by Bill R.
Matt Mitchell wrote:
I realize that this was a response pointed more toward the comments of JeffK, but there is some merit in his statement. You, I and everyone else have no idea how the final product of a restructured agency (or agencies)resposible for providing mass transportation in southeastern Pennsylvania would look.
Lets argue that John Perzel was able to capture RRD as a part of a larger state agency (we'll hypothetically call it PennRail), much as he has been able to capture other functions previously under the domain of the City of Philadelphia. I will even concede that it would be operated by a private railroad company (maybe NS).
We have recently witnessed the politics of mass-transit in Pennsylvania. The rural legislators have very, very little grasp of the common good: "Mass Transit from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh doesn't help my county, therefore I'm not voting for it" is the mentality that many have. Nowhere in the news did I see a report discuss the fact that the five counties in southeastern Pennsylvania generate over 1/3rd of the revenue for the Commonwealth.
How would a seperate PennRail, with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in control, enhance the opportunity for fare integration and seamless service with what would be left of SEPTA?
My Point: From a practical standpoint, I don't see the willingness that validates your position.
Matt Mitchell wrote:
The many passengers riding on RRD are using Trailpasses for weekly or monthly commutation. I'm not defending SEPTA, but I am saying that SEPTA needs fewer fare implements, not more. My example from London was based on the extremely large number of tourists that visit London in any given year. Philadelphia obviously has nothing like that.
The Oyster card allows travel across the greater London region. Smart card technology is the answer to your question. (Another topic for different thread).
In the near future, perhaps the Trailpass could be modified for a single day use. I really don't believe that large numbers of people would use it, but if it could be demonstrated that a daily Trailpass would draw a significant number of passengers, I would support it.
Question: is it worth the cost?
Matt Mitchell wrote:
How would a private operator enhance the opportunity for seamless service and economies of scale with what would be left of SEPTA? The answer is only in the circumstance of a contract with the private operator that requires this (goes to the point concerning willingness).
SEPTA can't do much right (Rt 100 vehicle debacle - MFSE vehicle debacle - legal scandal over elevator incident - SVM planning debacle - Silverliner / Rotem debacle, El reconstruction debacle twice, the list goes on); why should anyone think that SEPTA would generate a contract for private operation of RRD that would inherently improve things? As was once said, "I wouldn't let them run my kid's Brio set". SEPTA is in the position that it is now because there is little or no accountability.
I wrote:
These questions have not been addressed. If SEPTA can not adequately manage RRD while everything is in-house, why should anyone believe that SEPTA would be able to adequately control a privately-operated regional rail service?
My point: Private operation will be as substandard as RRD is now unless fundamental changes are made. Moore, Nowakowski, et. al., would likely turn over RRD as is rather than incentivize anything new. What we would wind up with in that circumstance is a gift-wrapped bag of dog feces instead of a plain bag. Ii is even possible that adding another party to the situation may actually make it harder to effect change after the initial contract is signed.
Assuming that RRD isn't transfered to a PennRail, leaving SE Pennsylvania with little or no control over mainline passenger rail services in-region.
Yes, the possiblity exists that a privately operated RRD, similar to MBTA, might be better. I'm not optimistic about the probability, however.
Making a user-friendly transportation system is more a matter of willingness to do it than it is a matter of who is in charge of what.
I realize that this was a response pointed more toward the comments of JeffK, but there is some merit in his statement. You, I and everyone else have no idea how the final product of a restructured agency (or agencies)resposible for providing mass transportation in southeastern Pennsylvania would look.
Lets argue that John Perzel was able to capture RRD as a part of a larger state agency (we'll hypothetically call it PennRail), much as he has been able to capture other functions previously under the domain of the City of Philadelphia. I will even concede that it would be operated by a private railroad company (maybe NS).
We have recently witnessed the politics of mass-transit in Pennsylvania. The rural legislators have very, very little grasp of the common good: "Mass Transit from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh doesn't help my county, therefore I'm not voting for it" is the mentality that many have. Nowhere in the news did I see a report discuss the fact that the five counties in southeastern Pennsylvania generate over 1/3rd of the revenue for the Commonwealth.
How would a seperate PennRail, with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in control, enhance the opportunity for fare integration and seamless service with what would be left of SEPTA?
My Point: From a practical standpoint, I don't see the willingness that validates your position.
Matt Mitchell wrote:
Start with the fact that SEPTA has had more than 20 years to run this railroad, yet they've made only small steps towards seamless intermodal travel. We still have no single-trip intermodal fare (except the 200-series routes),
The many passengers riding on RRD are using Trailpasses for weekly or monthly commutation. I'm not defending SEPTA, but I am saying that SEPTA needs fewer fare implements, not more. My example from London was based on the extremely large number of tourists that visit London in any given year. Philadelphia obviously has nothing like that.
The Oyster card allows travel across the greater London region. Smart card technology is the answer to your question. (Another topic for different thread).
In the near future, perhaps the Trailpass could be modified for a single day use. I really don't believe that large numbers of people would use it, but if it could be demonstrated that a daily Trailpass would draw a significant number of passengers, I would support it.
Question: is it worth the cost?
Matt Mitchell wrote:
schedule coordination is more chance than anything else, and I see little in the way of economies of scale attained.
How would a private operator enhance the opportunity for seamless service and economies of scale with what would be left of SEPTA? The answer is only in the circumstance of a contract with the private operator that requires this (goes to the point concerning willingness).
SEPTA can't do much right (Rt 100 vehicle debacle - MFSE vehicle debacle - legal scandal over elevator incident - SVM planning debacle - Silverliner / Rotem debacle, El reconstruction debacle twice, the list goes on); why should anyone think that SEPTA would generate a contract for private operation of RRD that would inherently improve things? As was once said, "I wouldn't let them run my kid's Brio set". SEPTA is in the position that it is now because there is little or no accountability.
I wrote:
Would the SEPTA Board really demand accountability from a private operator? Would the remaining SEPTA Staff allow changes to be made without interference? Would the contract of existing union employees be respected? Would new services be introduced or previously abandoned services be reinstated?
These questions have not been addressed. If SEPTA can not adequately manage RRD while everything is in-house, why should anyone believe that SEPTA would be able to adequately control a privately-operated regional rail service?
My point: Private operation will be as substandard as RRD is now unless fundamental changes are made. Moore, Nowakowski, et. al., would likely turn over RRD as is rather than incentivize anything new. What we would wind up with in that circumstance is a gift-wrapped bag of dog feces instead of a plain bag. Ii is even possible that adding another party to the situation may actually make it harder to effect change after the initial contract is signed.
Assuming that RRD isn't transfered to a PennRail, leaving SE Pennsylvania with little or no control over mainline passenger rail services in-region.
Yes, the possiblity exists that a privately operated RRD, similar to MBTA, might be better. I'm not optimistic about the probability, however.
