Eastern Railroad Discussion > New carload freight terminal in Queens?

How many cars get floated to Brooklyn these days?

https://www.fastcompany.com/91324241/this-company-built-an-entire-rail-terminal-in-queens-to-avoid-relying-on-trucks

I was trying to figure where this terminal is --
that aptm bldg in the second pic is distinctive
enough. But so far I haven't found it.

"There isn’t a bridge or tunnel to accommodate a train to Queens, although a long-planned freight tunnel is under construction."



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/25 16:31 by timz.

https://queenspost.com/blissville-rail-terminal-opens-to-facilitate-transport-of-eco-friendly-cement-to-nyc

Ah, okay -- the pic is looking NE at

https://maps.app.goo.gl/yLmWAJvXQGw8dDUw8

Thanks everyone for sharing this great and positive news.

I might be a bit obtuse here, but where are the barge slips located on both ends of the water leg?

Has to be the traditional PRR-to-NH route, doesn't it? Greenville to 65th St Bay Ridge? Why does the carfloat operation still exist? What other shipper uses it?

timz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Has to be the traditional PRR-to-NH route, doesn't
> it? Greenville to 65th St Bay Ridge? Why does the
> carfloat operation still exist? What other shipper
> uses it?

Its used by a lot of shippers in NYC and Long Island who want competitive rate quotes from NS and CSX.  NYAR says about 10-20% of their traffic goes via carfloat.  NYAR does about 95 carloads per day of business.  80 of those come over the Hell Gate bridge and around 15 come via the carfloat.

NS has also been developing a transload presence in 65th Street Yard with NY NJ Rail to compete with CSX in the city.  If you look at the yard, you'll see its been rebuilt to allow this business to grow.  Sims Metals is also still active as a customer at the port and uses the carfloat.

timz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How many cars get floated to Brooklyn these days?
>
> https://www.fastcompany.com/91324241/this-company-
> built-an-entire-rail-terminal-in-queens-to-avoid-r
> elying-on-trucks
>
> I was trying to figure where this terminal is --
> that aptm bldg in the second pic is distinctive
> enough. But so far I haven't found it.

This is exciting.  I laid out conceptual termianls with NYC EDC and NYAR at various sites in 2018 and provided conceptual level marketing and demand studies for who to place in them as tenants.  A cement terminal at Blissville was one of the most obvious suggestions we could offer.  We are hoping that cement will also be shipped to this terminal from Stockertown or Nazareth, PA eventually to replace the Turkish ships at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and get the traffic off the BQE.  The cement compnies started with a terminal in Brookville in Suffolk County to get used to the concept. (Yes, NYC cement is overwhelmingly imported from Turkey despite American cement mills existing or formerly existing a mere 100 miles away in Allentown and Alsen.)  We would also like to see another cement terminal in Jamaica or Morris Park and a rebar unloading yard developed at Blissville.  Huge untapped market for rail in the city.  The major rebar bending and distribution companies are right across Newtown Creek.

abyler Wrote:
-----------------

> NS has also been developing a transload presence
> in 65th Street Yard with NY NJ Rail to compete
> with CSX in the city.

Loaded cars will be floated to Bay Ridge and the contents will go into trucks there? The truckers hate driving from the mainland that much?

timz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> abyler Wrote:
> -----------------
>
> > NS has also been developing a transload
> presence
> > in 65th Street Yard with NY NJ Rail to compete
> > with CSX in the city.
>
> Loaded cars will be floated to Bay Ridge and the
> contents will go into trucks there? The truckers
> hate driving from the mainland that much?

Yes, and the tolls cost a lot of money and the traffic to/from NJ kills a lot of working/driving time.

amazing to me turkish cement is easier

NYC gets cement from upstate NY via barge also.