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Hence, the Greater Los Angeles area doesnt have areas like Suffolk, Rockland, Hunterdon counties etc where it feels like everyone lives on several acres.
Even new tract homes in farflung high desert exurbia are built very close together on relatively small lots.
Montclair you are right about this 100%, I don't think anyone is arguing against this claim. Really, the same claim could even be made for Vegas, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Tampa etc. All these newer warm-weather cities seem like the are almost entirely at least semi-urban throughout the entire metro.
However, you seem to either not understand or just won't admit that all of these metros are surrounded by hundreds of miles of absolutely nothing in most cases. That is why southern California is a joke of a megalopolis. It has one giant city that seamlessly blends to a mid-size city, but then it has absolutely no tangible connection to say Vegas, Phoenix, San Fran etc.
The northeast, on the other hand, maintains at least some level of development from Boston to Washington. The woodsy small towns in between cities are the lowest density throughout the entire northeast. There's nowhere throughout the entire region where you aren't to some degree part of a major metro area (maybe Hartford & New Haven CT are exceptions but still only like 1.5 hours to NYC or Boston).
So, I think comparing the density between LA and San Diego is foolish when we are comparing the density betwen 4 MAJOR cities.
The reason it's also hard to take you guys seriously is because we've all seen your posts on other threads and you just seem desperate to prove some kind of superiority of the west coast over the east. So while you are actually right in your core point, it just seems petty overall when it seems as though you have obvious motives.
Here's the other thing. In the actual real world, experiences and perceptions do matter. The majority of people who grow up in those east coast small towns frequently go into the big cities for entertainment, college, culture etc. So, while they live on 2 acres they have experiences of riding crowded subways, living in a brownstone during college etc. There are many, many people throughout the west coast who just have not ever had those type of experiences.
How likely is it for Philly and NYC to have a joining commuter rail line in the near future?
Depending on what you consider commuter rail, it does now: Amtrak. Trains leave every 15 or 20 minutes in the morning and evening commuter times, and about every half hour the rest of the day. But I don't think it is practical for most. First of all, the trains take about 90 minutes each way and the round trip costs $78. The fastest way you can get there now is via the more expensive Acela trains, which take just over an hour. Still, some folks are doing it. The lines at 30th Street Station for Amtrak trains into NY on weekday mornings are long. Our neighbor has been commuting by Amtrak for years and says there is some sort of price reduction for regular commuters.
Longer range, there is a plan to upgrade service so that the trip takes 37 minutes: On Amtrak, Philadelphia to New York in 37 minutes | SmartPlanet. I don't put a lot of faith in the completion of this project however. The timeline is long and it's hard for me to envision our gridlocked government agreeing to invest the resources to get this done.
How likely is it for Philly and NYC to have a joining commuter rail line in the near future?
What is the definition of joining commuter rails? They already have connected commuter rail in a few locations; though currently no one seat ride (expect more expensive Amtrak)from core to core, it requires a change in Trenton (literally off one train and over to the Septa train on the same track) from Septa to NJT, I have wished for a long time that NJT would run the NEC line all the way from NY Penn to Market East in CC Philly, there is also a current proposal to extend the West Trenton Septa line to Bridgewater NJ.
What is the definition of joining commuter rails? They already have connected commuter rail in a few locations; though currently no one seat ride (expect more expensive Amtrak)from core to core, it requires a change in Trenton (literally off one train and over to the Septa train on the same track) from Septa to NJT, I have wished for a long time that NJT would run the NEC line all the way from NY Penn to Market East in CC Philly, there is also a current proposal to extend the West Trenton Septa line to Bridgewater NJ.
I was thinking of a connecting line, and differentiating it from amtrak and the like due to much higher frequency and lower cost. I did have a one seat line in mind. The closest thing right now is NJ transit from NYC to Trenton via NJ transit and then Trenton to Philly via SEPTA.
I was thinking of a connecting line, and differentiating it from amtrak and the like due to much higher frequency and lower cost. I did have a one seat line in mind. The closest thing right now is NJ transit from NYC to Trenton via NJ transit and then Trenton to Philly via SEPTA.
NJT has been interested in running its NEC service to Center City (or at least 30th Street Station) for ages. There are a number of issues which would need to be resolved, from institutional issues associated with NJT operating in the state of PA, to infrastructure issues (short platforms on Septa, low catenary in Center City, etc.). But I have no reason to believe this an impossible feat.
Amtrak used to run an express commuter service called the Clocker that left NY Penn and 30th Street stations every hour on the hour. That was terminated in 2005, and more Amtrak Acela trains and NJT Express trains from Trenton replaced them.
NJT has been interested in running its NEC service to Center City (or at least 30th Street Station) for ages. There are a number of issues which would need to be resolved, from institutional issues associated with NJT operating in the state of PA, to infrastructure issues (short platforms on Septa, low catenary in Center City, etc.). But I have no reason to believe this an impossible feat.
Amtrak used to run an express commuter service called the Clocker that left NY Penn and 30th Street stations every hour on the hour. That was terminated in 2005, and more Amtrak Acela trains and NJT Express trains from Trenton replaced them.
Yea, seems like a good idea. Given the growing number of intercity commuters and the large string of cities in between the two, it makes a lot of sense to have a relatively inexpensive and fast transit route between the two.
NJT has been interested in running its NEC service to Center City (or at least 30th Street Station) for ages. There are a number of issues which would need to be resolved, from institutional issues associated with NJT operating in the state of PA, to infrastructure issues (short platforms on Septa, low catenary in Center City, etc.). But I have no reason to believe this an impossible feat.
Amtrak used to run an express commuter service called the Clocker that left NY Penn and 30th Street stations every hour on the hour. That was terminated in 2005, and more Amtrak Acela trains and NJT Express trains from Trenton replaced them.
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