Montauk Cutoff

Montauk Cutoff
Montauk Cutoff overpass between Skillman Avenue and Sunnyside Yard
Overview
StatusAbandoned
OwnerMetropolitan Transportation Authority
Termini
Stations0
Technical
Number of tracks2–3
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Montauk Cutoff is an abandoned railway in Long Island City, Queens, New York City, that connected the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line and Lower Montauk Branch.

Helicopter view of Long Island City. The overgrown Montauk Cutoff is visible at the bottom left.
Cabin M bridge

The Montauk Cutoff is a cutoff approximately one-third of a mile in length[1] and was double-tracked for its entire length.[2]: 1  It begins just west of Sunnyside and Arch Street Yards (40°44′38″N 73°56′35″W / 40.744°N 73.943°W / 40.744; -73.943), after which it runs west parallel to Skillman Avenue and passes over the tracks leading to the East River Tunnels and Hunterspoint Avenue.[3] It then runs elevated across several blocks in an industrial section of Long Island City,[2]: 1  before crossing the Cabin M Bridge (40°44′20″N 73°56′39″W / 40.739°N 73.9442°W / 40.739; -73.9442)[3]—a swing bridge over Dutch Kills—and meeting the Montauk Branch immediately to the east of Dutch Kills Bridge at Blissville Yard (40°44′13″N 73°56′31″W / 40.737°N 73.942°W / 40.737; -73.942).[4][5][6] 

  1. ^ "Requests for Expressions of Interest: Adaptive Reuse of the LIRR Montauk Cutoff" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b Parry, Bill (2015). "MTA offers old railway bridge" (PDF). TimesLedger. Vol. 3, no. 39. pp. 1, 42.
  3. ^ a b Kensinger, Nathan (December 3, 2015). "In Long Island City, a Community Seeks to Reclaim an Urban Wilderness". ny.curbed.com. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  4. ^ Gregory, Joseph (2007). "LIRR Montauk Cutoff". trainsarefun.com. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  5. ^ AECOM USA (January 2018). "Lower Montauk Branch Passenger Rail Study" (PDF). p. 4.
  6. ^ "MONTAUK CUT OFF". 2006. Retrieved June 16, 2022.