Category: Railgram

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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…

Report from the Chair – May 2025

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Communications Director

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The biggest change for the Lackawanna Coalition this month is the temporary relocation of our meetings to the Summit Public Library while Millburn Town Hall undergoes extensive renovation. Elsewhere in this issue, member David Peter Alan details the train schedule for those attending in person. Zoom attendees will not see any change. Adjusting to a…

SEPTA Cuts Loom

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SEPTA had announced budget cuts if nothing was reached before January 2026. It appears that there will be budget cuts and eliminations on 5 regional rail lines (Trenton, Paoli Thorndale, Cynwyd, Chestnut Hill West, and Wilmington Newark lines) that run on Amtrak tracks and 50 bus routes, as well as ending service at 9:00 p.m.,…

NJ Transit Reports Increasing Ridership amid Half-Fare Offer, Due to Sinkholes on I-80

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David Peter Alan

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The main transportation topic in western Morris County these days is I-80’s closure on account of a number of sinkholes that have developed along the route. NJ Transit is offering half-fare round trips for riders on Morris & Essex and Montclair-Boonton Line trains west of Dover to encourage motorists to take the train, and the…

Getting to the Coalition’s New Meeting Location

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David Peter Alan

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For the past 46 years, which comprises its entire history, the Lackawanna Coalition has met in the wood-paneled conference room known as the Committee Room at Millburn Town Hall, excepting only those months during the height of the covid-19 pandemic when we met by telephone using MaestroConference. Once again, the building is closed, this time…

Corbett Out, Kolluri In at NJT

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David Peter Alan

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After 7 years, Kevin Corbett left NJ Transit on January 15 to take a position at Rutgers. His background concentrated on real estate and maritime transportation, rather than transit. His sometimes-controversial tenure at the agency got mixed reviews. With the help of Raymond P. Kenny (1950-2020), who came out of retirement as president of…

Congestion Pricing Comes to Manhattan

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David Peter Alan

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The toll was first collected on January 5, after a number of court cases in 3 U.S. District courts allowed it to proceed. The base rate is $9.00 for passenger automobiles starting at 5:00 a.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. on weekends, until 9:00 p.m. daily. The night rate is $2.25, and there is a…

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…

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…

Report from the Chair (January 2025)

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Sally Jane Gellert

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