Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 22, 2015 Share #1 Posted July 22, 2015 On Day 3 of Delays, Rail System’s Shortfalls Are Painfully Clear By BENJAMIN MUELLER JULY 22, 2015 Photo Asher Kaufman, 8, waited for a train at the New Jersey Transit New Brunswick station on Wednesday. The Northeast Corridor line was experiencing delays during the morning rush. CreditBryan Anselm for The New York Times The delays, coming a week after the board of New Jersey Transit approved a major fare increase, created chaos during the morning rush and gave rise to another round of questions about Gov. Chris Christie’s decision five years ago to halt construction of a new rail tunnel.For the third day in a row, electrical problems in century-old rail tunnels under the Hudson River on Wednesday stymied the commutes of tens of thousands of New Jersey Transit riders, illustrating again the shortcomings of the region’s languishing infrastructure system. Commuters, many of whom have grown inured to grinding delays and overflowing platforms, lashed out on Wednesday, blaming the transit agency for being habitually late to work and criticizing Mr. Christie for failing to find a solution to the state’s drained transportation fund. The deteriorating tunnels are a chokepoint for rail traffic from Boston to Washington, the busiest railroad corridor in the United States, and serve as the most vital artery for New Jersey Transit, the nation’s third-largest provider of commuting services. Photo Commuters waiting for a train at Newark's Penn Station on Wednesday morning. Some passengers experienced delays of up to 90 minutes. CreditBryan Anselm for The New York Times The federal transportation secretary, Anthony Foxx, during an appearance in New York on Tuesday, called the lack of action to repair the shoddy tunnels “almost criminal.” The disruption on Wednesday stemmed from problems in the overhead electrical wires that power the trains, which suspended New Jersey Transit service into and out of Manhattan’s Pennsylvania Station and caused hour long delays throughout the morning commute. Wendi Glassman, a lawyer who has been riding the 13 miles from her home in Elizabeth, N.J., to Manhattan on New Jersey Transit for 30 years, said her 26-minute commute took her about three hours on Wednesday. Late for another meeting, she waded through a sea of delayed travelers and their suitcases, backpacks and shopping bags in Pennsylvania Station. “It used to be amazing service,” Ms. Glassman said. “But I could have walked here faster today. People are furious and there’s been no response.” She added, “I think Governor Christie is to blame. Until he starts devoting more money to transit, this is going to keep happening.” Power was shut down to both tubes of the Hudson River Tunnel around 5:45 a.m. after a switch that controls a high-voltage cable malfunctioned, said Craig Schulz, a spokesman for Amtrak, which owns the tunnel. Different problems with the same overhead catenary system also snarled New Jersey Transit commutes on Monday night and Tuesday morning. Engineers are trying to determine whether issues such as aging tunnel infrastructure or heat may have played a role, but Mr. Schulz said the deterioration of the tunnel walls, especially after Hurricane Sandy, had increased the likelihood of electrical problems. The seawater and salt that inundated the tunnel during the hurricane “have been eating away at the concrete bench walls where the signal and power cables reside,” he said. “These kinds of disruptions are what we are hoping to avoid by advancing our efforts to build a new tunnel.” Mr. Christie, a Republican who is now running for president, torpedoed a plan to add tunnels in 2010, just after work on them had begun. Despite an independent federal report saying he exaggerated the costs, Mr. Christie said he worried the project would have unduly burdened New Jersey taxpayers. He ordered that $3 billion from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey set aside for the plan be redirected to other projects in New Jersey. New Jersey Transit officials took notice of the growing irritation, writing in an unusually frank notice to commuters that “the quality of your commute during the last several days has been unacceptable, and we share in your frustration.” Asked about the latest service interruptions, Mr. Christie’s office referred questions to New Jersey Transit, which blamed maintenance problems on Amtrak. “NJ TRANSIT pays Amtrak approximately $100 million annually toward keeping the Northeast Corridor running, and we have requested of Amtrak to know if our money is truly going toward ensuring reliable rail service for our customers,” Veronique Hakim, the agency’s executive director, said in a statement. But federal officials and commuters alike said they were losing patience with efforts to reduce strain on the tunnels, which are 105 years old and which Amtrak has said will need to be temporarily shut down to repair damage from Hurricane Sandy. Commuter demand between New Jersey and Manhattan is expected to rise 38 percent by 2030. Mr. Foxx, the federal transportation secretary, said at a conference on Tuesday that the proposal to build new rail tunnels, known as the Gateway project, was “one of the — if not the — most important projects in the country right now that’s not happening.” He added, in an interview, that he needed help from elected leaders in New York and New Jersey before it was too late. “I think that everybody at the state level is saying positive things, but we need to get down to brass tacks,” Mr. Foxx said. “I can’t say that I see a well storm of momentum.” A chorus of grumbles and moans rose from Pennsylvania Station on Wednesday as commuters described the family events, sightseeing excursions and meetings they were late for. The pain was compounded by a New Jersey Transit board vote last week to approve a fare increase of about 9 percent that will take effect in October. The increase will add as much as $40 to the price of a monthly pass for some commuters who ride to Pennsylvania Station. A salesman from Allenhurst, N.J., named Ken, did not want to give his last name, hoping nobody at his office would notice the hour-plus delay. “I’m not happy,” he said, glancing nervously at his watch. “Everyone’s probably used to it at this point, but it’s still frustrating.” Michael P. Lyons, a talent manager from Westfield, N.J., commended New Jersey Transit for accommodating passengers — tickets were being honored by PATH, buses and New York Waterway — but added: “It’s an infrastructure problem if you ask me.” The power problems on Wednesday morning forced trains to use a single track in the north tube of the tunnel, until power to the other tube was restored around 7:45 a.m. By late Wednesday morning, delays from an hour to 90 minutes had dropped to about 45 minutes. Those wait times were similar to what commuters faced on Monday night and Tuesday morning during rush hour. A circuit breaker trip in a power substation west of the Hudson River Tunnel briefly shut down power to the tunnel on Monday night, Mr. Schulz, the Amtrak spokesman, said. Then on Tuesday around 5 a.m., there were signal problems near Princeton, N.J., followed shortly thereafter by another trip of the same circuit breaker that caused problems the night before. Engineers were deployed to the substation and remain there in case there are additional problems, Mr. Schulz said. The switch problem on Wednesday morning was temporarily repaired in order to restore service, but engineering personnel would need to return overnight for more permanent repairs. Emma G. Fitzsimmons and Noah Remnick contributed reporting. Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/23/nyregion/new-jersey-transit-service-again-disrupted-by-electrical-problems.html?ref=nyregion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share #2 Posted July 22, 2015 Whoops... Please move this to the NJTransit area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
553 Bridgeton Posted July 23, 2015 Share #3 Posted July 23, 2015 But but but these are the same ppl who voted for him. Oh well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share #4 Posted July 23, 2015 I think NJTransit has to be one of the WORST systems in the Metropolitan area. The cost is expensive and the service is unreliable. Some snow on the ground and there's complete chaos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan Railer Posted July 23, 2015 Share #5 Posted July 23, 2015 NJTransit Rail is, for the lack of a better descriptive phrase, a piece of shit. The system is falling apart (while the state under Governor Crispie continues to siphon funds away from rail towards highways), ALP equipment is loud as hell when experiencing wheelslip (no other equipment I know of screams like the 46s do when experiencing wheelslip), employees haven't seen a pay raise in years, and often pass on their frustration to the riders (we get treated like crap by some of the conductors), and the system in general is over-all NOT railfan friendly. And yet they have the gall to pass on increasing operating costs directly to the passengers via ANOTHER fare increase... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share #6 Posted July 23, 2015 NJTransit Rail is, for the lack of a better descriptive phrase, a piece of shit. The system is falling apart (while the state under Governor Crispie continues to siphon funds away from rail towards highways), ALP equipment is loud as hell when experiencing wheelslip (no other equipment I know of screams like the 46s do when experiencing wheelslip), employees haven't seen a pay raise in years, and often pass on their frustration to the riders (we get treated like crap by some of the conductors), and the system in general is over-all NOT railfan friendly. And yet they have the gall to pass on increasing operating costs directly to the passengers via ANOTHER fare increase... That's what blows my mind. It's EXPENSIVE AND it sucks. I mean raise the fares, fine, but for Christ's sake let's see some service improvements. I used to use the commuter trains when going to Classical Concerts at NJPAC and it was blah then. The commuter buses are expensive for what you get and you can often see people standing. I simply refuse to pay such prices and have to stand. I limit my trips to do shopping at the Garden State Plaza for this reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Sith Posted July 23, 2015 Share #7 Posted July 23, 2015 That's what blows my mind. It's EXPENSIVE AND it sucks. I mean raise the fares, fine, but for Christ's sake let's see some service improvements. I used to use the commuter trains when going to Classical Concerts at NJPAC and it was blah then. The commuter buses are expensive for what you get and you can often see people standing. I simply refuse to pay such prices and have to stand. I limit my trips to do shopping at the Garden State Plaza for this reason. Won't happen when the Governor continues to reject funding and take money away from NJT all at once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
553 Bridgeton Posted July 23, 2015 Share #8 Posted July 23, 2015 There wont be any hope for njt until this a**hole leaves or hopefully someone who is pro-transit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share #9 Posted July 23, 2015 I don't follow NJTransit closely, but what is the purpose of the latest hikes over the last several years? Are they just trying to plug holes fiscally or what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaTransitMan4608 Posted July 23, 2015 Share #10 Posted July 23, 2015 All the problems with the NEC are the reason I'm dorming in college rather than commuting. What I've seen the past few days is downright unacceptable. Thank god the winds didn't blow that big fire in New Brunswick towards the NEC tracks. Things would've been much worse had that happened. They need to be doing more to pump money into the TTF instead of out of it. Raise the gas tax, not the fares. I don't care if those motorists don't or barely use NJT, they need to pay their fair share too. I think the reason Christie didn't fund NJT, is because NJ is so damn car-centric he thought no one utilized it. Wrong again, lardo. I don't follow NJTransit closely, but what is the purpose of the latest hikes over the last several years? Are they just trying to plug holes fiscally or what?This latest one is to fill a budget gap from what I've heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreeddekalbL Posted July 24, 2015 Share #11 Posted July 24, 2015 well here we go again with njt rail problems... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46Dover Posted July 24, 2015 Share #12 Posted July 24, 2015 Dispatcher: Attention Lakeland operators: We are cross honoring now, we are cross honoring now. Me: Again??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go25 Posted July 24, 2015 Share #13 Posted July 24, 2015 You know, this is gonna get much more worse before it gets better. I might not live in NJ anymore, but it be damned if people who depend on NJT, period, have to get more money milked from their paychecks. Its bad enough with all the taxes they take out and for what?!?! Where does all that money go to? Sure is hell not back to the working class... Raising the gas tax is an option, but then again it aint. If anything, what the state needs to do is get rid of all the unnecessary taxes they have thrown to NJ residents. Second, that fat bastard needs to go away. Third, NJT has too many empty suits (Veronique Hakim, I'm looking at you) that are sitting there saying yes, yes, yes, yes to anything concerning budget cuts to the agency but not their paychecks. Its time for someone who can cleanse the mess that is NJT from all this crap... End rant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaTransitMan4608 Posted July 25, 2015 Share #14 Posted July 25, 2015 At least Amtrak realizes there's a problem..... http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/07/amtrak_boss_say_he_feels_nj_transit_riders_frustra.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreeddekalbL Posted July 27, 2015 Share #15 Posted July 27, 2015 decided to hedge their bet and "anticipate" problems and cross honor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share #16 Posted July 27, 2015 Dispatcher: Attention Lakeland operators: We are cross honoring now, we are cross honoring now. Me: Again??? I would expect that to go on this week too... It will be quite hot and humid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfs NJT459 Posted July 28, 2015 Share #17 Posted July 28, 2015 At least and Amtrak met http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2015/07/nj_transit_files_complaint_with_amtrak_about_delays.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreeddekalbL Posted July 28, 2015 Share #18 Posted July 28, 2015 Here we go again.... disabled amtrak train in the tubes to nyp.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaTransitMan4608 Posted July 28, 2015 Share #19 Posted July 28, 2015 Here we go again.... disabled amtrak train in the tubes to nyp....An ACS-64 to be exact. Brand new engine with unresolved teething issues. Per RR.Net forums, the ACS-64s have been having some serious snags as of late. This one apparently had speedometer problems in Newark, then it went and s**t the bed in the worst place possible and at the worst time possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
40MntVrn Posted August 6, 2015 Share #20 Posted August 6, 2015 It's not all that bad. When they cross-honor bus service, there's always a bus service headed in your direction nearby, the buses always come on time, you can always find a seat, and their buses always breeze right through the tunnels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silk City Transit Posted August 7, 2015 Share #21 Posted August 7, 2015 It's not all that bad. When they cross-honor bus service, there's always a bus service headed in your direction nearby, the buses always come on time, you can always find a seat, and their buses always breeze right through the tunnels. Reminds me of the time when I was still at Market Street and they were doing the "Secaucus Junction diversion" due to an accident in the Lincoln Tunnel that morning... hundreds of buses backed all the way up the Exit 15X ramp dumping thousands of people into a rail system already busting at the seams. Seems legit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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