Lackawanna Coalition

advocating for rail passengers since 1979

  • Report from the Chair, Sept./Oct. 2013

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    David Peter Alan

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    Cooperation is a wonderful thing, whether between people, institutions or the two.  On August 24, this writer had the pleasure of riding a special train to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania: the first such excursion in over a decade.  The special train was led by locomotives from the Morristown & Erie Railway, Norfolk Southern (NS), and New Jersey…

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  • Reports: NJT Didn’t Follow Its Own Storm Plan during Sandy

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    Donald Winship

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    Following the devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy, New Jersey Transit has put more emphasis on flood-proofing its storage yards.  However, investigative reporting by WNYC and Karen Rouse of the Bergen County Record shows that the agency already had a plan in place to move equipment to higher ground in the event of such a storm,…

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  • Gladstone Branch Service Disrupted by Washouts

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    Donald Winship

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    NJT Repairs Line Quickly, But Substitute Bus Service Was Questionable Less than 10 months after Hurricane Sandy devastated NJ Transit’s rail operations, the railroad received a sharp reminder of the power of nature.  On Thursday, August 22, intense local storms struck northern Somerset County and wiped out the roadbed on the line’s Gladstone Branch in…

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  • Deaths on Tracks Surge

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    John Bobsin

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    Despite NJ Transit and Amtrak efforts, deaths of pedestrians on passenger-rail trackage in New Jersey continue to increase, according to reporting by Mark Mueller in the Star-Ledger (August 28).  In 2012, 22 such deaths occurred; so far this year, 23 deaths have taken place, and if the carnage continues at the current pace 2013 will…

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  • Princeton Dinky Getting Dinkier

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    Donald Winship

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    The Princeton Branch (otherwise known as the “Dinky”) will soon become Dinkier.  New Jersey Transit will begin to remove the tracks and the overhead wire that powers the trains on the portion of the line closest to downtown Princeton.  This marks a defeat for the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers (NJ-ARP), which had sought…

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  • “Microgrid” Eyed to Improve NJT Power

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    John Bobsin

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    NJ Transit will partner with the US Department of Energy to study the design a new kind of “electrical microgrid” to make the railroad’s electrical power and control systems more resilient.  NJ Governor Christie characterized the effort as part of the program to make NJ Transit less vulnerable to events such as Hurricane Sandy, which…

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  • Gladstone Service Disrupted, But NJT Says It Will Be Back on Monday

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    Donald Winship

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    No Bus Service Offered West of Bernardsville Service on the western end of the Gladstone Branch was disrupted Thursday by a washout between Bernardsville and Far Hills.  Trains were delayed and terminated at Bernardsville.  On Thursday, substitute bus service was provided so customers could get to Far Hills, Pepack, and Gladstone. NJTransit has said that…

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  • Hoboken Recovery: Restrooms to Reopen

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    John Bobsin

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    It’s been almost 10 months since Hurricane Sandy devastated NJ Transit’s operations.  Nearly all trains have since returned, but at the railroad’s iconic Hoboken terminal, things are far from normal.  The storm flooded the main waiting room and its restrooms have been out of service ever since; passengers are directed to hard-to-find replacements.  For months, the…

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  • Millennials’ Transit Needs

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    John Bobsin

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    What do customers born after 1980 (the “millennial generation”) need from public transit?  To find out, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been studying this new generation of riders, according to reporting by Matt Flegenheimer in The New York Times (July 23).  For one thing, they take efficient transit for granted: they have no experience…

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  • No NJT Fare Hike This Year

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    John Bobsin

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    On July 11, NJ Transit’s Board approved an operating budget of $1.94 billion that envisions no fare increase this year, making more than 3 years since the agency last increased fares.  The last increase, in May, 2010, averaged a whopping 22%t, including an average of 25% for heavy-rail riders—but this average hides an incredible increase…

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