NJT MLV EMU Procurement

jackintosh11 wrote:Why is the second car closed off?

Normal ridership levels don't warrant having the second car open. If ridership is high enough, they will open the second car.

Fan Railer wrote:Why surprised? It's been running like that for almost a decade now.

pretty sure last time i took it less than 5 years ago it was still a single-car operation

jackintosh11 wrote:Yes, but the Arrows are substantially older.

where are they even running these days? Gladstone trains to Hoboken?

NJCL too, I think.

Maybe to South Amboy or Matawan on occasion. Not to Long Branch. I've noticed the remains of some Arrow IIIs being scrapped in a facility next to the tracks in Rahway.

Are new MLV EMU's still needed if newer, more powerful, electric locomotives can be acquired that could meet the speeds needed? The newest dual mode locomotives seem pretty fast in both diesel and electric modes. The PL42's take off like a rocket - I remember when they were originally introduced the torque was so great that people would lose their balance as the train pulled out of the station. I think they made a software change to stop that. The ALP-46's are not slow, either.

Correct me if I'm missing something, but it seems like EMU's in 1970 made sense compared to the slow (but powerful) diesels and the unreliable and underpowered electric locomotives. But, today?

EMUs are preferable for 3 car Gladstone Branch locals, and required for the Princeton branch as I recall, with weight limitations below even the weight of an electric locomotive.

They run out of Jersey Avenue quite often, and the Jersey Avenue yard is full of Arrow IIIs. They can't run MidTOWN direct trains because of the voltage change, and they can't go beyond Matawan for the same reason. The Princeton Branch uses them exclusively, the Gladstone branch uses them for almost all trains, they can run on HOB-Dover/MSU trains, and are sometimes used for NEC trains.

lensovet wrote:pretty sure last time i took it less than 5 years ago it was still a single-car operation

It's been a very long time, anyway. They use two single cars, for reliability. I don't ride often at all (maybe once a year) and it's been a long time since I saw a single car.

dinky has been 2 cars every time i've been down there. Most recent was August and heavily used.

Even in spite of the station move in Princeton? It keeps getting closer to the old NB&T Princeton station location by the Canal.

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote: The MLV coach assembly line is still going on the MARC order, has enough common components with multiple ongoing 8-inch boarding BLV coach orders to have MLV assembly rapidly restarted.

NJT can get Comet II replacements rolling into service in as little as 2 years. EMU's are fixed at absolutely no sooner than 5 years...longer at the rate they're going on the paperwork and project mgt. internal staffing.

The MARC Multilevels were actually assembled and delivered in June/July 2014 at the tail end of the unfulfilled NJT option, however the cab cars are only now being accepted for service.

In the case of new EMUs, there's a ready off-the-shelf design: Silverliner V, as long as someone more competent than Rotem can get a bid.

NJT is explicit about the EMU procurement: bi-level or bust. They won't be ordering anything templated off the SLV tincan, much less sorting through what's a keeper and what's a loser in all the crap Rotem stuffed inside it. Their fleet plan for NJT Rail is predicated on cars with common seating capacity systemwide whether it's push-pull or self-propelled. Whatever debates there are about whether that's the best way to do it are moot because they made up their mind long ago and aren't going to throw that paid-for specs engineering contract in the trash to start all over again and push out earliest date for an RFP another 3 years. There won't be any Arrows left to replace in 2023 if they about-face now and restart the procurement machinery for the sake of pondering self-propelled flats.

As a daily commuter, I can tell you that public opinion of multi-levels is also very positive. No three seaters, the seats are more comfortable and the ride is considerably smoother than the older stock. I often forget just how nice they are, until I ride in a Comet 5 and get bounced around and hear just about every interior component rattle. It only get worse from there with Comet 4, Arrows, etc.

I realize that a "new car" will always ride better than an old clunker, but even for the multilevels that have been in service since the beginning, the ride is considerably smoother. It makes a huge difference.

While that is true, the passenger flow dynamics are still HORRIBLE on those cars, especially when large luggage is involved.