Replies to my letter sent to NJT CEO/DIRECTOR

[Shortline Bus]

guys i recently wrote a letter to the head executive at NJ Transit about two issues. Creating a new Staten island-New Jersey bus line along both the Gotheals and Outerbridge Crossing. Also expanding the NJ Transit Northeast Line as well. Please review and offer your comments.

 

From: Hudson River

Hudson Valley, NY, USA

 

The Letter

 

New Jersey Transit, Inc.

C/o Richard R. Sarles

Executive Director

NJ TRANSIT Headquarters

1 Penn Plaza East

Newark NJ 07105

 

 

June 12, 2009

 

Dear Mr. Sarles.

 

I am a Grad Student that also a mass transit advocate that has ridden on subway, bus and commuter lines throughout my whole life. I am writing this letter to address as brief as I can three issues involving suggestions. One would involve creating all night or 24 hour service on Transit’s Northeast corridor line. The other is creating a new direct bus link between Freehold (Freehold Raceway Mall) and Staten Island, NY via US Route 9 corridor.

 

 

 

A) Northeast Corridor-This line should be extended to 30th Street Philadelphia operating non stop between North Philadelphia and Trenton. I am wondering Sir if an agreement could be made between your agency, SEPTA and Amtrak/Conrail to operate this service.

1) I am proposing that this line expand the hours of NJ Transit to run at all times 24 hours a day between Trenton and New York. With so many people relocating to central New Jersey and beyond in addition to this being NJT’s busiest rail line I strongly feel that this route warrants overnight service. This is similar to the New York City area and the Long Island Railroad Commuter trains operating about two-three routes with 90 minute headways between 2-5am. It would be great if New Jersey Transit could do the same. In addition ‘express’ service between New Brunswick and Newark Penn Station should be expanded especially on weekends.

2) This line should be extended to 30th Street Philadelphia operating non stop between North Philadelphia and Trenton. I am wondering Sir if an agreement could be made between your agency, SEPTA and Amtrak/Conrail to operate this service and take buses off the roads and be environmental friendly. In addition Amtrak is very expensive and provide an alternative for those on a budget. This extended service to/from Philadelphia would be could be headways every 2 hours daily.

 

 

B) Creating two new Staten Island-New Jersey Bus services.

As you maybe aware Mr. Sarles, the New York Borough of Staten Island is one of the region’s fastest growing towns/communities and yet other than rush hour bus service on the Bayonne Bridge between Jersey City/Bayonne and the borough, currently there no form of mass transit at all between Staten Island and the New Jersey bridges, the Gothehals and Outerbridge Crossing. Traffic is now routinely heavy with traffic congestion, 7 days a week including even holidays.

 

To help with easing traffic and taking cars off the road, I am wondering why has not New Jersey Transit or any of your affiliated private bus carriers such as Coach USA/Suburban Lines/Red and Tan, Academy Bus Lines and Atlantic Express consider this? There is needed more than ever to operating a full time 7-day a week hourly service on both the remaining New Jersey-Staten island crossing with no public bus service.

Here are the proposed routes.

 

2) A new Newark-Staten island route via Goethals Bridge. This route could run between Newark Penn Station/Liberty International Airport-Staten Island-One route that runs between one of the nation’s busiest airports and Staten Island via the US Route 1/9 corridor through Elizabeth and Linden (Wal Mart Shopping Center)

 

Advantages of this new Newark-Staten Island bus route:

1) Public bus access for Staten Island residents to Newark Airport.

2) Access for Staten Island residents to transfer/connect to most of the New Jersey train service at Newark Penn Station without having to transfer to New York-Penn Station in Manhattan.

3) Direct bus for Elizabeth and Linden to/from Staten Island.

4) Direct Bus for Staten Island residents to/from Linden Wal-Mart store and other area shopping centers.

 

 

3) New Freehold Raceway Mall(Freehold-Staten Island line via Outerbridge Crossing) This new Southern Staten Island Route Could run between Staten Island Eligntville neighborhood via the Outerbridge and stopping through Perth Amboy, South Amboy

Old Bridge, through Freehold via US Route 9.

Advantages of new Freehold-Staten Island bus line.

1) Direct bus to Monmouth County-Staten Island.

2) Access via transfer for Staten Island residents to Lakewood, Toms River and Atlantic City.

3) Relieve overcrowding on the busy US Route 9 corridor on the 67/139 lines between Old Bridge and Freehold.

 

Again any of your affiliated private bus carriers mention earlier, could also operate either or both new Staten Island-NJ bus services 7 days a week.

In closing, like almost all public service of the public agencies in our country Sir, I am fully aware of the terrible international economic recession we are all facing. Public transit usage in our nation is at or near all time high. By expanding service such as creating 24-hour a day NJ Transit Northeast Corridor train service and also creating as many as least two bus lines between Staten Island and New Jersey.

I am hopefully for a couple within next couple of weeks.

Thank You in Advance for your replies.

 

Sincerely

 

Hudson River(real name is blocked for my privacy)

 

Reactions?

[Far Rock Depot]

i like the idea for the NEC to be 24hours.

 

aas far as a NJ/SI route, (MTA)New York City Transit already has one in operation...the S89

[Ken S.]

As far as a NJ/SI route, (MTA)New York City Transit already has one in operation...the S89

 

He's talking about creating one between Staten Island and the Elizabeth/Linden/Perth Amboy areas via the Gothels and Outerbridge. The S89 runs rush hours only between Bayonne and SI.

[FamousNYLover]

He's talking about creating one between Staten Island and the Elizabeth/Linden/Perth Amboy areas via the Gothels and Outerbridge. The S89 runs rush hours only between Bayonne and SI.

I wish S89 could be run 24-hours as well.

[Shortline Bus]

i like the idea for the NEC to be 24hours.

 

aas far as a NJ/SI route, (MTA)New York City Transit already has one in operation...the S89

 

(njt)(nec)trenton line already operates weekdays about 22.5 hours from about 430am-2am so it should not be any big deal.

[Ken S.]

I wish S89 could be run 24-hours as well.

 

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that. There's a private carrier that uses a certain seven-letter word to describe the S89.

[Shortline Bus]

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that. There's a private carrier that uses a certain seven-letter word to describe the S89.

 

 

None of the SI-NJ crossing for now needs 24/7 all night bus service. Just daily hourly(every 30minutes rush hour/peak times on weekends)on the Outerbridge and Goethals from 6am-11pm would be fine for now.

[kaback9]

Don't expect to see a NJT NYP-30th Street service. Amtrak owns the rails and does not want the competition, they would bring back the clockers if the demand for the service was there. Also the deal is NJT will only take you so far then they feed you to Amtrak or to SEPTA so that you may take either one to Philly. Not to mention you could take a North East Regional if you really want or heck if you have some coin an Acela.

[Forest Glen]

It's easier to just pay the $10 and take the Chinatown bus from NY to Philly.

[Shortline Bus]

Besides the train i wrote NJT to address the traffic nightmare especially on weekends on the Staten Island-New Jersey bridges.

 

Anything to improve traffic on both the Gotehals and Outerbridge. What surprising now as 2 months ago on Easter/Passover weekend, i was driving to SI on Outerbridge on Saturday Night at 9pm and the bridge was bumper-bumper rush hour type traffic jam.

 

In couple of years traveling on normal Monday-Friday Rush Hour rail/busfanning on the NYCTA express bus X17 to SI Mall, via the Gotheals traffic moved great. Yet on weekends it crawling.

 

It seems that most SI people must love their cars. They grip about taxes etc and yet hardly mention the near crisis of traffic on the SI Expressway and the SI Bridges.

:eek::tdown:

[Ken S.]

It's easier to just pay the $10 and take the Chinatown bus from NY to Philly.

 

Among other options such as Bolt, Mega, and Amtrak.

 

I've found the NJT/SEPTA transfer to be easy which appears to be the basis for the OP's suggestion that most SEPTA-bound NJT transfers are heading to CCP. It's coming back and watching the Dover train pulling out of SEC as the NEC train pulls in that annoys me to where I'm considering Amtrak for the next trip down there since it's easier for me to go to Newark instead of NYP.

[Shortline Bus]

Guys i know most you live in the '4' boroughs of NYC and elsewhere and have very little knowledge of SI mass transit/traffic. However have any of you been on either the Gothehals or Outerbridge Crossing either driving with your family/friends or a charter bus? It awful especially weekends now. The S89 runs on the lightly used Bayonne Bridge rush hours only.

 

 

A slight change. Maybe the SI terminal for proposed SI-NJ buses should be Eligntville TC.(also terminal for the X1 and several other SI-Manhattan bus lines)

 

I am sure there are more comments at least on the bus end can better comment/analyze on where/what streets and road should those SI-NJ buses should go such as Newark via Gotherals or Woodbridge via the Outerbridge?

 

 

The idea is to improve the traffic on those '2' major SI-NJ bridges especially on the worsening peak hours on weekends/major holidays ie 4-9pm Friday Night NJ-Bound & Sunday Nights appx. 4-9pm Staten Island bound.)

Those people going 'long distance' such as SI-Atlantic City more than likely will still use their cars. I am hopefully that NJT/MTA/Port Authority gets a few drivers going to nearby NJ points like Jersey Gardens Linden/Wal Mart and Woodbridge malls for instance onto the bus.:confused:

 

 

FYI. I know the planning stages of a new Gothehals has started but that new crossing wont be ready until 2014-15 at earliest

[metsfan]

A: Increase R7 frequency.

 

B: Implement a (NJT) 4 train overnight service, 2 local, 2 express, one in each direction. Run 4 car trains to reduce crewing cost. Have the express not stop at new brunswick to allow faster end to end travel time.

 

C: Re-open a Morrisville station across the river in PA to allow people to park and ride (or even bike/walk/drop-off etc) and not have to go 15 miles away to levittown, which is very out of the way for some. That market is abuzz with needing new and more rail service.

 

D: Buses all day between trenton (R7) & west trenton (R3).

 

E: New bridges get light rail or PATH service, till then have busses between newark/linden and one or more SIR stations.

 

F: Trans-harbor freight tunnel to get trucks off the roads and bridges.

 

G: PATH 10 car service extension to EWR all times.

 

People both use the airport for travel, want to pick up/drop off folks, and there is a need for workers to get to/from there 24 hours a day. Any increase in service there is needed & welcomed by all airport workers & airline workers & flight crews & PA/Customs workers.

 

Morrisville station is a really good location to start expanding and rebuilding the regional rail system in the 5 county/mercer/hunterdon county metro area. The nearby R3 station only leads to west trenton, where service currently terminates. It would allow people much more flexibility & be able to leave their car at home.

 

(NJT) could do 3 things right now to increase service. One would be to make live several deadhead trains, especially on the :nec:. Have them light crew, keep the last 3 cars closed to save $, only open if ridership demands it. Two would be to utilize more of the rail that the RiverLINE runs on, such as into the capitol complex area vs stopping miles short. You could have 3 branches of service, or 2 similar to PATH and HBLR. 3 branch would have camden-capitol, camden-ttc, and ttc-capitol. 2 branch would have camden-ttc, and ttc-capitol.

 

As for bolt bus and megabus and busses costing 10 dollars. Sure, but a bus ain't a train, you can't move to the next car, you are in traffic with the developed world's craziest drivers, you are limited to highway speeds, trains can go 100+, and most importantly, a single train can carry 1200 people, more if you include standees, how many busses would that take? Bus = human error could kill everyone on board within seconds. Train = multiple fail-safe mechanisms and no steering wheel, no gas tank on pax cars. The list goes on. I'd rather pay 15.75 for a 50 minute train ride + a hour train ride than a 2+ hour bus ride. Once you're on the bus, you can't get off till you've arrived, especially to go back to your point of origin.

 

I think with this letter you've nailed some issues right on the head. What you and me and thousands of others are fighting for is something we could have easily given proper and equal funding. All rail transportation funding in the USA combined is nothing. Under 90 billion for the ENTIRE COUNTRY. This includes every light rail, subway, amtrak, commuter, and high speed passenger train moving on US rails. Freight companies bring in a combined 600 billion or so each year across the country. We can spend 900 billion dollars to kill people for oil 8000 miles away, but we can't spend more than 90 on rail transportation, which would take away the need to have oil supply fueled wars.....

 

We are fighting against ruthless people who will stop short of crashing a train to keep as many cars on roads as possible. Kudos to you for stepping up and letting them know we want something other than a country full of log jammed concrete & asphalt expressways. :tup:

 

- A