Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Why are they insisting on building a parking garage in Wawa PA for tens of millions of dollars when they could instead restore the line further west to the walkable communities that are patiently waiting for a return of service, most notably the Borough of West Chester?
They don't understand that some people walk to train stations - and that more people will walk to train stations the more it makes sense. If you had any doubt of that, look back to the pope visit. I remember looking at some type of capital proposals budget one time a few years ago and being pretty shocked at the amount for parking vs. transit- although I don't have the time to look for that publication at this moment.
They don't understand that some people walk to train stations - and that more people will walk to train stations the more it makes sense. If you had any doubt of that, look back to the pope visit. I remember looking at some type of capital proposals budget one time a few years ago and being pretty shocked at the amount for parking vs. transit- although I don't have the time to look for that publication at this moment.
It's tragic. Previous Reading Railroad train stations past Norristown -->
But whenever SEPTA talks about restoring service past Norristown, they mention building a new train line along 422 (not walkable, very expensive, and completely unnecessary), or they mention a stop outside Phoenixville (not walkable) and a stop in Linfield (somewhat walkable). Again it's as if they purposefully add bad ideas to plans in order to sabatage their project so they don't happen.
Previous Reading Railroad train stations past Lansdale: -->
But, nothing. They stop service to these areas in the early 1980's, and while the entire 309 corridor suburbanizes, they do NOTHING. What other transit agency in the country is like this? SEPTA does not promote public transportation, and our foolish state and local politicians do nothing while billions of $ are being awarded for similar projects in all across the country. Absolutely tragic.
Are any state politicians reading this? Any SEPTA Board members? What do you have to say for yourself?
But whenever SEPTA talks about restoring service past Norristown, they mention building a new train line along 422 (not walkable, very expensive, and completely unnecessary), or they mention a stop outside Phoenixville (not walkable) and a stop in Linfield (somewhat walkable). Again it's as if they purposefully add bad ideas to plans in order to sabatage their project so they don't happen.
Previous Reading Railroad train stations past Lansdale: -->
But, nothing. They stop service to these areas in the early 1980's, and while the entire 309 corridor suburbanizes, they do NOTHING. What other transit agency in the country is like this? SEPTA does not promote public transportation, and our foolish state and local politicians do nothing while billions of $ are being awarded for similar projects in all across the country. Absolutely tragic.
Are any state politicians reading this? Any SEPTA Board members? What do you have to say for yourself?
You do know, right, that septa never wanted to run a railroad but were forced into it in 1983. Nothing convinces me that they want to even now.
You do know, right, that septa never wanted to run a railroad but were forced into it in 1983. Nothing convinces me that they want to even now.
Yes I do know that, but it's beside the point and excuses nothing, quite frankly. They are tasked with providing public transportation to the region. Who else should run the railroad? Comcast? U. Of Penn? The Curtis Center? SEPTA has had 30+ years to change their mindset.
Well it's a tongue in cheek observation about something that there's nothing you can do about, but I know I'm not the only one that's annoyed by it. The express 8th and Market Broad Street Line I usually take stops every 10-20 blocks at which point there is an announcement. Bus announcements are few and far between except in Center City (transfer points or major points of interest). The Chestnut Hill East and West are stopping as little as every 3 city blocks - which has one message feeding right into the next. Couple that with the general quietness of the regional rail as opposed to the constant background noise of the subway or bus, and it can just be a little overbearing compared to the 4's.
There also seems to be some kind of volume control (or malfunction), as sometimes the announcements are silent, sometime they are regular loud, and sometimes if you are right under the speaker, they are much, much too loud to the point that there have been insurrections on trains.
By the way, in addition to reading or being on my phone, I often sleep a lot on the train. Have yet to miss a stop in 4 years of taking it, knock on wood. Yet to the people trying to get to Trenton almost daily, they seem totally unphased getting on a train which is yelling at them "this is the chestnut hill west line, making all stops to chestnut hill west". Part of this, for abled people anyway, is whether or not you are willing to put forth the minimal effort required to make it home.
Another board I frequent uses software similar to this (which looks to me like some variant on vBulletin) but which allows users to upload avatar images.
I now kinda wish this one did so we could identify each other should we both wind up on a Ridge Spur express.
Late at night, sometimes, the automated announcements on Broad Street locals play three times as the trains roll into the station. I do find the PA saying "Olney Transportation Center. Olney Transportation Center. Olney Transportation Center." as the doors open mildly annoying, but given that I've slept through the station on a few occasions, maybe they do it as a wake-up call.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kyb01
Explain this. Relay some details about it. They've been in operation for about 15 years. Except for the seat changes, what else is going on about them?
There have been all sorts of technical glitches with malfunctioning doors, halting and jerky acceleration and deceleration, and - yes - stress fractures in their equalizer bars.
Rapid transit railroads are not subject to Federal Railroad Administration rules, so SEPTA kept the trains running while stepping up the inspection cycle, conferring with manufacturer Bombardier* and shipping cars it couldn't fix off to Bombardier for rebuilt parts. This came to light only when Joe Coccia, the secretary-treasurer of TWU Local 234, who represents workers at the Hyundai Rotem assembly plant in South Philadelphia as well as most of SEPTA's workforce, issued a statement charging SEPTA with orchestrating this crisis in order to steer its next order of railcars to a Chinese company that, ironically enough, used the MBTA to enter the US market the same way Hyundai Rotem used SEPTA. The cars would be made in Massachusetts if the Chinese firm wins the contract - bid evaluation for which, btw, has been put on hold while the search for the source of this problem goes on. Hyundai Rotem is also bidding on the new bi-level passenger coaches.
*Bombardier became the "manufacturer" of the M-4 Market-Frankford cars through its acquisition of ADtranz, itself the product of a merger between winning bidder ABB Traction and Daimler-Benz as the cars were being built in upstate New York, after the cars were in service. ABB, by the way, built the N-5 Norristown High-Speed Line fleet, and those cars were overweight and delivered late. SEPTA might have done better simply by sticking with Kawasaki, whose rail cars and streetcars have proved the most reliable ones it owns.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BPP1999
1 - BSL to the Navy Yard (which is very expensive but worth it IMO) - they are talking about it, but are they seriously talking about it?
2 - 100 spur to KOP - great plan, but absurdly expensive and will not add a huge number of riders.
For $1B, they could procure about 20 dual-mode locomotives, re-hab old stations and expand parking, and then restore service back to Pottstown and Quakertown, adding many thousands of riders and transforming the 422 and 309 corridors. Other agencies would be doing this already, but SEPTA will instead list 10 B.S. reasons why expansion like this can't happen, then over-estimate the cost of restoration, and under-estimate future ridership, in an attempt to sandbag/kill the whole idea. No other transit agency in this country has managed decline and service cuts as much as SEPTA.
3 - West Chester - why does it cost $90M to restore service to Wawa? (see above for the reason: over-estimate cost, under-estimate ridership, sandbag/stall project).
Why are they insisting on building a parking garage in Wawa PA for tens of millions of dollars when they could instead restore the line further west to the walkable communities that are patiently waiting for a return of service, most notably the Borough of West Chester?
I understand that they were underfunded for quite some time but that should not have earned them the nickname "Society to Eliminate Public Transportation Altogether." In a few years, when the worst of the backlog of state of good repair projects is complete, they sure better start getting serious on service restoration which is long overdue. It would be nice to start catching up to the rest of the country, where transit systems have been designing and building brand new service for the last three decades.
(emphasis added)
My own quip comes back to bite me!
I decided to omit inclusion of your equally detailed explanation/critique of some of SEPTA's service expansion trial balloons because I can respond just as well to this one.
Johnny Doc's behind the BSLX, and the alternatives analysis study is under way now. I suspect, though, that this will throw it off schedule.
Yes, buying dual-modes to return service to the various Reading-side branches that lost it when the Commuter Tunnel opened in 1984 would be a very good idea, but it's only been within the past few years that dual-mode locomotives that operate off overhead catenary (as opposed to third rail power) have actually been manufactured. The development may not have percolated through SEPTA's operations department yet.
Service restoration to Quakertown and West Chester as well as rapid transit up Roosevelt Boulevard are all on SEPTA's current long-range capital plan. But so was restoration of Trolley Routes 53 and 56 back in the 1990s. I give West Chester restoration much higher odds of becoming reality than that wish-list item, the Northeast Spur subway lower odds, and Quakertown a tossup. Cost - $4 billion - is the main millstone around the Northeast Spur's neck; it's why the DVRPC took it off its own long-range plan. That line, IMO, would be more beneficial than all the other projects we've talked about here.
Wanna take a look at the current fiscal year capital budget? They put it out there. (This was the proposal, but it was adopted without major changes.)
I don't disagree with emphasizing state of good repair, by the way. Washington is what you get when you don't.
kyb01: The general attitude among Railroad Division employees for years has been that SEPTA sees the Regional Rail system as glorified rapid transit.
Yes I do know that, but it's beside the point and excuses nothing, quite frankly. They are tasked with providing public transportation to the region. Who else should run the railroad? Comcast? U. Of Penn? The Curtis Center? SEPTA has had 30+ years to change their mindset.
And totally underfunded most of the time and still is.
Another board I frequent uses software similar to this (which looks to me like some variant on vBulletin) but which allows users to upload avatar images.
I now kinda wish this one did so we could identify each other should we both wind up on a Ridge Spur express.
I've seen your face on that board (where I just lurk occasionally) as well as countless articles, so I'll be sure to introduce myself if I ever see you.
They noted changes in the Manayunk/Norristown line but it looks like they only took AWAY some service There were 4 trains hitting Manayunk between 8 and 9am and now there's only 3. They got rid of the one that always ended up expressing from Ivy Ridge due to overcrowding Will be interested to see what happens today.
No additional trains before 8am and I'm still stuck on my 7:30-4:30 schedule although the trains I take consistently tack on 10-20min of delays due to longer dwell times...
Was running late yesterday and missed my usual train, so planned on taking the one that comes an hour later. That one still ends up expressing from Ivy Ridge because it's filled, so it bypassed my station. Of course SEPTA didn't announce that it was bypassing Manayunk until after it already bypassed. The train that followed about 10 minutes later was completely and totally empty though.
My 7am train this morning was a car short so we couldn't let anyone else on past Manayunk.
I sure hope they return the Silverliners to service sooner rather than later. I know they had a target of Labor Day but really no one knows.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There were 4 trains hitting Manayunk between 8 and 9am and now there's only 3. They got rid of the one that always ended up expressing from Ivy Ridge due to overcrowding 
