If a freight train wants to cross the Hudson River from Jersey City into Brooklyn, it has only two options: (1) cross a bridge 140 miles north in Albany or (2) ride a rail barge across the river. After years of inactivity, the barge operation was bought by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 2008 and the Port Authority is making investments to add capacity and optimize the barge’s operations. The $17.8 million project received $10.7 million from the inaugural class of FASTLANE grants in 2016. The project will include enlarging the dock on the Brooklyn side and adding a second track on the New Jersey side. A purchase of two larger barges is planned with the goal of moving 24,000 railcars a year.
A Floating Train Modernizes
