Brooklyn, and all points on Long Island. By means of this line it will be possible to make the Brooklyn station at Flatbush Avenue a station on the through System for New England as well as the Western States.

Fig. 1. (Full page image)
MAP OF THE PENNSYLVANIA R. R. CO'S NEW YORK TUNNEL EXTENSION AND CONNECTIONS.

The initial equipment of the Western Division of the Long Island Railroad for electric traction has been made in advance of the opening of the tunnel line in order to take care of the requirements of the Atlantic Avenue improvement. This improvement involved the elimination of grade crossings within the City of Brooklyn and the conversion of the railroad line which was previously on the surface of the streets to part subway and part elevated line from the Flatbush Avenue Terminal to East New York Station, a distance of 5-1/4 miles. One of the requirements of this improvement was that the motive power should be changed to some form of power not involving combustion. This led to the adoption of electricity, and, in order to meet operating necessities, involved the electrification of connecting lines beyond the improvement proper, so that local service could be handled to the end of the runs without changing the motive power. The extent of the electrification thus required was found to be about 100 single-track miles. This extensive electrification work was undertaken and completed in the summer of 1905, upon the completion of the Atlantic Avenue improvement proper, and since that time has been in successful operation. On the near approach of the construction of the New York Terminal improvement, plans for additional electrification on the Long Island Railroad were made, and the work is now in progress on the extensive additions required to couple up the tunnel extension with the various lines centering at the Long Island City terminus.

The Bay Ridge Improvement of the Long Island Railroad comprises the readjustment of the right of way and the establishment of new grades in order to do away with grade crossings from the freight terminal at Bay Ridge to a junction with the New York Connecting Railroad at East New York, a distance of 10.4 miles. It also provides for the re-location of the line and the elimination of grade crossings on the branch running to Manhattan Beach, a distance of 3.7 miles. The work is being executed without interrupting traffic, and in all about 75 grade crossings will be abolished. This improvement became necessary in order to provide for the rapid extension of population into the suburban districts and for the present and future requirements of the section, to establish municipal conveniences and facilities, and to open additional streets across the right of way. To accomplish these ends, the line has been built in cuts and on embankments, there being about 6.4 miles of the former, 3.3 miles of the latter, and a tunnel, 3,500 ft. long, where the line crosses the Atlantic Avenue improvement.

The Atlantic Avenue improvement, as mentioned above, involved the removal of the railroad tracks from the street surface for a distance of about 5-1/4 miles. This was done by constructing a series of elevated and subway structures, there being about 2.1 miles of the former, 2.4 miles of the latter, and 0.8 mile of approaches, eliminating more than 90 grade crossings. In the light of recent developments, it may be of interest to note that one of the reasons for establishing a combination elevated and subway line was that, at the time the improvement was projected, no underground railroad in the country, of similar length and carrying a heavy volume of local traffic, was operated by electricity, and public sentiment was against the operation of the entire length of the line underground by steam power. This improvement also provided for depressing the entire Flatbush Avenue station and a freight yard. As the work progressed, the original plans for the station were greatly enlarged, the remodeled station covering about 61 city lots.

The main point of passenger distribution is the New York station. Other important stations will be Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn; Jamaica, Long Island, where the changes to and from electric motive power will be made; and Newark, N. J. Many other places, including the seaside resorts on Long Island and in New Jersey, will feel the benefits of the direct tunnel railroad into and through New York City. The Glendale Cut-Off will materially shorten the route and running time from New York through the tunnels to Rockaway Beach.

The plans contemplate that passengers to and from the lower part of Manhattan will be carried by the steam line between Newark and Jersey City and cross the North River by ferry or the Cortlandt Street tunnels of the Hudson Company. Eventually, the old main line will be electrified and supersede the steam service between Newark and Jersey City.

The Greenville Yard is the most important point for the receipt, transmission, and distribution of freight. From this point freight can be transported, without breaking bulk, by a comparatively short car-ferry to the Long Island Railroad terminus at Bay Ridge, and thus a very large part of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's floatage in New York Harbor and the East River will be abolished, the floatage distance being reduced in the case of the New England freight from about 12 to 3 miles. This traffic will be routed from Bay Ridge via the Long Island Railroad to a connection with and thence over the New York Connecting Railroad to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad at Port Morris, N. Y.

As the facilities for the handling of freight in the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens had become insufficient for taking care of the prospective traffic, eleven new local delivery yards, having a combined area of about 2,153 city lots, have been established, and three existing yards are to be improved and enlarged so as to give a combined area of about 687 city lots. Of these new yards, the Bay Ridge freight terminal, containing about 790 city lots, is the largest; its functions have been described above. There is a freight terminal at East New York 200 ft. wide and a mile long, containing about 566 city lots, which will be the distributing point of freight for the entire East New York section. This yard is depressed, and will be crossed by six viaducts carrying city streets. The North Shore freight yard, containing 109 city lots, is connected with the Montauk Division by an overhead construction, known as the Montauk Freight Cut-Off, whereby all freight traffic to Jamaica may be kept out of the way of the Jamaica passenger traffic from the tunnels.

It may be of interest to indicate briefly how much has already been accomplished in the execution of this general plan, and what still remains to be done for its completion.

The larger part of the electrification of the Long Island Railroad and the elimination of grade crossings within the built-up city limits, the Atlantic Avenue improvement, and the yard and piers at Greenville, have been completed. The Sunnyside Yard and the Glendale Cut-Off will be completed during the next twelve months. On the Tunnel and Terminal Railroad the embankment and bridge work across the Hackensack Meadows and all the tunnels and excavation from the west side of Bergen Hill to Long Island City, except a short section near the eastern end of the line, have been completed. The New York station and other buildings and