Thursday, May 7 2009 8:38 pm
Donald Winship
The Lackawanna Coalition is an independent non-profit organization that advocates for better service on the Morris & Essex (M&E) and Montclair-Boonton rail lines operated by New Jersey Transit, as well as on connecting transportation. The Coalition was founded in 1979 by commuters in Millburn who were deeply concerned about the quality of their rail service. The service has improved since then under the stewardship of New Jersey Transit, although there are always issues that affect our riders and require our attention. The most pressing issue is off-peak service on the Morris & Essex Line, which New Jersey Transit severely reduced this past May and which we are fighting to have restored. The Lackawanna Coalition is one of the nation’s oldest rail advocacy organizations and has met in Millburn continuously since it was founded over 30 years ago.
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Funding Bill for Senior/Disabled Passes Assembly
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Tuesday, January 12 2010 6:47 pm
Donald Winship
Assembly Bill 2046, which would increase the portion of the Casino Revenue Fund for transportation for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, passed the Assembly on January 11th by a vote of 75 to 2, with two abstentions. The measure would raise the percentage of the fund dedicated to special transportation from 7.5 to 8.5%. The Senate passed a similar measure in December, and Goveror Corzine is expected to sign the bills before he leaves office. The Lackawanna Coalition supports the initiative.
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New Leadership Coming to NJ Transit
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Tuesday, January 12 2010 6:45 pm
Donald Winship
Governor-elect Chris Christie has appointed new leaders for the New Jersey Department of Transportation and NJ Transit. His choice for Transportaiton Commissioner is Jim Simpson, a New Yorker who was Federal Transit Administratior in the Bush Administration from 2006 until 2009. Simpson is familiar with the ARC Project and other NJT capital projects, as well as the positions taken by the Lackawanna Coalition and other rail advocacy groups. The new Executive Director at NJT will be Jim Weinstein, who served as Transportation Commissioner from 1998 to 2002 in the Republican administration of Governors Whitman and DiFrancesco. At this writing, NJT could not confirm when the change of leadership will take place.
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Service Cuts Not as Severe as Feared
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Tuesday, January 12 2010 6:46 pm
Donald Winship
Rail service cuts were not as severe as feared. While we reported apprehension about expected severe cuts in the January-February issue of the Railgram, the actual service reductions were modest, averaging a train or two on most lines. The most hard-hit will be the Atlantic City Rail Line, which will lose one of its businest trains. One train on the Montclair-Boonton Line will be eliminated, including the first inbound train in the morning. The M&E Line will lose one train in each direction, while a mid-day train will be suspended temporarily west of Summit, to allow installation of an improved signaling system between Summit and Morristown. The Lackawanna Coalition has asked for the signal improvements in the area for several years and compliments NJT on their decision to install the upgrade.
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NJT Expected to Cut Rail Service in January
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Tuesday, December 29 2009 8:17 pm
Donald Winship
New Jersey Transit has announced that the Great Notch Station on the Montclair-Boonton Line will be closed after Friday, January 15th. The station is served by only a few peak-hour trains, while the nearby Montclair State University Station is served by all trains on the line. Transit management cited low ridership at Great Notch as the reason for the closure, despite the addition of service to the station last year. Meanwhile, the Lackawanna Coalition has learned that NJT plans to eliminate a number of trains that now serve Hoboken Terminal. Unconfirmed reports say that 40 trains will be eliminated in the new schedules, and the casualties will be M&E and Pascack Valley Line trains.
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