The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-17
BRIDGE LINKING
new ENGLAND TO
SOUTH and WEST
He'll Gate Route Will Open
April l and Will Be Of
Inestimable Value.

On April 1 the Federal Express
will be reinaugurated, running via the
new four track He'll Gate Bridge
which forms a part of the New York
Connecting Railroad. The opening
of this route completes the direct rail
connection, via New York City, be-
tween the Pennsylvania and New Ha-
ven systems, 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
Adams Express Company will ope-
rate two trains each way over this
route. The Colonial Express will be
reinaugurated within a very short
time, and through summer train,
which is likely to be known as the
Washington-Bar Harbor Express will
be operated to provide facilities for
those patrons Of the Pennsylvania, and
New Haven who live in the south and
west and who summer in New Eng
land resorts. This makes a total Of
FIVE trains each way daily to begin
with. A conference has been ar
ranged to take place in Boston the lat
ter part of this month to consider
operating and traffic problems in con-
nection with the running Of addition
al trains over the He'll Gate Bridge
route.
It Is the intention Of the managers
Of the Pennsylvania and the New Ha-
ven Railroad to utilize the New York
Connecting Railroad to the fullest ex-
tent possible, both for the convenience
of their patrons and for the operating
benefits to be derived.
The construction Of the New York
Connecting Railroad has attracted the
attention of the. whole engineering
world. 1t represents a cost of over
struction for four years. The He'll
Gate Bridge itself is the longest steel
arch bridgA> in the world, having a
span of LOTT feet between the faces
of the opposite towers, which rise to a
height of ESQ feet. Some idea of its
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 lao feet. The track
is suspended from the arch.
The New York Connecting Rail
road was built to replace the river
service on the Hudson and East Riv-
ers. and aside from the tremendous
| Importance Of an all-rail route for
through passenger traffic to all cities
on the Atlantic Coast the outstanding
feature is the help it 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 ISL
! and, making necessary but shor1
| car-ferry to Greenville. Shippers will
be afforded fast, all-rail, through
! freight service from points as fal
north as Halifax to anywhere in the
south or west.
The new route is also Of inestimablt
value for quick service in time of wal
or national crisis.
| The schedule Of the Federal EXPIRES!
| running between Boston, Baltimore
Philadelphia and Washington, will b.
as follows: Leave Washington dali!
at 700 P. M. and arrive at Boston
about 1910 A. NJ, leave Boston dali!
at TOO P. M. and arrive at Washing
! ton about 7:10 A. M.