[mlassoff]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

The Fares are more of a greed thing , and have nothing to do with Salarys or Unions.

That makes zero sense.

Fares are a reflection of costs to run the railroad.

[atgss]

Originally Posted by mlassoff

That makes zero sense.

Fares are a reflection of costs to run the railroad.

Must be that CT and NY is drastically increasing (in quiet) taxes/fees to the RR per 100 ft., of track.

In reality I bet it's a mix of greed and need.

[Wilton2ParkAve]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

The Fares are more of a greed thing , and have nothing to do with Salarys or Unions. Other systems pay the same and have double the ridership but the fares are half like Metra in Chicago or Go in Toronto.... Fares are a political thing. SEPTA can recoup 80% of its expensive despite having half the ridership of MNRR and half the max fare. Max of 14$ on the SEPTA network...and Max of 15$ on NJT...nowhere near the insanity of the MNRR/LIRR. Metra is 15$...and Go is 15$....

What the F are you talking about? Princeton to NY Penn is $16.50 each way and a monthly is higher than SoNo or Fairfield.

[seanhenry]

You want to do something about traffic in this state....then keep mass transportation fees low. Keep the parking at stations low and abundant as well.

[atgss]

Originally Posted by seanhenry

You want to do something about traffic in this state....then keep mass transportation fees low. Keep the parking at stations low and abundant as well.

It won't happen because it makes too much sense.

Having said that, without fare increases the workers won't get their salary increases.

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by Wilton2ParkAve

What the F are you talking about? Princeton to NY Penn is $16.50 each way and a monthly is higher than SoNo or Fairfield.

Princeton requires a dinky to connect to the Main line , its 14.75 from the Princeton JCT to NY...

[MrGompers]

Originally Posted by seanhenry

You want to do something about traffic in this state....then keep mass transportation fees low. Keep the parking at stations low and abundant as well.

Cut the fares in half and watch what happens to traffic. A family of 4 that want's to go New Haven to Grand Central is looking at $130 in tickets round trip and that's off peak. LOL who can afford that? With those prices you can use gas to drive to Manhattan, pay tolls, parking, and still be ahead.

IMO a big reason Metro north has any success is the alternative (driving during rush hour) is too frustrating.

[Wilton2ParkAve]

My 2.5 year old is free even during peak hours and my older daughter is $2 (round trip). Hardly $130 unless your children are grown. Roughly $50 for a family (with children) of four during peak.

[nep321]

Today I had to take the train from Stamford to South Norwalk station, because my car is in the repair shop. It wasn't a bad experience, but I would MUCH rather drive a car and deal with I-95 traffic any day. Even with the traffic, it's significantly quicker to get home. I mean geez, the time it takes to walk from my work building to the train station, then wait for the train to arrive, then ride on the train, then get off the train and take a taxi or walk, took a whopping FORTY minutes. That's the same or longer than it takes to drive home. I also had to stand the entire time in the train, which isn't what I want to do after working all day long. Standing all that time leads to varicose veins on my feet, which is disgusting. I had to hear peoples' stupid conversations and even saw beer cans on the floor. Then, I had to pay $8 to take a taxi home just 1 mile away. Walking would take 20 minutes, which I ain't doing in my uncomfortable work shoes.

It just further confirms that I would never, EVER want to use the Metro North/walking/taxis for everyday commuting. Such a stressful hassle.

ON THE OTHER HAND, this morning I had to take the bus to work. It still took forever (about 50 minutes total) from Norwalk to Stamford, but at least I have a bus stop literally just 400 ft from my apartment. The bus only charges $1.50 per ride, and it was far more comfortable, because I actually got a seat.

Until my car is released from the shop, I'm going to be using the bus to get to and from home over the next week. I think it's a better scenario for me, especially since there's a stop right near my apartment and I can actually get a seat.

But I can't WAIT to get my car back!

[Masterj]

Nep, next time go to the very first train car (pm commute, last car on am commute) which is the quiet car during peak hours. It's a much nicer experience!