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  • Is this any way to run a railroad?

  • Discussion related to New Jersey Transit rail and light rail operations.
Discussion related to New Jersey Transit rail and light rail operations.

Moderators: lensovet, Kaback9, nick11a

 #2708  by Idiot Railfan
 
Here is the way to successfully run a railroad during a minor snowstorm: Look at everything New Jersey Transit did last night and do the exact opposite.

Last night's performance was a disgrace. That was a minor snowstorm with a little bit of ice. And there was plenty of warning that it was coming. Frozen switches and broken down equipment should not be an issue during what could only be described as a routine snow event being faced by an industry that has been in this business for more than 170 years.

Weather problems aside, decisions were made last night that boggle the mind. Locals sent out in front of the expresses. Squeezing the backlog of passengers from three cancelled trains onto a three-car train while a five car train sat on an adjacent track, and then went out empty right behind it.

The track assignment boards not matching what was being announced and adding confusion. They should have just been turned off.

The conductors on the ground saw these things and tried to call attention to them but were ignored.

I'm sure others can share similar observations.

Four inches of snow should not bring a railroad to a halt.

 #2717  by Mark Schweber
 
I guess I was just lucky but my train trip went pretty well yesterday. I was on the 5:11 from Hoboken to Lake Hopatcong. (I am normally a NJP commuter but my wife and I wanted to be on the same train incase of trouble and generally in bad weather I find it better to take PATH to Hoboken since Midtown Direct seems to be the first to go bad) The train left relatively on time but did crawl all the way to Short Hills arriving about 20 minutes late.

I will say that while the snow was relatively minor in terms of amount the road conditions for my 1.8 mile drive home were just about the worst I could remember. The snow was wet and turned the roads into a slippery slushy mess. Even a minor hill was giving cars trouble with some cars needing to back up to get a running start. It took me over 20 minutes to drive the 1.8 miles.

These conditions have got to affect the railroad if in no other way than preventing or delaying workers from getting to work.

 #2884  by nick11a
 
Thats too bad. I've ridden the 5:11 to L.H. quite a few times and it is a great express train. Well, it could have been worse.

 #2934  by TAMR213
 
Did seem like they had some problems yesterday that they shouldnt have been. I know yesterday they were having trouble with some equipment at Raritan, heard it on my scanner.

 #3125  by AKelley728
 
I agree, Tuesday night was not fun. I took the 5:25pm Trenton express (3865) out of NYP - we were delayed about ten minutes getting out of there. Before we hit New Brunswick, the 5:43 Trenton express passed us on the inner track. Boy was I mad. By the time we hit Princeton Junction, we had to wait for the 5:43 to clear, then the same thing in Hamilton. By the time I got to Hamilton, it was a full 30 minutes late. Uggh.
 #13688  by njgrptfan
 
This is not following the rest of the posts, but I thought it fits under this topic.
I think it is OUTRAGEOUS for NJT to charge a $5.00 surcharge for tix purchased on board the train. Especially putting these machines in stations where the has not been a ticket window for quite some time. This is purely just to make money, and screw the riders. I boarded at Kingsland yesterday, There has been no ticket window there in my lifetime. NJT puts a ticket machiene at stops like these, clearly just to screw the riders. Now I know every railroad has to make money, but c'mon FIVE DOLLARS as a surcharge, give me a break. NJ Transit has just lost itself a customer!

 #13690  by DutchRailnut
 
NJT is not only one to do that LIRR and MNCR do too.
its usualy clearly posted, but if you feel you should take other transportation even with the $5 surcharge you usualy can't beat it.

 #13703  by Irish Chieftain
 
NJGRPTfan: Do you know how NJT's rail service is paid for? It's not out of the farebox; that covers less than half of costs—the majority of it is out of tax dollars. Even a $5 surcharge collected here and there won't make a dent in NJT's operating and capital requirements. NJT is not held to a "must make money" requirement. Besides, step-up charges have always been in place on NJT—during the early 1980s IIRC, the step-up charge was $3.

It's disconcerting when a TVM goes in at a station that never used to have one and suddenly the step-up charge is required...but that would be better than if NJT switched to POP and if you don't have a ticket on the train (or even on the platform) you can get a fine on the spot in the hundreds of dollars, so count your blessings.

 #13706  by Notch 8
 
What's so hard about getting to the train station a little earlier to buy the ticket before boarding?

 #13708  by Irish Chieftain
 
Sometimes there are non-functioning TVMs. Dragging train personnel off the train to alert them to this would not be conducive to efficient train operation. Broken TVMs can be a problem on the current system and an even worse problem on POP systems.

 #13723  by transit383
 
I can see where njgrptfan is coming from though. The TVM's at Kingsland are secluded from the platform areas, very easy to miss. On top of that, Kingsland is not one of NJT's nicest stations, so thinking that there are no TVM's there isn't too far fetched.

IIRC, the TVMs at Kingsland are at the bottom of the stairwells when you enter the platform. However, there is a small landing at the bottom of the stairwells where they are placed, and then you must turn 90 degrees to enter the platform, as the stairwells are in the side of a cut. Once you are on the platform itself, the TVM is out of sight.

I don't think Kingsland has any signs about the five dollar surcharge either, like the other (more populated) stations do. Other stations have them spread all across the platforms. There may be a sign on the TVM itself at Kingsland, but if you can't see the TVM, you can't see the sign.

 #13774  by nick11a
 
Yeah, I remember I had to leave the station and go onto the street to find the TVM. I also recall having a hard time finding the TVM in Perth Amboy. But now I know where they both are and am OK.
 #13797  by ajt
 
With the recent TVM installations, it had been several months before the $5 surcharge was enforced.