Idiots at MTA are going to tear down Montauk Cutoff as part of ESA

[Union Tpke]

Screen Shot 2017-04-25 at 4.13.08 PM by spicker613, on Flickr

[bobtehpanda]

Why is this stupid? It's unused and beyond disrepair. What purpose could it possibly serve?

[Union Tpke]

It should be preserved, and it eliminates a direct connection. It would make more sense for it to be used as a park than completely demolished.

http://secondavenuesagas.com/2015/12/07/on-the-montauk-cutoff-and-a-lesson-from-the-rockaway-beach-branch-line-mess/

It could be used for light rail via the Lower Montauk, the cut-off and the Queensboro Bridge.

[bobtehpanda]

It could not. Besides the fact that the structure is in utter disrepair, let's consider the fact that the Cut-Off is

 

1. Heading the wrong direction. It loops east towards the Main Line.
2. Several blocks away from any viable transfer opportunities in LIC, which is a problem because
3. The line is elevated, which makes digging a tunnel to go further past the road very difficult.

Not to mention that reactivating the Lower Montauk should be at the absolute bottom of any list of priorities.

[RR503]

They're also not tearing down all of it -- just the part that is in the way of the leads to arch street. 

[R10 2952]

Was content to take a back seat to most discussions in the last few weeks, till someone had to bring up Lower Montauk... Oh boy, where do I even begin....

 

1. I've said it before and I'll say it again- operational flexibility is always a good thing.  The Montauk Cutoff is one of the last remaining direct connections from Long Island to points north of the city (Upstate NY, New England).  Seems pretty useless now, but there's been talk on the Island for years now about revitalizing freight rail service to get more tractor trailers off the Expressway and the county arteries; granted, the focal point for the last 10-12 years have been plans for a "Cross-Harbor Tunnel" from LIRR Bay Ridge Branch, but I believe freight service via Hell Gate has also been talked about.  Incredibly short-sighted on the MTA's part to tear the Cutoff down when increased freight movement to/from LI is foreseeable 15-25 years down the road... especially if the plan to construct a tunnel under the Long Island Sound ever becomes a reality.

 

2. The Lower Montauk should NOT be at the bottom of any list involving rail priorities and regional planning for the future, even when it comes to passengers.  The current "Manhattan-only via Main Line" mentality at the LIRR has to go; the glacial pace of ESA and the various problems that have been occurring at Penn Station in the last few months have shown that the Railroad needs to be prepared to send trains to alternative terminals and lines throughout the City if need be- you can't just dump everybody at Jamaica and expect them to pile onto the already-overburdened .  But no, the MTA continues to pre-emptively shoot itself in the foot.  I grew up on the Lower Montauk Branch; one of the reasons I'm suspicious as to their plans for the Atlantic Branch is that it mirrors their tactics on the Montauk- spend X amount of years disincentivizing people from using the service, then claim it died of natural causes. SMDH.

 

I agree with Union that the Branch and Cutoff could (and should) be better utilized- glad to see I'm not the only person who sees through the MTA's fallacies.

 

_{(now I go back to watching the hilarity unfold in the R179 thread...)}

[RR503]

Calm down. Most of the Montauk Cutoff isn't going anywhere -- it's just 235 feet that they're tearing down to make ESA easier. And trust me. Those so-often-hated folks at real estate are making sure that the ROW won't go away.

 

https://www.stb.gov/FILINGS/all.nsf/d6ef3e0bc7fe3c6085256fe1004f61cb/8b7bd8d6caf34fd585257ebd0067e9a0/$FILE/239186.pdf

 

See page 10 for more. 

[LIRRgardener]

Just a little update to this old thread. The connection to the Sunnyside Railyard was demolished over the last couple years. Now the LIRR also plans to demolish abandoned and out-of-service structures, including the Main Line Cut-Off and Montauk Cut-Off structures, as well as Cabin M Bridge, all in Long Island City.

https://new.mta.info/sites/default/files/2019-09/MTA 2020-2024 Capital Program - Full Report.pdf#page=98

Basically any overhead structure crossing any street or body of water. I have my own opinion about this as a proponent of creating not just open space, but industrial uses along this abandoned track. But I am VERY interested in the opinion of posters on this thread, you all have incredibly informed insights that I highly value and, as a advocate for continued, non-railroad use of this line, am really interested in your criticisms. A little info about the proposal for this land can be found here on page 82-89 of this PDF https://view.publitas.com/riverkeeper/newtown-creek-vision-plan-2018/page/82-83

 

 

 

[bobtehpanda]

Someone has to pay and maintain abandoned or out of service structures, and the MTA is not exactly flush with cash. Have you offered to buy the structure, or is your organization just expecting to get it handed over for free?

As far as the actual plan for green/space parks, I really do not think that parks around a major highway like the Long Island Expressway would be feasible or pleasant.

[R68OnBroadway]

I know the Montauk Cutoff is that loop from the lower Montauk to Sunnyside and that the Cabin M bridge is the bridge it crosses, but what is the main line cutoff?

[Shore El Express]

But didn't they only demolish one of the fly-overs? One of the tracks is still intact