Selkirk hurdle

The Selkirk Hurdle is the term used by urban planners, railroad employees, politicians, and others to describe the route that must be taken by freight trains traveling between New York City and other points in downstate New York that are east of the Hudson River, and locations in the United States to the south and west.

[1] Advocates claim that this detour and the inefficiencies that result force New York City to rely more heavily on relatively-inefficient trucks than most parts of the United States, where freight trains are more common.

However, at least for traffic to and from the west, this route was touted for its efficiency as the "Water Level Route" by the New York Central Railroad because trains using it did not have to climb over the Appalachian Mountains, and it is still used by the New York Central's successor, CSX, for traffic to both sides of the Hudson River.

A May 8, 1974, tie fire ended service across a railroad bridge at Poughkeepsie, 73 miles or 117 kilometers north of New York City.

[2] Because of the height of the bridge, trains still had to travel west to Maybrook, New York and back, limiting its use when it was in service.