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Delaware and Raritan River Railroad-General Discussion

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

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Re: Delaware and Raritan River Railroad-General Discussion

  by HazzanDan
 
Bracdude181 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 13, 2023 11:25 pm There’s an article somewhere that says NJT was gonna have it Red Bank to Lakewood with one station in Farmingdale, and that they’d do electric trains.

When we founded the Central Jersey Rail Coalition in 1996 we immediately suggested that MOM should begin in LakeHURST -- five miles farther south than LakeWOOD. That idea was accepted by the DOT and NJ Transit, and Lakehurst then did become the southern terminus in the multimillion-dollar DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Study). In later years we advocated for MOM to begin even farther south from Whiting, with a branch from Toms River.

Re: Delaware and Raritan River Railroad-General Discussion

  by HazzanDan
 
Here is the song we would sing at the many public rallies held by the Central Jersey Rail Coalition. Originally the words included "Lakehurst, Lakewood, Farmingdale." Later, as we supported the route to Monmouth Junction, that phrase was changed to "Jamesburg, Freehold, Farmingdale."

LET THE TRAINS GO ROLLING AGAIN
To the tune of "The Caissons Go Rolling Along"
Lyrics by Daniel Green

Over hill, over dale,
We will shine the rusty rail.
Let the trains go rolling again!
We want MOM without fail—
Jamesburg, Freehold, Farmingdale.
Let the trains go rolling again!

Then it's “All aboard!”;
The ride is your reward.
Shout out for our MOM loud and strong!
There'll be trains our way,
No matter what they say.
Let the trains go rolling again!

Leave your car, leave your bus,
Take the train and ride with us!
Let the trains go rolling again!
No more tolls, no more gas,
All those tie-ups we will pass,
Let the trains go rolling again!

Then it's “All aboard!”;
The ride is your reward.
Shout out for our MOM loud and strong!
There'll be trains our way,
No matter what they say.
Let the trains go rolling again!

Re: Delaware and Raritan River Railroad-General Discussion

  by AceMacSD
 
Bracdude181 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 13, 2023 1:30 pm If there’s no problem with freight then why is the state giving C&D all this money for Farmingdale to Freehold? If there’s no problem then why even bother??
To get around height & weight restrictions west of S Amboy.

Re: Delaware and Raritan River Railroad-General Discussion

  by AceMacSD
 
Bracdude181 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 13, 2023 11:25 pm There’s an article somewhere that says NJT was gonna have it Red Bank to Lakewood with one station in Farmingdale, and that they’d do electric trains. Estimated the cost of new track, stations, and catenary wires would be $110 million. This was in 2014.

I would much prefer someone besides NJT run passenger trains down here. I literally do not care who, just not NJT.
If not NJT, who'd run these trains? Your Cape May Lines? Maybe one of those non-union low cost operators? Once they'd get to Red Bank or NEC depending upon what routing they take, they'd have to work with NJT or AMTK, even if it's to establish a connecting service.

I don't know much about NJT service beyond Bank but why do you have such beef with NJT?

Re: Delaware and Raritan River Railroad-General Discussion

  by JohnFromJersey
 
Bracdude181 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 13, 2023 11:25 pm There’s an article somewhere that says NJT was gonna have it Red Bank to Lakewood with one station in Farmingdale, and that they’d do electric trains. Estimated the cost of new track, stations, and catenary wires would be $110 million. This was in 2014.
Electric trains I believe caused some issues with locals being opposed to it. There were a few instances in Farmingdale where the catenary poles would be on someone's property/near it, and some townspeople objected to it pretty harshly, from what I heard around town.
Bracdude181 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 13, 2023 11:25 pm I would much prefer someone besides NJT run passenger trains down here. I literally do not care who, just not NJT.
Wolfgang5150 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 12:21 am Maybe someone like CalTrain will step in…. Have em Run the sand trains under the catenary 🤯
AceMacSD wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 8:56 am If not NJT, who'd run these trains? Your Cape May Lines? Maybe one of those non-union low cost operators? Once they'd get to Red Bank or NEC depending upon what routing they take, they'd have to work with NJT or AMTK, even if it's to establish a connecting service.
No one else but NJT can do this project. I don't see a private operator pulling a Brightline here, there is not much money to be made doing local-haul commuter rail in the Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean counties. Maybe there could be a lot of money to be made during the summer months, but that's for a grand total of 3-4 months (tops, likely less) out of the year.
AceMacSD wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 8:56 am I don't know much about NJT service beyond Bank but why do you have such beef with NJT?
A lot of people have beef with NJT due to how its run. NJT does burn a lot of its money for the service(s) it gives, and they are SAS at doing any sort of project, unless it is absolutely necessary, and even then, they are still pretty damn slow. That being said, there is little alternative to NJT running a commuter line in Central Jersey, unless somehow Amtrak did it (via a connection to Monmouth Junction), but pigs will fly before that one
CharlieL wrote: ↑Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:09 am I suspect the grants are at least in part a way for NJT to keep their options open and their hopes alive.
I said this when this whole project was first revealed back in 2021, and I got clowned for it.

Re: Delaware and Raritan River Railroad-General Discussion

  by Bracdude181
 
@John NJT also pockets a lot of money. I’m talking millions of taxpayer dollars annually. One reason why I don’t like them.

Even if NJT runs down here and they run on Farmingdale to Freehold they are just gonna completely rip up everything C&D is building. It’ll all be gone for all new crossings and all new track all new everything.

Re: Delaware and Raritan River Railroad-General Discussion

  by Bracdude181
 
Speaking of what C&D is building…

Fairfield road looking towards Farmingdale
Image
Yellowbrook Road looking towards Freehold. Looks like they are laying ballast here before laying track. Weird cause up until now they’ve just flattened the dirt, built the track, then ballasted it.Image

These were parked at the Yellowbrook Crossing. Ballast Regulator and Tamper. The car behind the regulator is how they’ve been laying ballast. Real nice tamper being used here. One with the truck attached that tells the tamper where to tamp and how much.Image

Re: Delaware and Raritan River Railroad-General Discussion

  by JohnFromJersey
 
Just over 2 weeks until July 31. Doesn't seem like they will get it done by then, but August 31 could be a more realistic finish date

Re: Delaware and Raritan River Railroad-General Discussion

  by Bracdude181
 
I hear mid-late September. Any date that they put on these RFPs is almost never true as far as I know.

Since it’s July now shouldn’t they have gotten their phase 2 money?

Re: Delaware and Raritan River Railroad-General Discussion

  by CharlieL
 
I'm sure the money is available or they would not have started the phase 2 work. When the work is finished, the contractor submits the bill, and the state releases the funds (RFP says 5 working days after bill is submitted contractor gets paid; gotta go thru state bureaucracy).
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