By Howard Koplowitz
A $2 million federal grant awarded to the city will help outfit two freight trains that pass through the Fresh Pond Terminal in Glendale with cleaner technology.
The grant comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Diesel Funding Assistance program and the two trains are expected to be operational by 2013, the city said.
Civics United for Railroad Environmental Solutions, a group formed over conditions at the Fresh Pond Terminal, said the grant will improve the quality of life for residents who live near the terminal.
“These two new locomotives are a great start,” said Mary Parisen, co-chairwoman of CURES. “We appreciate the upgrading of [the city Sanitation Department’s] piece of the core freight rail system.”
The city said the two trains will remain in the city’s freight rail network and that CSX Transportation, New York & Atlantic Railway and Waste Management of New York will partner to upgrade the locomotives.
Parisen said the partnership has “demonstrated a successful model for pooling resources to upgrade locomotive technology.”
Deputy Mayor for Operations Cas Holloway said the state-of-the-art green locomotives are “in line with several of the Bloomberg administration’s key priorities: making our solid waste management plan more sustainable, investing in infrastructure and using innovative technology.
“Thanks to the grant from the EPA, these locomotives will help us make New York City greener and greater,” Holloway said.
Borough President Helen Marshall said the $2 million grant “is good news for Queens.
“Not only is this move consistent with the city’s solid waste transfer program, which removes trucks from our roads and highways, but it also ensures that the emissions from railroad engines will be reduced,” Marshall said. “However, even as these changes improve our rail system and help protect our environment, they must be implemented in such a way as to minimize the impact on the quality of life of those who live near active railroad tracks and railyards.”
City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) said the quality of life around Fresh Pond Terminal has been a major issue.
“As train use increases throughout the city, I have received many concerns from constituents living around the rail corridor,” she said. “This grant will help bring these train engines into the 21st century and help create a rail infrastructure that will be quieter, safer for residents and protect the environment.”
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
