Tag: From the Railgram


  • Museum for a Day

    NJ Transit recently donated an ALP-44 electric locomotive (No. 4424) to the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey. Although this is not a terribly old rail car, it is historic in that it represents both the first electric locomotives purchased new by the state of New Jersey and the first time the agency had…

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  • TigerTrain: A Recent Proposal for the Princeton Dinky

    At its June 26 meeting, the Lackawanna Coalition learned about a plan for the Princeton Dinky, the short branch that NJ Transit runs as a shuttle between Princeton Junction on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) line and the vicinity of the Princeton University campus, first suggested in May 2021, but ignored by decision-makers. The proposal comes…

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  • NJ Transit Accessibility Forum

    Semiannual accessibility forum is becoming a routine matter at NJ Transit—but not so routine that publicity can be neglected. The latest was on Tuesday, June 27, the day after our June meeting, and attendance was dismal or worse. A few folks attended remotely by Zoom, another handful or two in person in Newark. We had…

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  • Coach USA Cuts Newark Buses

    We are a rail organization. However, we know that riders often connect to rail through their local bus (or in a more sustainable world with better schedules, they would do so), and bus connections to Newark rail stations are tangential to our immediate purview. We have followed the Newark NewBus plan, which ignored contract lines…

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  • No Changes for NJT Budget; $12M for Private Bus Carriers

    New Jersey’s budget for Fiscal 2024, which starts on July 1st, was approved on the last day of June. This year’s budget approval process was not long and drawn out with government shutdown looming. Although there were debates over certain items, e.g., the tax rebate for seniors, the Legislature passed the budget on time. At…

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  • A New NJT Headquarters?

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    commentary Recently it was reported that NJ Transit is going to move its headquarters from its owned building on one side of Newark Penn Station to leased space on the other side of the station. We were flummoxed to hear this—generally speaking, owing one’s “home” is not only considered the American Dream, but also gives…

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  • RUN to Newark at the End of April!

    The RAIL Users’ Network (RUN) will be coming to Newark on Friday, April 28, for its first “in person” conference since the COVID-19 pandemic sent RUN, the Lackawanna Coalition, and most of society into “virtual space” for the past few years. The conference itself will take place from 8:30 A.M. until 4:50 P.M. at the…

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  • Report from the Chair

    Budget season is in full swing in Trenton, and as April turned to May Legislative Director Vito Havrilla presented remarks at a Senate hearing. These have been posted to our website and forum. Kevin Corbett appeared at a later hearing and admitted that fare increases are on the table despite the governor’s denial. The last…

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  • NJ Transit: Truth in Advertising, Please!

    NJ Transit is lying. I don’t say this because of dishonesty in their dealings, or the fact that their IT constantly claims that trains are running and on time when they are in fact not. No, this is dishonesty in advertising. They claim, prominently—in advertising, news releases, and elsewhere—the following lie: “NJ TRANSIT is the…

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  • Budget Season Is Here

    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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