Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad
| Company type | Railroad |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1842 |
| Fate | Acquired by New York and Harlem Railroad in 1853; abandoned in 2003 |
| Headquarters | Bronx, New York City , United States |
Area served | West and South Bronx, New York City |
| Products | Rail freight and passenger services |
Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad operated within the present-day West and South Bronx areas of New York City. It linked the junction of the West Side Line with the Hudson River Railroad near Spuyten Duyvil Creek, running alongside the Harlem River to reach the northwestern shore of the East River in what is now known as Port Morris.
Waterfront segment
Built in 1842, this railroad was acquired in 1853 by the New York and Harlem Railroad (NY&H) under a strategic initiative led by NY&H Vice President Gouverneur Morris Jr. to establish an industrial waterfront. In 1864, the entire NY&H system, including this line, was absorbed by the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad (NYC). The portion north of Mott Haven Junction was incorporated into NYC’s Hudson Division, whereas the Port Morris Branch remained part of the Harlem Division. By 1871, this line connected the New York and Putnam Railroad with the Hudson River Railroad. Between 1905 and 1906, it underwent reconstruction and electrification.
The creation of the Harlem River Ship Canal necessitated a realignment along Marble Hill’s northern edge. While a section near Marble Hill was retained as a freight spur servicing Kingsbridge Freight Station, most tracks in that vicinity were eventually dismantled. Today, this rerouted stretch forms a segment of Metro-North Railroad’s Hudson Line between Mott Haven Junction and the West Side Line. Since the 1970s, the former Kingsbridge Freight Spur area has been repurposed to house John F. Kennedy High School. The spur serving the New York and Putnam Railroad remained active until 1999.
Port Morris Branch
Originating from a wye located north of Melrose Station, the Port Morris Branch extended southeastward through The Hub, passing beneath St. Mary's Park via a tunnel constructed in 1905. It terminated at Port Morris on the East River after crossing under the Harlem River and Port Chester Branch of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. A connecting wye provided access to both the New Haven Railroad-owned Oak Point Yard and the HR&PC line. This branch included two stations: one at Westchester Avenue between Brook and St Ann's Avenues, and another at Port Morris opposite North Brother Island.
Following World War II, usage of this branch declined due to neighborhood deterioration, inadequate clearance heights, poor drainage conditions, and general underuse. By the 1970s, plans emerged to create a bypass because the tunnel's dimensions no longer accommodated contemporary railcars. The opening of the Oak Point Link in 1998 at the Bronx's southern tip rendered the Port Morris Branch redundant; it ceased operations in 1999 and was officially abandoned by CSX Transportation in 2003 owing to inactivity. The Oak Point Yard remains situated northeast of the port area, while an industrial track near Port Morris station still exists south of Southern Boulevard.
Over time, the remaining rail bed fell into neglect, becoming a site for homeless encampments and illicit activities. It accumulated considerable debris and suffered from flooding caused by poor drainage and its below-sea-level location. In the late 2000s, this area earned the nickname "Mott Haven Swamp" due to persistent stagnant water accumulation; a $350,000 pumping operation was conducted in 2009 to remove water, although much debris persisted. Ownership of this corridor became fragmented among various private parties.
In 2014, proposals surfaced to rehabilitate this right-of-way to establish a connection with an expanded LaGuardia Airport, aiming to improve regional transit options. The homeless encampment was cleared in 2015, followed by plans to integrate this spur with both the Harlem Line and New York Connecting Railroad as part of a proposed circumferential New York City Subway route known as Triboro RX. However, these initiatives encountered obstacles due to private land ownership adjacent to the corridor and new residential developments constructed directly along it near 156th Street.
Station list
This route is located entirely within Bronx County, New York, except for a redirected portion in Marble Hill, Manhattan. The stations between DV interlocking and Mott Haven Junction, as well as those from Melrose to Port Morris, are arranged from north to south; however, the section spanning Mott Haven Junction to Port Morris is organized south to north.
| Station | Opening date | Closing date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connection with Hudson Line and West Side Line | |||
| Template:Nycrrs | c. 1870s | ||
| Divergence of original line; Link with former Kingsbridge Freight Spur | |||
| Template:Nycrrs | c. 1870s | c. 1906 | Not to be confused with the New York and Putnam Railroad station of identical name |
| Crossing beneath Broadway Bridge and IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line | |||
| Template:Nycrrs | c. 1906 | Succeeded the Kingsbridge station | |
| Junction with NYC Putnam Division | |||
| Template:Nycrrs | c. 1870s | Before 1920 | |
| Template:Nycrrs | c. 1870s | ||
| Template:Nycrrs | c. 1870s | ||
| Template:Nycrrs | c. 1870s | June 3, 1975 | Metro-North staff stop serving the Highbridge Facility |
| Template:Nycrrs | 1918 | 1958 | Exclusively served the Putnam Division and IRT Ninth Avenue Line |
| Mott Haven Junction; SD&PM line veers north along the Harlem Line | |||
| Template:Mnrr | c. 1890 | ||
| Melrose Wye; divergence point for Harlem Line | |||
|
Westchester Avenue |
|||
| West Junction with Oak Point Yard | |||
| Underpass beneath Harlem River and Port Chester Railroad (New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad) | |||
| East Junction with Oak Point Yard | |||
| c. 1850s | Previously linked to ferry services for North Brother Island and Rikers Island | ||