Lackawanna Coalition

advocating for rail passengers since 1979

  • Budget Season Is Here

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    Sally Jane Gellert

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    Checking the state legislature’s home page as this issue goes to press, we found that the annual Senate and Assembly budget hearings have been announced; the first on March 14th, the final on April 25th. Each year the legislature spends much of this season hearing from constituents about particular budget concerns, suggestions for more, less,…

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  • Report from the Chair, March/April 2023

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    Sally Jane Gellert

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    The biggest train-related story since our last issue of the Railgram has to be the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. We note that the problem was compounded by a slow EPA response that allowed the corporation’s request to burn off toxic chemicals—possibly necessary to avoid an uncontrolled explosion, but done in such a…

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

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    Webweaver

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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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  • Watches vs Transit

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    John Bobsin

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    This post started as an e-mail response to a transit e-mail list that somehow had a flurried discussion of wristwatches: German vs Russian vs American; relative quality and value, etc. We have had a lot of posts in the last few days about timepieces.  I have been struggling to figure out how the subject of…

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  • Maryland County Expands Transit Tax Credits

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    Webweaver

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    An interesting article about Montgomery County, Maryland, and its increasing bus service and employer subsidies to entice more peopl eout of their cars: Note that they have 30-minute frequency, adjust service based on automatic rider counts about 3 times annually, and just increased the subsidies to employers, who pay $25/employee to enter the program, which…

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  • Essex2045 Plan Moves Forward

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    Sally Jane Gellert

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    On December 15th, I attended a virtual meeting of a Stakeholder Advisory Committee on the Essex2045 plan for the next 20 years of transportation in Essex County. In a study funded by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Association, Mercer Planning Associates, the consultants running the program, had conducted surveys and hosted 2 pop-up kiosks and…

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  • Report from the Chair: Jan./Feb. 2023

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    Sally Jane Gellert

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    A new year starts this month: my 3rd as Lackawanna Coalition chairperson, and NJ Transit Rail’s 41st. The Coalition has a new Web site, the forum is back in operation, and we are looking forward to being the advocate host of the Rail Users’ Network’s in-person conference in the spring. Our resolution supporting the expansion…

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  • Officer Elections Held at December Meeting

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    Webweaver

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    At its Dec. 19th meeting, held a week early because of the Christmas holiday on Monday, Dec. 26th, the Lackawanna Coalition elected officers for 2023. The slate of officers was accepted by acclimation: Chairperson, Sally Jane Gellert, Woodcliff Lake (Pascack Valley line); Vice Chairperson, Robert Hingel, Short Hills (Morris & Essex line); Treasurer, Brad Payeur,…

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  • Report on Yesterday’s Adventures

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    John Bobsin

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    Mostly Fighting with Ticket Vending Machine We planned a fairly complicated agenda yesterday, around a visit to the N.Y. Botanical Garden holiday train show in the Bronx.  Read on. We needed to catch an early train, so we aimed for the 7:06 a.m. from Basking Ridge. With resurging ridership, the 30 or so free parking…

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  • Former LC Chair Is Closing Speaker at Boston Conference

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    Webweaver

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    Lackawanna Coalition Chairperson Emeritus David Peter Alan will be speaking at the Light Rail 2022 conference, presented by Railway Age and RT&S in Boston, November 16 and 17. His talk will be the wrap-up closing presentation, on the topic of “The Future of Light Rail”. Since stepping down as Lackawanna Coalition chairperson in December 2020,…

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