Park Avenue Tunnel (railroad)

The Park Avenue Tunnel connects four tracks of the Metro-North Railroad from Grand Central Terminal at 42nd Street to 97th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The tunnel portal rises to a full viaduct by 99th Street.

History

The New York and Harlem Railroad first opened a line on this route to Harlem station at 125th Street in 1837. The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad lowered the tracks into a tunnel from 59th Street to 96th Street in 1872-1876, concurrent with the construction of Grand Central Depot. However, as train traffic to Grand Central increased dramatically to the end of the 19th century, the operation of steam locomotives in the tunnel resulted in both an extremely unpleasant experience for riders and a dangerously low level of visibility for train engineers.

On the morning of January 8, 1902, an express train from White Plains missed a number of signals in the tunnel and plowed into a stopped train waiting to enter Grand Central, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more in the worst railroad accident in New York City history. The resulting public outcry lead to calls for electrification of the line and replacement of the now-overcrowded Grand Central Depot. [ [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/grandcentral/program/pt.html PBS American Experience: Grand Central] ]

Between 1903 and 1913, Grand Central Depot was demolished in phases and replaced with the current Beaux Arts Grand Central Terminal. As part of the project, the train yard and the approach from 59th Street were placed underground and electrified. With the elimination of the noise and pollution from steam locomotives, this once undesirable section of Park Avenue and the land freed by the burial of the railyard became prime New York City real estate.

Abandoned Stations

Along the tunnel are three former stations, located at 59th Street, 72nd Street and 86th Street, each of which had side platforms on the two outer tracks. These are now used for storage and emergency exits.

References