro bridges, previously the largest in New York, and four times as much steel as the Woolworth Building in New York City. The top of the arch at the center is 305 feet above mean low water and the clearance above mean low water is 40 feet. The track is suspended from The arch.
 The New York Connecting Railroad was built to replace the river service on the Hudson and East Rivers, and aside from the tremendous importance of an all-rai1 route for through pas senger traffic to all cities on the At lantic coast, the outstanding feature Is the help 1t will render in relieving freight congestion at New York.
 This six mile, four-track railroad will eliminate the long car-ferry from Port Morris, New York, in the Bronx, to the New Jersey coast, as freight trains will be run across the Hell Gate bridge to Bay Ridge, Long Is- land, making necessary but a short car-ferry to Grenville. Shippers will be afforded fast all-rail, through freight service from points as far north as Halifax to anywhere in the south or west. !.
 The new route is also of inestimable value for quick service in time of war or national crisis.
 The schedule of the Federal Ex- press, running between Boston, Balti- more, Philadelphia and Washington, will be as follows: Leave Washington daily at 7:00 p. m., and arrive at Bos- ton about 7:10 a. m.