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The plan consists of the PATCO expansion (already in the planning stages) to Glassboro and to 30th St., a few new light rail lines using the same equipment as the RiverLINE, double tracking of the ACRL/increased service to Atco and a few new stations and finally, Express Bus/BRT service (marked as light red lines) to Center City and U. City.
I didn't bother marking the stations that already exist (Riverline, PATCO) except on the ACRL. I marked the light rail stations as an example - not because I'm certain of the precise location.
I'm also proposing a few north/south bus routes that I didn't mark because I think as these routes came online ridership would shift and it wouldn't be immediately clear which currently existing NJT buses should be rerouted or eliminated.
How to pay for it? A $.05 gas tax in the 3 counties would raise ~$20 million per year and cost the average driver ~$22. The region could leverage that money to pull in ~$100,000,000 per year for construction. This doesn't get you much per year but it it should be enough to build out the BRT/Express bus system in the first year and over the course of 20 years should be enough to build out most of the system.
Very nice. I do feel like the PATCO should add stops at 18th, 21st and either 24th or the trail.
I'm not sure what the black line is on the map, but if that's intended to be a second PATCO line that loops Pennsauken/cherry hill mall/Kennsington/North Philly into the fold, I like it. I would like to see a stop closer to the Cherry Hill mall, though, but I know it was drawn using the existing freight rails.
Or is the light red line supposed to serve the mall? If that's the case, I don't like the how the mall train bypasses Pennsauken and the other parts of Cherry Hill.
I just noticed you have a train running the length of the Admiral Wilson. Would this be the Hoe Train?
Very nice. I do feel like the PATCO should add stops at 18th, 21st and either 24th or the trail.
Definitely. Most employment in the CC/UC city core is west of 16th St. and since the El doesn't stop between 15th & 30th either it still leaves a huge gap - even with the added expense of the transfer. (you can't buy a monthly pass that's good for both systems).
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I'm not sure what the black line is on the map, but if that's intended to be a second PATCO line that loops Pennsauken/cherry hill mall/Kennsington/North Philly into the fold, I like it. I would like to see a stop closer to the Cherry Hill mall, though, but I know it was drawn using the existing freight rails.
The black line is the Atlantic City Rail Line. It already runs a dozen or so trains per day. The North Philly station already exists but the train just speeds right through it. I added the Kenzo stop because it's a block from the Tioga stop on the El. The Pennsauken station at the Riverline is under construction right now. I added a stop in Merchantville where the line crosses my Moorestown/Mt. Holly light rail line. This would be the stop closest to the CH Mall. The train already stops at Route 70 in Cherry Hill. I added another stop at Woodcrest Station. PATCO stops there but there's no platform for NJT so the train just passes right through. The train already stops in Lindenwold. I added a station in Berlin and finally the park'n'ride at Route 73 in Atco already exists. I was thinking something along the lines of 2 trains per hour with maybe every other train going through to Atco and the other trains turning around at Woodcrest.
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Or is the light red line supposed to serve the mall? If that's the case, I don't like the how the mall train bypasses Pennsauken and the other parts of Cherry Hill.
The red lines are modified bus rapid transit. I got the idea from the model they use in Charlotte and along Route 9 in North Jersey on their commuter buses. The transit company in Charlotte negotiates leases for parking space from shopping centers along the route as park&ride spots. Those parking lots are mostly empty M-F from 9-5 and when they're full on the weekends there's not much demand for commuter parking. Along Route 9 they've restriped parts of the shoulder to make it a bus lane. So they'd have their own lane on the stretches of 38/70/130 that are normally backed up during rush hour and along Admiral Wilson but would not have their own lane when they're using the expressways. A bus going down Route 70, for instance, would have dedicated stops with low platforms, shelters and ticket vending machines. It would be a POP system like the Riverline. It would not be a "pull the cord and stop wherever I want to get off" system.
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I just noticed you have a train running the length of the Admiral Wilson. Would this be the Hoe Train?
I was driving through there last Tuesday and was remembering what that stretch looked like 13 years ago. You still see hookers down there at night sometimes but it was sooo much worse before. I wonder where it all moved to?
I was driving through there last Tuesday and was remembering what that stretch looked like 13 years ago. You still see hookers down there at night sometimes but it was sooo much worse before. I wonder where it all moved to?
All I know is some government entity (either Philadelphia or NJ state, not sure which) relocated them back in 00 for the GOP convention. I wasn't sure if they ever came back or not, but the joke was too good to pass up.
I'm pretty dubious of BRT systems. I'd like to know more about how they work and why they are advantageous over rapid transit trains.
I always thought Patco should offer major stops in Philly that can add connections to major stops on the Market Frankford Line and subway surface routes.
All I know is some government entity (either Philadelphia or NJ state, not sure which) relocated them back in 00 for the GOP convention. I wasn't sure if they ever came back or not, but the joke was too good to pass up.
I'm pretty dubious of BRT systems. I'd like to know more about how they work and why they are advantageous over rapid transit trains.
It was Christy Whitman that pushed through the clean-up on Admiral Wilson. Cynical but hey, it looks a lot better now.
BRT isn't better than LRT - in this case it's just more practical. The whole plan is mostly rail. I only want to take the buses that already run on Route 130 (a busy commuter line as far as suburban buses go) and increase their frequency, average speeds and ridership.
I'm not really proposing full BRT with dedicated lanes and "stations". That would defeat the purpose. My point is to use existing infrastructure (highways, freight rail corridors, etc) to drive costs down. It's still a functional system - and the buses on Route 70 should still be able to bypass most traffic.
So, i guess i'm trying to say that the benefit here is that these buses would be faster than driving to CC during rush hour, much cheaper than driving if you're going solo, and for 1/20th the cost of light rail.
Since Amtrak's decision weighs heavily, then there is no need for a Woodcrest station NJ Transit stop, or even the AC Line still needing to go to 30th street station. If someone in Washington DC is looking to get to Atlantic City via train or vice versa, the passenger wouldn't need to route via 30th Street, and could change trains at Market East.
What should happen is just NJ Transit taking over the PATCO line, but still getting support from the DRPA via bridge tolls, and merging the Lindenwold-Atlantic City segment and calling it one line, but limited service from AC to Philly than from Camden Co (let's say they just extend the existing Lindenwold line to ATCO) to Philly.
The RiverLine/AC connection transfer at Pennsauken which wasn't very necessary is made somewhat useless, unless it's kept a spur (also rather useless). I guess it saves one from needing to transit via Camden. Most in Atlantic County that need to go up north can just drive to a transit location (like Hamilton or Trenton) and park there easier than changing trains. Atlantic City to NYC via Philly/30th Street has always been a dumb proposition to me, so I don't know if it should still be supported.
What should happen is just NJ Transit taking over the PATCO line, but still getting support from the DRPA via bridge tolls, and merging the Lindenwold-Atlantic City segment and calling it one line, but limited service from AC to Philly than from Camden Co (let's say they just extend the existing Lindenwold line to ATCO) to Philly.
If that happen do you think the rail line should be a rapid transit line or a commuter rail line?
Personally I can't really see a rapid transit line like the Patco running all the way to Atlantic City.
If that happen do you think the rail line should be a rapid transit line or a commuter rail line?
Personally I can't really see a rapid transit line like the Patco running all the way to Atlantic City.
I was thinking that it should probably be rapid transit high frequency service to Atco. i.e. on the NJ side, extend and double track from Lindenwold to one stop further east.
It's closer to where 73 and 30 meet. Route 73 is a major highway from NE Philly towards the AC region, and it can help the line by being convenient to 73 motorists. Lindenwold is just too far a detour, in a denser more congested area, while Atco is more central within SJ, to 73 and 30 intersection, and towns in Gloucester and Atlantic County as well.
The line could have some trains like express commuter rail trains, maybe one every hour, running the entire stretch from Philly to AC like the current AC line, however that runs every 1:30 mins or so.
If that happen do you think the rail line should be a rapid transit line or a commuter rail line?
Personally I can't really see a rapid transit line like the Patco running all the way to Atlantic City.
It wouldn't be fast , 60vs90mph NJT....
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I was driving through there last Tuesday and was remembering what that stretch looked like 13 years ago. You still see hookers down there at night sometimes but it was sooo much worse before. I wonder where it all moved to?
