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Green space or mass transit? A forgotten South Bronx rail line is suddenly the center of attention


Regional Plan Association's proposed train line linking the Bronx to Queens and Brooklyn would be enhanced by a spur, shown in red, using existing right-of-way.

An idea to transform a sunken freight-rail line in the South Bronx into a park is gaining traction with elected officials. But the same trench has long been eyed for use as a transit line connecting to Queens and Brooklyn.

The conflict rekindles a long-running debate about what to do with old rail corridors in the densely packed city. A right of way is a nearly invaluable asset, given how much it would cost in dollars and political capital to create a new one. On the other hand, communities don't want to be stuck with a strip of vacant land for decades while transit wonks and urban planners fantasize about a long-shot rail project.

The South Bronx track has been especially problematic. It runs from East 163rd Street and Melrose Avenue southeast to the waterfront near East 141st Street, alternating as a tunnel and a concrete canyon that has been used as a trash dump and homeless encampment for years. After the homeless were moved out in September, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. told Mayor Bill de Blasio that he wants the tracks made into a greenway as part of a larger redevelopment push.

"The best way forward is not a temporary cleanup, but the development of a permanent use," Diaz told the mayor.

But that would kill the Regional Plan Association's goal of reactivating the former freight line to move people. The nonprofit, which offers housing and transportation ideas, eyes the corridor as part of a spur to a proposed Triboro line, running from Co-op City in the Bronx to Queens and Brooklyn. The project hinges on the use of existing rail corridors—a strategy used by cities such as London to build light rail.

"If they were to turn this into a park, it would preclude a western extension of the Triboro [line] to Yankee Stadium," said Richard Barone, director of RPA's transportation programs.

The spur would link the Triboro line to the B, D and 4 subway lines at the stadium, as well as Metro-North's Hudson Line, opening a plethora of new travel options. And though the branch was omitted from the organization's most recent iteration of the Triboro plan because of its complexity and cost, Barone said it should nevertheless be part of a study to determine the best use of the abandoned line. Once a park or any other project is built, it would be nearly impossible to change.

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http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...ronx-rail-line