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NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

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

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NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

  by Ken W2KB
 
"NJ Transit officials took the first step toward creating a new transit system to serve MetLife Stadium and the American Dream retail and entertainment complex in the Meadowlands, approving a $3.5 million contract to do a study." https://www.nj.com/news/2021/08/amid-qu ... adium.html Image

Re: NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

  by cjvrr
 
The traffic volumes to the mall from the 2012 report should be thrown out the window. Very doubtful the mall will ever see those anticipated traffic volumes as so many retail purchases have turned to e-commerce.

I would also state adding any lanes (even bus lanes) to the Turnpike will be met with much resistance from the environmentalists as it will require filling of swamplands.

It also seems from the article, this study is a requirement of some past deal. So it will get studied and that study will sit on a shelf.

Re: NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

  by lensovet
 
I love how on the one hand they said that they aren't locked into a specific mode, and on the other hand, one of the requirements is that it uses existing roadways. How are you going to put LRT on the turnpike? lol.

As far as the bus lanes are concerned, my expectation would be that they would just repurpose the shoulder as a bus lane; that's already done in a number of places, so no need for new fill. But that's another reason why LRT would never be possible here.

Re: NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

  by Pensyfan19
 
Excuse me, they want to do WHAT?
They're able to propose light rail service on the former Erie Line to Paterson. Why not here?!
Here is my proposed map of how this can be pulled off.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

Re: NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

  by Ken W2KB
 
Pensyfan19 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 27, 2021 3:35 pm Excuse me, they want to do WHAT?
They're able to propose light rail service on the former Erie Line to Paterson. Why not here?!
Here is my proposed map of how this can be pulled off.
Lightrail service is purposed to address continuous service, including typical twice a day work commuting, not service for special events such as those at the meadow lands events. Bus service which does not require the much more costly infrastructure and maintenance of a lightrail line, is much more flexible and buses from many lines can be repositioned to handle the occasional large special events, especially the peak when everyone departs the event simultaneously well after normal peak bus transit hours. Lightrail to serve the evening and weekend special events in the meadowlands is not cost effective. The Newark-Paterson lightrail is far more appropriate.

Re: NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

  by Pensyfan19
 
I'm just upset that out of all the potential routes they could have used, they had to decide on the former Erie Railroad NY&GLE Branch Line to Montclair via Belleville and dash almost any hopes for reactivating the line (if this busway goes through).

Re: NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

  by Roadgeek Adam
 
That's a decision. I was perfectly ok with letting the tracks west of DB and east of Schuyler Avenue be reclaimed to nature. I feel like a Secaucus-Harmon Cove-American Dream route would be sufficient than this detoured route.

Re: NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

  by RWERN
 
This is a complete waste of money right now. Millions were spent to build a somewhat circuitous rail connector between the Meadowlands site and Secaucus Junction and now it's considered a good idea that millions more are being thrown at studying an even more circuitous transitway between the same two points. That is utterly obscene. I could understand if the Meadowlands rail shuttle was running as a regular service and additional capacity was needed but that isn't the case. Moreover, this plan seems to conflict in part with the Gateway/Secaucus Loop plan. The whole thing seems like a another rotten scheme to pad someone's pockets.

Re: NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

  by MickD
 
Dumber than dumb..
Why not take those same state funds
and Finally extend HBLR to Englewood..??
How much patronage would this really get ??
Probably nothing close to justify the cost of
construction.
Why not run an hourly, mid morning, to say 10 pm,
rail shuttle along what's already in place from
Secaucus and was built for this very same purpose..??

Re: NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

  by Roadgeek Adam
 
MickD wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2021 9:49 am Dumber than dumb..
Why not take those same state funds
and Finally extend HBLR to Englewood..??
How much patronage would this really get ??
Probably nothing close to justify the cost of
construction.
Why not run an hourly, mid morning, to say 10 pm,
rail shuttle along what's already in place from
Secaucus and was built for this very same purpose..??
At this point I doubt Xanadu/AD are ever going to have the ridership to justify 16-18 hour rail service from Secaucus. That doesn't make this a better option. It's a lot of shortsightedness that goes back 15-20 years.

Re: NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

  by MickD
 
What would have made sense ,too much so,but,
is irreconcilable now, was an extension
of Newark City Subway from both Grove Street
and Branch Brook with a connecting bridge over
Franklin Ave,to Secaucus when Boonton Line commuter rail
was realigned through Bay Street..and Xanadu was in it's early stages
The physical plant was there and fast forward to 2021
would have serviced the demographic that in all likelihood
would have utilized it.

Re: NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

  by MickD
 
What would have made sense ,too much so,but,
is irreconcilable now, was an extension
of Newark City Subway from both Grove Street
and Branch Brook with a connecting bridge over
Franklin Ave to Secaucus when Boonton Line commuter rail
was realigned through Bay Street..and Xanadu was in it's early stages
of planning.
The physical plant was there and fast forward to 2021
would have serviced the demographic that in all likelihood
would have utilized it and justified a $400M rail link that's
only used for special events..Kinda' reminds me of the proposal
to reactivate The Susquehanna from Hawthorne to only as far
as Hackensack...What's the point..??

Re: NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

  by MickD
 
Roadgeek Adam wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2021 9:57 am
MickD wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2021 9:49 am Dumber than dumb..
Why not take those same state funds
and Finally extend HBLR to Englewood..??
How much patronage would this really get ??
Probably nothing close to justify the cost of
construction.
Why not run an hourly, mid morning, to say 10 pm,
rail shuttle along what's already in place from
Secaucus and was built for this very same purpose..??
At this point I doubt Xanadu/AD are ever going to have the ridership to justify 16-18 hour rail service from Secaucus. That doesn't make this a better option. It's a lot of shortsightedness that goes back 15-20 years.
All too sad but true..Gotta' agree with you..

Re: NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

  by Dcell
 
Light rail will have a tough time versus electric buses on a dedicated busway. NJT is just beginning to get its first EV buses but in 10-15 years, NJT will have a sizable EV bus fleet. The capital costs of a dedicated busway vs light rail route favors a busway. It's not what rail enthusiasts want to hear but for certain services, a busway makes sense

Re: NJ Transit to reactivate portion of former Boonton Line

  by MaRoFu
 
It’d be neat if they could extend the busway west to Arlington. Perhaps they could extend it to Branch Brook Park or even Bay Street, although I don’t see that happening in a while since a portion of the ROW is being reserved for one of the possible Newark-Paterson light rail routes.

By the way, I wonder how this is going to affect the rail trail that people wanted to build on the ROW.
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