§ 5 — Belt lines

§ 5. Belt lines. The numbers hereinafter used correspond with the\nnumbers which have been placed on the map of the comprehensive plan to\nidentify the various belt lines and marginal railroads.\n Number 1. Middle belt line. Connects New Jersey and Staten Island and\nthe railroads on the westerly side of the port with Brooklyn, Queens,\nthe Bronx and the railroads on the easterly side of the port. Connects\nwith the New York Central railroad in the Bronx; with the New York, New\nHaven and Hartford railroad in the Bronx; with the Long Island railroad\nin Queens and Brooklyn; with the Baltimore and Ohio railroad near\nElizabethport and in Staten Island; with the Central Railroad Company of\nNew Jersey at Elizabethport and at points in Newark and Jersey City;\nwith the Pennsylvania railroad in Newark and Jersey City; with the\nLehigh Valley railroad in Newark and Jersey City; with the Delaware,\nLackawanna and Western railroad in Jersey City and the Secaucus meadows;\nwith the Erie railroad in Jersey City and the Secaucus meadows; with the\nNew York, Susquehanna and Western, the New York, Ontario and Western and\nthe West Shore railroads on the westerly side of the Palisades above the\nWeehawken tunnel.\n The route of the middle belt line as shown on said map is in general\nas follows: Commencing at the Hudson river at Spuyten Duyvil running\neasterly and southerly generally along the easterly side of the Harlem\nriver, utilizing existing lines so far as practicable and improving and\nadding where necessary, to a connection with Hell Gate bridge and the\nNew Haven railroad, a distance of approximately seven miles; thence\ncontinuing in a general southerly direction, utilizing existing lines\nand improving and adding where necessary, to a point near Bay Ridge, a\ndistance of approximately eighteen and one-half miles; thence by a new\ntunnel under New York bay in a northwesterly direction to a portal in\nJersey City or Bayonne, a distance of approximately five miles, to a\nconnection with the tracks of the Pennsylvania and Lehigh Valley\nrailroads; thence in a generally northerly direction along the easterly\nside of Newark bay and the Hackensack river at the westerly foot of the\nPalisades, utilizing existing tracks and improving and adding where\nnecessary, making connections with the Jersey Central, Pennsylvania,\nLehigh Valley, Delaware, Lackawanna and Western, Erie, New York,\nSusquehanna and Western, New York, Ontario and Western, and West Shore\nrailroads, a distance of approximately ten miles. From the westerly\nportal of the Bay tunnel and from the line along the easterly side of\nNewark bay by the bridges of the Central railroad of New Jersey\n(crossing the Hackensack and Passaic rivers) and of the Pennsylvania and\nLehigh Valley railroads (crossing Newark bay) to the line of the central\nrailroad of New Jersey running along the westerly side of Newark bay and\nthence southerly along this line to a connection with the Baltimore and\nOhio railroad south of Elizabethport, utilizing existing lines so far as\npracticable and improving and adding where necessary, a distance of\napproximately twelve miles; thence in an easterly direction crossing the\nArthur kill, utilizing existing lines so far as practicable and\nimproving and adding where necessary, along the northerly and easterly\nshores of Staten Island to the new city piers and to a connection, if\nthe city of New York consent thereto, with the tunnel under the Narrows\nto Brooklyn provided for under chapter seven hundred of the laws of the\nstate of New York for nineteen hundred and twenty-one.\n Number 2. A marginal railroad to the Bronx extending along the shore\nof the East river and Westchester creek connecting with the middle belt\nline (number one), and with the New York, New Haven and Hartford\nrailroad in the vicinity of Westchester.\n Number 3. A marginal railroad in Queens and Brooklyn extending along\nFlushing creek, Flushing bay, the East river and the upper New York bay.\nConnects with the middle belt line (number one), by lines number four,\nnumber five, number six and directly at the southerly end at Bay Ridge.\nExisting lines to be utilized and improved and added to and new lines\nbuilt where lines do not now exist.\n Number 4. An existing line to be improved and added to where\nnecessary. Connects the middle belt line (number one), with the marginal\nrailroad number three near its northeasterly end.\n Number 5. An existing line to be improved and added to where\nnecessary. Connects the middle belt line (number one), with the marginal\nrailroad number three in Long Island City.\n Number 6. Connects the middle belt line (number one), with the\nmarginal railroad number three in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn.\nThe existing portion to be improved and added to where necessary.\n Number 7. A marginal railroad surrounding the northerly and westerly\nshores of Jamaica bay. A new line. Connects with the middle belt line\n(number one).\n Number 8. An existing line, to be improved and added to where\nnecessary. Extends along the southeasterly shore of Staten Island.\nConnects with middle belt line (number one).\n Number 9. A marginal railroad extending along the westerly shore of\nStaten Island and a branch connection with number eight. Connects with\nthe middle belt line (number one), and with a branch from the outer belt\nline (number fifteen).\n Number 10. A line made up mainly of existing lines, to be improved and\nadded to where necessary. Connects with the middle belt line (number\none) by way of marginal railroad number eleven. Extends along the\nsoutherly shore of Raritan bay and through the territory south of the\nRaritan river reaching New Brunswick.\n Number 11. A marginal railroad extending from a connection with the\nproposed outer belt line (number fifteen) near New Brunswick along the\nnortherly shore of the Raritan river to Perth Amboy, thence northerly\nalong the westerly side of the Arthur kill to a connection with the\nmiddle belt line (number one) south of Elizabethport. The portion of\nthis line which exists to be improved and added to where necessary.\n Number 12. A marginal railroad extending along the easterly shore of\nNewark bay and the Hackensack river and connects with the middle belt\nline (number one). A new line.\n Number 13. A marginal railroad extending along the westerly side of\nthe Hudson river and the Upper New York bay. Made up mainly of existing\nlines----the Erie Terminals, Jersey Junction, Hoboken Shore, and\nNational Docks railroads. To be improved and added to where necessary.\nTo be connected with middle belt line (number one).\n Number 14. A marginal railroad connecting with the middle belt line\n(number one), and extending through the Hackensack and Secaucus meadows.\n Number 15. An outer belt line, extending around the westerly limits of\nthe port district beyond the congested section. Northerly terminus on\nthe Hudson river at Piermont. Connects by marginal railroads at the\nsoutherly end with the harbor waters below the congested section. By\nspurs connects with the middle belt line (number one) on the westerly\nshore of Newark bay and with the marginal railroad on the westerly shore\nof Staten Island (number nine).\n Number 16. The automatic electric system for serving Manhattan Island.\nIts yards to connect with the middle belt line and with all the\nrailroads of the port district. A standard gauge underground railroad\ndeep enough in Manhattan to permit of two levels of rapid transit\nsubways to pass over it. Standard railroad cars to be brought through to\nManhattan terminals for perishables and food products in refrigerator\ncars. Cars with merchandise freight to be stopped at its yards. Freight\nfrom standard cars to be transferred onto wheeled containers, thence to\nspecial electrically propelled cars which will bear it to Manhattan.\nFreight to be kept on wheels between the door of the standard freight\ncar at the transfer point and the tail board of the truck at the\nManhattan terminal or the store door as may be elected by the shipper or\nconsignee, eliminating extra handling.\n Union terminal stations to be located on Manhattan in zones as far as\npracticable of equal trucking distance, as to pickups and deliveries, to\nbe served by this system. Terminals to contain storage space and space\nfor other facilities. The system to bring all the railroads of the port\nto Manhattan.\n