April 16, 2001 Published Bi-Monthly. PO Box 7305, Freehold, N.J

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1 April 16, 2001 Published Bi-Monthly. PO Box 7305, Freehold, N.J SNJLRT TRENTON EXTENSION PLANS ADVANCE Foes of Southern New Jersey Light Rail Transit (SNJLRT) have been slow to acknowledge that light rail is coming; many continue to fight the last war. That s great news for Trenton and Mercer county officials, New Jersey Transit, and NJ-ARP, all moving to grow SNJLRT even more. The latest effort: plans to extend SNJLRT north (or west) of NJT s Trenton Station on the Northeast Corridor with a Capitol Extension to the state capitol building. On Tuesday, April 10, NJ-ARP Director James Ciacciarelli participated in an informal workshop on the Trenton extension, exploring... Options, Potential Problems, and Station Sites for New Extension: Current plans call for a 1.3-mile extension running north on Clinton Avenue, then west on State Street, with SNLRT running in mixed traffic; the route was chosen from up to 40 potential alignments, according to NJ Transit officials. Three stations are envisioned: one at the federal courthouse, a second along the pedestrian mall segment of State Street, and a third in front of the state capitol building (or Statehouse ) itself. Business and property owners along State Street have been contacted and consulted with by NJT, in an effort to identify potential problems with construction and/or operations, and NJT has publicized its SNJLRT information number ( ). For NJ-ARP s part, Ciacciarelli tested the... Interest in, and Fear of, Street Running in the State Capital: NJ-ARP, almost alone, has long insisted SNJLRT, because it is LRT, had the flexibility (and federal tolerance) to run in city streets in both Camden and Trenton, providing true downtown access. (While diesel-multiple-unit trains could, theoretically, do the same, the Federal Railroad Administration has actively discouraged DMU street running in the United States.) NJ-ARP s Ciacciarelli tested the acceptance level of street running, finding that much of the interest is in re-opening the current pedestrian mall to auto traffic; presumably, SNJLRT would be welcomed through the door, as well. But SNJLRT s welcome into Trenton proper seems... Limited to Statehouse Terminus; No Push to West Trenton Line Yet Seen: Ciacciarelli inquired about access to the West Trenton Station, currently served by SEPTA and possibly to be served by NJT s future West Trenton Line service. Interest appears muted, at best. Give us the money and we ll build it, one NJT officer quipped, while acknowledging that NJT had not contacted local officials in Ewing Township, where the West Trenton Station is located in NJ-ARP s view, an opportunity that should not be missed. NJT s conservatism can be forgiven in part, since... Funds for the Current Capitol Extension Plan Itself Must Be Identified: SNJLRT supporters (including NJ-ARP) took a gamble in the late 1990s we still think it was a good one in opting for reliance on the state to fund the project; it s enabled SNJLRT to advance rapidly. But any gamble carries risks, and any extension of SNJLRT may be captive to the same reliance on New Jersey to advance it. That s problematic, since the state s debt load has become a hot political issue. Federal funding? The Bush Administration has proposed reducing federal capital fundsharing percentages for transit from 80 percent to 50 percent shades of the bad old days! (But no comparable punishment for highway construction, please note; ah, the joys of free market transportation!) On the plus side, the... State Seems In for a Penny, In for a Pound : Several voices at this year s TransAction Conference in Atlantic City (April 10-12), both from NJ Transit and from the state Department of Transportation, commented publicly that New Jersey will commit to a Trenton extension of SNJLRT fairly soon. One high-placed DOT official at TransAction publicly suggested such a commitment could come by as early as this summer. The courage to commit to the extension is encouraging, given the flak the current project continues to take from anti-rail partisans and the cold-shoulder treatment delivered by nominal rail supporters. But at TransAction, state officials and NJ-ARP traded notes on... Economic Development Patterns Already Shifting, Changing: SNJLRT NIMBYs have ridiculed Burlington County s economic development ideas for SNJLRT from every angle possible and yet changes are already occurring, as developers (not DOT or NJ-ARP) express interest in (or commit to) real estate projects along the county s waterfront. Walk to station has become a potent economic force even as SNJLRT construction proceeds (and despite setbacks such as toppling bridges, occurring in early April). DOT and NJ-ARP officials traded notes at TransAction on who s expected to arrive where on SNJLRT... and how such economic growth could be similarly encouraged in Trenton with the SNJLRT extension. Indeed, the... Ridership Potential, Political Visibility of the Extension Could Prove Decisive: Trenton is the state capital, and state legislative officials likely can be persuaded that a (hyperbole, please) world-class transit system should grace the city s streets. The political motivation, while misplaced, would arrive at the correct conclusion nonetheless: NJ-ARP believes ridership potential, including scores of state government employees, would be bolstered significantly if SNJLRT penetrated Trenton s office center directly (and we don t discount the potential already lined up with the existing system).

2 April 16, 2001 Page 2 PRESIDENT S PERSPECTIVE by Leonard Resto Home Rule Strikes Out By now, many NJ-ARP members have adjusted and adapted to a new anti-rail tactic: the cry from opponents that passenger rail service will create sprawl and reduce the quality of our lives. Few things could be further from the reality. New Jersey is in a congestion mess, in large part, because of a combination of no zoning and poor zoning decisions. That s allowed uncontrolled growth and expansion in areas that have been ill-prepared to manage and sustain the results of the growth. Results include overburdened school systems, inadequate sewer lines, nonexistent or under-utilized rail, and a road system never meant to handle the type of traffic common today. It all falls neatly under the Home Rule. For those of you fairly new to New Jersey, home rule has been a mainstay of governance since early in the last century. It pretty much allows municipalities freedom to decide what goes on within its own borders. This sounds noble enough. But the reality is less so: Decisions within a town s walls seriously affect neighboring areas. Case in point: the recent building of 500 townhouses on North Passaic Avenue in Florham Park. Florham Park borders Chatham Borough. Along North Passaic Avenue in Florham Park is a large stretch of swampland, undisturbed until now. Florham Park has allowed 500 townhouses to be built right at the Chatham Borough border. The problem is that it is much closer and easier to get highway access by coming through Chatham Borough rather than back-tracking thorough Florham Park. Florham Park reaps the benefits of additional tax revenue while Chatham Borough sows the downside of additional traffic and pollution. All this courtesy of home rule. And it s hardly an isolated example. Can this ever change? In a little-noticed action last month, Assemblyman Alex DeCroce (R-36), chairman of the state Assembly Transportation Committee, put forth an idea to help end this zoning idiocy and help ease traffic congestion. He proposes setting up Transportation Enhancement Districts (TEDs). The TEDs would finally have towns recognize that all local actions have consequences elsewhere. Under the TED concept, local towns would get together to discuss how actions within one town would affect another s traffic. Decisions would then be made accordingly. The TED concept is a first step toward developing a regional approach to zoning and the transportation needs of an area. From NJ-ARP s vantage point, rail provides the greatest bang for the buck in reducing traffic congestion in all areas. Growth will come or not come depending upon the zoning decisions made not because rail got there! At some point, we have to realize that home rule is an idea whose time has come 1and gone. A regional approach can make government more efficient, reduce expenses (and thus taxes), and get New Jersey out of the congestion mess our well-intentioned forbears have left for us to solve. DeCroce has indicated public hearings on this plan will be held later this year. NJ-ARP will keep a close eye on this measure, and we plan to testify in support of the idea. It is likely to become an issue in the gubernatorial campaign. As an NJ-ARP member, and as an individual taxpayer and voter, you can help, too: Contact your legislative officials in support of this concept. If you have any questions or would like to speak with me about this idea, please do feel free to call. My phone number is and I can always be reached at coffeelen@aol.com via . NJ-ARP Editor: Douglas John Bowen Ass't Editor: Mary Ann H. Bowen Production: Lester W. Wolff The, founded in 1980, is closely allied with the National Association of Railroad Passengers, based in Washington, D.C. [(202) ]. NJ-ARP DIRECTORS and OFFICERS, 2001 NJ-ARP OFFICE/NORTH 1219 Garden Street Hoboken, NJ (all times) Douglas John Bowen, Director NJ-ARP OFFICE/SOUTH 22 Hartford Road Medford, NJ (eves only) Carol Ann Thomas, Director NJ-ARP TELEPHONE HOTLINE Available 24 Hours; Updated on Sundays (all times) NJ-ARP INTERNET HOTLINE NJ-ARP INTERNET INFO Robert Scheurle, Webmaster Leonard Resto, President (all times) Douglas John Bowen, Vice President (days) (eves) William R. Wright, Secretary (all times) William P. Armstrong, Treasurer (eves only) Jim Ciacciarelli, Director (all times) Daniel Kerwin, Director (eves) Albert L. Papp, Jr., Director (all times) Carol Ann Thomas, Director (days) (eves) Tim Apgar, Sussex liaison , x5485 (all times) Orrin Getz, Rockland liaison (eves) Paul Mulligan, Cape May liaison (eves) Joe Versaggi, Raritan Valley liaison (eves) Jonathan Woolley, Bergen liaison (eves)

3 By PAT R. GILBERT, Staff Writer Want to take a Pascack Valley Line train into Hoboken on a weekend? How about a trip to the city in the afternoon? Maybe you just want to commute to Hackensack from Manhattan. You were supposed to be able to do those things by next year. Now you won't. About 3,000 riders on NJ Transit's Pascack Valley Line who have expected weekend, reverse-peak, and off-peak service on the singletrack railroad won't get it by 2002 because of manpower problems. That news didn't sit well with opinionated Pascack Valley Line riders on a recent evening at Hackensack's Essex Street station. "I feel the service is very inconvenient," said Shama Elliott, a 24-year-old commuter from Hasbrouck Heights who stepped off the 6 p.m. train. "They should have it running all day. It's unacceptable." The hope was that the new service would coincide with the scheduled fall 2002 opening of the $448 million Secaucus Transfer station, giving those on the Pascack Valley Line the option of traveling in either direction during off-peak hours and on weekends to New York Penn Station. The peak-hour service now is limited to Hoboken-bound during the weekday morning rush hours and out of Hoboken for the evening rush. But the $38 million plan to install pieces of track that would allow passenger trains to pass slower freight trains is taking a back seat to higher-priority jobs already being built, including the Secaucus Transfer and a new rail station at Newark International Airport. NJ Transit can't say when riders will get the new service, and maintains that the additional, 2,000-foot-long tracks -- called passing sidings -- are not necessary for the fall 2002 opening of Secaucus. But the agency says it will soon add three more trains in each direction on the Pascack Line, bringing the total to 10 each way during morning and evening rush hours. That should accommodate the surge in riders expected from the Secaucus Transfer. "No one should think that because we missed our target and hope of having it done prior to Secaucus Transfer [opening] that we're not spending millions of dollars on service to Main, Bergen, and Pascack Valley riders," said NJ Transit Executive Director Jeffrey Warsh. "We can't allow people to dismiss $735 million worth of expenditures." Warsh said that money is being spent on the Secaucus Transfer and other projects that will also benefit Pascack riders, including 200 new Comet V rail cars ($200 million), 24 new electric locomotives ($123 million), 33 new diesel locomotives, and more. Commuters, however, are getting impatient. They want all that was promised. Anthony DeVincenzo of Hackensack was trudging down Essex Street with his friend to a nearby bus stop on Hudson Street one evening. Destination: Hoboken. "I can't even get to Hoboken if it's not during the morning rush hour," moaned DeVincenzo, sporting a Yankee cap and jacket. "I don't drive, so that means I wind up taking two buses. I think a lot of people would use the train service if they offered it." Teaneck resident Aaron Freeman walked off the Pascack train in Hackensack on his way home from his job at the World Trade Center. "I think there could be more trains during the day. If I leave work early, I have to take buses," he said, "and that gets rather horrendous." Winding its way from Spring Valley, N.Y., through northern Bergen County to Hoboken, the Pascack Line is a single track railroad that carries 3,350 daily riders. In addition to allowing trains to bypass slower trains, the passing sidings are needed because with a single track, there is no ability to run trains in two directions at the same time. Also, NJ Transit shares the track with freight trains on weekends and during off-peak hours. Without the sidings, a passenger train could get stuck behind a freight train for hours -- not exactly conducive to stellar on-time performance. With a siding, a freight train could pull onto the April 16, 2001 Page 3 Reprinted from The Record, Thursday, March 8, 2001 Pascack Line riders left waiting small piece of track while the passenger train continues to its destination. "They dropped the ball," said Orrin Getz, a Pascack Valley Line commuter and rail advocate from Rockland County, N.Y. "Secaucus Transfer was the whole reason for doing this [installing sidings] in the first place. They said we'd have service in both directions, but all we're having is the holes in the bagels." Warsh is quick to point out, however, that his agency has spent millions on the Secaucus Transfer, which is on schedule and on budget. "[That is] miraculous in and of itself," he said. The Secaucus Transfer will allow commuters on the Main, Bergen, Pascack and other lines to transfer to a train bound for New York Penn Station instead of going to Hoboken first, saving passengers 10 to 15 minutes. The project is more than 70 percent complete. "We want weekend service on Pascack Valley," Warsh said. "People shouldn't think we don't continue to lobby for this project." There have been other challenges, manpower being the biggest, officials say. The specialized track and signal work has to be done by NJ Transit workers under their contract with the agency, and those same employees are now working on big-ticket improvements, such as the Secaucus Transfer, the new rail station at Newark Airport, and the Montclair Connection, and laying more track on the Main-Bergen lines to accommodate more riders. "The reason [for the delay] is not dollars," said James Redeker, NJ Transit's assistant executive director for planning. "The reason is the work requires specialized track and signal work, which because of tremendous volume of what we have to do around the rest of the system, we don't have the staff resources in the field to do everything we'd like to deliver in time." Warsh said the agency also had to do an environmental impact study, "which was not without difficulty." The agency four months ago got its notice from the federal government that the project caused no adverse environmental impact in the towns where the sidings are to be located -- a process that was delayed between six months to a year because of opposition from some communities. The sidings would be in Nanuet, N.Y., Hackensack, Wood-Ridge, Teterboro, Park Ridge-Montvale, and Oradell. Officials in some towns don't see a problem. Others are still fuming. Sonja Hanlon, head of Oradell's environmental committee, said the town is "totally against" the siding, which would be placed between a nursing home equipped with flammable oxygen tanks and a reservoir. There's also a gas pipeline that runs nearby, she said. "Oradell Avenue and Kinderkamack Road can be a nightmare in terms of traffic. If the idea to put the sidings there is to increase commuter travel on the railroad, that's a problem," said Oradell Mayor Fred LaMonica. Park Ridge Mayor Richard Mancinelli said NJ Transit used the timing of the Secaucus Transfer to help sell the siding project to Pascack Valley mayors. Although he's disappointed that it won't be done in time for the Secaucus opening, he says it's more important to have the trains added during peak times to relieve overcrowding. Mancinelli, a commuter who used the Pascack line until his job moved farther uptown, said he expects to get back on the line when he can go directly to New York's Penn Station. "You can't have it both ways. If you're trying to relieve congestion on the roads, to have to make mass transportation more convenient and accessible, so I'm not opposed to the track enhancement," said Mancinelli. "We need it." Staff Writer Pat R. Gilbert's address is gilbert@northjersey.com

4 April 16, 2001 Page 4 Reprinted from The Record, Thursday, March 15, 2001 Hey, Pascack Valley riders. Your weekend train won't come in until And Some People Are Fuming By PAT R. GILBERT, Staff Writer NJ Transit officials said Wednesday that riders on the Pascack Valley Line will have to wait three more years to get the weekend, off-peak, and reverse-commuting service they were promised by Last week, NJ Transit officials were unable to predict when the service would come to the single-track railroad that now runs only during peak hours on weekdays. But when pressed again Wednesday, they said construction would start in 2003 and take a year to finish. "This is a major blow to Bergen County," said County Executive William "Pat" Schuber. "The delay is really unacceptable. We have been promised this in 2002, and this one for Bergen could easily have been done. My goal will be to move this up, even if I have to take it to the governor." Schuber, who dispatched an angry letter to Transportation Commissioner James Weinstein last week after The Record reported on the stalled service, called NJ Transit's explanations of the delay "an inappropriate excuse." NJ Transit said the $38 million Pascack Valley expansion project was Doubts linger over the scheduled completion deadline (fall of 2001) for the Montclair Connection. But little doubt remains that construction has advanced. And, with the advent of spring, the pace has quickened encouragement indeed to those who have waited for part (or all?) of the 72 years that have passed since the project was first proposed in NJ-ARP member Adam Otsuka, whose Montclair home provides convenient oversight of the Boonton Line, reports constant-tension catenary wire has been strung on much of the line s track #2 (eastbound) from Walnut Street Station up to Upper Montclair Station, in one quick April burst. Electrification will extend up to Great Notch Station in Little Falls, Passaic County the furthest New Jersey Transit could delayed by at least a year because of community opposition. It now is being sidelined because the union workers they need for the job are working on big-ticket projects, such as the $448 million Secaucus Transfer and a rail station at Newark International Airport. "The money is there. It's not the money," said Weinstein, who also is NJ Transit's chairman. "There's certain work that has to be done by contract forces on the railroad, and these projects have to go through on a reasonable basis. If there's a way we can [start building] before 2003, clearly we'll try and do it. The commuter situation in Bergen County is clearly critical, but you can only do so much." To offer weekend, reverse-peak, and off-peak service, NJ Transit must install six 2,000-foot pieces of track called sidings -- to allow trains to pass other trains -- in Oradell, Park Ridge-Montvale, Hackensack, Teterboro, Wood-Ridge, and Nanuet, N.Y. Weinstein said NJ Transit did not secure the environmental go-ahead for the project until November and could not design more than 30 percent of it before getting the approval. That approval came after discussions with the affected towns, some of which remain opposed to the project. "A lot of the delay was centered around community input and the community outreach process. That just takes time," Weinstein said. "And you know what? When we get our clock cleaned is when we ignore the communities." But riders are still angry. "'Bergen County keeps being jilted," said Douglas Bowen, vice president of the. "We need a clearer explanation of what's going on, because this is dragging out. The date's already slipped. It was 2002, and now it's How can we even be sure of that?" In an effort to speed things along, NJ Transit officials said, 30 more union workers have been hired. But because the signal and track work is so technical, it takes up to two years to train them. When asked for a response to Schuber's letter, Weinstein replied, "His job is to look after his constituents, and to the extent that we can be supportive, we're going to be. The money is there; we'll issue a contract for final design, and we'll continue [to advance] the rest of [NJ Transit's] program, which benefits Bergen County." Staff Writer Pat R. Gilbert's address is gilbert@northjersey.com Montclair Connection Work: Warm Weather Brings Wires extend electrification without building any additional substations. At the connection site itself, no wires nor catenary support structures exist just yet, though foundations for such structures are in place. But track crews have begun placing concrete ties in the Connection s cut itself, while shoe-fly tracks and other prep work are under way at the Connection s northern end (just south of Walnut Street Station) where switches will be put in place. Numerous observers have commented on the noticeable grade (downhill for eastbound trains) the Connection offers, and speculated on what speed restrictions might be needed for such a grade (combined with the S-curve nature of the Connection itself). The Connection also allows observers to view both the Montclair Branch Bay Street Station and Boonton Line Walnut Street stop from one vantage point prompting additional speculation on whether one of the stops (Walnut Street is most often mentioned) might be closed once the two lines are united as one. As noted, the project s completion date, though slated for autumn, is in some doubt. New Jersey Transit has said it can easily commence diesel train operations over the new route in time to meet the deadline, but some Montclair officials have objected, demanding an all-or-nothing commencement of new service, in order to reinforce their long-standing fears that NJT would simply offer the municipality diesel-only service. NJT sources privately tell NJ-ARP that could push the project s completion back to January, 2002.

5 April 16, 2001 Page 5 Reprinted from The Home News Tribune, Saturday, March 17, 2001 Two more reasons to build MOM rail A Home News Tribune editorial, 3/17/01 New figures on rail usage and population growth boost the belief that Middlesex County needs the proposed Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex rail line, which would run through the southern portion of the county. On Wednesday New Jersey Transit announced its bus and train ridership is soaring; agency officials credit stable fares, new services, high employment levels and strong state and regional economies. The strongest growth was in New Jersey Transit's rail system, which enjoyed a 9.6 percent increase in riders from the same period in This follows U.S. Census Bureau data released earlier in the month that revealed the greatest surge in people making Middlesex County their home was in the southern third of the county -- the communities of Plainsboro, South Brunswick, Cranbury, Jamesburg and Monroe, the area through which the MOM line would pass. The population of Plainsboro and Monroe ballooned more than 40 percent in the '90s, and Cranbury and Monroe were close behind in growth in the 20 percent to 39 percent range. Even tiny Jamesburg saw its population pop by more than 10 percent. The ridership and population trends reinforce the notion that local and county officials who oppose the MOM line aren't thinking straight. Or, perhaps they understand the rail would be a benefit, but they lack the political courage to go against vocal constituents who don't want commuter trains running through their backyards. Opponents in government wrongly contend the MOM line would spur development in their relatively bucolic communities, but they only need to turn their heads and realize accelerated development already is happening and has been for some time. Improved local and regional zoning policies are the best way to stem unchecked housing starts and massive business developments. The exclusion of necessary rail service is not. Rail service isn't the problem, it's an answer to the problem. Those tens of thousands of new residents need some way to get to work and other points beyond, and there will be droves of additional people settling in southern Middlesex County as this decade advances. Should all of them and their cars be forced onto already choked Route 1, the N.J. Turnpike and other main roadways? No way. The best leaders don't cower for fear of voter backlash, they try to persuade the public there's a better way. It's time for some persuading; the facts say so. [Editors Note: The above reprint also appeared in the March 20, 2001 edition of OBSERVATIONS. We felt it important enough to reprint here for our entire membership to read.] ODDS & ENDS A number of special thank-yous this month to members who have done yeoman s work on your behalf: Adam Otsuka, of Upper Montclair, has been instrumental in drafting up suggestions for a Hoboken train schedule to minimize the effects of the upcoming Bergen Tunnel rehabilitation now scheduled for late June. Adam was assisted by Ralph Braskett, who selflessly gave of his time. Win Greenleaf continues blanketing the north-central part of the state with our brochures. His efforts are very much appreciated. Carol Ann Thomas has taken a leadership role in planning our Patron Lunch which will take place on Saturday, May 5 in Riverside, NJ. As of this writing, we have a dozen patron members! A great big thanks to Bill Wright for setting us up for the TransAction Conference in Atlantic City. Thanks also goes to Bill Nikel for staffing our table in the Exhibit Hall.

6 April 16, 2001 Page 6 Reprinted from The Jersey Journal, Friday, April 6, 2001 He d have MTA take over PATH, 2 NJT lines By Journal staff The new head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority thinks PATH and two NJ Transit lines should be run by the New York agency as part of a regionalization effort. A Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman said yesterday that MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow's recently published idea never came through the P.A. offices. Kakilow is a principal in H.J. Kalikow and Co., a leading New York real estate firm, and was appointed chairman of the MTA by New York Gov. George Pataki less than two months ago. Although Kalikow did not return calls for comment yesterday, MTA spokesman Tom Kelly confirmed reports that the chairman believes placing the 13-station PATH system and NJ Transit's Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines under the MTA would be more efficient. The change would allow riders to transfer from New Jersey commuter trains to the MTA's subways, trains or buses for one fare. It's a thought that enjoys the support of New York officials, Kelly said. "But it would have to be approved by the New Jersey authorities," he added. NJ Transit declined comment. The Port Authority and the MTA have had ongoing negotiations to create a "SmartCard" technology that would allow PATH users to hop on the MTA's system, and vice versa, for one fare. Officials have offered no date for the SmartCard or the possibility that the MTA's MetroCard could be used to ride PATH. Complaints of having to pay one fare to get from New Jersey to New York and then to pay another to move within the city grew louder recently when the price of a PATH ride went up by 50 percent last month to $1.50 for a one-way trip. At least one commuter advocate, who has been calling for a one-fare system, supports the idea of regionalizing public transportation across the Hudson River. "It was interesting to see Peter Kalikow's input. He takes a very regional view of the MTA. I think we have to head down that direction to allow people to cross the Hudson and head to uptown Manhattan for one fare," said Leonard Resto, president of the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers. Kalikow, who was formerly vice chairman of the MTA's board, is also a Port Authority commissioner. Kelly said he would resign from that post because the unpaid MTA job requires "day-to-day" attention. Port Authority spokesman Allen Morrison said he had never heard Kalikow's views of regionalization. "We think it (PATH) works well as it is being managed now," Morrison said. "For example, the commissioner approved the first phase of a $1 billion improvement plan. Hopefully people will feel like we're doing something good with their investment." The P.A. Board of Commissioners yesterday approved the replacement or rehabilitation of 340 cars in the aging PATH fleet and will provide a new signal system that, Port Authority officials say, will improve service reliability. This is the biggest investment in PATH since the Port Authority purchased what was then known as the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad in It will take the agency an estimated seven years to upgrade the system. "This new signal system will provide PATH with the most modern and efficient train control technology available. This will translate into more effective and reliable service for our customers for years to come," said Michael DePallo, director and general manager of PATH. NJ-ARP MEETING SCHEDULE May 5 Sat., 11:00 am NJ-ARP Patrons Luncheon, Riverside, N.J. May 16 Wed., 6:30 pm Location to be advised June 13 Wed., 6:30pm George s Restaurant, Bound Brook July 14 Sat., 12:00 Noon Medford-Home of C arol Ann Thomas If you wish to attend meetings, contact NJ-ARP at ( ) at least five (5) days prior to the meeting. Please leave your name and telephone number.

7 April 16, 2001 Page 7 CMSL Service to Tuckahoe Still an Elusive Prospect Will Cape May Seashore Lines reach Tuckahoe this year? NJ-ARP has been asked repeatedly. Our sad response: Not in One year after New Jersey Transit promised to expedite the issue of trackage rights on its Cape May Branch, Cape May Seashore Lines (CMSL) remains waiting while NJT officials delay and dicker over whether those rights are for passenger use, or for passenger and freight potential, and who should fix the track when, and with what money. Indeed, at times NJT officials appear determined to thwart any extension of CMSL service north of its current passenger terminus, Cape May Park & Zoo. First, NJT said CMSL had to clear any passenger trackage right issues with CSX Corp. and Conrail Shared Assets, NJT s freight tenant on the Cape May Branch between Tuckahoe and Winslow Junction. But in 2000, Conrail officials assured both CMSL and NJ-ARP that the Class I freight railroad has no problems either with CMSL passenger operations north of Tuckahoe, or in freight handoffs at Tuckahoe to CMSL. Informed of such progress late last summer, NJT fell back to its next obstacle: CMSL had to commit funds to rehabilitating roughly 14 miles of rightof-way to Tuckahoe before it was granted trackage rights of any kind to Winslow Junction. Meanwhile, in Trenton, the state Department of Transportation is ready to release at least $2 million for the rehabilitation but only after CMSL is granted tenancy. NJ-ARP Cape May Liaison Paul Mulligan, not given to hyperbole, notes this is a classic case of Catch-22. NJ-ARP officials at TransAction 2001 repeated the group s entreaty to New Jersey Transit officials (including to Executive Director Jeff Warsh), noting Cape May Branch passenger service is on NJT s own Transportation 2020 list, and noting that state funds are available to upgrade the right-of-way. Paradoxically, NJT has done its best to spotlight CMSL s role in southern New Jersey by expediting CMSL equipment moves to Atlantic City for both TransAction 2000 and TransAction And NJT itself has talked up potential transfer opportunities at Winslow Junction between CMSL and NJT s Atlantic City Line service. But NJ-ARP remains frustrated by NJT s unwillingness to reach consensus with a proven tenant and a good partner. CMSL has proven its responsibility on the NJT property it currently operates on, and deserves the chance to demonstrate the same good-tenant capability, certainly as a passenger train operator, on the entire Cape May Branch north to Tuckahoe. CMSL also is pursuing freight service opportunities south of Tuckahoe. One proposal would be in conjunction with shortline operator Southern Railroad of New Jersey, according to SRNJ Vice President Tom Collard. Collard, in a gentle rebuke to NJ-ARP references of friction between SRNJ and CMSL, outlined a joint SRNJ/CMSL proposal under discussion in a recent letter to NJ-ARP. Passenger service, freight opportunity, and identified funding. To NJ-ARP, that sounds like a winning plan. Yet NJT at times seems oblivious to the opportunity and a chance for a low-cost rail upgrade in southern New Jersey. WE COME BACK FOR MORE More punishment, if a rail proposal is beaten back. (Take MOM: The NIMBYs won once, then just thought we d fade away.) More growth, if a rail project germinates. (SNJLRT to Trenton? Let s do it.) More brainstorming, if someone floats something new. (Lots of good ideas abound; what s yours? NJ-ARP would love to hear it.) For two decades, more rail has been NJ-ARP s goal, to help make New Jersey s car-confined culture a little more free. And we don t plan to rest until all 21 counties in the state and the people living in them have an option to do more than just answer to the automobile. Whether it s rail, light rail, ferry, bus, or even bicycle, New Jersey deserves better. New Jersey riders deserve more. And the more voices that join NJ-ARP, all the more often that planners and politicians will address the need for balanced transportation options. Who could ask for anything more? Join NJ-ARP and add your voice. The more voices, the more the impact! [ ] Basic $20.00 [ ] Family $30.00 [ ] Sustaining $50.00 [ ] Patron $ [ ] Student/Senior $10.00 (Up to 3 People) Enclosed is $ for membership(s) in NJ-ARP. Name Address City/State Zip Phone (day) (eve) news.0104.arp

8 April 16, 2001 Page 8 HBLRT Marks First Birthday with Growth, Growing Pains April 15 marks the one-year anniversary of Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Transit (HBLRT) operation, and from NJ-ARP s point of view, the transit baby shows signs of good health and growth. But like all youngsters, it also has its problems. Average weekday ridership topped 8,700 passenger trips in the first week of April, short of the 10,000 benchmark set by NJ Transit last year, but not critically so. In fact, ridership has grown slowly and steadily throughout the first year, getting a modest but measurable boost when limited HBLRT service was extended northward to (Pavonia/)Newport station and the shopping mall last November. The problems? Sluggish speeds between Exchange Place and Liberty Science Center, due in part to Paulus Hook NIMBYs fear of neighborhood carnage. Signal priority which, in fact, gives automobiles the priority all too often, as opposed to signal pre-emption. Lack of signage between HBLRT and PATH (though HBLRT cars indicate PATH transfers, at least). Service to Newport will be augmented this month as Bayonne leg LRT runs are extended north of Harborside to join their West Side leg brethren. Hoboken Terminal, with all kinds of intermodal LRT/train/bus/PATH/ferry opportunities, remains one tantalizing mile away, out of reach until (officially) the summer of City Subway Extension Opening Keeps Slip-Sliding Away It was supposed to debut in But an opening date for adding one mile of light rail service to the Newark City Subway system continues to elude New Jersey Transit and potential LRT riders. Squabbles with one contractor last year delayed the extension, but catenary is now in place and energized, and new Kinki Sharyo LRT cars (part of the HBLRT order) have been seen running on the new track between Branch Brook Park Station (the current terminus) and Grove Street in Bloomfield. Still, NJT sources tell NJ-ARP the spring 2001 deadline, set last fall after a 2000 deadline melted away, is "ephemeral" and likely will not be met. That's frustrated NJ-ARP and more than a few railfans itching to celebrate any "Last Run of the PCCs" the new extension will help herald. Already, several "last days" have come and gone. NJ-ARP's concerns are more prosaic. City Subway ridership, rebounding strongly in the mid-1990s to more than 16,000 customers per day, now hovers at an anemic 6,000, as substitute schedules, substitute bus service, construction obstacles and continued general confusion have cut into the customer base. A speedy resolution (and expansion) of LRT service into Belleville and Bloomfield is desirable, and we hope NJ Transit delivers without too many more delays. P.O. Box 7305, Freehold, NJ Want the latest news in transportation issues? Call the NJ-ARP HOTLINE or visit us on the web at