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Uptown Hudson Tubes

From Alfawiki
Hudson & Manhattan Railroad
IndustryTransportation
Founded1873
FounderDewitt Clinton Haskin
Defunct1962
FateTaken over by Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, incorporated into PATH system
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
ProductsPassenger rail service (PATH trains)

Uptown Hudson Tubes

The Uptown Hudson Tubes consist of two parallel tunnels that facilitate the movement of PATH trains between Manhattan, New York City, and Jersey City, New Jersey. Starting from a junction of two PATH routes on the New Jersey side, these tubes traverse beneath the Hudson River and primarily follow a path underneath Christopher Street and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. Along their course, they stop at four intermediate stations before reaching their final destination at the 33rd Street station. Their designation stems from their position north of the Downtown Hudson Tubes, which link Jersey City with the World Trade Center.

Construction initially commenced in 1873 under the direction of Dewitt Clinton Haskin but encountered delays due to legal challenges and a fatal accident in 1880. Financial difficulties led to a halt in 1883. Work was resumed by a British company in 1888 but stopped again by 1892 when the tunnels were approximately halfway finished. In 1901, a firm led by William Gibbs McAdoo took over and completed the tunnels by 1907. Passenger operations started in 1908 under the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad (H&M), with full completion achieved by 1910.

Following their opening, H&M proposed extensions northward to Grand Central Terminal and a cross-town branch beneath Ninth Street; however, these plans never materialized. During the 1930s, sections beneath Sixth Avenue were reconstructed during the building of the Independent Subway System's Sixth Avenue Line. Originally, seven stations existed along this route; two stations at 19th and 28th Streets were subsequently closed, and the 33rd Street terminal was also rebuilt. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey took ownership of H&M and its tunnels in 1962, incorporating them into today's PATH system. Presently, services through these tubes include weekday routes such as Hoboken–33rd Street and Journal Square–33rd Street, while weekend, overnight, and holiday operations run via Journal Square–33rd Street (via Hoboken).

Route

The Uptown Hudson Tubes extend in an east-west direction beneath the Hudson River, linking Manhattan with Jersey City.

Within Manhattan, the tunnels initially proceed eastward under Morton Street. Upon reaching Greenwich Street, they curve sharply northward for approximately two blocks before turning east again beneath Christopher Street. This alignment was chosen to prevent damage to basements during construction.

These tubes do not reach into Upper Manhattan; their name reflects their location north of the Downtown Hudson Tubes, which connect Jersey City to the World Trade Center. At the time of construction, what is now known as Midtown Manhattan was considered "uptown," while northern Manhattan remained less developed. The term "Uptown Hudson Tubes" also refers to the subway segment running under Christopher Street and Sixth Avenue.

The first PATH station encountered in New York is at Christopher Street, with service continuing northward to the terminal at 33rd Street, stopping along the way at , 14th Street, and 23rd Street. Previously, stations at 19th and 28th Streets operated but have since been closed. Platforms within Manhattan are straight and approximately long enough to accommodate eight-car trains. Stations located beneath Sixth Avenue feature round columns adorned with scroll designs and display station names near ceiling height; steel rings are visible at Christopher and Ninth Streets.

On the Jersey City side, tunnels emerge near 15th Street into a flying junction that allows trains to veer north toward Hoboken Terminal or south toward Erie Terminal (currently known as the Newport station). This junction also permits direct travel between Hoboken and Newport terminals. Each end of this junction lies within one of three double-deck concrete caissons. The Uptown Hudson Tubes enter caisson 1 on its eastern end, carrying trains bound for Hoboken or Newport on its upper deck while trains arriving from those terminals use the lower deck. Caisson 2 handles traffic related to Hoboken, while caisson 3 serves Newport-bound trains.

Dimensions

The Uptown Hudson Tubes extend roughly to between their shafts. These tunnels reach depths of up to beneath the average river level. Each rail line is housed within a separate tunnel, where the movement of trains creates a piston effect that enhances airflow by pushing air toward ventilation shafts. On the Jersey City side, a construction shaft at 15th Street () was repurposed into a ventilation shaft after construction concluded. Additional ventilation points exist in Manhattan at Morton Street; the intersection of Christopher and Greenwich streets; and Ninth Street near Sixth Avenue.

The southern tube has a diameter of , while the northern tube is marginally larger at , reflecting its earlier construction. The tunnel structure comprises concentric steel rings wide, reinforced with concrete bench walls high that incorporate wiring conduits.

At the junction of Sixth Avenue and Christopher Street, the tunnels open into an arched cavern wide before curving northward beneath Sixth Avenue. This chamber was intended for a proposed but never realized spur beneath Ninth Street. Shield tunneling methods were employed solely between Jersey City and 12th Street in Manhattan; beyond 12th Street, the circular tubes transition into two rectangular tunnels measuring high by wide, each accommodating a single track.

Originally, plans for the 33rd Street station included four tracks—two designated for terminating trains and two for a northern extension that was never constructed. Ultimately, the station was built with three tracks instead.

Service

PATH runs two weekday routes through the Uptown Tubes: Hoboken–33rd Street and Journal Square–33rd Street. During late-night hours, weekends, and holidays, these services are combined into the Journal Square–33rd Street (via Hoboken) route.

Haskin attempt

Concepts for a permanent Hudson River crossing date back to the 1850s, but progress began in 1873 when engineer Dewitt Clinton Haskin established the Hudson Tunnel Company to construct an underwater tunnel. Incorporated in both New York and New Jersey with $7 million in capital stock, the endeavor aimed to link 15th Street in Jersey City with Morton Street in Manhattan over a span of 5,400 ft. At that time, tunneling was viewed as more economical than building a bridge. Trenor W. Park was named president of the company, while Haskin sought $10 million in financing.

Construction commenced in November 1874 from Jersey City on what became known as the Morton Street Tunnel, designed as a single tube measuring 26 ft wide by 24 ft high and extending 12,000 ft. It was intended to serve five New Jersey railroads operating special low-steam locomotives terminating at Washington Square Park in Manhattan. However, work stopped after one month due to a court injunction filed by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, which controlled the portal land. This injunction delayed progress until it was lifted in 1879 when plans were modified to include two tunnels each measuring 16 ft wide by 18 ft high.

The method employed relied on compressed air to counteract water pressure within river silt rather than using tunneling shields. Haskin believed that compressed air would preserve tunnel stability until a brick lining of 2 ft 6 in thickness could be installed. Tragically, on July 21, 1880, an overpressure blowout caused an accident resulting in an air lock malfunction that trapped workers and led to twenty fatalities. Recovery efforts took six months, and a memorial was subsequently established in Jersey City.

In March 1881, construction was taken over by the Hudson River Tunnel Company, which drove a shaft on Morton Street and extended the tunnel from Jersey City. Work halted on November 5, 1882, due to liabilities stemming from the accident and financial difficulties; water inundated the incomplete tunnel. Although construction briefly restarted in March 1883, it ceased again by July because of funding shortages. Up to that point, roughly 1,500 ft of the northern tunnel and 600 ft of the southern tunnel had been completed.

British effort

In 1888, a British firm, whose name remains unrecorded, aimed to finish the Morton Street Tunnel project by engaging engineer James Henry Greathead alongside contractor S. Pearson & Son, the latter eventually assuming full responsibility for construction.[1] To finance the endeavor, the company issued bonds in England in 1889. Following a blowout incident in 1890, they adopted shield tunneling techniques, utilizing Greathead’s pneumatic "Greathead Shield" to extend the tunnel by .[1] Because of rock formations beneath the clay riverbed, the tunnel alignment was set just above this layer with very limited clearance. To preserve air pressure within the tunnel, S. Pearson & Son placed a silt layer at least thick above the tube, which was later removed once construction was completed.[2][1]

By 1891, S. Pearson & Son had depleted their financial resources and were unable to complete the tubes.[3] Work halted entirely in 1892 after an additional excavation of .[4][5][6] At that point, the northern tube extended from New Jersey and from New York, leaving a remaining gap. The southern tube reached from New Jersey and from New York.[2] The firm faced foreclosure in 1898, with bondholders taking control.[6]

McAdoo initiative

In 1901, lawyer and future political figure William Gibbs McAdoo discovered the incomplete Morton Street Tunnel through investor John Randolph Dos Passos.[4][1] McAdoo joined forces with engineer Charles M. Jacobs, who had expertise in underwater tunneling, and consulting engineer J. Vipond Davies; both believed the existing structure could be salvaged.[4][1] The following year, McAdoo established the New York and Jersey Tunnel Company and raised $8.5 million in capital stock to finalize the project.[6]

Unlike the upstream North River Tunnels, which were designed for intercity and commuter rail services opening in 1910,[7] the Morton Street Tunnel was intended for trolleys or rapid transit vehicles with smaller trains, allowing for a smaller diameter and reduced cost.[6][8] Initial efforts concentrated on completing only the northern tube to accommodate a narrow-gauge railway with two small cars,[1][5] but McAdoo expanded these plans due to ferry congestion at Cortlandt Street Ferry Depot, aiming to create a transit network connecting New Jersey and New York City. This project became known as the Uptown Hudson Tubes, serving as a complement to proposed downtown tunnels linking Jersey City with Lower Manhattan.[1][5][6] The downtown tunnels were initially proposed by Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Corporation (H&M) in 1903; McAdoo's company also expressed interest in those plans.[9]

Under chief engineer Charles M. Jacobs’s direction, completion utilized tubular cast iron segments and a mechanically jacked tunneling shield pushed through river silt. The shield’s bulkhead faced previously excavated tunnel sections and incorporated a pressurized air lock maintained at to prevent blowouts.[6][8][10][1] Excavated material was removed using battery-powered electric locomotives operating on a temporary narrow-gauge track; kerosene torches were applied to dry silt for easier extraction. Cast iron lining was installed immediately behind the shield to seal and regulate air pressure.[1][8] McAdoo highlighted this as an innovative approach employing machinery for silt removal instead of manual labor.[4]

Thanks to prior progress, by 1903 the northern tube was nearly finished with only a small gap remaining,[8] so tubular cast iron installation and shield tunneling primarily focused on completing the southern tube from the New Jersey side.[1][8] Difficulties encountered included boring through a hard reef near Manhattan located just above tunnel grade,[4][11] which led to an explosion resulting in one fatality.[4] The northern tube sections were joined on March 11, 1904, marked by a celebratory walk-through by a group spanning its entire length.[1][6][12]

Completion and franchise

By the end of 1904, the New York and Jersey Railroad Company had obtained a 25-year exclusive franchise from the New York City Board of Rapid Transit Commissioners to construct a subway line through Midtown Manhattan, linking with the Uptown Hudson Tubes. This route was planned to extend eastward beneath Christopher Street, then curve northeast under Sixth Avenue, terminating at 33rd Street, with provisions for a potential future extension northward toward Central Park. Although initially denied due to concerns about the significance of Sixth Avenue, the project gained approval following intervention by property owners.

McAdoo's organization was also granted indefinite rights to build an east–west crosstown tunnel beneath Christopher and Ninth Streets, stretching east to either Second Avenue or Astor Place without any intermediate stations. However, only approximately 250 feet of this tunnel was ever excavated; this unfinished crosstown passage still exists today. In January 1905, the Hudson Companies were established with $21 million in capital aimed at completing the Uptown Hudson Tubes and constructing the Sixth Avenue subway line.

The Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Company (H&M) was incorporated in December 1906 to manage passenger operations between New York and New Jersey via both Uptown and Downtown Hudson Tubes. By that time, work on the Downtown Hudson Tubes—located roughly 1.25 miles to the south—was underway; these tubes opened in July 1909. Excavation for the Uptown Hudson Tubes concluded in 1907 after decades of sporadic progress, marking the first fixed crossing connecting Manhattan and New Jersey without reliance on water transport.

The final stages of construction involved replacing brick tunnel linings with concrete, laying tracks and installing electric third rails, as well as completing stations within Manhattan—a process that continued into 1908. Passenger-free test runs commenced in late 1907; initial rolling stock trials were conducted on the IRT Second Avenue Elevated line before transferring trains to the Uptown Hudson Tubes for further testing.

Service begins

On February 15, 1908, a trial journey carrying officials, dignitaries, and members of the press took place. The inaugural "official" passenger service, restricted to officials and dignitaries, departed from 19th Street on February 25, 1908, reaching Hoboken Terminal within ten minutes. The tubes then opened for public use at midnight the following day, concluding more than thirty years of development. At that point, stations at 23rd Street, 28th Street, and 33rd Street were still under construction, with intentions to extend northeast toward Grand Central Terminal at Park Avenue and 42nd Street.

After opening, numerous businesses relocated along Sixth Avenue near the Uptown Hudson Tubes corridor, while many commuters moved to New Jersey to take advantage of the brief ten-minute commute into Manhattan. New commercial buildings were also erected around Hoboken Terminal. The 23rd Street station began operations on June 15, 1908; initially, trains ran through the eastern tube between 19th and 23rd Streets. The western tube and extension reaching 33rd Street commenced service on November 10, 1910. H&M executives celebrated this achievement with a luncheon held at the Hotel Martinique in Herald Square.

Service through the downtown tubes connecting Hudson Terminal in Lower Manhattan with Exchange Place in Jersey City started on July 19, 1909. By then, competition had emerged from the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), which proposed linking its Lexington Avenue line with H&M stations at Fulton Street, Astor Place, and Grand Central–42nd Street. Additionally, H&M’s Sixth Avenue segment competed with IRT's Sixth Avenue elevated, which ran north beyond 33rd Street and south past 9th Street.

Initially, passengers traveling on the uptown branch paid a flat fare of five cents. In 1911, fares increased to seven cents for journeys between New Jersey and the uptown branch; however, trips solely within the uptown branch or to Hudson Terminal remained priced at five cents. A further fare adjustment occurred in 1920: ten cents for travel between New Jersey and the uptown branch and six cents for rides terminating at Hudson Terminal.

Planned Grand Central extension

The initial design for the Uptown Hudson Tubes featured a terminal situated at 33rd Street beneath the Gimbels department store (currently the Manhattan Mall). During construction, the location was shifted to directly underneath Sixth Avenue to facilitate a potential northward expansion.[6] This extension, first suggested by McAdoo around 1910, intended to extend the tubes along Sixth Avenue up to 42nd Street, then curve eastward beneath the IRT's 42nd Street Line to conclude at Park Avenue. This would provide direct connectivity to the then-under-construction Grand Central Terminal.<ref> Planned stops included intersections at 39th Street/Sixth Avenue and 42nd Street/Fifth Avenue.[13]

Nonetheless, complications arose with the Grand Central extension. The H&M platforms were designed to be positioned below the 42nd Street Line but above the IRT's Steinway Tunnel, which carries the Flushing Line toward Queens. An unauthorized ventilation shaft constructed by the IRT between these tunnels necessitated placing the H&M station at a shallow depth, creating challenges for passenger ingress and egress.<ref> The city's Utilities Board proposed an alternative plan to link the Uptown Hudson Tubes directly with the Steinway Tunnel.<ref>

A franchise for this extension was granted in June 1909, with construction anticipated to commence within six months and service starting by January 1911.<ref> However, by February 1910, funding was secured solely for the 33rd Street terminal and did not cover the extension.<ref> Construction had yet to begin by 1914; H&M requested postponements as plans for a Ninth Street crosstown spur appeared unlikely, resulting in denial of authorization for that tunnel.<ref> By 1920, H&M had filed seventeen separate requests to delay the extension, all citing unsuitable timing.<ref> The Rapid Transit Commissioners rejected further postponements on the seventeenth request, effectively terminating H&M’s rights to proceed with building the Grand Central extension.[1]

Sixth Avenue reconfiguration

In 1924, the city-operated Independent Subway System (IND) introduced plans for the Sixth Avenue Line, which would run parallel to the Uptown Hudson Tubes between Ninth and 33rd Streets. Initially, city officials intended to acquire control of the Uptown Hudson Tubes beneath Sixth Avenue for IND use and construct new tunnels underneath them for H&M operations. The IND favored this acquisition because of the complex positioning of the 33rd Street terminal above and below existing railroad tunnels. However, H&M resisted these plans, leading to negotiations that extended until 1929.

By 1930, a compromise was reached: IND would construct local tracks circumventing the H&M tubes and add express tracks underneath in a future phase. The city still planned to convert existing H&M tracks into IND express tracks eventually and build a lower level dedicated to H&M service. This arrangement required reconstructing H&M’s stations at 14th and 23rd Streets to align with IND platforms at comparable depths; however, the 19th Street station remained unchanged.

On December 26, 1937, the 33rd Street terminal was closed and service truncated back to 28th Street to facilitate subway construction. A temporary entrance at 29th Street was added near 28th Street. The terminal reopened on September 24, 1939, relocated southward to 32nd Street. The city funded $800,000 for this project and reimbursed H&M $300,000 for lost revenue. Meanwhile, the adjacent 28th Street station was closed and demolished to provide space for IND track installation.

The IND Sixth Avenue Line commenced operations in December 1940, replacing the former Sixth Avenue elevated line that had ceased service in December 1938 and was subsequently dismantled.

Later years

The 19th Street station ceased operations in 1954 after the lease for the building containing its sole westbound access was terminated. The H&M determined that building a new entrance was prohibitively expensive, especially given the proximity of the 14th Street station. In 1962, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey assumed control of H&M services and rebranded the network as PATH.

During the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection and DeKalb Avenue Junction in 1961, the city installed express tracks for the IND Sixth Avenue Line beneath Sixth Avenue. These new tracks were positioned approximately below ground level, directly underneath the Uptown Hudson Tubes, with only a small clearance separating their ceilings from the tubes. In 1962, service through the Uptown Hudson Tubes was halted for five days after construction teams drilled perilously close—merely beneath—the tubes. The express tracks officially opened in 1967.

In 1986, refurbishment work resulted in a three-month closure of the New Jersey-bound platform at 14th Street, along with both platforms at Christopher Street. More recently, from July to October 2018, installation of positive train control caused primarily weekend service interruptions through the Uptown Hudson Tubes.

Awards

In 1978, the American Society of Civil Engineers honored the Uptown and Downtown Hudson Tubes as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. The coal-powered Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse, constructed between 1906 and 1908 to supply electricity for the Hudson tube trains, stopped operating in 1929 and was subsequently listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 23, 2001.

See also

Further reading

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named cudahy
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nyt18930318
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named jacobs
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named era196406
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named es19050624
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ERA1959
  7. ↑ ...
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nyt19030426
  9. ↑ ...
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named asce
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named p895748520
  12. ↑ ...
  13. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Tribeca Trib 2018
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