Lackawanna Coalition

advocating for rail passengers since 1979

Month: February 2013

  • Are the Trains We Had before Hurricane Sandy Coming Back Next Month?

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    Donald Winship

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    New Jersey Transit says that rail service to and from Penn Station runs as frequently as it did before Superstorm Sandy struck, but Hoboken service has not returned to that level.  NJT Executive Director James W. Weinstein said that he expects the prestorm level of service to return to Hoboken with the next timetable change,…

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  • NJT Executive Director Blames Sandy Indirectly for Service Outage during Snowstorm

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    Donald Winship

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    NJT Executive Director James W. Weinstein indirectly blamed the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy for a shutdown of rail service on the Morris & Essex, Montclair-Boonton, and Gladstone Lines during the snowstorm on Friday and Saturday, February 8th and 9th.  He said that, with the Mason Substation out of service and only a substation in Summit…

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  • Coalition Calls on NJT to Overhaul Electrically-Powered Cars

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    Donald Winship

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    The Coalition has called on New Jersey Transit to overhaul the 230 electrically-powered Arrow III Electric Multiple-Unit (EMU) cars it owns and to cut back on on its purchase of multilevel cars from Bombardier.  The “Arrows” were manufactured in 1978 and were once the primary cars used on the M&E and other electrified lines at…

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  • MTA Fares Increase March1 and March 3

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    John Bobsin

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    Fare increases on MTA rail lines (Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad) are effective March 1, and average 8-9%.  NYC Transit (subway and bus) fares increase effective March 3; the base fare increases from $2.25 to $2.50. Finally implementing a long-announced change, New York City Transit has announced that MetroCards bought within the subway…

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  • Bye-Bye to Dollar Coins

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    John Bobsin

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    In the ticket vending machines used by NJ Transit, as in those used in most transit systems, if you buy a $1 ticket with a $20 bill, you’ll be greeted by a cascade of 19 one-dollar coins: your change.  No matter that the coins are not in general circulation and bring frowns at the counter…

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  • No Wheels Means No Trains

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    John Bobsin

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    Why do NJ Transit rail services remain substantially reduced nearly 4 months after Hurricane Sandy?  A shortage of wheels for rail rolling stock is a major factor, according to NJT Executive Director Jim Weinstein, reported by Mike Frassinelli in the Star-Ledger (Feb. 14).  According to operations manager Kevin O’Connor, “There’s only so many people producing…

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  • M-N Fare Increase Hits NJT Stations Too

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    John Bobsin

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    Metro-North Railroad has announced fare increases effective March 1 on all its lines, including the lines in New York State operated by NJ Transit.  However, it turns out, riders from some NJT stations in New Jersey on the Main-Bergen and Pascack Valley Lines will also suffer increases.  Why?  It turns out that when NJT had…

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  • M&E, Montclair Restored after Storm

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    John Bobsin

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     Morris & Essex and Montclair-Boonton lines are scheduled to restore service at noon, Saturday, Feb. 9; service had been suspended at 8 p.m. on Friday during  the snowstorm.  NJT attributed this action to the vulnerability of those lines to tree damage, citing the experience of Superstorm Sandy in October (which has resulted in continuing reduction…

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  • Grand Central Terminal Celebrates 100th Birthday!

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    Donald Winship

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    On Friday, February 1st, Grand Central Terminal (GCT) celebrated 100 years as a great place to arrive in Midtown Manhattan.  The current terminal replaced an earlier station on the same site, fronting on East 42d Street.  Today, it is the terminal for Metro-North trains from Westchester and Duchess Counties, and as far north as Poughkeepsie,…

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