by jamesinclair
EuroStar wrote: While you might not like the transfer and the local service, the demand is not there for anything better. There are not enough commuters and other single-trip passengers during most times of the day. .Except thats the thing: You dont know that. NJ Transit doesnt know that. Amtrak doesnt know that.
If you go back on this conversation, I said they need to do a real demand analysis.
That means looking at where commuters are going to. Population has changed significantly since the Clockers ended. Exurban counties are losing population. Companies are moving back into Center City Philly. Municipalities along the NEC, like New Brunswick, are booming.
Has service been modified to reflect these changes? Nope.
Saying "only 100 people a day do this trip now" is not an analysis because that only tells you that 100 people are willing to suffer the high cost and high time penalty of the existing "last option" setup.
A real analysis will determine how many people will opt for the train if the trip time is reduced by 30-40 minutes, something that is accomplished by eliminating the Trenton penalty and the SEPTA super-local.
Therese a common saying that you do not decide where to build a bridge based on how many people are currently swimming across the river. The same is true of transit service.