New Rail & Transit Projects in SE PA and Philly (Allentown: living, dangerous)

[solibs]

service to Quakertown, Pottstown and Newtown could start in a matter of months with a couple of diesel shuttles. Have them make the local stops further out then run them express to Temple and have them turn around there. At that point it's a cross-platform transfer to any number of local trains headed to Center City.

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by solibs

service to Quakertown, Pottstown and Newtown could start in a matter of months with a couple of diesel shuttles. Have them make the local stops further out then run them express to Temple and have them turn around there. At that point it's a cross-platform transfer to any number of local trains headed to Center City.

I haven't heard about those? Septa doesn't own any Diesels , except Track work trains and Maintenance. + Septa is anti Diesel unless its a Dual Diesel Electric which they have plans of purchasing for the Reading line & Allentown lines. The Newtown & a few other lines will be Electric since they aren't that long.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

Rendell killed the 422 and Cross County Metro saying at the time they were to big and would serve that many people. But there's growing pressure to build those 2 lines as they would help reduce some of the growing traffic snarls in SE PA. But i think they will get built sometime this decade along with the Newton Ext.

Do you really think the Newtown Branch will be restored by 2020?

Even though Bryn Athyn Borough has dropped its opposition to electrified rail service (or so I understand), Montco is pretty far along with its rail-to-trail conversion of the SEPTA ROW in that part of the county.

I hope SEPTA really is considering dual-mode locos. Maybe I'll ask Alan Wickersham about this after church services one of these next few Sundays.

My understanding is that the Gov had nothing to do with the scuttling of the Cross County and Schuylkill Valley Metro lines; rather, it was the low likelihood of their getting Federal construction funds that led SEPTA to drop them for now. DVARP had pushed hard for SEPTA to consider something other than full electrification for the SVM, the project it pushed harder; diesel service probably would have stood a better chance of getting Federal matching funds because it would have been cheaper to implement.

Montco had drawn up a master development plan for the Upper Schuylkill Expressway (US 422) corridor in the early 1990s that called for bus rapid transit along the highway and development clustered in "transit villages" around the interchanges. The townships in the corridor shot the plan down.

[Jfoldno7]

Yeah cross-county and SVM was killed when the FTA gave the SVM a "Not Recommended" rating. That gave rise to the idea of an R6 extension and the Greenline. Both appear to be on the backburner given the current funding state for new projects. At some point something will have to be done because short of widening 76 (dynomite anyone? Obviously not going to happen) the traffic is only going to get worse.

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by Jfoldno7

Yeah cross-county and SVM was killed when the FTA gave the SVM a "Not Recommended" rating. That gave rise to the idea of an R6 extension and the Greenline. Both appear to be on the backburner given the current funding state for new projects. At some point something will have to be done because short of widening 76 (dynomite anyone? Obviously not going to happen) the traffic is only going to get worse.

The Green line is ok , but doesn't seem to serve the bulk of the people. The SVM & Cross-County Metro should be reactivated. I-76 is becoming a bottleneck everytime i come out there & just last year i encountered my first US-30 traffic jam. I'm sure people would be against these 2 lines.

[a75206]

with the PHL expansion plans in the works (today's inky article), and with more businesses moving into the Navy Yard, SEPTA really needs to expand the Broad Street Subway down to the Navy Yard but then also across and over to the airport in order to give a more direct link to the city as well as two of its major business and jobs districts. A branch line out to Southern NJ and its proposed light rail expansion could mean one of the stations at Navy Yard could become a major transit hub and lead to a huge Transit Oriented Development with a lot of density.


But in reality, this is Philadelphia we're talking about, so I just wasted the last 5 mins typing all this up...oh well.

[niceguy19125]

Originally Posted by a75206

with the PHL expansion plans in the works (today's inky article), and with more businesses moving into the Navy Yard, SEPTA really needs to expand the Broad Street Subway down to the Navy Yard but then also across and over to the airport in order to give a more direct link to the city as well as two of its major business and jobs districts. A branch line out to Southern NJ and its proposed light rail expansion could mean one of the stations at Navy Yard could become a major transit hub and lead to a huge Transit Oriented Development with a lot of density.


But in reality, this is Philadelphia we're talking about, so I just wasted the last 5 mins typing all this up...oh well.

Exactly, it's fun to talk about the reality is not so much here in Backwardville.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by niceguy19125

Exactly, it's fun to talk about the reality is not so much here in Backwardville.

I know it's easy to be glum given the track record of agencies like SEPTA, but I really think the longer-term trends (next 5-10 years) bode will well for public transit in the Philadelphia area. Quite frankly, the city and region don't have much of a choice but to invest in more efficient modes of transportation to cut back on ever-increasing traffic congestion (as noted, 76 in particular is nothing less of a complete mess anymore once you get past KoP). This will undoubtedly force public officials to back expansion of current systems and prompt much more planning for transit-oriented development (what the city's planning commission is working on now).

As soon as there is a dedicated and sustainable funding source for our infrastructure -- that doesn't require federal approval and is palatable to the electorate -- I strongly believe there will not just be more talk of expansion but actual implementation. Basically, it's not a matter of if, but when.

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by Duderino

I know it's easy to be glum given the track record of agencies like SEPTA, but I really think the longer-term trends (next 5-10 years) bode will well for public transit in the Philadelphia area. Quite frankly, the city and region don't have much of a choice but to invest in more efficient modes of transportation to cut back on ever-increasing traffic congestion (as noted, 76 in particular is nothing less of a complete mess anymore once you get past KoP). This will undoubtedly force public officials to back expansion of current systems and prompt much more planning for transit-oriented development (what the city's planning commission is working on now).

As soon as there is a dedicated and sustainable funding source for our infrastructure -- that doesn't require federal approval and is palatable to the electorate -- I strongly believe there will not just be more talk of expansion but actual implementation. Basically, it's not a matter of if, but when.

I think were about to see a massive system restoration over the next 2-3 decades. Traffic seems to be getting worse and worse everytime i come down there. Adding lanes to I-276 , I-76 , US 30 and US 202 hasn't worked , so i think they need to restore a few rail lines. That KOP extension can really cut down on I-76 congestion and the Cross County Metro could have cut down on some traffic along I-76 , I-276 , US 202 and a few other key highways. I really hope a push grows for these lines happens because i hate the thought of one day getting stuck in multiple traffic jams while going to my Ant's Farm.

[Jfoldno7]

Nexis, I agree on the Greenline. I think the problem is that it would only serve Oaks and Phoenixville well, but it would not serve most of Collegeville or any of Pottstown. It's a nice idea for Phoenixville residents like me (living 100 yards from a proposed station) but in the end the rail line they want to run it on would need serious reinvestment and the ridership will most likely not be enough to justify the costs.

Still, a realistic rail option needs to be developed for the 422 communities. Even route 23 through Valley Forge is getting congested during rush hour and these roads were never intended for the type of traffic they now receive on a daily basis. At some point the infrastructure in Chester county has to catch up with the population.