Philadelphia Transportation Thread - Page 71

mcgrath618 · #**1401** Posted **Mar 12, 2019, 7:38 PM**

Allegedly, NJT's budget for next year includes funding for the PATCO extension to Glassboro. I really want that to happen!

Parkway · #**1402** Posted **Mar 12, 2019, 8:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

My thoughts:

3) WHY DON'T AMTRAK HARRISBURG TRAINS TERMINATE AT SUBURBAN. It makes so much sense, and they used to do it. It'd be easy; just have Amtrak use track 0.

The short answer is that there is significant through-traffic from Exton, Paoli, and Ardmore to New York.

Busy Bee · #**1403** Posted **Mar 12, 2019, 10:57 PM**

Why did Mr. skyscraper get banned? Did I miss something?

City Wide · #**1404** Posted **Mar 12, 2019, 11:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Why did Mr. skyscraper get banned? Did I miss something?

What makes you say that? Just because he/she hasn't gone all lets make Amtrak private in the last few days. One trick pony. Repeat as necessary.

Busy Bee · #**1405** Posted **Mar 13, 2019, 12:06 AM**

No he's banned. Look it up.

Jayfar · #**1406** Posted **Mar 13, 2019, 7:38 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

No he's banned. Look it up.

Yep, his last post (about Amtrak) was last Friday:

Mar 8, 2019, 8:08 PM
skyscraper skyscraper is offline
BANNED

City Wide · #**1407** Posted **Mar 13, 2019, 1:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

No he's banned. Look it up.

Is there a special corner of this web site where the 'banned' are sent to serve their time? (how do you look it up?) I know in the past with "1492" there was some push back about him being banned and some of the reasoning behind the action did come out. Ah, 1492, I miss those days-----

Parkway · #**1408** Posted **Mar 13, 2019, 3:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jayfar

Yep, his last post (about Amtrak) was last Friday:

Mar 8, 2019, 8:08 PM
skyscraper skyscraper is offline
BANNED

Given the posting style I think that account was yet another alternate of 1492.

Jonboy1983 · #**1409** Posted **Mar 13, 2019, 5:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

Allegedly, NJT's budget for next year includes funding for the PATCO extension to Glassboro. I really want that to happen!

Would PATCO use the line extending down through Woodbury into Glassboro? Essentially there would be 2 PATCO lines the way I see it. I hope they can make it happen.

mcgrath618 · #**1410** Posted **Mar 13, 2019, 6:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonboy1983

Would PATCO use the line extending down through Woodbury into Glassboro? Essentially there would be 2 PATCO lines the way I see it. I hope they can make it happen.

Yes. I'm interested to see how they do it though. Will they grade-separate it, or will they have grade-level crossings? The handling of the third rail would be interesting (the LIRR does it, so it can be done).

Jonboy1983 · #**1411** Posted **Mar 13, 2019, 6:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

Yes. I'm interested to see how they do it though. Will they grade-separate it, or will they have grade-level crossings? The handling of the third rail would be interesting (the LIRR does it, so it can be done).

Those are my questions too. Funny you and I think the same thing.

Parkway · #**1412** Posted **Mar 13, 2019, 7:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

Yes. I'm interested to see how they do it though. Will they grade-separate it, or will they have grade-level crossings? The handling of the third rail would be interesting (the LIRR does it, so it can be done).

The last plan essentially called for Riverline 2.0 including operational compatibility between the two systems.

hammersklavier · #**1413** Posted **Mar 13, 2019, 8:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parkway

The last plan essentially called for Riverline 2.0 including operational compatibility between the two systems.

Which would be a lot easier and cheaper to build out than making it a PATCO extension (the reason it's associated with PATCO rn is because the studies have been funded mainly by DRPA, I'd imagine). You don't have to build any expensive electrification, and you can use some off-the-shelf Stadler GTWs (the equipment RL uses) or similar.

Also I vaguely recall hearing at some time or another RL is nearing capacity? It's actually been a very successful project for what it is. I'd love to see most of those old PRSL branches converted into RL clones, and I rather wish it didn't take a decade a proposal to do so.

Busy Bee · #**1414** Posted **Mar 13, 2019, 9:34 PM**

Yeah, why futureproof when you can just build another half-assed DMU line?

hammersklavier · #**1415** Posted **Mar 13, 2019, 10:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Yeah, why futureproof when you can just build another half-assed DMU line?

Because the PRSL alignments are mostly at grade. See e.g. Gloucester City, Westville, Woodbury, Wenonah, Sewell, Pitman, and Glassboro for examples on the Glassboro line alone! PATCO, by contrast, had the advantage of building along the previously grade-separated PRSL Main Line which was significantly easier to convert into a subway extension.

On top of that, the Glassboro route is -- and will remain -- an active Conrail alignment, called the Vineland Secondary, meaning that it will have to manage both passenger and freight activity.

Ultimately, my sense is that what's needed is a connection between these routes and Regional Rail, but you need to justify electification before that can happen -- and you need to show the ridership market is there before you can electrify the system. You should be thinking of South Jersey potentially being more like Boston, where the success of MBTA's commuter network is precisely what justifies its electrification, as Alon Levy points out, and less like a subway than the one-off that PATCO was.

mcgrath618 · #**1416** Posted **Mar 14, 2019, 5:25 PM**

I think that they should get actual DMUs on the RL. Something akin to Budd RDCs. Why not even an RDC? It's proven tech, and transit agencies in the US still use them. Just slap a new prime mover on each of them to meet tier 4 standards and we're good to go.

Busy Bee · #**1417** Posted **Mar 14, 2019, 7:34 PM**

Maybe becuase it's no longer 1970? It may be nostalgic, but nostalgia in all it's forms is no way to run a modern transport system.

Parkway · #**1418** Posted **Mar 14, 2019, 8:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

I think that they should get actual DMUs on the RL. Something akin to Budd RDCs. Why not even an RDC? It's proven tech, and transit agencies in the US still use them. Just slap a new prime mover on each of them to meet tier 4 standards and we're good to go.

They are actual DMUs. Anywhere else in the world the Staddler units are able to run in mixed traffic. There's really no reason to hurt their performance by making them heavier than they need to be. I've actually spent a decent amount of time on the Riverline and it's a nice operation, when it hasn't been disrupted by some idiot driving into one of the vehicles.

City Wide · #**1419** Posted **Mar 15, 2019, 2:57 AM**

When does the proposed NJ budget come out? I've got nothing against this PATCO expansion, and it is time that south Jersey get some transit attention, but the State can't seem to get the Atlantic City train back up and running. I just have a hard time expecting the State to come up with $100K's of bucks.
What's the present running time from the end of the line into CC?

mcgrath618 · #**1420** Posted **Mar 15, 2019, 4:09 PM**

N&W 611 is going to spend a month at Strasburg, PA: https://www.strasburgrailroad.com/ri...nion-of-steam/

The reason I bring this up is because depending on what route she takes to get there, we could see the first steam locomotive on the Keystone Corridor in roughly 70 years.