The Queens Chamber of Commerce (QCC) participated in a guided tour of New York and Atlantic Railway’s Fresh Pond Rail Yard in Glendale earlier this month to learn about the environmental, logistical and economic advantages rail freight provides to Queens both commercially and industrially.
New York and Atlantic Railway (NYA) President Marlon Taylor, who led the tour of the rail yard and the locomotive maintenance and repair facilities, provided an operational overview to chamber members, staff and leadership.
Tour participants boarded an efficient diesel locomotive, observed maintenance operations and were briefed on how the railroad manages daily freight operations for commercial and industrial customers. They also learned about the commodities and materials transported by the railroad, which include lumber, aggregate, stone, rice, cooking oil and other commercial and consumer products.
Taylor noted how NYA works closely with the Long Island Rail Road every day to coordinate rail freight movements on shared track across Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island. He said rail freight is an efficient and cost-effective method for moving materials in and out of the region, explaining that each rail car used to move freight removes approximately four tractor trailers from local roads. This reduces stress on the local transportation infrastructure, decreases congestion and improves regional air quality, Taylor continued.
He also described how rail freight supports the local workforce by providing jobs and supporting businesses across Queens.
“It is estimated that for every rail car moved, three to four jobs are supported across the regional supply chain,” Taylor said to participants.
Tom Grech, president and CEO of QCC, said the chamber values the opportunity to learn more about how NYA supports employers, helps reduce truck traffic on local roads and contributes to regional economic development.
“Rail freight plays a vital role in keeping Queens’ economy moving,” Grech said. “The ability to move goods efficiently is essential for a wide range of industries”
NYA — which provides rail freight service to over 80 customers throughout Queens, Brooklyn, and Long Island — began operation in May 1997 under a franchise agreement originally approved by the Long Island Rail Road that year. It is the result of the privatized concession to operate freight trains on the lines owned by the LIRR. The railcars that travel over the NYA remove over 120,000 heavy truck trips from the roads and highways of metro NYC and reduce transportation emissions by 75 percent.
For more information about New York and Atlantic Railway, visit Anacostia.com/Railroads/NYA.
