Lackawanna Coalition

advocating for rail passengers since 1979

Month: May 2012

  • Weekend Festivals Spark High Ridership

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    John Bobsin

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    The weekend of May 19–20, boosted by several music festivals, resulted in the second-highest train ridership totals in NJ Transit’s history, according to Mike Frassinelli, reporting in the Star-Ledger (May 23).  The Bamboozle music fest in Asbury Park and the Electric Daisy Carnival in East Rutherford, together with the Devils hockey playoff game on Saturday, allowed…

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  • 11 Bus Lines Targeted for Cutbacks

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    John Bobsin

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    As a result of a first-of-its-kind exercise for NJ Transit, the agency is proposing cuts in 11 bus lines, which NJT says are little-used compared to the majority of its bus services; Mike Frassinelli reported the proposed cuts in the Star-Ledger (May 15).  NJT’s review of its bus operations involved an ”inward look” using metrics…

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  • Bicycle Policy Under Review

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    John Bobsin

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    More than two years ago, NJ Transit changed its policy on the use of trains by bicyclists, publishing (in timetables) rules that restricted boarding or leaving trains with bicycles to stations with high-level platforms: it’s more difficult and perhaps less safe to do this at stations with low-level platforms, which requires the cyclist to carry…

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  • Survey: NJT Doing Better; Rails Still Lag

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    John Bobsin

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    For one year, NJ Transit has been encouraging its customers to participate in its periodic “Scorecard” survey of opinion.  The latest results show improvement, although NJT rail services continue to fare the worst among riders.  The latest results were from surveys between Feb. 21 and March 12, and were reported by Mike Frassinelli in the…

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  • NJT Buses May Roam Manhattan

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    John Bobsin

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    New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson suggested on May 9 that some NJT buses might pick up passengers on the streets of Manhattan, rather than just at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.  Simpson broached the idea at NJT’s monthly board meeting; the idea was reported by Karen Rouse in The Record (May 10).  Although any…

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  • Penn Station Expansion to Begin

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    John Bobsin

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    The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced the imminent start of the first phase of the expansion of Penn Station, a long-term project that will eventually reconstruct the main Post Office west of Eighth Avenue into the new Moynihan Station, mostly to be used by Amtrak.  According to the Associated Press,…

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  • Menendez Calls for Bipartisanship on Transport Bill

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    John Bobsin

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    U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) has called for bipartisanship rather than politics as Washington lawmakers struggle to come up with a compromise on a new transportation bill to fund highway and transit operations and improvements.  According to reporting by Malia Rulon Herman in the Daily Record (May 9), Menendez is one of 47 lawmakers from…

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  • LIRR East Side Access Delayed Again

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    John Bobsin

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    One of the legacies of commuter access to Manhattan is that it was developed by a number of different railroads, each with their own terminal in Manhattan or on the west bank of the Hudson.  Many cities in the U.S. and abroad have managed to unite their legacy rail networks, affording direct access to multiple…

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  • Conductor’s Punch: Obsolete?

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    John Bobsin

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    On most railroad systems, passengers present their tickets to train crew who walk the aisles, making holes in the ticket with their time-honored punches.  (Some systems collect fares automatically at stations, and NJT uses magnetically-coded tickets at Newark Airport and Secaucus Junction.)  However, the days of the old punch may be numbered.  Brian X. Chen,…

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  • MTA Rails Say Safety Deadline Tough

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    John Bobsin

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    Federal law requires commuter rail operators to implement an advanced safety technology, Positive Train Control (PTC), by 2015.  However, many operating agencies protest that the new technology is expensive, untested, and cannot easily be obtained.  The presidents of the two railroads operated by New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Metro North Railroad (M-N) and Long Island…

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