Lackawanna Coalition

advocating for rail passengers since 1979

  • Lackawanna Coalition Gives Mixed Review to Amtrak “Gateway” Plan

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    Donald Winship

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    The Amtrak plan would build new rail tunnels into the existing Penn Station, with new tracks to be built between 30th and 31st Streets, south of the existing station.  The station itself would be extended southward to accommodate new platforms, which would terminate just east of Seventh Avenue.  Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River would…

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  • NJ Senators Back “Gateway” Tunnel

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    Donald Winship

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    US Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, both New Jersey Democrats, said in a press release on Sunday, February 6, that they now back a design for the trans-Hudson rail tunnel that would follow the now-cancelled tunnel that would have ended in a “deep cavern” station under 34th Street in Manhattan.  However, as long proposed…

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  • LIRR Plans Penn Station Concourse Modernization

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    Donald Winship

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    Now that NJT’s new trans-Hudson tunnel is dead, the Long Island Rail Road is planning to upgrade and modernize its passenger facilities in Penn Station.  The LIRR had put plans on hold, expecting disruptions from NJT’s tunnel construction.  According to Andrew Grossman, writing in the Wall Street Journal (Dec. 22), “Penn Station’s warren of underground…

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  • New Jersey Transit to Rehabilitate Electric Rail Cars

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    Donald Winship

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    NJT will rehabilitate 170 “Arrow III” electric cars.  The project wil cost $15.6 million, or between $91,000 and $92,000 per car.  The cars were built in the 1970s are used on most Gladstone trains, as well as Dover and Montclair trains that originate or terminate at Hoboken. The Lackawanna Coalition endorsed the move, noting that the…

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  • Coalition Objects to Potentially High Legal Bill for NJT

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    Donald Winship

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    The NJT Board of Directors has approved the hiring of the Washington lobbying and law firm of Patton Boggs, LLC, to defend the agency against a claim by the Federal Transit Administration for $271 million.  The FTA wants NJT to reimburse that sum because of the cancellation of the ARC Project in October.  Patton Boggs charges…

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  • NJT Proposes Privatized Station Parking

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    Donald Winship

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    New Jersey Transit is considering privatizing up to 60% of the parking facilities it now operates and has requested proposals from interested operators; 10 companies have responded, according to the Bergen Record (Nov. 18, by Larry Higgs).  The program, announced originally by NJT Executive Director James Weinstein in June, has the goal of increasing revenue to NJT;…

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  • Commuter Tax Benefit to Decrease Under Present Law

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    Donald Winship

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    According to a press release from TransitCenter, Inc. (a nonprofit provider of commuter benefit programs), a provision in the 2009 federal stimulus bill increased the maximum pretax deduction that workers could apply toward monthly transit commuting costs from $120 to $230.  This level is the same as that allowed for parking expenses for those who…

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  • New York Studies Extending No. 7 Subway to Secaucus

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    Donald Winship

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    According to the New York Times, since the demise of the ARC tunnel project, New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s administration has been studying extending the No. 7 subway line under the Hudson to connect with NJ Transit at Secaucus.  This would expand the regional transportation system and alleviate much of the overcrowding expected on NJT trains…

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  • ARC Decision Tied to Politics, Says Journalist

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    Donald Winship

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    Star-Ledger journalist Tom Moran, in an interview on the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC on November 15, said that politics factored in to Gov. Christie’s decision to cancel the ARC trans-Hudson tunnel. Moran noted that opposition to rail projects, including high-speed rail as well as commuter rail projects, are popular with conservatives, “who are in…

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  • Rider Advocates Push for Moynihan/Penn Station First

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    Donald Winship

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    The Regional Rail Working Group and its member organizations, the Lackawanna Coalition and the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers, continue to advocate for new tunnels to the existing Penn Station, with station enhancements under the Moynihan Station plan advanced by New York, with additional improvements for more capacity.  Representatives of the organizations made statements to…

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