ABrusca1105 t1_iu1fr96 wrote on October 27, 2022 at 9:01 PM

Reply to comment by objectimpermanence in 33rd st path trains are delayed, impossible to get on WTC because it’s so packed. Take the ferry or walk to Newport if you can. by elbowe51317

NJT must have the same source of wisdom. Every train I get on (I don't commute) is PACKED. Weekends more than recovered already. A couple of weeks ago Penn Station New Jersey Transit concourse looked like a can of sardines at midnight. About a week ago on a Thursday night at 12:30 a.m. coming home from the airport. It also was busier than I expected. Frequencies need to be increased drastically on the weekends.

throw495887 t1_iu1s5pz wrote on October 27, 2022 at 10:29 PM

They are never gonna have the money or political will to meaningfully expand. I think the strategy is to starve it and hope people drive.

Remember there is a giant conflict of interest in all of this, PA runs PATH trains at a huge financial loss, but collects hudson river toll revenue to great gain

ABrusca1105 t1_iu1sq12 wrote on October 27, 2022 at 10:33 PM

If trains can run every 7-15 min in rush hour, they can run more than once per hour on weekends.

Also, Gateway is going to be built, it HAS TO. That will increase Hudson capacity by double. The project comes with additional rolling stock to enable that extra service already budgeted. One of the only reasons New Jersey Transit has not been able to expand the number of lines is because there just simply isn't enough capacity to fit more trains into Penn per day. The Monmouth Ocean Middlesex line is a perfect example of that.

The true solution is to unify all of the railroads going into Manhattan into a single railroad. That would include both the commuter railroads as well as the rapid transit railroads. Create a new agency under a revamped Port Authority.

throw495887 t1_iu1x8tb wrote on October 27, 2022 at 11:08 PM

Where will the money come from? NY and NJ are not on a level playing field. Whats in it for NY to pitch in money for these things? Look at Penn Station. NY is spending millions for improvements to Amtrak and LIRR and not a cent for NJ Transit. Or congestion charging, they are about to collect tons of revenue from NJ commuters but not giving a cent to NJ. And what reward does NJ get for investing in cross-hudson transit infrastructure? More commuters living in NJ but giving 100% of their income taxes to NY. It's a big scam.

Remember the Port Authority runs plenty of profitable infrastructure, specifically bridges, airports and ports. Force them to pick up more unprofitable rail service and their business model no longer works. The only reason they run PATH in the first place was as a concession for them to build the World Trade Center.

ABrusca1105 t1_iu1xtw9 wrote on October 27, 2022 at 11:13 PM

The money is half federal, 1/4 New York, and 1/4 New Jersey. If the North River Tunnels fail, New York's economy goes into a literal depression as does the entirety of the Northeast. The whole country will also enter a recession. Bringing more people into the city also helps the economy. The Penn Station remodeling is being done with a payment in lieu of taxes for the redevelopment surrounding it. New Jersey benefits from new tunnels because their residents can commute to work and other trips quicker and more frequently.

Public transportation is not a for-profit endeavor. The funding is there, especially after the federal infrastructure bill passed. I wish the second bill passed with more real funding, but there is plenty of funding for Amtrak, who owns the North River Tunnels.

Ticket prices into New York City are already very high. How are you? Even saying that they are unprofitable? The Northeast regional and the North Jersey coastline I can guarantee you If we saw the numbers would be profitable. How about we put tolls in every single limited access highway in the entire country and pay for all of the infrastructure that way. We have to be profitable right? How about the airports that they have to rebuild every 20 years?

If you support defunding the Gateway program, You support children dying in the street of hunger in New York.

intellos t1_iu2zs5u wrote on October 28, 2022 at 4:15 AM

For real, where the fuck do these people think millions of extra cars are going to fit in NYC?

intellos t1_iu2zj86 wrote on October 28, 2022 at 4:12 AM

Driving will never replace these trains. There is not and will never be enough physical space inside the city for enough cars to replace the millions of daily trips the trains provide. Not that it stops stupid fucking NYT writers from advocating for it.