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The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger April 1993 Vol. XI, No. 4
Published by the Delaware Valley Association of Railroad Passengers in the
interest of continued, improved, and expanded rail service for the present
and potential railroad and rail transit passengers of southeastern
Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and nearby areas.
For more information about DVARP and good rail service, please contact us:
P.O. Box 7505, Philadelphia, PA 19101 215-222-3373 President: Chuck Bode
for other officers and committee chairs, see page 11
The electronic edition of this newsletter is provided as a service to the
net community by DVARP, through the cooperation of Geert K. Marien, owner
of the Railroad List. Send comments and suggestions to Matthew Mitchell at
iekp898@tjuvm.bitnet Back issues of this newsletter can be obtained from
the LISTSERV at CUNYVM. For an index, "Tell LISTSERV at CUNYVM INDEX
RAILNEWS" You can support our continuing efforts to both improve our public
transit service and keep you informed by joining DVARP. Introductory
membership for the rest of 1993 is $10.00. Send your check to the above
address
Schedule Change Alert: SEPTA bus and trolley schedule changes postponed to
April 11. Amtrak and commuter rail schedules change and RailWorks( service
disruptions will resume on May 2.
Inside The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger... 1 SEPTA proposes changes
in RRD fare procedures, market-savvy fare increases. 2 Center City
trains for RailWorks look probable, top ten tips for the rest of us. 3
Big storm halts everyone but PATCO. 4 On the Railroad Lines: Shuttle
April 17-18, N-5 Car makes its debut, NJT 30th St-AC schedules. 5 SEPTA
HQ deal may sour; Board OKs bus ads, privatization of new route. 6 Time
to rethink RRD schedules, through service. 8 SEPTA marketing alliances
with Phillies, Ballet; Phans to ride NJT. 9 Clean air enforcers pick
DVARP plan, celebrate at DVARP's first-ever happy hour! 10 Important
state and Federal transportation meetings this month. 10-11 Dates of
Interest, Up and Down the Corridor, Membership Coupon, DVARP Directory
entire contents copyright (C) 1993 DVARP, except photos (C) 1993 credited
photographers Opinions expressed in The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger are
not necessarily those of DVARP or its members. We welcome your comments:
call 215-222-3373
SEPTA Pulls the Plug on Fare Experiment by Matthew Mitchell After four
years pretending that commuter rail is rapid transit, SEPTA will go back to
normal railroad on-board fare policies. DVARP welcomes the proposal, which
will stop penalizing passengers who have no choice but to pay their fare on
board the train. Two proposed tariffs are up for consideration. One
completely scraps the "transitized" fare structure and replaces it with a
$3.00 penalty on fares from stations where tickets were available, the
other keeps the existing fares at Center City stations, on the R5 Paoli
line, and at the Airport, Trenton, and Wilmington. +Trenton, Airport fares
to increase? SEPTA's proposal also calls for very selective fare increases,
targeted at markets where competing transportation providers are much more
expensive. Trenton will be relocated to Zone 6, whose off-peak fare will
be increased to $4.00. Peak hour single tickets for Zones 5 and 6 will be
increased by 25c. Commuters who use weekly or monthly passes will not face
a fare increase, though. Other increases were also aimed at Airport riders.
The through fare to points outside of Center City will go up to a flat
$6.00. DayPass rates will increase to $5.00, equal to the regular Airport
fare. Sources say SEPTA will adjust machines so passengers boarding at
the Airport will receive a DayPass. +Additional improvements proposed The
SEPTA plan also calls for a new ten-trip senior citizen fare for off-peak
trains, saving riders $1.50 over the present fare. This will add
convenience while reducing the amount of cash crews have to handle. For
the youngest passengers, SEPTA proposes to set up a consistent 50c
children's fare on weekends on both the railroad and transit divisions.
+photo Ticket machines like this one have been out of service for over a
year. Photo: Tom Borawski SEPTA Proposes Tariff Changes continued
from page 1 There are some onerous parts to the SEPTA proposal though. A
misguided attempt to control fare evasion would slap a three dollar penalty
on passengers who ride beyond the zone of their ticket or pass without
informing the conductor. While this seems like a good idea on paper, in
practice it may cause a lot of problems like transitized fares did. The
1989 tariffs built a penalty into all extension fares, so the new plan
would add a penalty to a penalty. (SEPTA didn't retain the Conrail
practice of selling tickets of a specific dollar value for use in extension
and setp-up fares) The better idea is for management to make sure that
train crews do their job right in the first place instead of making the
passengers pay for On the transit side, recent changes in Suburban Transit
fare zones will be formally included in the route tariffs. Management also
seeks to expand its tariff allowing temporary "fare sales" for promotional
purposes to encompass test-marketing of new services as well. A hearing on
the tariffs was scheduled for April 5, but due to the short notice and the
religious holidays, DVARP is asking for the record to be open for written
comments until the 15th. You can address your comments to the Hearing
Examiner c/o Mary Donahue, SEPTA, 714 Market St., Philadelphia, 19107.
RailWorks( Direct Service: Two Trains? by Matthew Mitchell Reliable sources
tell DVARP that SEPTA will make a partial concession to passengers
demanding an alternative to four months of uncomfortable and unreliable
subway connections during phase 2 of the $354 million RailWorks( project.
One train each will operate from Lansdale and West Trenton to 30th Street
Station via the detour route proposed by DVARP. While the partial service
will keep some people from quitting the railroad, and slightly ease the
pressure on the subway, it won't retain as many passengers as the more
complete service DVARP proposed in 1991. So the long-term health of the
railroad will still be in jeopardy.
+Ridge subway to keep going The Daily News reports that Broad-Ridge subway
service to 8th and Market Sts. will remain in operation during RailWorks.
A new loop track is being constructed on the east side of Fern Rock yard to
allow trains to bypass the North tunnel portal at Fern Rock. Traffic jams
there caused frequent delays to subway service. Last year, Ridge service
was shut down when a signal failure closed the upper deck at Erie, giving
Spur trains no place to turn around.
+RailWorks Guide Available from DVARP Surviving the Shutdown, the DVARP
guide published last year, is still available. In it you'll find a map of
City Hall subway station and tips on how to avoid crowds and get to your
destination as quickly as possible. You'll also get money-saving
alternatives and a rundown on fare-handling procedures. To get your copy
of the RailWorks guide, send a large stamped, self-addressed envelope to
DVARP, Box 7505, Philadelphia, 19101.
+And now from the head office in Philadelphia, here's ... The Top 10
RailWorks Tips 10. Try to relax; it will be over by September. 9. Get up
very early if you want to park at Fern Rock or Chestnut Hill. 8. Carry
$5.00 bills or SBA dollar coins for ticket vending machines, and small
change for the phone when your connection gets missed. 7. Check out the 22
and 55 buses for a cheaper ride which may closer to your home. 6. Use the
Broad Street Subway local or Ridge Ave. trains for the least crowding. 5.
Don't wait around downtown; take the first available train to Fern Rock. 4.
Read The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger for latest RailWorks news. 3.
Travel light and wear shoes you can stand comfortably in for long periods.
2. Walk all the way to the front of Broad Street Subway trains when
traveling south to Center City; you'll find more seats there. And the
number one way to make your RailWorks commute easier... (drum
roll!) 1. Use Walnut-Locust instead of City Hall! Apologies to David
Letterman
Blizzard Snarls Railroad by Tom Borawski It was called "the storm of
the century" and "a hurricane with snow." Last month's storm brought over
a foot of snow to the region and covered it with a thick layer of ice,
conditions that would bring even the best-managed transit agencies to their
knees. How did ours make out? SEPTA kept most of its commuter rail lines
going through most of Saturday while the snow fell, but switches froze up
and SEPTA brought an orderly halt to service at 7 pm. The closing was
announced well in advance to avoid stranding passengers, a good job by
SEPTA's media relations staff. +photos: An R5 Lansdale train makes it
through the storm... ...but Sunday trains were cancelled! Cleaning crews
had to be stationed at key SEPTA interlockings to help the oil-fired switch
heaters clear ice out. One exception was at 16th Street (North Broad)
where the new electric heaters seemed to be working without human
intervention-a RailWorks(C) improvement. One wonders how the story of the
storm of the decade would have ended if instead of RailWorks(C) money going
to a $37M Temple station, $7M was spent on station and $30M in interlocking
improvements. Yet another question remains which goes beyond the issue of
infrastructure: On the day after the blizzard, why was Amtrak able to run
limited service to Paoli and Harrisburg while SEPTA canceled all Sunday
service after 10 am? News reports had SEPTA blaming snow dumped on its
yards, but firsthand observation showed no accumulations other than what
Mother Nature put there. Both of SEPTA's new diesel engines were safely
sleeping at the Wayne Shops, engines dead, snow piling on them.
Apparently, if power was lost Saint Bernards would be sent out to fetch the
trains. Since SEPTA has no four wheel drive shuttle busses and the only
vehicles on the roads were snowmobiles it would seem prudent to have had
the diesels on standby.
But after the Governor closed all major highways, with airports closed to
traffic, with snow 3 inches over the railhead, SEPTA Regional Rail got
this writer home.
+Transit Weathers Storm Subway and elevated riders were among the few
Philadelphians who were able to get around in the snow and ice last month.
As is often the case, PATCO deserves a lot of credit for quietly doing its
job despite difficult conditions. SEPTA kept the Broad Street subway
running throughout, while the elevated lines shut down mid-afternoon on
Saturday and reopened Sunday morning. Light rail fared better than buses,
both in the city and suburbs, but drifting snow closed the Norristown
High-Speed Line for three days as SEPTA no longer has a functional sweeper.
SEPTA bus routes were shut down one-by-one Saturday, and only a skeleton
service ran Sunday. Half the CTD lines remained out of action Monday &
Tuesday too. Suburban service operated by SEPTA, NJ Transit, and DART came
back close to normal on Monday, as suburban municipalities did a more
effective job clearing the roads. Snow removal at SEPTA statons varied in
its effectiveness. Glenside was cleared quickly while Fort Washington
remained impassible. Snowplowing is the responsibility of private
contractors, so if you let SEPTA know how your station was, they can keep
the good ones and drop the bad.-MDM
On the Railroad Lines... OYR Bridge to Go In 4/17-18 Shuttle buses will
replace trains from Fern Rock to Jenkintown on the R1 Glenside, R2
Warminster, R3 West Trenton, and R5 Doylestown lines the weekend of April
17 and 18. Contractors will be rolling in the new bridge over Old York
Road. Information received by DVARP says that most trains will leave
Jenkintown 20 minutes behind the usual schedule and run 20 minutes ahead of
schedule on the southbound trip, but affected riders should watch out for
SEPTA flyers with official information.
R5 Cooperation = Safety Kudos to Amtrak for giving the OK for installation
of a gate in the fence at Bryn Mawr. Now passengers can get to the Central
Bar and Grille without having to negotiate the dangerous crossing of Morris
Ave.
R7 Will SEPTA Fix Connection? Bridge repair work on the Northeast Corridor
near Newark will continue into the summer, so NJ Transit weekend schedules
will allow extra time for southbound NEC trains. There is no excuse for
SEPTA not making sure that next month's new schedules retime inbound R7
trains and restore the connection broken last fall. Ridership has fallen
because passengers must either risk missing their train or plan a 50 minute
layover at Trenton.
CTD New Schedule Chaos The transit schedule change originally scheduled for
April 4 has been postponed by at least a week. Timetables dated April 4 or
March 28 will now take effect on the 11th, but if last-minute changes are
made, look for new schedules with a *. Vehicle operators report utter chaos
in the run-picking process (operators choose runs by seniority), with
management cancelling at least one scheduled pick. Further delays in the
changeover are possible.
100 N-5 Car Finally in Service Now more than 2 years late, prototype
Norristown car #451 entered regular passenger service without fanfare last
month. Experience gained in almost a year's testing of the car will be
used to specify changes to the remaining 25 cars. +Rules Crackdown Red
Arrow management announced a new get-tough policy on passenger violations
of SEPTA rules, especially those prohibiting food on board the vehicles.
Hazards including rat infestations and at least one fire on board an NHSL
train were cited in a letter to passengers. The P&W vies with the
R7-Trenton for the title of SEPTA's trashiest line. +Red Arrow Report: STD
management has responded to DVARP concerns over the failure of emergency
lighting systems to work during the 69th Street blackout in December.
Generator failure was blamed; the system has been repaired and tested. A
February letter to riders apologized for the blackout.
NJ Transit AC Line Schedule DVARP has obtained tentative schedules for the
extension of Atlantic City trains to Philadelphia. Schedules are geared
towards commuters who work in AC, so they aren't as convenient for
Philadelphia commuters.
Weekdays-subject to change
AC CH 30th 30th CH AC
4:42 5:47 --- --- 5:16 6:24
6:18 7:19 7:50 --- 6:02 7:15
7:06 L8:04 --- 6:50 7:15 8:25
8:43 9:47 10:16 --- L8:17 9:18
1:31 2:31 3:01 9:50 10:14 11:22
2:43 L3:41 --- 1:40 2:05 3:17
4:31 5:37 --- --- L4:01 5:06
5:39 6:47 7:18 4:41 5:06 6:14
6:44 7:49 --- --- 6:01 7:19
8:45 9:54 --- --- 8:06 9:18
10:45 11:50 12:19 8:40 9:05 10:13
12:45 1:46 2:15 --- 10:13 11:21
Weekends-subject to change
AC CH 30th 30th CH AC
4:42 5:47 --- --- 5:16 6:24 XH 6:18 L7:11
--- --- 6:02 7:14
7:06 8:04 8:41 XH--- L7:23 8:25
8:43 9:47 10:16 7:43 8:08 9:18 XH 9:54
11:07 --- 9:50 10:14 11:22
1:31 2:31 3:01 XH--- 12:25 1:34
2:42 L3:40 --- 1:41 2:06 3:18
4:31 5:37 --- --- L4:01 5:06
5:39 6:47 7:18 4:41 5:06 6:14
6:44 7:49 --- --- 6:01 7:19
8:45 9:54 --- --- 8:06 9:18
10:45 11:50 12:19 8:40 9:05 10:13
12:45 1:46 2:15 --- 10:13 11:21 CH-Cherry Hill
L-train terminates/originates Lindenwold XH-will not run on holidays
SEPTA HQ Deal May Fold Two weeks after the SEPTA Board voted to buy 1234
Market St. (the PSFS building) for SEPTA's new headquarters, a key player
is pulling out of the deal. Mellon Bank has an option to purchase the
building from the FDIC as part of its takeover of the failed Meritor Corp.
If Mell on doesn't exercise the option, FDIC may solicit bids for the
property. This may or may not be bad for SEPTA. At least one potential
bidder, the Binswanger Company, says it will offer the building to SEPTA
for two million dollars less than the cost of the present deal. But the
prospect of SEPTA going to its back-up site, 1650 Arch St. (the former
CIGNA building) is growing. +Board withstands pressure The headquarters
decision was a key test of new Board Chairman Thomas Hayward. According to
news accounts in the Philadelphia Business Journal and the Inquirer, it
seems that SEPTA Treasurer Feather Houstoun and the Board kept their word
and made the site decision strictly on economic grounds. The Inquirer
reported that real estate developer Richard Rubin sought to scuttle SEPTA's
original plan to have a new building constructed atop Gallery II, as a
means of eliminating a competitor to his 6 Penn Center site. The report
says Rubin persuaded City Council to oppose the original plan to have the
City rent the top four floors of the Gallery building until SEPTA needed
them. A study estimating annual occupancy costs was prepared for the Board,
and the lowest-cost option was the PSFS building, mainly because of
potential rental income from space in the building surplus to SEPTA's
needs. This still doesn't mean that buying an office building is the best
route for SEPTA. The question of the Railroad Control Center remains,
among others. DVARP will continue to scrutinize the facts as they are
revealed.-MDM
Marlboro Man to Ride SEPTA The SEPTA Board approved an advertising contract
which will allow limited cigarette and alcohol ads to grace the sides of
SEPTA buses. The contract limits the smoke and booze ads to 20% of the
total. It is estimated that SEPTA will receive $3.75 million per year
from the contract, according to the Inquirer. The argument that the ads
victimized poor city neighborhoods already plastered with illegal
billboards was somewhat mollified by the fact that Marlboro man will be
riding the Neoplan bronco into the suburbs as well. The advertising is not
the old billboard-in-a-metal-frame type but is an adhesive decal placed on
the side of the vehicle, less susceptible to vandalism. That and the cost
of installing and maintaining the signs added to aesthetic considerations
in
SEPTA's previous decisions not have the ads.-TB
A Step Towards Privatization A private bus company will run SEPTA's new
Route 131, but private bidders were unable to undercut SEPTA's cost of
operating Lower Bucks bus service. A start date for the new rush-hour
route hasn't been announced. Krapf's Coaches won a contract to provide
joint SEPTA-DelDOT service from Wilmington to West Chester, promising a
cost 0.8 percent lower than SEPTA's Suburban Division. This is SEPTA's
first privatized fixed-route service. Paratransit service has been
provided by outside companies since its inception. Four bidders offered to
run routes 127-130, but none were able to meet the complicated
specifications issued by SEPTA at a low-enough cost. While the complex
contract may make for service that meshes smoothly with existing SEPTA
routes, it also reduced the opportunity for contractors to maximize
efficiency. Menwhile, TWU leaders are fighting privatization of new or
existing routes; which could open jobs to members of other unions, or to
non-union labor.
Germantown to Hold Mothballed Vehicles SEPTA officials announced at a
community meeting that once operations out of Germantown District are
relocated to other depots, the facility will be used to store unneeded
buses and trackless trolleys, thus reducing activity there and reducing the
impact on the neighborhood, which had long complained about noise, fumes,
and traffic. Under pressure from the City and DVARP, SEPTA did an
about-face from its plan to close Luzerne Depot. SEPTA will relocate a
maintenance training program to Germantown and keep its around-the-clock
security patrols.
Undercofler leaves Board Former Chairman J. Clayton Undercofler's place on
the SEPTA Board has been taken by Karen Martynick, a Chester County
Commissioner. This may foretell a more active approach on transit by the
County, a good idea in light of rapid and sometimes unmanaged growth
there.
A New RRD Off-Peak Plan by John Pawson Travel experiences of DVARP members
and comments heard from other passengers lead us reluctantly to conclude
that off-peak RRD train service has become uncompetitive with the use of
the automobile for travel to Center City. Once again in January 1993,
Regional Rail patronage was down. (-7.7% systemwide compared to January
1992 despite the beginnings of economic recovery) Average weekday losses
on the Reading side, impacted by RailWorks, range from 15 to 28 percent.
These are after four months of restored service, and appear all but
irreversible if the current service structure continues. They suggest that
once people were forced to drive, or do business elsewhere than Center
City, their new alternative proved
to be faster, more reliable, and subject to less personal hassles. Let's
first consider speed. SEPTA us the slowest US commuter railroad system, at
about 24 mph. The nation's average commuter train speed, according to
Federal statistics, is 32 mph. Would-be passengers, of course, don't use
calculators to determine whether the trains' speed is satisfactory or not.
They try the service, and apparently find it too time-consuming.
"Too-slow" or "too many stops," we're told. Anything over a half-hour or
twelve stops is regarded as "tiresome." On the other hand, completion of
"missing links" in our comparatively sparse regional expressway system
appear to have made most parts of the region accessible off-peak to Center
City in 45 minutes or less. Interestingly, that is the time traditionally
allowed for driving from the inner suburbs to City Hall via the major
highways. Why are the Lansdales and Paolis now effectively as close as the
Jenkintowns and the Bryn Mawrs? Used together, outer arterials, parts of
the Blue Route, and the Route 202 expressway, etc. now divert the
outer-area travellers from their former routes. Lansdale may be almost as
short a drive to Center City as Jenkintown; but on the train, it's
26 minutes longer! The farther out one goes, the less competitive the
train becomes. So there is an urgent need to speed up train service,
especially to the more distant points. Indeed, many of those areas have
become more populous that the traditionally well-served inner suburbs. The
four stops regarded as the most important of the Reading side of the
system, Melrose Park through Glenside, serve a tributary population of but
40,000 people. Many of those passengers are "drive-ins" who have been
frustrated by the train travel time from their home stations. They have
the Route 309 expressway to get them to Jenkintown station. The next ten
R5 stations (North Hills-Lansdale) serve 150,000 people, and the Doylestown
branch adds another 70,000. Effectively serving this large outlying
population with short travel time mandates a separation of the present
service into inner-local and outer-express service, off-peak and peak.
+Example: Doylestown RRD's most time-consuming run is from Suburban Station
to Doylestown, 79 minutes. While the average speed is better than other
lines (27 mph), it is too slow. On this route, like others, the perceptive
passenger can notice the major causes of that
slowness: long station stops downtown, slow running though some areas,
stops at odd points to pick up railroad employees, too many stops in areas
with other available SEPTA services, and often-long waits for the meet
between trains at Forest Park siding. None of these causes of slowness is
inevitable: 1. Long waits downtown: It only takes a train 2.0 minutes to
travel from Suburban Station to Market East, but schedules allow 5 minutes.
If they left Suburban Station on time, trains stand for three minutes at
Market East. The present plan for through service from one side pads
downtown schedules to improve the on-time percentage on the other. If
services on the two halves of the sy stem were separated, two minutes could
be saved. 2. Slow running: All railroads have speed restrictions
necessitated by repair work, switches or sharp curves. In practice,
though, RRD's restrictions seem to be exaggerated, and remain in force
after the need is gone. Instead of moving trains out
smartly, employees often feel no need to get to their destination: an
attitude quite noticeable to the passengers. 3. Even in the peak hours,
some trains make three stops in the Wayne Junction vicinity! One to board
passengers, one to pick up employees at Wayne Shops or Roberts Yard, and
one to pick up train orders at Wayne Tower. Operating rule books used to
place severe restrictions on employee stops. If the railroad is operated
for the convenience of the passengers instead of the convenience of SEPTA,
then employees will walk a hundred yards or so to the station platform.
Northbound trains get orders at 30th Street; money would be saved as well
as time if southbounds were to receive orders there or by radio. 4. Stops
in the transit zone take about a minute each, including allowance for
braking and acceleration. If Doylestown trains ran nonstop between Market
East and the first stop on the branch, North Hills, 6 minutes could be
saved. 5. Meets: Before the Doylestown and Paoli runs were merged in 1984,
trains ran from Lansdale to Doylestown in 19 minutes. Today's meets at
Forest Park appear the be the inevitable consequence of linking the two
runs; and the segment requires 25 minutes to operate. Total savings: 14
minutes; Doylestown to Philadelphia becomes a 65-minute trip. More
importantly, the range of a half-hour journey is extended from North Hills
to Pennlyn; of a 45 minute journey from Gwynedd Valley to Fortuna. Perhaps
when the speed limit between Lansdale and Doylestown is increased from 40
mph to 60 or 70, and then junctions are properly rebuilt, Doylestown will
be less than an hour from Suburban Station. In 1975, the slowest train
from Doylestown to Reading Terminal took 70 minutes, the same time as
todays expresses. But the real point is if there is the will to improve the
service, a significant reduction in running times could be achieved
immediately. +Reliability: another benefit SEPTA's Chuck Thomas once told
the Board that the three attributes in which RRD needs the most improvement
are "reliability, reliability, reliability." The market place is full of
"type A personalities" who demand predictable performance if they are to
use public transportation at all. RRD can be made more punctual by
identifying and treating the causes of late running: Since the 1984 merger
of Pennsy and Reading lines, officials have complained that trains made
late on one side of the system continue running late on the other side, and
delay additional trains as well. Symbolic values like "welding the region
together" must yield to pragmatism if the service is to become more
marketable. The worst case of cascading problems is on the Trenton line.
NJ Transit delays lead to SEPTA trains being held at Trenton and running
late all the way to Chestnut Hill East. In addition, passengers on this
line leave much more trash than those on any other. All of those
conditions call for separating the Trenton service from all the others at
the next schedule change. RRD recently separated the other line which
operates over Amtrak's Northeast Corridor (Wilmington); Paoli should follow
too. All separated routes should serve all three Center City stations.
Pennsy trains can turn in the center tracks at Market East, Reading trains
on the six tracks at 30th Street. 2. The flow of trains through Center
City must be quick and regular. The slack in schedules at Market East has
consequential effects of delaying following trains and limiting track
capacity in Center City. 3. Too many stops on the Market East-Glenside
trunk line hinders reliability because passenger, mechanical, and
electrical problems tend to manifest themselves at or near station stops.
If a train is to have trouble, better it happens on the branch lines.
Trains should also be properly "fleeted" when running over the trunk:
expresses followed by stopping trains. Another need not met by current
scheduling is that for timely Center City arrivals and departures.
Travelers tend to have a time goal when they go to Center City. To a
lesser extent, they want to leave Center City at predictable times. The
meetings, concerts, appointments, etc. we go to tend to start on the hour.
Arrival times of trains must reflect the fact that we are "creatures of the
clock." Before the systems were merged, the heavily-patronized Paoli line
had the optimal arrival times of 40 past and 10 past the hour, allowing 15
minutes for the passenger to walk to his or her destination and five
minutes margin in case of lateness. No
such margin is needed for the homeward trip, so the Paoli Locals
(according to Christopher Morley's poem) favored departures at 15 and 45.
On the Reading, the hourly express trains that once ran to New York set all
schedule patterns. All electric trains were scheduled in each direction to
feed those expresses at the junction stations. Something of this tradition
remains in the R6 Norristown schedule, a very inconvenient "53" arrival
and "55" departure at Suburban Station. For those lines which justify only
hourly off-peak service, the timetables should have a group of trains
arriving Center City from both sides of the system in the third quarter of
the hour, and departing near the beginning of the second quarter. Once
arrived, trains would wait at downtown terminal for about a half-hour, then
return to their starting point. Through running is only feasible where two
trains per hour are to be operated. This two-pulses-per hour service plan
has some secondary benefits, too. Airport trains and downtown feeder buses
can effectively be operated, meeting all the trains. Persons who live
along different lines can meet downtown without one or more having an
excessive wait either for the others to arrive or for their return train.
Altogether, more timely scheduling creates a more people-oriented service,
the kind of thing that sells every kind of good and service today. Next
month, we will depict the present schedule structure and develop a new
off-peak schedule that observe the principles above. Reform of the peak
service will be tackled later. In the meantime, the Commuter Rail
Committee welcomes your comments.
Social Hour! Time to take a break from fighting SEPTA and the highway
lobby? Join DVARP members at a happy hour at The Aztec Club, Delaware Ave.
and Spring Garden St. (Frankford El to Spring Garden) Friday, April 30 from
6:00 to 7:30 pm. Hors d'oeuvres and drinks are on the house!
Delaware Transportation Fair Once again, Delaware will celebrate Try
Transit Week with a display of transportation alternatives. Along with
representatives from our sister organization, Delmarva Rail Passenger
Association, you'll be able to see displays from DART and a big model
railroad exhibit, and take free rides on both a train and the cruise ship
Miss Kathy.
Amtrak/Tank Truck Accident Don't stop on the tracks! A terrible accident
ocurred when an Amtrak train struck a tanker truck on a grade crossing in
Florida. The driver said he was blocked by the grossing gates, but it was
soon learned traffic was backed up from a nearby light, and he had stopped
his truck on the tracks, which is against the law. So like most of these
accidents, the driver was to blame. Do you have a dangerous crossing like
that in your town? Remind local government officials about the stupidity
of some drivers, and ask them to have signs posted saying "No stopping on
railroad crossing."-MDM
Amtrak Opens New Shops Most of the new shops at 30th Street Station have
been open several weeks, but a grand opening celebration will be held by
Amtrak on April 24. Taste the coffee, cheese, fish, candy, pastry, and
other good things you'll find at the station, and you'll find yourself
planning a quick stop there to shop on your way home every day!-MDM Tour
the X2000 Another highlight of the day will be an e xhibit of the X2000
train, now in test service on Metroliner runs (see Feb., March DVRP)
RailReading: LRV Lemons The current issue of Locomotive and Railway
Preservation includes an excellent review of the Boeing LRV; the ill-fated
high-tech trolley. The mechanical problems which plague the cars are
explained clearly, and the fate of the cars in Boston and San Francisco is
discussed.-MDM
Pennsylvania Issues Trip Reduction Rules The Department of Environmental
Resources has released proposed standards for employer reduction of
commuter auto use, a plan which looks quite like the one DVARP proposed in
the public hearing process last year. (see November 92 DVRP) DVARP
sought goals which would recognize that downtown areas already make more
efficient use of transportation resources, but not absolve them of
responsibility for further improvement. The final plan divides the region
into zones based not on city/suburb boundaries, but on level of
development. A goal of 10 percent reduction in auto use is set for the
Center City/University area, building up to 28% in the most sprawled
suburban areas. Now DER must implement and enforce the regulations, and not
knuckle under to businesses crying doom and gloom about the law and
implying that there is something unamerican about not driving a car to
work. As we said here in December, savvy businesses will find they can
save money, by ending their subsidies to drivers. Fortunately, the hammer
of Federal law is on our side. States in violation can lose highway and
other transportation funding, but auto-industrial complex lobbyists would
love to have the law delayed as much as fuel economy laws have been.
+Delaware needs a plan The State of Delaware has been notified that its
application for DART operating funds is threatened by the state's failure
to meet the Clean Air Act timetable for creating an employer trip reduction
plan. The Diamond State is further behind than many others, but serious
work is beginnning in Dover. The plan must cover both New Castle and Kent
counties. +First Clean Air Act route A suburban pharmaceutical company,
Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, will be contributing $10,000 towards a pilot bus route
running from the Route 29/422 corridor to Philadelphia according to the
Inquirer. The bus is to be called route 125-A. The company is betting
that the bus will help it meet clean air act requirements.
News compiled by Matthew Mitchell and correspondents: Howard Bender, Chuck
Bode, Tom Borawski, Lucia Esther, Harry Hyde, Larry Joyce, Don Nigro, John
Pawson.
SEPTA, NJT Play Ball! We wanted to keep it a suprise, but part of the
SEPTA-Phillies joint marketing deal is to put a Phillies logo on SEPTA
passes during May. Those passes will give you more than a ride; they will
be good for free admission to ballgames May 8, 12, and 25 and June 7. See
the SEPTA flyer or call the Phillies for info. NJ Transit has been on the
team for several years now. They will run a special train from Atlantic
City to the Vet on Sundays: June 6, June 20, August 15, and September 26.
The package includes game ticket, contests and special activities on the
train, and a parade to the ballpark. You must make reservations, so call
609-343-7163 SEPTA covered another co-marketing base when it helped sponsor
Pennsylvania Ballet's program "Pennsylvania Station" last month. Ballet
staff have a long history of creative marketing ideas with partners as
unorthodox as the Schmidt's brewery, while
the cultural event market is one SEPTA ought to tap, so... +"Make it a
Night" Returns
Bargain fares are the order of the night Wednesdays on SEPTA and PATCO for
the Center City District's "Make it a Night" promotion. Round-trip fares
for passengers going to Center City after 5:00 pm will be only $2.00 from
any rail station in the region! +More marketing news SEPTA had a booth at
the Flower Show, selling tokens, maps, and souvenirs, and reminding throngs
of people who drove to the show that they have a better alternative. The
benefits of that effort won't be known until next year though. Also on the
gate show front, planners are thinking about shifting big events like the
Flower Show to the new Convention Center, but parking for all the showgoers
is the rub. Everyone is agreeing that we must do much more to get these
people to use mass transit. If done right, here could be a long-term
benefit as people get into the habit of using transit to reach Center City.
So we need two things: first, a way to entice first-time riders onto the
system. When Toronto's Skydome opened in 1989, all tickets for events
included a free ride on the TTC to and from the domes. Equally important
is to make sure that when people ride the buses and trains for the first
time, they won't find such intolerable conditions that they swear never to
ride mass transit again.-MDM
Transportation Meetings A pair of important public meetings will be held
this month. The first will consider proposed Federal Transit
Administration and Federal Highway Administration planning and congestion
management rules. It will go on from 9 to 5 on April 14 and 8:30 to noon
April 15 at the Franklin Plaza, 17th and Race Sts. in Philadelphia. For
more information, call Paul Derzhinski at 202-366-1372. A state
transportation hearing will take place April 22 in King of Prussia.
Members of the public who wish to testify must call Anita Eberhard
717-787-2913 and provide 25 copies of their statement.
Delmarva Excursion to Fair Delmarva Rail Passenger Association will again
sponsor a special demonstration train to the Delaware State Fair July 24.
This year, passengers can travel from Philadelphia as well as Claymont and
Wilmington.
Remember upcoming Stony Creek trip! Tickets for the NRHS Philadelphia
Chapter excursion trip to Telford, Stony Creek, and the DVARP route for
direct service to Center City during RailWorks are still available. Call
215-947-5769 evenings for more information. The train will leave 30th St.
at 9:45 on Sunday April 25; it will not stop at Suburban Station or Market
East.
Dates of Interest SEPTA on Site (RRD): Thursday mornings: 7:30 to 9:00 am,
at Suburban Station or Market East Station. DVARP Commuter Rail Committee:
Sat., Apr. 10, 12:00 at Chestnut Gourmet, 1121 Chestnut St., Philadelphia.
SEPTA transit timetables change April 11-12. Note change of date!
Pennsylvania Association of Mass Transportation Authorities Annual Meeting:
Apr. 12-15 at Hershey. Federal Transportation Public Meeting: Wed.-Thu.,
Apr 14-15. See above for details. IEEE Vehicular Technology Society:
Wed., Apr. 14, 7:00 pm at 23 Moore School, University of Pennsylvania, 33rd
and Walnut. Topic: Automatic Equipment Identification. SEPTA R1, R2, R3,
R5 using shuttle buses Fern Rock-Jenkintown April 17-18 DVARP/NJ-ARP South
Jersey Task Force: Sat., Apr. 17, 10:00 am at 108 Edison St.,
Collingswood, NJ. DVARP General Meeting: Sat., Apr. 17, 12:00 to 3:00 pm
at Lansdale Library, Vine St., Lansdale (Montgomery Co.). Note change of
time due to SEPTA shuttle buses SEPTA Citizen Advisory Committee: Tues.,
Apr. 20, 5:45 pm at SEPTA Board Room, 714 Market St., Phila. SEPTA on Site
(Suburban Transit): Wed., Apr. 21, 7:30 to 9:30 am and 3:30 to 5:30 pm at
69th St., 7:30 to 9:30 am at Norristown State Transportation Committee
Hearing: Thu. Apr. 22 in King of Prussia. See above for details.
Philadelphia Trolley Coalition: Fri., Apr. 23, 5:30 pm at 56 West Penn St.,
Philadelphia. (cross street 5300 Germantown Ave) Call 843-5359 for
information. SEPTA Board Meeting: Thu., Apr. 22, 3:00, SEPTA Board Room,
714 Market St., Third Floor, Philadelphia. Grand Opening of 30th Street
Shops and Restaurants: Sat., Apr. 24, 10:00 to 5:00. X2000 train on
exhibit. NRHS Philadelphia Chapter "Stony Creek Ramble:" Sun. Apr. 25,
departs 30th St. 9:45 am, Jenkintown 10:15 am. Trip will include DVARP
RailWorks Detour Route, Lansdale-Telford, Stony Creek Branch. Tickets:
$35.00 Information and reservations: call 947-5769 evenings 7:00 to 10:00
only. Pennsylvania Rail Freight Seminar: Wed.-Fri., Apr. 28-30 in Hershey.
Call 717-524-4491 for info. DVARP Transit Committee: Wed., A pr. 28, 5:15
to 6:30 at Jefferson Alumni Hall, 1020 Locust St., Philadelphia. DVARP
Social Hour: Fri., Apr. 30, 6:00 to 7:30 pm at Aztec Club, Delaware Ave.
and Spring Garden St. Free admission, food and drinks! DVARP Light Rail
Committee: Sat., May 1, 1:00 at Fishers Restaurant, 7312 Castor Ave. (at
Cottman). Amtrak and commuter rail schedules change May 2, RailWorks
resumes May 2. Earth Sunday in the Park: Sun., May 2, 12:00 to 5:00 in
Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. Delmarva Rail Passenger Association: Mon.,
May 3 (note change of date), 7:00 pm at State Senate Chambers, Dover.
info: Doug Andrews, 302-995-6419. DVARP Commuter Rail Committee: Sat., May
8, 12:00 at Chestnut Gourmet, 1121 Chestnut St., Philadelphia. Delaware
Transportation Festival: Sat., May 15, 10:00 to 5:00 at Wilmington Station
and Tues., May 18 10:00 to 8:00 at Delaware DOT headquarters, Dover. DVARP
General Meeting: Sat., May 15, 1:00 to 3:00 pm at 108 Edison Ave.,
Collingswood, NJ. "Try Transit Week" is May 17-21 Tell your friends and
neighbors to give up their car for a week! Listings based on information
provided to DVARP. Contact sponsor to confirm time & place.
Up and Down the Corridor News of other Northeastern commuter rail and rail
transit services +Deal Close in New York A bond issue is the key to a new
Capital Plan for the New York MTA. Legislators will haggle over the nature
of the bonds (if they have to go to a voter referendum) and how much is to
be spent on upstate roads vs. downstate transit. Part of the deal will
also keep the promise of retaining the $1.25 TA fare. +Storm Stops New York
Rails, Too Like in Philadelphia, some services shut down and some kept
running through the blizzard. Switch failures shut down the LIRR, but NJ
Transit and Metro-North kept on running, with delays of course. Subway and
elevated lines ran pretty well. Compiled from BITNET,Passenger Transport
Rail News by e-mail Do you use a computer information service like
CompuServe or America OnLine? Is the computer at work connected to Bitnet
or Internet? Then you can join groups which exchange e-mail comments and
questions about passenger and freight rail service and all forms of public
transit. These are automated mailing lists; when one person sends a message
to a central computer, it remails the message to all the subscribers. To
join the Railroad List, send a message to the address 'LISTSERV@CUNYVM'
which says 'subscribe railroad yourname' To join the Transit List send
the message 'subscribe transit your-name' to 'LISTSERV@GITVM1' These
addresses are on Bitnet; if you use CompuServe or any other commercial
information service, contact the provider for addressing information and
the cost to you, if any, for sending and receiving mail outside the system.
And if you want to send electronic mail to DVARP, our Bitnet address is
'iekp898@tjuvm' On Internet, use 'iekp898@tjuvm.tju.edu' We can send you
back newsletters from 1992, budget and hearing statements, and many other
documents, just ask us! -MDM
Upcoming DVARP Meetings: Saturday, April 17, 12:00 to 3:00 Lansdale
(Montgomery Co.) Library Note change in starting time! R5 train leaves
Suburban Stn. at 10:50, shuttle bus Fern Rock-Jenkintown walk north 1 block
from station, turn left on Green St., left on Vine St. to Library 96 bus
leaves Norristown at 11:00 +Saturday, May 15, 1:00 to 4:00
Collingswood, NJ +Saturday, June 19, 1:00 to 4:00 Jenkintown
Agenda for the April meeting: 12:00 introductions, agenda, minutes 12:15
Issues requiring immediate action: RailWorks(: shutdown II SEPTA fare and
rule hearing 1:00 Other business: Transit Committee:
Subway extensions
Commuter Rail Committee:
RRD schedule reform
Newtown 2:00 General:
SEPTA Operating Budget
SEPTA Capital Budget
Administration: copier, incorporation
Committee Meetings: Philadelphia Trolley Coalition: Fri., April 23, 5:30
pm at 56 West Penn St., Germantown Transit Committee: Wed., Apr. 28, 5:15
to 6:45 at Jefferson Hall, 1020 Locust St. (first floor cafeteria) Topic:
SEPTA Capital and Operating Budget items Light Rail Committee: Sat., May
1, 12:00 noon at Fisher's Restaurant ,7312 Castor Ave. Topics: 40th St.
track repairs, lack of progress on new cars, SEPTA budgets, trackless
trolleys Commuter Rail Committee: Sat., May 8, 12:00 to 2:00 at Chestnut
Gourmet, 1121 Chestnut St. South Jersey Task Force: call DVARP Voice Mail,
215-222-3373, message box 2.
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