Lackawanna Coalition

advocating for rail passengers since 1979

Month: September 2023

  • Strike! (but not yet)

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    Sally Jane Gellert

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    Commentary The vote is in (as of August 31), and it is overwhelmingly favorable to a strike: the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) union voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike (of 494 eligible members, 399 returned ballots; 397 of these voted for strike authorization, and two ballots were ruled void, as reported by…

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  • Congratulations—But Wait!

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    Sally Jane Gellert

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    Commentary We congratulate NJ Transit on winning its most recent award, for 2023 Outstanding Public Transportation System, from APTA. As the third largest transit agency in the country, and the only one running statewide transit (though density varies), NJ Transit is in limited company, yet that company includes large, prominent agencies, so it is quite…

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  • What Is that Photo?

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    Sally Jane Gellert

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    Citizen advocate Adam Reich recently brought to our attention a major flaw in NJ Transit’s social media: the lack of ALT text for many of their images, particularly problematical when they have text over the image. Web developers and designers know that for screen readers, text-over-image is not acceptable; basically, that configuration should not be…

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  • LC Members Assist New Riders

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    Sally Jane Gellert

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    The Lackawanna Coalition realizes that many people are nervous about taking public transportation, and yet for the March to End Fossil Fuels on Sunday, Sept. 17, both for practical reasons (a number of streets near the march route will be closed off, meaning close parking is also less available than usual) and for environmental reasons…

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  • Report from the Chair, Sept./Oct. 2023

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    Sally Jane Gellert

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    A lot has been written about NJ Transit’s decision to sell its headquarters building and move to the expensive Gateway building, so there is no point in belaboring it here. If in fact it was a well-reasoned decision, then the board shot itself in the foot by not revealing more details and the justification. We…

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  • Coalition Calls for Saving Kingsland Station

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    David Peter Alan

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    The Lackawanna Coalition passed a resolution at its July meeting that calls on New Jersey Transit to save the Kingsland station, located on Ridge Road in Lyndhurst. The agency has proposed enlarging parking facilities and making other improvements at the Lyndhurst Station; the next station going toward Suffern, but the 2021 proposal under consideration called…

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  • RUN for Better Trains and a Better Environment

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    David Peter Alan

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    Coalition Chairperson Sally Jane Gellert came to rail advocacy through the environmental movement. She participated in the first Earth Day, back in 1970, when she was in high school. Today, she is one of a number of advocates for trains and rail transit who appreciate the connection between rail and a cleaner environment, but many…

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