Lackawanna Coalition

advocating for rail passengers since 1979

  • NJ Transit Plans to Proceed with Gas Plant Despite Gov. Murphy Request

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    This article was written for the Lackawanna Coalition by Ken Dolsky of the Don’t Gas the Meadowlands Coalition, which has been leading the effort to ensure that any new NJ Transit projects use clean, renewable energy as much as possible, in compliance with our state’s new environmental-justice legislation.  The views expressed are specifically those of…

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  • Live! In Person! The April NJT Board Meeting!

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    We are pleased to note that the April board meeting will be held live on Wednesday morning, April 13th, at 9 a.m., at NJ Transit headquarters in Newark—for the first time in more than 2 years. Since March 2020, all meetings have been by phone—and without even live-streamed presentations of the A number of people…

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  • April Brings a Full NJ Transit Board:
    James Adams Cancelled

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    Sally Jane Gellert

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    When in-person board meetings resume in April, there will be a full 13 members present (or at least 10: 3 individuals are nominated, not directly appointed, and need Senate confirmation). Missing from the dais will be current board member James Adams, who was not reappointed. The reason given is the end of his term (Dec.…

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  • A Missed Opportunity

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    Sally Jane Gellert

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    For the past few years, we have watched the so-called NJ Transit “reform” legislation wind its way through the Trenton legislature. Our concerns about NJ Transit’s priorities, practices, and policies are ongoing, and we did not see that the legislation includes the sort of changes needed. True, the newest version has the purported “customer advocate”…

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  • Report from the Chair, Mar./Apr. 2022

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    Sally Jane Gellert

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    We were pleased to see Board Member James Adams again take seriously his responsibility to oversee the NJ Transit budget, and vote against the typically opaque presentation. From charts that mislead (e.g., showing claimed “savings” and showing only tips of the bars, which hides the actual magnitude), to larger-than-previous transfers from capital to operating costs,…

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  • Who in Congress Represents You Now?

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    After the 10-year census, states’ populations are calculated and Congressional representatives are redistributed across the United States. Accordingly, every 10 years, a new map for New Jersey’s Congressional districts is drawn. The 2022-2031 Congressional redistricting map was adopted on December 22, 2021. Many New Jersey residents will find that their Congressional Representative has changed. Go…

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  • Station Inspection Form

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    We are reviving our past practice of station inspections and will be compiling results to bring to the attention of NJ Transit, both concerns and compliments. We encourage folks to submit their findings.

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  • From Florida on Valentine’s Day

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    Member Gary Kazin, a “snowbird” who winters in Florida and is an avid cyclist, sent in this report from his travels this past Valentine’s Day: We’re in Kissimmee, Florida, an appropriate destination for Valentine’s Day weekend, for the Florida Folk Dance Council’s Winter Camp, which started Friday evening and ends at noon Monday.  Eat (too…

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  • AmeriStar Rail: More Service on the NEC, Rail Plans for LaGuardia

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    As we learned at our November, meeting, there could be a lot more trains on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC) with AmeriStar Rail’s operating plan (www.ameristarrail.com/impact). Chief Operating Officer Scott R. Spencer presented that plan to us, saying that the NEC is currently underutilized. The restructured plan for intercity trains would not affect NJ Transit (including…

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  • Report from the Chair, Jan./Feb. 2022

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    Sally Jane Gellert

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    The Lackawanna Coalition and the N.J. Rail Passengers’ Association have both argued that the proposed “Customer Advocate” position in the NJ Transit reform bill is erroneously and misleadingly named, and our position has itself caused some confusion. Take a look at the dictionary definition of the word advocate (from dictionary.com) Advocate, noun: a person who…

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