Jersey keeps its light-rail rolling

[JCMAN320]

On this route, it's standing-room-only

Tuesday, October 10, 2006
By GREG HANLON
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The shimmering office buildings of Jersey City's waterfront are populated in no small number by residents of Hudson County's neighbor to the south - Staten Island.

The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce estimates 12,000 Islanders work in Hudson County, mostly in Jersey City. But because of severe cutbacks by Red & Tan Tours - a private company that transports hundreds of Staten Islanders to Hudson County every day - the daily commute for these workers has become much more arduous.

And, if more Staten Islanders opt to take their cars instead of the bus, Bayonne and Jersey City roads will be that much more crowded.

Red & Tan has recently eliminated four pick-up times from its rush-hour schedule, turning the wait from what was once a 10 to 15 minutes into as much as an hour. And the lack of buses also makes finding a seat a challenge, commuters said.

"During rush hour, it's always full," Adam Sierra, 24, a computer programmer from the Richmond section of Staten Island. "The buses will be so packed that people are standing in the stairwells."

Staten Island community leaders are calling on New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority to launch a bus service to compensate for the Red & Tan cutbacks, and the MTA says it's looking into that possibility with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and NJ Transit.

Last fall, legislation was passed by New York lawmakers allowing the MTA's New York City Transit Division to operate in New Jersey, paving the way for the MTA to supply service to Hudson County, should it chose to do so.

In the meantime, however, many Staten Islanders who work in Hudson County will have to wait - and Hudson County residents will have to share the road with more cars with New York plates.

"We would like to see the MTA move a little quicker than they usually move, so we can get people over to Bayonne and prevent them from getting into their cars," said state Assemblyman Michael Cusick, D-Staten Island.

Newhouse News Service contributed to this report.

[JCMAN320]

T.V.s to be installed in PATH cars by 2011

Monday, October 16, 2006
By GREG HANLON
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A German computer technology company called Inova has announced it has reached a $14.7 million deal with NBC Universal to install and maintain a passenger "infotainment" system for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's PATH trains and stations.

But even after Inova's announcement, NBC refused to comment about the deal, while a Port Authority spokesman said it hasn't been reached yet.

Inova spokesman David Lieberman said each PATH train car will be equipped with four pairs of high-resolution, 12-inch television screens that will broadcast pre-programmed news and train information. In the stations, larger screens will broadcast information about arrival times and delays, Lieberman said.

The project, which coincides with the $809 million undertaking to modernize the PATH system, is expected to begin in early 2008 and be completed by 2011, Lieberman said.

"A lot of urban centers are interested in this technology. But in the U.S., we're way behind what's been happening in Europe," he said. "There's a lot of catch up that needs to be played."

Lieberman said similar technology already is in use in Frankfurt, Vienna, Geneva, Madrid and Athens.

The modernization of the PATH system will include the complete overhaul of all 340 trains in the fleet, as well as improved lighting, air conditioning, and heating on both the trains and the stations, among other modern amenities, according to the Port Authority. The project is expected to be completed by 2011.

[JCMAN320]

WIN-WIN FOR PATH RIDERS
Budget plan: New cars, no hikes

Friday, December 01, 2006

By JOURNAL STAFF AND WIRE REPORT
Newhouse News Service

PATH riders will travel in style under a preliminary Port Authority budget released yesterday that calls for $87 million for new cars - but no fare increase.

The proposed $5.7 billion budget for 2007, which also includes significantly increased capital spending on a new Hudson River train tunnel and Ground Zero's redevelopment, also holds vehicle tolls and rail fares at their current levels.

The preliminary budget's $2.5 billion capital budget includes: $34.8 million for improvements to the Hoboken waterfront, including construction of a permanent ferry terminal and reconstruction of Pier C; $10.4 million in improvements to the Lincoln Tunnel, including a $1.6 million Baldwin Avenue widening project for Weehawken; $10 million for "roadway improvements" at the Secaucus Transfer railroad station; and $8.2 million for maintenance work and improvements to the Bayonne Bridge.

"This budget funds our commitments to build new infrastructure, upgrade existing facilities, and invest heavily in security improvements, while holding the line on operating expenses and reducing administrative costs," Port Authority Chairman Anthony Coscia said in a statement.

"The Port Authority is now responsible for some of the most critical projects of our generation, including the rebuilding of the World Trade Center, construction of the memorial and the construction of a second commuter rail tunnel into Manhattan."

The release of a preliminary budget two weeks before a vote on the final spending plan marks a significant step toward openness for the Port Authority. Bi-state agency officials long have held information about pending budgets secret. Three years ago, for example, the plan was announced and passed within hours, with no public input.

Next year's $2.5 billion capital plan represents a 33-percent increase over 2006, with most of the increase dedicated to preparing the infrastructure for the planned 1,776-foot Freedom Tower and 9/11 memorial at the former World Trade Center site. Approximately 65 percent of the $625 million capital budget increase will be reimbursed to the agency through insurance and other sources.

Port Authority officials announced $251 million will be dedicated next year toward construction of Ground Zero's permanent PATH hub, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

Agency officials also plan to make the first major expenditures - $85 million - for "preliminary planning and site acquisition" costs for the proposed trans-Hudson rail tunnel, designed to increase rail capacity between New Jersey and midtown-Manhattan.

The full budget can be viewed at www.panynj.gov.

staff writer Ron Marsico contributed to this report.

[jhoetzl]

So, last month, I went to get my Monthly permit a the TVM at Liberty state park, and was displayed a message that all available spaces were occupied. So, off to West-Side station I drove, where I purchased my $93 combined parking and transit tickets. I didn't enjoy that because it meant I couldn't get on any train from Exchange place, so this month I made sure I got my permit earlier. Imagine my surprise to see the price went up $10!? Meanwhile, all the other stations are still at $93, and Tonnelle was free. Are we subsidizing those parkers?
A $10 increase is pretty outrageous! Especially since it isn't across the board.

Meanwhile, over at http://www.njtransit.com/sf_lr_fares.shtml it still says $93, but, look carefully at http://www.mylightrail.com/index.php...d=15&Itemid=63 and you will see about this.

Any thoughts on this one? Did I miss something in the news about this one?

Thanks!

[jhoetzl]

but I'm just wondering why LIGHT RAIL (HBLR)?? as the main mode??? Besides the obvious thats its cheaper to buildthan subway (PATH).
<snip>
I know its sounds like a stupid question, and I know that they are not going to rip up the light rail line, but from my unfortunate vantage point, it seems like HBLR would be inefficient for a contstantly densifying and growing area, especially during rush hour.

Have you ever seen a Toonerville Trolley cartoon? The layout of the tracks reminds me a lot of that series...

For those who have no idea about the Toonerville Trolley, one of the ideas was that the tracks were laid out such that the conductor could go around lighting the lampposts without leaving the trolley. Zig-zagging all the way.

And yes, there are more affectionate names for the line -

Light Snail
Bullet Train

Anyone have more?

[JCMAN320]

New rail tunnel, rebuilding Ground Zero on Port Authority agenda

Mapping out an ambitious vision for the next decade, the Port Authority today unveiled a $26 billion capital plan that includes funding for a new trans-Hudson rail tunnel, a fourth regional airport and rebuilding Ground Zero.

Other potential major projects include upgrading the PATH rail system, a new span to replace the crumbling Goethals Bridge and various improvements to the region’s three major airports and sprawling port facilities.

Tomorrow, the Port Authority is expected to approve the 10-year capital financing plan along with the proposed $5.7 billion operating budget for 2007 at a meeting of the board’s commissioners in New York. While next year’s budget does not include a toll or fare hike, officials have said privately that such increases will be necessary in future years to fund long-term initiatives.

A $2 billion commitment is included in the capital plan for a second trans-Hudson River rail tunnel to ease congestion for commuters traveling between New Jersey and midtown Manhattan.

Another $2 billion is slated for a yet-to-be-determined “regional’’ project that is expected to finance one of incoming New York Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer’s pet transportation initiatives. In May, Spitzer said he backed the new trans-Hudson tunnel, but wanted the Port Authority to help pay for a Long Island Rail Road extension to Grand Central Terminal or the long-delayed Second Avenue subway line.

The single highest amount of capital spending - more than $8 billion - is pegged for the World Trade Center site, where the Port Authority already has begun preliminary work on a permanent PATH station that will link to the city’s subway lines and the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower. More than $4 billion, however, is expeced to be reimbursed by the federal government and other sources.

Projects to improve facilities at the agency’s existing airports and help develop Stewart Airport in upstate New York as a fourth regional hub total nearly $4 billion.

Contributed by Ron Marsico

[tbal]

Hey Port Authority - I see you're building a second NJ Transit tunnel, but do you think you can build us a third PATH tunnel across the Hudson!? That would be pretty SWEET

They really ought to extend the PATH system under Washington Street in Hoboken so that more development could take place in the Weehawken/Hoboken area...

[JCMAN320]

Ambitious P.A. transit plans will take a toll

Thursday, December 14, 2006
BY RON MARSICO
Star-Ledger Staff

Toll and fare hikes will be needed to help fund the Port Authority's massive 10-year, $26 billion construction program that includes a new trans-Hudson rail tunnel, a fourth regional airport and rebuilding Ground Zero, the agency's chairman said yesterday.

"It's unrealistic to think there will not be a toll increase as we attempt to build out this plan over the next 10 years," agency chairman Anthony Coscia said. "We have a responsibility to use that capital for something that actually improves the region."

Coscia could not say when or by how much tolls at the agency's bridges and tunnels and PATH rail fares would rise. However, he said the increases will not occur until 2008 at the earliest.

The last increases were in 2001.

The ambitious list of capital projects the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will undertake over the next decade also includes upgrading the PATH rail system, a new span to replace the aging Goethals Bridge, improvements to the region's three major airports and sprawling port facilities and various security initiatives.

Tolls at Port Authority bridges and tunnels -- excluding E-ZPass discounts -- are now $6 round-trip, while PATH fares are $1.50. Tolls at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's bridges and tunnels -- excluding E-ZPass discounts -- are $9 round-trip, while city subway fares are $2.

Any increases will have to be approved by Gov. Jon Corzine and New York Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer, who will share control over the bistate agency starting in January.

"The Port Authority has made clear that there is no need for an increase in tolls or fares in 2007," said Brendan Gilfillan, a spokesman for Corzine. "However, increasing costs associated with security concerns, the ambition of the (construction) plan and its importance to our state dictate that a limited amount of new revenues will be needed at some point in the future.

"We trust the Port Authority to make the necessary decisions to make this plan financially viable while minimizing the cost to commuters," Gilfillan said.

For the first time, the Port Authority's capital plan spans 10 years rather than the typical five. The $26 billion, 10-year proposal reflects Coscia's desire to have the agency focus on new regional transportation projects rather than simply maintaining existing facilities.

The Port Authority's board of commissioners is expected to approve the 10-year capital financing plan today along with a proposed $5.7 billion operating budget for 2007.

While many commuters will likely balk at any fare hikes, the Regional Plan Association, a good-government advocacy group, hailed the Port Authority's plans.

"I think we applaud two things: A 10-year (plan for capital spending) and that they're talking very honestly and frankly with the public about how they're going to fund it," said Tom Wright, the association's executive vice president.

Wright said the agency's previous five-year capital plans "weren't long enough for any of the major projects we're talking about" to reach fruition. The agency, he said, should join with the MTA and New York City officials to coordinate future toll and fare hikes, as well as potential fees for vehicles entering Manhattan during peak periods.

Overall, the Port Authority's capital plan includes:


-$2 billion for a second trans-Hudson River rail tunnel to ease congestion for commuters traveling between New Jersey and Midtown Manhattan. This has been a top transportation priority for Corzine and Coscia.


-$2 billion for a yet-to-be-determined "regional" project that is expected to finance one of Spitzer's pet transportation initiatives -- extending the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Terminal or construction of the Second Avenue subway line.


-Nearly $4 billion for improvements at Newark Liberty International, JFK International and LaGuardia airports and development of Stewart Airport in upstate Newburg, N.Y., as a fourth regional hub. Included in the total is $150 million to help expand Stewart Airport so it can accommodate up to 5 million travelers over the next decade. Stewart now handles fewer than 500,000 passengers a year.


-$1 billion for construction of a new span to replace the 78-year-old Goethals Bridge, which links Elizabeth and Staten Island.


-More than $8 billion to redevelop the World Trade Center site, where the Port Authority already has begun preliminary work on a permanent PATH station that will link to the city's subway lines and the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower. More than $4 billion, however, is reimbursable from the federal government and other sources.



Ron Marsico may be reached at rmarsico@starledger.com or (973) 392-7860.

[JCMAN320]

Green light for Bayonne, S.I. bus route

Monday, December 18, 2006
NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has given the green light to a proposal that a new weekday rush-hour bus service run from Staten Island to Bayonne's light rail stations via the Bayonne Bridge.

The new route could reduce traffic and parking problems in Bayonne by reducing the number of Staten Islanders who drive into Bayonne every day.

The long-awaited MTA finding comes after months of growing frustration over reduced and limited bus service from Red & Tan, the private company that currently operates the route.

"I'm very pleased the study showed there is a need, and the MTA is coming forward to get this done," said MTA board member Frank Powers.

The MTA now will investigate partnering with the Port Authority and New Jersey Transit to share the costs of the new bus route, expected to be about $1 million a year.

Another $4 to $5 million would be needed in start-up costs, including fitting buses with fareboxes.

If all the details are worked out, the new bus service could begin early next year.

[JCMAN320]

NJT to study bus routes

Monday, December 18, 2006
NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

For the first time in 24 years, NJ Transit is going to take a hard look at the bus system in North Jersey, including routes in Hudson County.

The last review was conducted when the agency took over operations of the former Transport of New Jersey and 30 other private bus companies. In the years since, development and employment patterns in the region have shifted, congestion has grown and the needs of the public have changed.

The board voted unanimously last week to pay a Philadelphia-based consultant $1.28 million to begin work on a Greater Newark Bus System Study. The study will begin next month and cover an area that includes parts of five counties - Essex, Union, Passaic, Bergen and Hudson.

The study is expected to take about three years to complete and will consider whether routes need to be added or adjusted, and whether innovations such as "bus only" lanes might shorten travel times for the 250,000 riders who travel over 51 different bus routes on a typical weekday.

[JCMAN320]

JERSEY JOURNAL
IN OUR OPINION

Higher fares yes, but expand PATH

Monday, December 18, 2006

Commuters better enjoy the New Year because it will cost a bit more to travel to and from work in 2008, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The increases to tolls and fares are inevitable because of the bi-state agency's 10-year, $26 billion construction plan that includes a new trans-Hudson rail tunnel, a fourth regional airport (Stewart) and rebuilding Ground Zero.

It's not known how much of an increase, but it will effect the PATH rail line. The next decade of projects includes upgrading the PATH system, according to PA officials.

The last fare hike was in 2001. Tolls at the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels and the three bridges that connect New Jersey and Staten Island, then at $4, increased to $6. PATH fares jumped to $1.50 from $1. Back then, the agency proposed doubling PATH fares to $2 and increasing tolls to $7. Gov. Christie Whitman had called those increases "much too high." It was to help finance a five-year, $9 billion plan for major improvements at airports and marine terminals and for a new fleet of PATH rail cars.

The 9/11 attacks put a halt to improvements and the Port Authority faced a monumental task of rebuilding Ground Zero and part of the PATH line. PATH ridership fell off for several years. Then there were the extra millions of dollars needed for tightened security. While millions in federal dollars were targeted for Ground Zero (Federal Transit Administration released $699 million for infrastructure improvements at the former World Trade Center site in 2005), the commuters ultimately will continue to finance projects.

Between now and 2016, the agency also is repeating its needs - improvements to facilities at the region's three major airports, a new Goethals Bridge and upgrades to the PATH system, including replacing the entire rail-car fleet.

This newspaper continues to call for more than improvements to the PATH. This is the nation's oldest commuter rail system and prior to 9/11, it had already exceeded its passenger capacity during rush hours. No amount of expansions to stations or lengthening of trains will help and it will be a nightmare by 2016. It was this newspaper's opinion that another PATH tunnel was needed before the proposed trans-Hudson tunnel that will encourage more suburban sprawl and do little to reduce rush hour traffic. The Port Authority should at least study the proposal for a third PATH tunnel under the Hudson River.

[JCMAN320]

Report: NYC commuter rail tunnels vulnerable to terrorist attack

12/22/2006, 5:05 p.m. ET
By TOM HAYS
The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The forecast is ominous: A small explosive sneaked onto a commuter train punches a 50-square-foot hole in a tunnel under the Hudson River. More than a million gallons of water a minute surges in. Flooding engulfs parts of the system within hours.

That worst-case scenario was included in a newly disclosed draft analysis of the PATH rail system linking New Jersey and Manhattan, which serves 230,000 riders each weekday. The analysis suggests the system's tunnels are more vulnerable to terrorist attack than originally thought, and raised questions about whether officials have taken enough precautions.

"It's a cause for concern," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Friday about the analysis, adding that he was waiting to see a copy of it.

Gov. George Pataki said he had received the analysis, first reported in Friday editions of The New York Times, and called it part of an ongoing effort to look at security on regional transit systems.

"There are going to be continual efforts to upgrade the infrastructure and to take security measures to protect us in the post-9/11 era," he said Friday.

Other lawmakers including U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said the report shows a need for more federal funding for transit security.

Officials with the agency that runs the system, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, would not discuss the specifics of the analysis.

"The Port Authority constantly conducts threat analyses and risk assessments for our facilities and we will continue to work with our partners on all levels of government," agency spokesman John McCarthy said Friday. "It's an unending process, as we are never satisfied and will always look for ways to upgrade security."

Concerns have long been raised about potential terrorist attacks on tunnels connecting to New York City. In July, authorities said they had thwarted a suicide-bomb plot involving the PATH tunnels.

Law enforcement officials said the overseas suspects arrested in that scheme had hoped to unleash the Hudson River on the city in part by destroying an underground wall that keeps water from entering the World Trade Center site. Entrances to the ground zero pit have been under 24-hour police guard ever since.


The analysis, characterized as preliminary and continuing, was based on work by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy. The Times obtained it from an unidentified government official who it said was troubled by the agency's response to it.

McCarthy defended the system's safety.

"If at any time we believed the riders of the PATH were in imminent jeopardy, we would immediately close the system," he said.

The Port Authority police recently increased patrols and bag searches in the PATH system, and the agency's board voted last week to spend $180 million to boost security on the rail line. Unlike other tunnels that were bored through bedrock, the PATH's tunnels consist of four cast-iron and concrete tubes that run along the riverbed.

The analysis relied on both computer models and physical tests on cast iron from the tunnels, according to the Times. It describes several steps to lessen the effect of any explosions, including installing floodgates and fortifying critical parts of the tunnels.

Commuters catching the PATH on Friday morning said that while the threat of a terrorist attack was unsettling, they would continue riding. "I don't have a choice," said David Sensenich, 37, boarding the train at Newark (N.J.) Penn Station. "I have to for work."

___

Associated Press writers Janet Frankston Lorin in Newark, N.J., and Michael Gormley in Albany, N.Y., contributed to this report.

[LocoAko]

I read that article while riding the PATH train today. I guess I'm SO paranoid about the idea of another terrorist attack happening here and it's strange to actually be part of the "threatened commuters", but that sounds like an awfully scary scenario.

[ablarc]

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has given the green light to a proposal that a new weekday rush-hour bus service run from Staten Island to Bayonne's light rail stations via the Bayonne Bridge.

Why just rush hour? What if you find you have to work late?

[JCMAN320]

Hopefully they expand it Ablarc, maybe they will expand it if the service becomes very popular and commuters demand it.

Here is an article in response to the PATH security issue:

Port Authority says it's intent on protecting PATH tunnels

Saturday, December 23, 2006
BY RON MARSICO
Star-Ledger Staff

Port Authority officials yesterday defended their efforts to safeguard the PATH rail system, despite a report the agency did not act quickly enough to strengthen its Hudson River tunnels from a potential terrorist bombing.

Marc La Vorgna, a spokesman said the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said the agency authorized $180 million on Dec. 14 for security projects on the system that handles 230,000 one- way trips each weekday.

"That's a major expenditure for capital security improvements at the PATH," said La Vorgna, who declined to discuss specifics be cause of security concerns. "Those dollars are being spent based on past and ongoing analyses as to what are the needs."

La Vorgna's comments follow a story in yesterday's New York Times that cited a preliminary engineering analysis that found the nearly century-old PATH tubes running from New Jersey to the World Trade Center and Christopher Street in Manhattan are more susceptible to a bomb attack than initially believed.

The paper reported damage from even a small amount of po tent explosives could blow a hole in the side of the mostly steel tunnel and cause major flooding. It said a summary of the analysis was provided by a government official who felt the Port Authority had delayed taking action to fix the problem and notify other law-enforcement and security agencies.

Several solutions were cited by the analysis as under consideration by the Port Authority: installing a "concrete blanket" atop the tunnels to cover blast holes, reinforcing various sections and building flood gates to limit water damage in case of an explosion.

The newspaper report revives concerns over PATH safety; in July, authorities said the FBI thwarted a plot by al Qaeda allies to blow up a PATH tunnel. Officials said three people were detained overseas in connection with the plot, which included five other suspects and was to be carried out late this year.

At the time, authorities also said there was no imminent threat.

Port Authority officials also re leased a statement yesterday in which they said they recognize the "difficult realities" of protecting an open transit system.

"But if at anytime we believed the riders of the PATH were in im minent jeopardy, we would immediately close the system," the statement said.

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) promised an increased emphasis on rail security when Democrats take control of Congress next month.

"The security of our tunnels has been ignored for too long," said Lautenberg, who will chair a subcommittee with jurisdiction over rail tunnels. "One of the first bills that the Senate Commerce Committee will complete will be a rail security bill. I will be attaching strong tunnel security provisions to that legislation."

Lautenberg did not specify how much money will be sought to strengthen the PATH tubes, but his statement noted $470 million already is expected to be earmarked for "safety and security improvements" to Amtrak's tunnels in the New York-New Jersey region.


Ron Marsico may be reached at rmarsico@starledger.com or (973) 392-7860.