Oak Island Yard-Newark, NJ

Present Operations:

Oak Island Yard is the focal point of Conrail's operation in Northern New Jersey. It is a hump classification yard with a receiving yard, classification yard, forwarding yard, and several tracks for local and industry cars. It is also adjacent to the Doremus Avenue Yard, the largest automobile handling facility in the area.

Humping activities at Oak Island Yard have been restored since the filing of the application and were recently increased from one shift to two shifts each day. Currently, approximately 500 cars are humped each day. Other recent changes include improved handling for northbound traffic which, in the past, had been routed to Allentown, PA for classification. Currently, Oak Island is assembling Allentown, PA and Conway, PA blocks for the west and a Selkirk, NY block for the north.

There are eight receiving tracks, thirty classification tracks, and seven forwarding tracks at Oak Island. Thirteen daily yard crews are based there. Two crews are employed as hump crews and two crews are employed as pull back crews clearing the classification yard and building outbound trains and locals.

Oak Island Yard Job Descriptions:

YPOI-51 06:30 Tuesday through Saturday
New York Cross Harbor and Port Jersey Railroad transfer

YPOI-11 06:30 Daily
Services Newark-Doremus Avenue, NJ auto terminal

YPOI-09 06:45 Monday through Friday
Flat switches the east end of Oak Island Yard

YPOI-12 06:45 Monday through Friday
Services customers at Brills Yard, Bayshore Lead, Newark Farmer's Market, and Naporano

YPOI-10 07:30 Monday through Friday
Services customers on the east end of the Lehigh Line and Newark-Poiner Street Yard

YPOI-14 07:30 Monday through Friday
Services Budweiser and Waverly Yard area adjacent to the Amtrak Northeast Corridor

YPOI-33 14:45 Daily
Flat switches the east end of Oak Island Yard

YPOI-21 15:45 Monday through Saturday
Services Tropicanna and Port Jersey Auto Terminal

YPOI-31 15:45 Daily
Pull Chemical Coast trains from the classification yard and other puller work

YPOI-60 21:00 Sunday through Friday
Transfer job on the Chemical Coast, delivers Bayway, Port Reading, and South Amboy blocks and may carry the road symbol SESA.

YPOI-68 22:30 Monday through Friday
Services Newark-Doremus Avenue, NJ auto terminal

YPOI-69 23:00 Sunday through Thursday
Set out cars from hump end for YPOI-10, YPOI-12, YPOI-14, and Port Newark and other puller work as required

YPOI-65 23:15 Daily
Flat switches the east end of Oak Island Yard

The following outbound road classifications are now made at Oak Island Yard:

Allentown, PA
Camden-Pavonia, NJ
Campbell Hall, NY
Conway, PA
Corning, NY
Frankford Junction, PA
Morrisville, PA
Selkirk, NY
Suffern, NY

In addition, the following classifications are maintained for local points served from Oak Island Yard:

Bayonne, NJ
Bayway, NJ
Elizabethport, NJ
Greenville, NJ
Greenville, NJ-New York Cross Harbor
Greenville, NJ-Port Jersey Railroad
Hillside, NJ
Linden, NJ
Metuchen, NJ
Newark-Brills Yard, NJ
Newark-Doremus Avenue, NJ
North Bergen, NJ
Port Newark, NJ
South Amboy-Browns Yard, NJ
Newark-Waverly Yard, NJ

The remaining nine crewswork in transfer or local service. These nine assignments include two crews performing transfer service. One crew transfers cars to Greenville, NJ and Bayonne, NJ and returns to Oak Island Yard. The second transfer crew moves traffic from Oak Island Yard to Port Reading Yard and returns. Two crews are employed providing service to the Newark-Doremus Avenue, NJ automobile facility. An adjacent small yard, Brills Yard, is accessed by an Oak Island based yard crew and supports service to several area industries.

Oak Island serves as the home base for crews working under a consolidated terminal rule. This rule allows these employees to be used at any outlying point within the consolidated terminal. The consolidated terminal area now includes Oak Island, South Kearny, North Bergen, Croxton, Port Newark, Bayway, Port Reading, and Bayonne. Oak Island crews can also transfer cars to and from Brown's Yard in South Amboy, NJ.

Oak Island is also home base for one of the District Superintendents supervising the area. The District superintendent located at Oak Island is responsible for all points within the proposed Shared Assets Area except those north of Oak Island. Oak Island Yard also has four

Trainmasters. The District Superintendent located at South Kearny is responsible for South Kearny and North Bergen.

Proposed Operations:

Under the proposed operating arrangements, Oak Island will serve as the headquarters for the North Jersey Shared Assets Area Superintendent. This yard will continue to be the main classification yard for traffic moving to and from the NJSAA, especially general merchandise traffic.

The reactivation of the humping facility is consistent with the CSX and Norfolk Southern proposed operating plans. CSAO will make additional blocks at Oak Island for both CSX and Norfolk Southern. New CSX blocks will include Willard, OH, Baltimore, MD, and Waycross, GA. New Norfolk Southern blocks will include Linwood, NC, Roanoke, VA, and Knoxville, TN. In order to accomodate these new blocks and expedite the handling, it will be necessary to add two yard crews to enable the hump facility to operate three shifts per day, instead of the two shifts that are currently operated.
CSX and Norfolk Southern anticipate that Oak Island will handle an increase of 130 cars per day versus current volume, which is within its capacity.
Under the terms of the agreement with CP Rail Systems, CSX and Norfolk Southern will protect CP Rail System's rights to operate into its intermodal facility at Oak Island.

Port Newark, NJ

Present Operation:

Port Newark Yard is an industrial support yard with six tracks. This yard is the reporting location for nine crews serving area industries and intermodal facilities. The primary service area, Port Newark, is comprised of three major facilities: Elizabethport Yard, E-Rail, and ExpressRail, (also known as Dockside and Maher Terminal). ExpressRail is a private facility owned by the Port of New York and New Jersey and operated by Maher Marine Terminal, which also provides for its own internal switching. The intermodal facilities at these locations are also served directly by inbound and outbound intermodal trains operated by Conrail road crews. Portside serves Triple Crown, and is also located in the area.

Cars for customers served from Port Newark Yard are transfered from Oak Island by an Oak Island yard crew. Additionally, one crew reporting for duty at Port Newark Yard is utilized to transfer traffic from Port Newark Yard to Oak Island and returns with cars destined to Port Newark served customers. Elizabethport Yard is used for storage and support of local industries and intermodal facilities. Crews from Port Newark service Elizabethport Yard.

Currently, Conrail trains TV-11 and TV-207 originate at E-Rail. Train TV-207 also picks up cars from Maher Terminal at Dockside. The pick up for train TV-207 is placed along a yard track adjacent to the Chemical Coast by yard crews. Train TV-12 operates directly into E-Rail.

Proposed Operation:

Port Newark Yard will be operated by the CASO, using CSAO yard crews to service area customers. Merchandise traffic to and from Port Newark Yard will be classified at Oak Island Yard for points to and from the CSX and Norfolk Southern networks. In addition, CSX will provide direct service from Selkirk, NY to Port Newark Yard.

E-Rail will become an exclusively Norfolk Southern served facility and will be served by Norfolk Southern road crews either inbound, placing cars for unloading, or outbound, pulling cars for departure. The proposed operating plan includes six Norfolk Southern trains originating, and three trains terminating. Additionally, there is a daily Croxton, NJ to E-Rail turn that will be utilized to reposition equipment between these two major intermodal facilities.

CSX will establish service (Q-162 and Q-163) direct between Dockside and Chicago, IL. Norfolk Southern Dockside traffic will be transferred to and from Croxton with a CSAO crew for movement on expedited Southern Tier trains.

The Portside Triple Crown operation will continue to function as it currently does although CSX will have access to this facility. The operating plan includes operation of two Norfolk Southern Triple Crown trains in and out of this facility. Elizabethport Yard will be assigned to CSX for intermodal expansion. CSAO crews operating out of Port Newark will switch local industries. Norfolk Southern will be granted access to two tracks for storage of intermodal equipment with capacity for approximately 80 rail cars. CSX is developing plans for the expansion of this facility on the developable property that will be operated by CSX. This expansion will accomodate anticipated increases in intermodal traffic.

Port Newark Yard Job Descriptions:

YPPN-02 06:30 Monday through Friday
Services customers at Elizabethport Yard

YPPN-03 07:00 Daily
Pulls and respots ExpressRail (Maher Terminal)

YPPN-01 07:30 Sunday through Friday
Transfer job-delivers westbounds from Port Newark to Oak Island and returns with train from Oak Island

YPPN-20 14:30 Daily
Services customers on the north side of Port Newark and Toyota auto facility, transfers outbound loaded imports to the Garden Yard to connect to train ML-403

YPPN-30 15:30 Monday through Friday
Builds outbound intermodal train TV-207 from ExpressRail (Maher Terminal)

YPPN-37 16:00 Monday through Friday
Services customers on the south side of Port Newark

YPPN-38 16:00 Monday through Friday
Services customers at Elizabethport Yard

YPPN-62 22:30 Monday through Friday
Spots ExpressRail (Maher Terminal), Nissan auto facility

YPPN-61 23:59 Monday through Friday (Temporary)
Handles 35 loaded pig iron cars from south side to Oak Island and returns

Manville Yard, Manville, NJ

Present Operation:

Manville Yard is an industrial support yard located near the Trenton and Lehigh Lines. Three local trains currently provide service to customers in the area. Local service is also provided from Manville, NJ on NJT's Raritan Valley Line. Manville, NJ is supervised by a yardmaster on first shift six days a week. Throughout the maintenance of way work season, Manville, NJ handles the loading of ballast trains on theTrenton Line in nearby Belle Meade, NJ. Inbound and outbound traffic from Manville, NJ is typically handled by a local working out of Allentown, PA six days per week.

Proposed Operation:

Manville Yard will be operated by CSX. CSX will support its Trenton Line local operation from Manville Yard. CSX will pick up northbound traffic at Manville, NJ for Selkirk, NY, and southbound traffic for Rocky Mount, NC. The CSAO will support switching for traffic to customers on the Port Reading Secondary and on the Lehigh Line east of Port Reading Junction from Manville Yard.

Norfolk Southern will pick up Lehigh Line local industry traffic for points west of Port Reading Junction as well as traffic for the NJT Raritan Valley Line west of Bound Brook, NJ. This yard will be supervised by a yardmaster and switching service will be provided by three local crews. CSX will make sufficient track space available to Norfolk Southern and the CSAO for their local operation.

Local Assignments at Manville, NJ:

WPMA-10 07:00 Monday through Friday
Services Lehigh Line customers east of Manville, NJ

WPMA-12 13:00 Monday through Friday
Services Port Reading Secondary customers

WPMA-20 20:00 Monday through Friday
Services NJT Raritan Valley Line customers

Projected Operation on NJT North Jersey Coast Line

Some train operations will be conducted over a short segment of the New Jersey Transit North Jersey Coast Line, linking Perth Amboy, NJ and South Amboy, NJ. The NJSAA operator and potentially some CSX and/or Norfolk Southern road trains to and from the Browns Yard area will use this link for two miles, pricipally to cross the NJT North Jersey Coast Line and access the Brown's Yard area.

NJT will dispatch this link under traffic control rules. Operation will be governed by NORAC rules. This link is double-track traffic control and dispatched by an NJT dispatcher located at Hoboken, NJ.

Note:

1-CSX road trains SESA/SASE operate daily

2-Norfolk Southern RoadRailer train TCPSAT will operate via the Chemical Coast Secondary, NJT North Jersey Coast Line, and Amboy Secondary to reach the Amtrak Northeast Corridor at Midway.

3-CSAO train YPPR-20 operates Monday through Friday

4-CSAO train WPSA-31 operates Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday

5-CSAO train WPSA-35 operates Sunday through Thursday

Browns Yard, South Amboy, NJ

Present Operation:

Browns Yard in South Amboy, NJ is located on the Amboy Secondary. This facility is accessed by crossing over a two mile portion of the New Jersey Transit North Jersey Coast Line between CP-Wood (connection to Conrail's Chemical Coast Secondary) and Essay (connection to Conrail's Amboy Secondary). The yard at this location is a twelve track industrial support yard. Switching service to local customers and yard support are provided by three yard crews and three local crews. Most customers are located in the vicinity of the yard. Two of the local crews are engaged in providing twice weekly service on the NJT-Southern Secondary to Toms River, NJ, 50 miles south along the New Jersey shore. Traffic destined to area customers comes to South Amboy, NJ on through freight or yard transfer runs. Outbound traffic from the area connects to through freight trains via Port Reading, NJ or transfer runs back to Oak Island, NJ.

Proposed Operation:

This facility will continue to operate in a manner very similiar to the current arrangement. This facility will be operated entirely by CSAO crews. At this point Norfolk Southern does not anticipate operating trains directly to or from this location. CSX will continue to operate direct service to South Amboy, NJ from Selkirk, NY (train SESA). In addition, CSX will establish new through freight service (train SASE) from South Amboy, NJ to Selkirk, NY.

Yard and Local Assignments:

YPSA-02 07:00 Monday through Friday
Make-up train CCPI and switches East Brunswick, NJ customers

YPSA-03 08:00 Sunday through Thursday
Switches yard, classify inbounds, make-up requirements for industrial crews/local crews; YPSA-22, WPSA-31, WPSA-33, and WPSA-35

WPSA-31 08:00 Tuesday and Friday
Relieves train WPSA-35 at Toms River, NJ and works back north to Browns Yard

WPSA-31 10:00 Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Switches Heightstown Branch on Monday and Thursday
Switches Freehold Branch on Wednesday

YPSA-22 16:00 Monday through Friday
Switches New Jersey Steel and other local customers

WPSA-33 17:00 Monday through Friday
Switches Dayton, NJ area customers

WPSA-35 23:00 Sunday through Thursday
Switches NJT North Jersey Coast Line customers on Sunday and Wednesday
Services Southern Secondary customers south to Toms River, NJ on Monday and Thursday before being relieved by the WPSA-31 crew. Switches the Hightstown Branch on Tuesday

Metuchen Yard, Metuchen, NJ

Present Operation:

Metuchen Yard is a 20 track facility located along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and primarily serves a Ford automotive assembly plant in addition to other industrial customers in the area. There are currently eight yard crews and two local crews working out of Metuchen, NJ. Three of the yard crews work the Ford Assembly Plant while the five remaining yard crews provide industrial switching for the area. The two local crews working from Metuchen, NJ typically provide transfer service between Oak Island, NJ and both Linden, NJ and Metuchen, NJ.

Proposed Operation:

Metuchen Yard will be operated by the CSAO and there are no significant changes currently expected for the location. Norfolk Southern will operate one train directly into and out of Metuchen, NJ. CSX will operate train TOMT from Toledo, OH to Metuchen, NJ via Selkirk, NY.

Yard and Local Assignments at Metuchen, NJ:

YPME-05 06:30 Monday through Saturday
Services Ford Asssembly Plant

YPME-04 08:00 Monday through Friday
Services local industries

YPME-02 08:00 Monday through Friday
Services local industries

WPME-10 09:00 Tuesday through Saturday
Transfer assignment, takes Allentown, PA and Selkirk, NY blocks to Oak Island, NJ, returns with Metuchen, NJ traffic

YPME-34 14:30 Monday through Friday
Services local customers along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor

YPME-36 14:30 Monday through Friday
Finish making up trains LMPI and ML-403 then relieves the crew on train YPME-02

YPME-37 15:30 Sunday through Thursday
Services local industries

WPME-70 19:00 Sunday through Friday
Operates train ML-403 to Oak Island, NJ and turns back with empty bi-levels for Metuchen, NJ.

YPME-61 22:30 Monday through Friday
Starts making up train LMPI, assembles trains YPME-2, YPME-4, and WPME-10

YPME-62 23:30 Sunday through Thursday
Services Ford Assembly Plant

Croxton Yard, Secaucus, NJ

Present Operation:

Croxton Yard in Secaucus, NJ is a six track intermodal facility diverging from the Northern Branch between South Kearny, NJ and North Bergen, NJ and generally paralleling NJT's Bergen County Line. Three tracks are used for loading and unloading and the other three tracks are used for the storage of empty equipment. The intermodal tracks at Croxton Yard have a capacity of up to 45 five-well double stack cars. No intermodal trains currently originate at Croxton Yard.

Croxton Yard also includes a bulk transfer facility consisting of four tank tracks with a capacity of 60 tank cars as well as three ramp tracks with a capacity of 25 covered hoppers.

There are two yard assignments at Croxton Yard. These jobs typically do the switching for intermodal trains that pick-up or set-off blocks at the facility. Four assignments (one yard assignment and three locals) at North Bergen, NJ work to protect local traffic on New Jersey Transit.

NJT traffic windows typically run between 5 AM and 9 AM in the morning and between 4 PM and 6 PM in the afternoon.

Croxton Yard is supervised by one trainmaster working on the first shift. The yardmaster at North Bergen, NJ typically maintains the yard inventory.

Proposed Operation:

Croxton Yard will be assigned to Norfolk Southern, which will establish supervision at this facility, but the facility is not part of the NJSAA. It is described here because of its importance to the NJSAA. Norfolk Southern will run up to six through trains in and out of this facility. The three local assignments and one yard transfer assignment currently originating at North Bergen, NJ will be transferred to Croxton Yard and will become Norfolk Southern assignments.

Current Yard Assignments:

YPCX-10 07:30 Monday through Friday
Switches Croxton Yard

YPCX-20 15:30 Monday through Friday
Switches Croxton Yard

Bayonne Yard, Bayonne, NJ:

Present Operation:

Bayonne Yard is a 20 track industrial yard serving petrochemical, plastic, and other general merchandise customers. Bayonne also serves as an interchange point with the East Jersey Railroad.

There are three yard jobs based at Bayonne, NJ. One job typically handles the interchange traffic to the East Jersey Railroad and transfers outbound traffic to Oak Island Yard. The remaining two yard jobs provide switching to area customers.

There is one yardmaster assigned at Bayonne Yard on the first shift.

Supervisors at Oak Island Yard provide additional supervision.

Proposed Operation:

Bayonne Yard will be operated by the CSAO and no changes are planned for this facility at the present time.

Bayonne, NJ Yard Assignments:

YPBA-02 06:30 Monday through Friday
Transfer assignment, delivers East Jersey Railroad traffic and handles outbound empties to Oak Island Yard and returns with inbound loads

YPBA-03 07:30 Monday through Friday
Switches customers in the Constable Hook section of Bayonne, NJ

YPBA-11 14:30 Monday through Friday
Switches customers in Bayonne, NJ

South Kearny Yard, South Kearny, NJ

Present Operation:

Kearny Yard is currently the major intermodal facility in Northern New Jersey. Kearny Yard consists of fourteen tracks (six intermodal and eight support) to handle both intermodal and industrial traffic. The six intermodal tracks are designated "A" through "F" and have a total capacity for 213 conventional faltcars.

Kearny currently originates eight intermodal trains each day. There are five yard assignments handling the intermodal and industrial business at Kearny. The industrial customers served from Kearny are located primarily on New Jersey Transit.

American President Lines (APL) also operates a three track intermodal facility from property adjacent to Kearny Yard. APL's three tracks have a capacity for 37 five-well cars and crews at Kearny Yard handle any needed switching.

Proposed Operation:

The non-APL portion of Kearny Yard will be assigned to CSX. CSX will use four yard assignments to handle the intermodal business. In light of CSX's expansion of the facility at Little Ferry, NJ, CSX will reduce traffic moving through Kearny Yard. CSX will provide new service to and from Atlanta, GA via trains Q-195 and Q-196. CSX will provide service for the APL Kearny facility via planned intermodal trains operating to and from the CSX Kearny terminal. Kearny Yard will be used as a major hub for CSX Pacific international traffic destined to Northeast points.

Three CSAO crews will be assigned to handle the APL and industrial switching from Kearny Yard. CSX and Norfolk Southern will each be able to operate trains into the APL portion of the facility. To the extent that APL requires switching, such switching will be performed by CSAO crews.

Kearny Yard Assignments:

YPSK-05 07:00 Friday through Tuesday

YPSK-03 08:00 Monday through Friday

YPSK-31 15:00 Sunday through Thursday

YPSK-32 16:00 Monday through Friday

YPSK-67 23:30 Monday through Friday

Note: All South Kearny yard crews work as directed

North Bergen Yard, North Bergen, NJ and Ridgefield Heights Yard, Ridgefield Heights, NJ

Present Operation:

North Bergen Yard is a ten track facility in North Bergen, NJ. There are four intermodal tracks at this location with a capacity for 170 conventional flatcars. Normal traffic includes two daily trains to and from Chicago, IL and one daily train to and from Atlanta, GA.

There are six tracks at North Bergen, NJ used for support of local traffic and additional storage of intermodal equipment. Four yard assignments and four local assignments are currently based at North Bergen Yard.

Ridgefield Heights Yard is a six-track automotive transloading facility with capacity for 60 multi-level rail cars. A yard assignment from North Bergen Yard handles the switching for this facility. Supervision is provided by North Bergen, which includes one trainmaster and yardmasters working around the clock. There are also 16 Conrail employees who load and unload vehicles to and from multi-level cars at the facility.

Proposed Operation:

North Bergen Yard will be assigned to CSX and operated as an intermodal yard, but is not part of NJSAA. It is described here because of its importance to the NJSAA. CSX will arrive and depart four intermodal trains five days per week. Additionally, CSX will schedule two merchandise trains to set-off and pick-up traffic at the yard. CSX local operations for the Northern Industrial Track and the south end of the River Line will be operated out of North Bergen, NJ.

There will be no change in supervision. Three local switching assignments and one yard assignment currently supporting customer switching around Croxton Yard will be transferred to Croxton Yard for service on New Jersey Transit's Pascack Valley Line, Bergen County Line, Boonton Line, and Morristown Line and on the Southern Tier main line.

Ridgefield Heights will be operated by the CSAO and will provide switching for CSX and Norfolk Southern. A CSAO yard assignment currently reporting at North Bergen, NJ for work at Ridgefield Heights, NJ will be transferred to report directly at Ridgefield Heights, NJ. Supervision for Ridgefield Heights will be provided by CSAO trainmasters. Norfolk Southern will operate one daily train into Ridgefield Heights, NJ from Bellevue, OH via the Southern Tier Line. CSX will operate a pair of multi-level trains daily between Sterling, MI and Ridgefield Heights, NJ. Train Q-290 will arrive and set-off traffic, while train Q-271 will pick-up traffic at Ridgefield Heights, NJ.

Yard and Local Assignments at North Bergen, NJ:

Note: No specific assignment descriptions given

YPNB-01 07:00 Tuesday through Saturday

WPNB-31 07:30 Monday through Friday

WPNB-39 07:30 Monday through Friday

YPNB-03 08:00 Monday through Friday

WPNB-41 08:00 Tuesday through Saturday

WPNB-51 10:30 Monday through Friday

YPNB-21 14:30 Sunday through Thursday

YPNB-61 23:00 Sunday through Thursday