Lackawanna Coalition

advocating for rail passengers since 1979

  • MTA Chair Lhota Champions Cooperation

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    John Bobsin

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    Quoted on radio station WNYC (June 14), New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority chair Joseph Lhota says that there are solutions to the capacity limits at New York’s Penn Station—if the railroads using the busy terminal would cooperate more.  Lhota said there are three ways to increase capacity: longer platforms, more sharing of platforms among the…

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  • June 14: PATH Closure Ends at 7 p.m.

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    John Bobsin

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    Conditions were returning to normal at about 7 p.m. on June 14, as PATH service to World Trade Center resumed following President Obama’s visit.  The service had been interrupted for about 4 hours as commuters sought alternative routes; NJ Transit was cross-honoring tickets among bus, NJT train, and PATH until 7:30 p.m.  Reportedly, a significant…

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  • River Line Repairs Enter Final Stage

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    John Bobsin

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    In August 2011, Hurricane Irene struck the New Jersey area.  One of the casualties was the River Line light rail of NJ Transit, which operates between Trenton and Camden.  A hillside adjacent to the River Line tracks was extensively damaged, and the passing siding adjacent to the hillside was taken out of service.  Fortunately, the…

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  • New Bike Policy: NJT Gives Back, Takes Away

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    John Bobsin

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    Several months ago, NJ Transit modified its bicycle-on-board-trains policy to prohibit use of bicycles at stations that do not have high-level platforms; this ended bike use at many popular stations that lack high-level platforms, including the Hoboken Terminal.  An outcry from bicyclists ensued; now NJT has updated their policy).  However, the new policy, available as…

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  • NJT Adjusts Bikes-on-Trains Policy

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    Donald Winship

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    This article is from Railway Age, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Lackawanna Coalition Calling it a “newly relaxed Bike Aboard Policy,” New Jersey Transit Monday said it will allow bicycles to board at all of its train stations effective July 1. But while the policy includes all stations, access is still…

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  • Weekend Festivals Spark High Ridership

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    John Bobsin

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    The weekend of May 19–20, boosted by several music festivals, resulted in the second-highest train ridership totals in NJ Transit’s history, according to Mike Frassinelli, reporting in the Star-Ledger (May 23).  The Bamboozle music fest in Asbury Park and the Electric Daisy Carnival in East Rutherford, together with the Devils hockey playoff game on Saturday, allowed…

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  • 11 Bus Lines Targeted for Cutbacks

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    John Bobsin

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    As a result of a first-of-its-kind exercise for NJ Transit, the agency is proposing cuts in 11 bus lines, which NJT says are little-used compared to the majority of its bus services; Mike Frassinelli reported the proposed cuts in the Star-Ledger (May 15).  NJT’s review of its bus operations involved an ”inward look” using metrics…

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  • Bicycle Policy Under Review

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    John Bobsin

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    More than two years ago, NJ Transit changed its policy on the use of trains by bicyclists, publishing (in timetables) rules that restricted boarding or leaving trains with bicycles to stations with high-level platforms: it’s more difficult and perhaps less safe to do this at stations with low-level platforms, which requires the cyclist to carry…

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  • Survey: NJT Doing Better; Rails Still Lag

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    John Bobsin

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    For one year, NJ Transit has been encouraging its customers to participate in its periodic “Scorecard” survey of opinion.  The latest results show improvement, although NJT rail services continue to fare the worst among riders.  The latest results were from surveys between Feb. 21 and March 12, and were reported by Mike Frassinelli in the…

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  • NJT Buses May Roam Manhattan

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    John Bobsin

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    New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson suggested on May 9 that some NJT buses might pick up passengers on the streets of Manhattan, rather than just at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.  Simpson broached the idea at NJT’s monthly board meeting; the idea was reported by Karen Rouse in The Record (May 10).  Although any…

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