Railroad Forums 

  • Rail Trail Rahway Valley & CNJ Aldene to Elizabeth proposed

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New Jersey
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New Jersey

Moderator: David

 #1565870  by CLamb
 
These folks are proposing a rail trail over the former Rahway Valley ROW and the unused Conrail ROW from Aldene to Elizabeth. I can't see the Rahway Valley ever being put back into service but I wonder about the Conrail portion. Does Conrail have any plans for that? I assume there is good reason why it has not been abandoned. https://www.tapinto.net/towns/westfield ... oLBOMOH4UQ
 #1565941  by Ken W2KB
 
CLamb wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 3:04 pm These folks are proposing a rail trail over the former Rahway Valley ROW and the unused Conrail ROW from Aldene to Elizabeth. I can't see the Rahway Valley ever being put back into service but I wonder about the Conrail portion. Does Conrail have any plans for that? I assume there is good reason why it has not been abandoned. https://www.tapinto.net/towns/westfield ... oLBOMOH4UQ
It is highly likely that Conrail receives significant income from PSE&G which has a recently upgraded electric transmission line on that right of way. There may also be underground utility infrastructure in the right of way generating additional income.
 #1566035  by MickD
 
[quote=Komarovsky post_id=1566012 time=1615911217 user_id=55238]
The CNJ ROW between Elizabeth and Aldene has been proposed at various times to be used as part of the PATH extension, a light rail line and a BRT line. I seriously doubt that Conrail or the state would set aside those plans in favor of a rail trail.
[/quote]

A PATH extension never really made any sense...and The Port Authority never would have funded it..
A NCS link might have been a reality 10 years ago but that ship has long since sailed....
BRT,has much as I'd hate to see the ROW given up for gone for rail use MIGHT make sense if it connected
to a ferry link to Lower Manhattan....Otherwise what's the point..??.Plus Conrail isn't ever gonna' use it again..There'd be no revenue incentive...A bike trail just might be the best use for it..
Rail buffs and anyone else would have access to it,as opposed to to the current state of the ROW..
 #1566056  by Ken W2KB
 
MickD wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 1:05 pm
Komarovsky wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 11:13 am The CNJ ROW between Elizabeth and Aldene has been proposed at various times to be used as part of the PATH extension, a light rail line and a BRT line. I seriously doubt that Conrail or the state would set aside those plans in favor of a rail trail.
A PATH extension never really made any sense...and The Port Authority never would have funded it..
A NCS link might have been a reality 10 years ago but that ship has long since sailed....
BRT,has much as I'd hate to see the ROW given up for gone for rail use MIGHT make sense if it connected
to a ferry link to Lower Manhattan....Otherwise what's the point..??.Plus Conrail isn't ever gonna' use it again..There'd be no revenue incentive...A bike trail just might be the best use for it..
Rail buffs and anyone else would have access to it,as opposed to to the current state of the ROW..
"Bayonne Discusses West Side Ferry Service on Newark Bay . . . .
Participants mentioned various ferry destinations that would appeal to them. The hoped-for destinations included Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. . . ." https://www.tapinto.net/towns/jersey-ci ... ic-transit
 #1575750  by Komarovsky
 
Looks like the state has some money to throw around this year and decided to kick $100k to study the feasability of turning the corridor into a rail trail

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roselle-r ... signorello

My prediction: the study will say this is a great idea and then it'll sit on the same shelf as the previous corridor studies, gathering dust.
 #1576172  by GSC
 
I often wonder why feasibility studies cost so much. There's the ROW, where does it need repairs or upgrades, will it be useful as a rail-trail and for whom, the ROW hasn't been used since Aldene was implemented, trees need to be cut back drastically, some industries have encroached on it, bridges all seem okay. There. Done.

I watched a drone video flyover of most of the ROW and it's all there, needing something to do.

I guess a study can estimate what it would cost, but I don't see someone getting $100K for it.

I remember a study concerning the MOM, for something like a $million. My answer? Sit on Rt. 37 and the GSP in Toms River any rush hour or Friday evenings in the summer. Do we need MOM? Sure do. Study complete and I saved a million bucks.
 #1576183  by Rustygunz60
 
The problem with using existing congestion to justify the need for new or restored rail is there is an assumption the trains are going where those now sitting in traffic are, and they will use the rails if that is the case. My understanding is that the line from Philly to AC never met expectations, under Amtrak and later NJT, with the meager ridership consisting of more commuters than the anticipated gamblers. And that is with the area of employment being in a concentrated area. Our society has too-good a relationship with the freedom and lack of timetables that come with our own autos. Don't get me wrong. I'd love to see it, for pollution as well as congestion reasons. It just is more feasible in some areas than others.
 #1577374  by GOLDEN-ARM
 
R&DB wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 7:55 am How about putting it back into service as a rail line to get more trucks and cars off the road to make the roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians? It would also make the air cleaner.

i'd rather get cyclists off the road, and make it safer for drivers. :P
 #1577454  by Pensyfan19
 
I'd rather see this line restored by NS or CSX for easier freight and passenger access to Port Newark and other freight/passenger terminals. This short but important portion of the former CNJ main has too much rail potential to be turned into an alternative for a bike lane. We already lost enough of the CNJ and other American main lines like it. Let's not lose another piece of New Jersey and railroad history.
 #1577695  by R&DB
 
cr9617 wrote: Sat Aug 07, 2021 8:52 am There's definitely room for both like they did with the maybrook trailway in NY. Wasn't the CNJ row 4 tracks?
In many places bcause of long sidings it was 5 and even 6 tracks wide. Yes, room for both.
 #1577704  by GSC
 
I can understand the Aldene Plan that permitted CNJ to close the entire Jersey City operation. But looking at satellite images of the huge Elizabeth yard with all the traffic it seems to have, I wonder why the route from Aldene to Elizabeth wasn't kept as a direct route for freight. Maybe getting freight from the LV to the CNJ at Aldene was the problem? Is the old route officially abandoned, OOS, or railbanked?