Lackawanna Coalition

advocating for rail passengers since 1979

Author: John Bobsin

  • “Push-Pull” Trains Questioned After Metro-North Wreck

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    John Bobsin

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    Whether operation of trains by locomotives pushing rather than pulling the cars is totally safe has come into question after the fatal Metro-North train wreck that killed 4 passengers and injured many others on December 1. The train consisted of 8 cars and a dual-mode diesel and electric locomotive, which was pushing the cars from…

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  • Penn Station: Managed Chaos

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    John Bobsin

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    Managing train movements into and out of New York’s Penn Station is “ballet” that brings “Order Out of Chaos”, the title of a story by Mike Frassinelli in the Star-Ledger (Nov. 24).  This behind-the-scenes visit to the Amtrak center where Penn Station train movements are controlled reveals a group of ice-calm dispatchers sitting before computer screens…

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  • NJT Supervisor Nabbed in Bribe Case

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    John Bobsin

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    Observers and critics of NJ Transit sometimes wonder where all the agency’s budget goes.  In the case of snow removal at the Trenton Transit Center, the answer may  be “into a contract awarded not through competition, but through bribery”. According to reporting by Mike Frassinelli in the Star-Ledger (Nov. 22), the manager of station terminals…

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  • London Subway Plans 24-Hour Service

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    John Bobsin

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    Most lines on the New York subway system run continuously, except for planned work programs that sometimes reroute service.  Therefore, metropolitan area transit users may not realize that most urban rapid transit systems do not run all the time; this strategy reduces costs and allows needed maintenance to proceed unhindered by thundering trains. In London,…

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  • NY Subways Set One-Day Record

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    John Bobsin

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    New York City Subway ridership set a modern one-day record on Thursday, October 24, 2013, when 5,985,311 riders were counted entering the system, according to reporting by Matt Flegenheimer in The New York Times (Nov. 21).  This is the highest one-day count since the subway started recording daily ridership in 1985.  Subway officials say there…

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  • Amtrak to Repair East River Tunnels

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    John Bobsin

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    According to an announcement by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), Amtrak will use $86 million in Superstorm Sandy federal recovery funds to perform maintenance work on four East River tunnels used by Amtrak, the Long Island Rail Road, and some NJ Transit trains enroute to or from Sunnyside Yard in Queens.  Several issues in the tunnels…

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  • Japan Offers High-Speed Rail Financing

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    John Bobsin

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    While U.S.A. efforts to begin a true high-speed rail system remain mired in politics, Japan is eager to export its rail technology, and will even help finance systems that use it, according to reporting by Eric Pfanner in The New York Times (November 19).  In a recent visit, ex–New York Governor George Pataki inspected Japanese…

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  • Hoboken Waiting Room Reopens

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    John Bobsin

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    NJ Transit has reopened the historic waiting room at Hoboken Terminal; a visit on Monday, November 19 at 5 p.m. confirmed that the terminal has reopened.  The most recent reporting on the subject, just a few days ago, forecast the reopening before winter weather sets in; apparently, NJT has been able to beat those predictions. …

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  • N.Y. Penn Station Restrooms to Close for Makeover

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    John Bobsin

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    Several months ago, NJ Transit officials were embarrassed when confronted with evidence that the restrooms on the NJT 7th Avenue concourse in New York’s Penn Station were in lamentable condition; the situation was brought to light by Albert Papp, Jr., former Lackawanna Coalition chair and president of the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers.  Now…

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  • MTA Expects Lower Fare Increases

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    John Bobsin

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    New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority expects to scale back fare and toll increases of 7.5% previously planned for 2015 and 2017; now the increases will still occur, but are likely to be only about 4%, according to reporting by Matt Flegenheimer in The New York Times (November 14). The proposed new increases, which still need…

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