quote:
Originally posted by Hot Water:
Our "boy governor" here in Illinois just cut $34 Million from the Chicago RTA/METRA/CTA mass transit budget! They are now scrambling to see what gets "cut"!
I figured something like that would happen. I heard that earlier this year Metra almost missed making its payrol and had to be bailed out with temporary funds. A few years ago NJT lost its rank as the third largest commuter rail system to Metra. It will be interesting to see if the ranking holds up.
In case you missed it, here is my summary of service cuts at NJT. When you read it keep in mind that our budget was increaced by 60 million, which happened to be less that the 100 million promised originally. With an actual budget cut of 34 million I can only begin to image what the fallout at Metra will be. Please keep me posted.
I hate to pour cold water on those who believe NJT will be greatly expanding and improving its network over the next few years, or anytime in the near future. The sad reality is that NJT cannot even affort to keep its current services running. It seems that this is a result of soaring fuel prices and the state not delivering as much money as promised. I believe the proposed amount of NJT operating subsidies was expected to be about 400 million, but was cut back to 360. With the hugue debt load of the state of NJ, it is unlikely next year will provide any more money.
The cuts in our current rail services began in May of this year. Through service between Hoboken and Gladstone on the weekends was eliminated and replaced with shuttles run every other hour between Hoboken and Newark and hourly shuttles between Gladstone and Summit. This replaced a slow, but one seat ride with two train changes and only every other hour service to Hoboken. However, the big news was the elimination of most of the weekday Dover to Hoboken service with cuts that went as deep as eliminating rush hour express trains. Many of the vanishing trains had run since EL days, and were heavily relied upon by school children and poorer workers that traveled between suburban towns.
In August weekday offpeak Bayhead to Hoboken trains will be eliminated, reducing the attractiveness of traveling to the Jersey Shore by train. I should note here that the weekend shore extras were already eliminated last year. Also, Sunday moring service on the Raritan Valley line will be cut in half with trains operating only every two hours. For you CNJ fans, NJ Transit's offical press realease on the Raritan line says that bus service can be used as a substitute.
I wish I could end my post here, but I already am hearing that the old Erie lines will be up for service reductions next. Also, on the management and administrative side, about 20 percent of the jobs at Penn Plaza will be cut or eliminated through buyouts. Watching this happen, it is very hard for me to have any optimism about service increases. It is true that more ALP46 locos and bilevels are on on order. But when they arive they will see service on a greatly downsised railroad. Of course, they will only arive if the state comes up with the money to pay for them. The same is true for the new tunnel to NYC and Portal Bridge: New Jersey has only put forth money to begin these projects, and there is no proposal as to how the bulk of the money for the actual construction will be raised.
