Montclair weekend service
July 10th 2007 12:20 pm
You may not have noticed, but NJ Transit operated trains on the Montclair-Boonton Line last Saturday, July 7. The Fireworks Express trains, apparently paid for by PSE&G, provided free service to and from the Township of Montclair’s fireworks display. The trains served the Bay Street, Walnut Street, Watchung Avenue, Upper Montclair, and Mountain Avenue stations. By most accounts, the service operated smoothly.
So trains operated in Montclair on a weekend, and nobody went insane from the noise, trains didn’t chase defenseless children down the street, and the town didn’t burn down because a grade crossing was blocked for a minute or two. What will it take for NJT to provide full service to NY and/or Hoboken every Saturday and Sunday?
alewifebp responded on 10 Jul 2007 at 9:17 pm #
I’m guessing that they would use the excuse of only one track in to NYP while Amtrak rehabs the tubes. Of course they could run them to Hoboken instead, but that would make too much sense. Of course, they may use the excuse of the Newark Broad work.
Bob Scheurle responded on 11 Jul 2007 at 7:51 am #
NJ Transit is very good at finding excuses. Secaucus Transfer construction used to be the excuse. Now, as you said, it’s the tunnel work and Newark Broad construction. In the future, look for T.H.E. Tunnel and Portal Bridge to be used as excuses for not providing the service improvements that people want.
And some things seem to take forever for no good reason. The Pascack Valley Line passing sidings were originally supposed to be completed in 2000. The excuse for delaying their construction used to be the Secaucus Transfer work. Well, Secaucus Transfer opened in 2003, and the Pascack Valley Line sidings still aren’t done.
alewifebp responded on 11 Jul 2007 at 9:55 pm #
Well some of the PVL siding delay was due to NIMBY’s up the line. Some of those NIMBY’s weren’t even served by the PVL.
Bob Scheurle responded on 12 Jul 2007 at 9:24 am #
With apologies to Admiral Farragut, “Damn the NIMBYs, Full speed ahead!”
Jishnu Mukerji responded on 26 Jul 2007 at 6:31 pm #
The excuse du jour these days is indeed the Newark Broad Street Station re-construction project. As a starter they could use the alternate hour slots vacated there by the reduction of service between Hoboken and Summit by running Hoboken to MSU locals in the vacated slots without impacting anything at all at Newark Broad Street, and in the process provide effective hourly service with one additional change between Hoboken and Dover and Gladstone too.