Author: John Bobsin


  • Super Bowl Transit Had Problems: Media

    Although NJ Transit handled a record number of customers to Sunday’s Super  Bowl, most media reports focused on the problems fans encountered in getting to MetLife Stadium, and on leaving.  The railroad reported it handled about 28,000 riders each way, roughly a third of the total attendance at the event.  Its previous record of passengers…

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  • Super Bowl: Arrivals OK, Delays Leaving

    As the Super Bowl got underway, NJ Transit managed to transport a reported 28,000 riders to the stadium with only brief problems.  At the start of service, a large crowd of fans apparently tried to get on the first few trains, resulting in a back-up that took some time to clear.  One fan reported a…

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  • M-N, NJT Snarled on Successive Days

    Outbound New York commuters in the evening rush were seriously affected by problems on successive days.  First, on Thursday, January 23, Metro-North’s entire system ground to a halt for about 2 hours, starting at 7:45 p.m., according to reporting by Matt Flegenheimer and Emma G. Fitzsimmons in The New York Times (Jan. 24). The railroad’s…

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  • NJT to Extend MyBus Now to Port Authority Runs

    For bus travellers on NJ Transit to or from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, it has been difficult to determine just when that next bus will arrive.  However, NJT’s MyBus Now program will be extended in June to the Port Authority routes, completing a rollout that first began in South Jersey, and later added non-Port…

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  • NJT Web Site Disappoints During Storm

    As an “Alberta Clipper” snowstorm blanketed New Jersey on Tuesday, January 21, transit riders rushed to NJ Transit’s website to ascertain whether their trains were running—but for more than 3 hours in the middle of the storm, the website was largely unavailable, according to reporting in The Record newspaper by Karen Rouse (January 22).  At…

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  • Super Bowl Emphasizes Transit

    Transportation plans for 2014’s Super Bowl are coming into closer focus as the February 2 date approaches for the massive event, to be held in East Rutherford, N.J.  The Super Bowl typically attracts high-roller patrons who can afford the hefty ticket prices, but this one will be different, according to reporting by Matt Flegenheimer in The…

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  • Tunnel Cancellation, “Bridgegate” Form Pattern: Report

    An extensive report on radio station WNYC (January 17) by Andrea Bernstein explores a number of events involving Port Authority budgets instigated by the New Jersey appointees on the Port Authority, notably Bill Baroni and David Wildstein. The report says that the decision by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to kill the ARC trans-Hudson rail tunnel several years…

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  • Riders Leave Money on MetroCards

    The MetroCard has become a popular way to use New York City’s transit services; in fact, for most riders, it’s the only practical way to ride subways and buses.  Riders pay in advance to load cards with money, then use it up as they make trips.   But what happens to money that is still…

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  • Cuomo Backs Hell Gate Transit Plan

    New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in his State of the State address on January 8, included a proposal for Metro-North service from the Bronx to New York Penn Station via the Hell Gate Bridge, a possibility that Metro-North and its parent MTA  has been studying for years.  Cuomo was unequivocal in his address, saying that it…

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  • New Brunswick Storage Yard Advances

    NJ Transit, in efforts to avoid equipment damage such as occurred with Hurricane Sandy, on January 8th approved engineering contracts for its plan to build and expand storage yards in the New Brunswick area, according to reporting by Mike Frassinelli in the Star-Ledger (January 9).  The Sandy disaster unfolded after NJT stored equipment in yards…

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