Delays Grow As Rails Age At NJ Transit

A WSJ analysis shows equipment failures along the rail lines that carry NJ Transit trains are causing longer delays affecting a growing number of commuters. Broken signals or faltering overhead power lines led to average systemwide delays of three hours and 25 minutes in 2011, a jump of more than an hour since 2009. The number measures the total wait experienced by all trains affected by each incident. The number of NJ Transit passengers affected by the delays rose 7% between 2009 and 2011, even though ridership declined over the same period. Some passengers said the delays were particularly frustrating in light of a 22% fare increase initiated by NJ Transit in May 2010. The fares were raised after an 11% state cut to transit funding.

NJ Transit's most popular line, a 60-mile stretch between Trenton and New York City, is owned and operated by Amtrak. The wires that power trains along that route were last replaced in the 1980s. There are few areas along that stretch where trains can bypass each other, and only two tunnels carry NJ Transit and Amtrak traffic in and out of Penn Station. One mishap can have ripple effects systemwide. Amtrak is responsible for major upgrades, and the national rail agency has long struggled with budget constraints. A 2009 Amtrak report on the Northeast Corridor found that the system needed $38 billion to modernize it. Total federal funding for Amtrak operating and capital expenses was $40 billion over the past 40 years, according to agency figures.

Amtrak began to replace the overhead wires in 1996, but a lack of funding put a halt to the project a year later. The upgrades are scheduled to resume as part of a $450 million federal project to bring high-speed rail along the corridor. The work is slated to be complete by September 2017 and will upgrade a 24-mile section from Trenton to New Brunswick in New Jersey.

"Amtrak rolls into the Information Age"

An article on SmartPlanet, CBS Interactive site, comments on how Amtrak is improving the overall experience and service customers will receive over the coming years. Some highlights from the SmartPlanet story "Amtrak rolls into the Information Age":

• Amtrak is rolling out Wi-Fi and eTicketing, outfitting its conductors with iPhones, installing high-tech tracking equipment and integrating fully automated food and beverage systems.
• Currently, 75 percent of all Amtrak passengers have access to on-board Wi-Fi.
• Amtrak launched an iPhone app that allows passengers to plan trips, purchase tickets, modify existing reservations and check schedules and status.
• eTicketing: Passengers can print their reservations from home or print tickets at a kiosk. They can also present a barcode on their smart phone to the conductor, who will scan it with his iPhone. The system also allows passengers to purchase tickets at the last minute or once they've boarded a train.
• Amtrak will be testing an app for reporting delays later this year.
• Amtrak executives said they are committed to high-speed rail and the current vision includes bringing 220-mile-per-hour rail to the Northeast Corridor.

"Restore a Gateway to Dignity", NYT proposes moving MSG to make the best Penn Station

A New York Times article about addressing "the calamity that is Penn Station."

The Times makes a case that "the only way to fix Penn properly is to move Madison Square Garden." They suggest that the "Moynihan plan will eventually improve a few access routes to subways and commuter trains. But it will add no new tracks and have limited effect on the congestion and misery of Penn Station" and that the way to have the best Penn Station for commuters and the city is to move MSG.

Penn Station NYC is truly a horrid to experience as a commuter, a local, or as a tourist. I applaud the efforts to improve Penn Station for commuters as well as the city's benefit. I like seeing design and construction alternatives vetted but the city needs to keep the effort moving forward whatever the final design may be. Relocating MSG is a radical idea; it's not a bad idea but it would extend the whole process, so perhaps it can be considered for phase three or later.

"Speed record will be just start of Amtrak upgrades", plans to hit 160 mph over a 24 mile stretch in NJ

The site www.lohud.com, serving the Lower Hudson Valley, reports that Amtrak is planning to break its top speed when it updates a 24-mile stretch of track in New Jersey allowing trains to hit 160 mph. The trains will get to this new top speed in NJ between New Brunswick and Trenton (trains now travel there at 135 mph). Work is expected to begin in 2013 and take four years. Work includes replacing overhead wires with constant-tension wires that don't sag. Amtrak will use $450 million in federal high-speed-rail funding. The high speed is reached currently in Rhode Island as the Amtrak Acela gets to 150 mph for approximately 35 miles.

Ridership has been growing and Amtrak broke its own record in fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2011 with a ridership of 30.2 million, it's eighth record in the past nine years. Reaching the highest speed in NJ is great move for Amtrak. The Philadelphia to NYC stretch is the middle of the NEC and needs to upgraded to ensure continued efficiency of traffic along this stretch.

Amtrak Trains 2012 Sights on Northeast

PaintSquare, a website covering the protective and marine coatings industry, notes that "contractors who serve the rail sector in the U.S. Northeast could be in for a happy new year, as Amtrak has released a 2012 construction plan that tilts heavily toward that busy corridor". That Amtrak construction plan for 2012 (link to a PDF file) includes work on track, electrical upgrades in central Jersey, environmental reviews for tunnels, and a bridge.

NJ Transit derailment renews calls for second tunnel under Hudson River to Manhattan

This week's derailment provided another rallying cry for a second set of tunnels under the Hudson River.

Feds to loan Amtrak millions for new locomotives

Blog item in the Washington Post about Amtrak getting new rolling stock:

The federal government plans to loan Amtrak about $563 million to buy 70 locomotives to run along the busy Northeast and Keystone corridors, allowing improvements in service between Washington and other cities, and in Pennsylvania.

Amtrak said the locomotives are expected to begin operating in 2013 and will replace models that have been in service for 20 to 30 years.

"Record numbers of passengers are riding Amtrak trains across our national network of intercity routes," Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman said in a statement. "To better serve our customers, we are implementing a fleet replacement and renewal plan to improve the reliability and performance of our equipment. "

Amtrak New York-Philadelphia Delays May Ease by End-September

Bloomberg story about the recent Amtrak delays:

"Amtrak riders who suffered three service delays between New York and Philadelphia this week may see hold-ups linger while the national passenger rail service finishes some power-system repairs over the next three months. Hundreds of thousands of passengers were stranded this week because of computer and electrical-equipment failures in a power system that was mostly built during the Great Depression. Forty of 82 electrical substations between Washington and New York will be running on new equipment by the end of September, Cole said. The $25 million project is funded by grants from President Barack Obama's 2009 stimulus package."

Such maintenance is critical but Amtrak needs to work to minimize delays.

Amtrak faces congestion and criticism as it celebrates 40 years of service

Washington Post article about Amtrak's 40 year anniversary. Fine article about the state of Amtrak and possible future paths. Quote from a rider I liked: "They probably need more money to stabilize the infrastructure they have now, and then start working on improvements."

NJ Transit gets $38.5M in funding towards New Portal Bridge

www.northjersey.com reports that "NJ Transit will get $38.5 million in federal stimulus dollars toward work on the 100-year-old Portal Bridge that crosses the Hackensack River between Kearny and Secaucus"

"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars from the U.S. Department of Transportation will fund the final design on a project to replace the Portal Bridge, which is a crucial link for North Jersey commuters who use Amtrak or take NJ Transit into New York.

The movable bridge, which swings open to allow ships to pass, would be replaced with a high-level fixed bridge, removing a bottleneck often blamed for delays on Amtrak and NJ Transit. The final design phase is expected to be done in roughly 18 months, after which construction on the fixed bridge can begin, he said.

The funding announcement comes a week after Governor Christie told U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood that he supports an Amtrak application for $1.3 billion in federal funding to construct a new Portal Bridge. Christie told LaHood he is authorizing a $150 million contribution from New Jersey toward the project, the letter said.

Lautenberg called the Portal Bridge 'a major chokepoint for thousands of commuters every day and an obstacle in the way of our efforts to improve regional rail transportation.'"

$1.3 billion for a new bridge, that sounds like a lot of money for one bridge. I know that bridge and it is ancient. All traffic coming from the South of NYC or going South from NYC has to use that bridge. It needs an upgrade badly and I am happy to see the project to replace is moving forward.