Regional Rail operations at Penn Station in Manhattan will be greatly improved with the completion of the new rail tunnel under the Hudson River, and the construction of a relatively simple two-track connection from Amtrak's West Side line, into existing platforms and tracks at Penn Station. Penn Station becomes three side-by-side thru stations. The southern part of the station would be the thru route for Regional Rail and Northeast Corridor trains using the new Hudson River tunnel and continuing to Grand Central Terminal and beyond to the Bronx, Westchester and Connecticut. The central part of the station is the existing through route from New Jersey to Long Island City. The northern part of the station is the route of thru trains from the West Side line to Long Island City.

Designing a new Penn Station and a Regional Rail operating plan

With frequent service, integrated fares and thru operation many passengers passing through Manhattan will find it more attractive to use Regional Rail service rather than to stick with crowded highways and river crossings. Penn Station becomes a "hub" with many passengers using thru services or finding it convenient to transfer at Penn Station. Virtually all Regional Rail stations in the three state area will be connected to each other, opening many new travel possibilities. As plans are advanced for an upgraded Penn Station, it is important to consider designs that make it easier to change trains. For example, an expanded concourse immediately above track level would reduce vertical movements needed for transferring.

In addition to the thru services operating at Penn Station, two other rail routes are part of the overall Regional Rail plan - LIRR service to Grand Central and to the Flatbush Terminal in Brooklyn. While LIRR trains using the Upper Level at Grand Central gain some of the capacity benefits of thru operation, all passengers would transfer or walk to their destinations at these terminals.

While a variety of service plans are possible within these channels, a representative plan is described to illustrate the possibilities for Regional Rail. A baseline service pattern that would run all day, evenings and weekends would make Regional Rail service more understandable, particularly to less frequent, discretionary riders. For this "base" service, thru routes would be selected taking into account technology limitations, like the availability and type of electrification and the layout of transfer stations and track connections. Even with frequent service it will not be possible to operate thru service from each branch to each terminal. Cross-platform transfers will be needed in some cases

Even with expanded off-peak service, the Regional Rail system will be called upon to handle large volumes of peak hour passengers heading to the Manhattan business district. Special peak hour trains would be added to handle the overflow and these could be designed to reduce transferring during the peak on some of the busiest routes.

To help understand the base service plan, five color-coded routes are shown on the main map in the next panel. The four routes serving Manhattan are shown in special maps on this panel.

(1) Penn Station thru service

Several key routes in New Jersey and Long Island are not electrified. While in the long term it would be desirable to electrify these routes, initially these services could use "dual mode" diesel-electric locomotives. Frequent, 20 minute interval service on the Boonton, Raritan and Bay Head lines in New Jersey would be coupled with the Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson and Montauk lines on Long Island.

(2) Hoboken-Penn Station-Grand Central thru service

This route becomes the centerpiece of Regional Rail thru service. For this route to function at a high level of capacity, all trains that use the connection must be thru trains. Because of steeper grades in this connection, high-powered electric multiple unit trains would work best. Electrified lines in New Jersey would be thru-routed with electrified lines in Westchester and Connecticut. A baseline frequency of 20 minutes would be planned for each route, with several of the busiest, like the White Plains and Stamford local lines offering a ten minute headway all day long. West of the Hudson, to make the routing via Hoboken more useful, one or more of the Bergen County routes might be electrified.

(3) Penn Station-West Side Line-Hell Gate thru service

A frequent, ten-minute headway "urban" Regional Rail service would operate between Yonkers and New Rochelle using the new two-track West Side connection and the Hell Gate Bridge. Four new stations in Manhattan, two in Queens and four in the East Bronx would be served by this new thru service. Some trains would continue beyond Yonkers or New Rochelle particular during peak periods. Port Washington line trains would also use this route with ten minute midday headways between Great Neck and the new Lincoln Center station on the West Side.

(4) Long Island - Grand Central Service

The Babylon-Grand Central link would offer ten minute headway base service all day long, evenings and weekends. The Ronkonkoma-Grand Central link would operate at twenty minute base headway. At the Jamaica Station, Long Island - Grand Central train services would offer cross-platform connections to Penn Station and Brooklyn services. The unique design of this station, with two island platforms and three tracks in each direction, makes it possible to schedule triple-meets, with the train on the center track serving as a connecting bridge. Direct one-seat ride service between Grand Central and JFK Airport at ten minute intervals would also be provided all day, evenings and weekends.

Brooklyn Service

Thru service at 20 minute base headways between Long Beach and Brooklyn and between Far Rockaway and Brooklyn would combine to form a ten-minute headway Regional Rail service between Valley Stream, Southeast Queens, Jamaica and Brooklyn. Cross-platform transfers would be available at Jamaica for Penn Station and Grand Central services.

Rail Freight Service

Two opportunities for new rail freight service across the Hudson River can be put into place in the near term. Low profile container trains and rail freight cars designed for the limited clearances available through the existing Hudson River and East River tunnels passing through Penn Station could be operated off-peak. The new Hudson River tunnel and its link to Grand Central will divert considerable traffic from the existing route permitting some additional rail freight service through the existing tunnel midday and more extensively late at night. Carload freight that cannot fit in the tunnel can use an enhanced carfloat operation using the newly reconstructed facility in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.