Lackawanna Coalition

advocating for rail passengers since 1979

Author: Vito Havrilla

  • RUN Conference

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    On Friday November 14th, 2025 the Rail Users’ Network held its Fall Conference, An Update – keeping you informed in the world of Passenger Rail & Rail Transit.             RUN Chair Richard Rudolph gave the opening statement.  He spoke on RUN’s history. It started with an 8-page newsletter in 2000.  He said that we must…

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  • Lackawanna Coalition goes to Port Jervis

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    On Saturday 11 October 2025, a group of Lackawanna Coalition members took the train to Port Jervis, New York. We decided upon this date as the leaves will have started to change, weather should be decent, it is the last open weekend for the Port Jervis rail museum. We will have three hours to see…

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  • RUN Conference Spring 2025: New Starts and Service Cuts

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    The Rail Users’ Network held its spring conference Friday, May 16, 2025: “Mixed Bag: New Transit Starts and Fiscal Cliff Service Cuts: What to Expect in 2025”. As the title explains, 2025 is a year of bad and good news for transit around the United States. As usual, RUN put together a good conference. After…

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  • Service West of Dover

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    In light of the Interstate 80 closures,  NJ Transit reduced fares for riders west of Dover. We, of course, appreciate this action to ease people’s pain, described in detail elsewhere in this issue. However, if service is to increase, things must change; certain facts on infrastructure and operations must be faced:  There is no weekend…

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  • Lackawanna Coalition at New Jersey Budget Hearings

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    The New Jersey Legislature provides 4 sessions for public input on the state budget. For Fiscal Year 2026, the Lackawanna Coalition presented their statement to the legislature at 2 of those sessions: the Assembly Budget Hearing at the State House in Trenton on Tuesday, 27 March, and the Senate Budget Hearing at NJIT in Newark…

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  • RUN Fall 2024 Conference in Brief

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    On Friday, November 15, 2024, the Rail Users’ Network had its Fall Virtual Conference. The theme was F.R.A. Corridor Grants – Boosting Economic Activity: the Rail Way!  Speakers list: As usual, the conference was informative and well attended. The theme of the conference was identifying and streamlining the process for getting passenger service running on…

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  • 2024: Bad Times for NJT Riders

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    Using the system in 2024 was more difficult than normal and there were several bad policy decisions made. Here are some highlights: New Fare Policy NJT proposed and approved: This was a price shock to riders. New fare policies and an increase were proposed in February with hearings in March. Little lead time was given…

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  • RUN Conference: Optimism & Reality—“What is the Hold Up‽”

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    The Rail Users’ Network held their spring conference virtually on the afternoon of Friday, May 17. The conference’s focus was expanding long distance rail service: “Why Amtrak service to more towns and cities is important to the entire U.S.!” The agenda of conference speakers included advocates from around the nation who are pushing for expansion…

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  • No Changes for NJT Budget; $12M for Private Bus Carriers

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    New Jersey’s budget for Fiscal 2024, which starts on July 1st, was approved on the last day of June. This year’s budget approval process was not long and drawn out with government shutdown looming. Although there were debates over certain items, e.g., the tax rebate for seniors, the Legislature passed the budget on time. At…

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  • Norfolk Southern Rips Up Tracks On Former Lower Greenwood Lake Line

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    After securing a $65 million deal to transfer the right-of-way of the former Greenwood Lake line to the nongovernmental organization Open Space Initiative, Norfolk-Southern (NS) railroad began to rip up tracks at the end of last year. Right now, Norfolk Southern is a household name due to the derailment and controlled burn in East Palestine,…

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