Monday, November 26. In their lead editorial today's Star-Ledger reports Assembly Transportation Chairman John Wisniewski has asked Transportation Commissioner James Simpson to appear before his committee to explain what happened during hurricane Sandy and Wisniewski will ask Executive Director James Weinstein to appear.
"My God, New Jersey's a swamp" according to David Schanoes, a New York railroad consultant. Actually, all of New Jersey is not a swamp. However, about 30 square miles in the northeastern part of the state are. This section is called The Meadowlands. Historically it has been used for various purposes including many railroad facilities because it begins at the Hudson River across from Manhattan. This section of New Jersey was originally part of the Port of New York. All of NJT's damaged equipment was parked in The Meadowlands and much of it was in a NJT repair facility in a low lying crook of land at the intersection of the Hackensack and Passaic rivers which run into the Atlantic Ocean. The water is brackish to as salty as the ocean water.
It is well established NJT did have other places to store its rolling stock although some may have presented issues such as returning the train crews to their home base. We shall have to wait to hear the testimony before the Transportation committee.
John WR Monday, November 26. In their lead editorial today's Star-Ledger reports Assembly Transportation Chairman John Wisniewski has asked Transportation Commissioner James Simpson to appear before his committee to explain what happened during hurricane Sandy and Wisniewski will ask Executive Director James Weinstein to appear. "My God, New Jersey's a swamp" according to David Schanoes, a New York railroad consultant. Actually, all of New Jersey is not a swamp. However, about 30 square miles in the northwestern part of the state are. This section is called The Meadowlands. Historically it has been used for various purposes including many railroad facilities because it begins at the Hudson River across from Manhattan. This section of New Jersey was originally part of the Port of New York. All of NJT's damaged equipment was parked in The Meadowlands and much of it was in a NJT repair facility in a low lying crook of land at the intersection of the Hackensack and Passaic rivers which run into the Atlantic Ocean. The water is brackish to as salty as the ocean water. It is well established NJT did have other places to store its rolling stock although some may have presented issues such as returning the train crews to their home base. We shall have to wait to hear the testimony before the Transportation committee.
"My God, New Jersey's a swamp" according to David Schanoes, a New York railroad consultant. Actually, all of New Jersey is not a swamp. However, about 30 square miles in the northwestern part of the state are. This section is called The Meadowlands. Historically it has been used for various purposes including many railroad facilities because it begins at the Hudson River across from Manhattan. This section of New Jersey was originally part of the Port of New York. All of NJT's damaged equipment was parked in The Meadowlands and much of it was in a NJT repair facility in a low lying crook of land at the intersection of the Hackensack and Passaic rivers which run into the Atlantic Ocean. The water is brackish to as salty as the ocean water.
Time to dig out the CYA emails....
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Here is the editorial
http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2012/11/after_leaving_trains_in_floode.html
Thanks for the link, Streak.
Also if you go down to the comments there is one by a guy named Bob Schurle. He has posted a link to storm surge maps that were issued in 2009. The Hudson Country storm surge map clearly shows NJT's Kearney yard would flood in a category 1 or 2 storm.
This editorial tiptoes through the tulips instead of kicking with combat boots!!!! They seem to know something went wrong but not sure what or who was responsible. Bob Schurle, incidenetly, is with the NJ Association of Rail Passengers.
The Star Ledger is reporting here more than editorializing (who'd ever think I would be saying that in this day of managed and mismanaged news media?!) They say there are problems and questions to be asked and that one guy is calling a meeting so the other guy can explain. This is not the kind of journalism that is needed right now in this incident. The paper (and many others) should be vociferously asking why the decision was made to park cars and locomotives and by whom in the face of all the warnings, by the fact that all other railroads and operating agencies in the region actually did take steps; they should ask why there is no back up site from which to operate the railroad and why the operations site is in the middle of a swamp instead of a place on higher ground. The question should be asked with references to Nine Eleven as well as the 2011 floods and damages and several other worsening storms over the past 20 or so years. And another important question is why NJT has not communicated their damages and losses nor said what they are precisely doing to put things back in order.
On a similar note: it is reported that MNRR people decided to move the equipment on their side of the NY/NJ border to safety and not an NJT decision. And further down the rumor mill, one of NJT's administration people high in the planning department has been fired.
But again, the biggest problem NJT has had is communicating with the public what happened to what, who, and where and what is being done..
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I agree there is more reporting than editorializing, Henry. And yes, I have the same questions you do. But I can see the logic of waiting until the testimony before the Assembly Transportation Committee is done before we shoot from the hip.
As far as the question of why wasn't this whole issue addressed after the World Trade Center Attack I wonder why a maintenance facility was put where it is in the first place. However, whatever the reason the present management is not responsible for that decision.
I've read other things by Bob Schurle. Here he is simply calling weather maps that were available in 2009 to our attention. That is, he is simply presenting some facts that NJT management knew or should have known.
John WR Actually, all of New Jersey is not a swamp. However, about 30 square miles in the northwestern part of the state are.
Actually, all of New Jersey is not a swamp. However, about 30 square miles in the northwestern part of the state are.
Editor Emeritus, This Week at Amtrak
I didn't know you were one of the gottcha guys, D. Carleton. Now I do know. I went back and changed the word to "northeastern." Thanks for pointing out my blooper.
John
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