seppburgh2 Wow, in Pittsburgh PA, mass transit (both bus and trolley) are about to go through another round of massive cut-backs to balance budgets in September 2012. My company's HQ is there and employees are being told to go lease packing spaces now, by September there will be none to be had, forget hourly packing. The estimated impact is tens of thousands being forced to drive in as stations are closed and routes removed. That is all ontop of a 30% reduction of services over the last year. So, when now who needs a train?
Wow, in Pittsburgh PA, mass transit (both bus and trolley) are about to go through another round of massive cut-backs to balance budgets in September 2012. My company's HQ is there and employees are being told to go lease packing spaces now, by September there will be none to be had, forget hourly packing. The estimated impact is tens of thousands being forced to drive in as stations are closed and routes removed. That is all ontop of a 30% reduction of services over the last year.
So, when now who needs a train?
I understand that the operators need to balance the budget, but at what cost? More traffic, bigger delays, pollution, rising costs to the people forced to drive? If I had the answer to everything, I would set myself up as dictator for life!!, Lets hope sanity prevails, and a better solution is found instead of cutting services.
I have no idea of how Pitt transit was financed in terms of subsidy vs the fare box, but the good citizens are going to get a nasty taste of gridlock and parking nightmares very quickly. But as sam1 says, Americans love the freedom of their autos!!
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
endeavour Sam 1, I am glad you enjoyed you stay in Oz!! Unfortunately the XPT has been running late for the past few years, due to a lack of priority in the Sydney metro area, and maitinance issues. The overnight train was cancelled on Tuesday, as the set that forms it just made it into Sydney. It looked like a steam engine climbing the Cowan Bank!! I am heading off to Albury next month, and I will try the new V/Line SG from Albury. I love going to Melbourne and riding the trams and trains!!! Dont like Queensland much, (opinion of Queenslanders deleted ). It will be interesting to see if Trains NSW keep an interstate service, as the rollingstock needs replacing.
Sam 1, I am glad you enjoyed you stay in Oz!! Unfortunately the XPT has been running late for the past few years, due to a lack of priority in the Sydney metro area, and maitinance issues. The overnight train was cancelled on Tuesday, as the set that forms it just made it into Sydney. It looked like a steam engine climbing the Cowan Bank!! I am heading off to Albury next month, and I will try the new V/Line SG from Albury. I love going to Melbourne and riding the trams and trains!!! Dont like Queensland much, (opinion of Queenslanders deleted ). It will be interesting to see if Trains NSW keep an interstate service, as the rollingstock needs replacing.
Thanks for your reply. Hopefully the day train will still be running when I get to Sydney in November. I looked on line yesterday, and they are taking reservations. If they cancel it, I may take the Indian Pacific to Adelaide and then double back to Melbourne on the Overland. I have done that before.
American Urban planners came to the same conclusion several decades ago and started on making commuter, urban, and suburban rail improvments with better stations track, and connections plus new services. They are still meeting opposition from the oil and highway lobby. Still the rail services have expanded, improved, or have been offered as new and are doing the job they are intended to do. And more is to come.
RIDEWITHMEHENRY is the name for our almost monthly day of riding trains and transit in either the NYCity or Philadelphia areas including all commuter lines, Amtrak, subways, light rail and trolleys, bus and ferries when warranted. No fees, just let us know you want to join the ride and pay your fares. Ask to be on our email list or find us on FB as RIDEWITHMEHENRY (all caps) to get descriptions of each outing.
I live in a rural community 30 miles southwest of Hamburg. Most people living here commute to Hamburg for work, which takes an average of 1 1/2 hrs. each way - providing road and traffic conditions are "normal", which they usually are not. For years, train services into Hamburg had been on the decline, inconvenient schedules, run-down stations and old and noisy rolling stock from the 1950´s, descriptively dubbed "blood-blisters". About 10 years ago, that changed dramatically. Stations were refurbished, platforms raised to allow elderly and disabled persons to enter the trains comfortably, new rolling stock was purchased, the tracks were upgraded and combination tickets were introduced, allowing to continue your travel within Hamburg without having to buy another ticket. Since then, ridership has gone up by 400%, even surpassing the figures when hardly anyone owned a car. 2 more parking lots had to be built, and a third one is right now in the planning stage.
Who needs trains?
We all do!
endeavour Thanks for that info!! Here in Oz, most of our commuter services are state government provided, except in Victoria where it is privately run, with massive government subsidies. For years the governments have been scaling back our passenger, and freight rail networks to the point we need a massive reinvestment in infrastructure. Builiding housing estates with no public transport links have been proven a big failure, cutting regional transport has also not worked out. But there are signs thay it may be chaning, with a return to service of a day train to Bathurst, 240km's from Sydney, with hopefully more to come. We have also been fed the line that the bigger the car, the cooler you are. Now with our fuel prices going up, and other costs too, our love affair with our cars are starting to sour!!
Thanks for that info!! Here in Oz, most of our commuter services are state government provided, except in Victoria where it is privately run, with massive government subsidies. For years the governments have been scaling back our passenger, and freight rail networks to the point we need a massive reinvestment in infrastructure. Builiding housing estates with no public transport links have been proven a big failure, cutting regional transport has also not worked out. But there are signs thay it may be chaning, with a return to service of a day train to Bathurst, 240km's from Sydney, with hopefully more to come. We have also been fed the line that the bigger the car, the cooler you are. Now with our fuel prices going up, and other costs too, our love affair with our cars are starting to sour!!
I lived in Melbourne from 1999 to 2004. I did not own a car, although my employer would have provided me with one if I had wanted it. Instead I relied on Melbourne's excellent tram and bus system, as well as the commuter rail lines, for travel in and near the city. Also, I used the V Line for travel within Victoria.
I rode most of the national trains, including the Indian Pacific, The Ghan, and The Overland, as well as the QR's Spirit of the Outback from Longreach to Brisbane. Also, I rode the Tilt Train from Brisbane to the Whit Sundays. It was a great ride. I don't know whether it is still true, but at the time there was a screen at the front of each car and a camera in the nose of the front unit that made it possible to watch the track as the train progressed. It was really neat at night.
I return to Melbourne every 12 to 15 months to visit friends. This year I am planning a trip for November. Although I am not much of a horse race fan, one of my friends has convinced me to go to the Melbourne Cup. I usually fly into Sydney and then take the Country Link XPT to Melbourne. My friends don't understand why I fly into Sydney and then take the train to Melbourne. I just like riding trains, but it is hard to explain to people who are not train buffs.
Australia has an excellent public transport system. It is also a great country.
Cheers,
Sam
endeavour Hi guys, I want to put my bit in. I drive Intercity electric trains in NSW. The people will ride it if a service is provided for their needs. Cars can do that, as people can choose where and when they go. Unfortunately everone else thinks the same and you end up with gridlock on the roads. What we need to do is really sit down and think how to solve transport problems, which rail is a big solution. The people have to accept a little inconvenience that trains have, ie not going direct to location, overcrowding on occasions, late running etc. But with fuel prices going up, and overcrowding on the roads, plus pollution, rail is a better option.
Hi guys, I want to put my bit in. I drive Intercity electric trains in NSW. The people will ride it if a service is provided for their needs. Cars can do that, as people can choose where and when they go. Unfortunately everone else thinks the same and you end up with gridlock on the roads. What we need to do is really sit down and think how to solve transport problems, which rail is a big solution. The people have to accept a little inconvenience that trains have, ie not going direct to location, overcrowding on occasions, late running etc. But with fuel prices going up, and overcrowding on the roads, plus pollution, rail is a better option.
LIke your comments from Down Under, endeavour, The concept is pretty universal. But here in the US we have been fed the lines of "freedom" and "liberty" which has been converted to mean that the automobile means freedom to be able to travel at liberty without being tied to timetables set by others. I just caught myself trying to write that the LIRR, aside from Amtrak, is our only passenger only railroad; with commuter agencies like MNRR, SEPTA, NJT, etc., that is no longer true. Yet there is a unique quality which sets the LIRR aside from other passenger railroads if only that it can be considered the oldest passenger oriented railroad we have, commuters and Island passengers have always been its major traffic and revenue source unlike all other railroads. The Montauk, and the Greenport service to a much lesser extent, has always been a step child to the normal commuter operation: 100+ miles from Penn Sta.; more weekend traffic than weekdays; much more summer traffic than the other three seasons; a high end traffic base, more long haul in concept and needs, than commuter. Yet it has existed and survived and even flourishes, after all these years. To see that they have so many riders per train that the trains lose schedule due to dwell times and passenger loadings, is a testament to the importance of rail passenger service for non commute services but also for long distance yet not intercity or cross country trains.
I goofed. Or rather circumstances were such that I was not able to watch the happenings. However, double stops, not enough doors,bilevel cars, government money, management, crews....I've heard all the stories and excuses. I do, however, salute the management and crews for doing a great job of making things work under the circumstances. I have seen extra trains made up on the spot and the railroad do the best they can with what they have to work with. BUt a public that believes the family car and Big Oils' Gas on "free" roads is the best way to deal with moving from place to place instead of working for and demanding better rail service is not going to get any better roads or railroads. And the politicians who think like the public or do the public's thinking, are just as much to blame.
Maybe the answer is - more doors?
In Japan, trains in suburban/interurban service have four double sliding doors per side. Passenger loads aren't, "Heavy," they're, "Hire people to pack passengers into the cars like stuffing a sausage." Station dwell times are short - and they don't get longer with heavier loads.
Of course, if the LIRR tried stuffing people into standee specials they wouldn't have the problem for long.
Chuck
Henry not knowing the physical characteristics of the branch could it be that long westbound trains are having to double stop at short platforms? East bound could pick up with one stop ?
Later this afternoon I will be watching NJT, MNRR and LIRR's web pages reports on performance. For some reason I always cheer on delays and problems for the LIRR's Montauk services...not because I want trouble for the railroad but because the cause on the Sunday City bound trains delays is always, "heavy passenger loadings". I don't know how crowded the trains are but I presume the dwell times are long at each station. Bi Level cars probably ease the crowding but what else can be done to move people quicker? Single track is probably not the problem as traffic is in one direction anyway, unless you count the fact that operating rules dictate only so many trains can occupy the line segments (not blocks) at any given time. And they have reworked the signals and traffic system, improved the tracks (going much faster than now is not the realy answer here either). But, just the same, can they run more trains and at even faster speeds, to help? I have seen a train assembled to run Extra on Sunday evenings, whether as a section of a scheduled train or just plain extra I'm not sure. But it does seem the LIRR does work at doing its best to move people.
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