Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but it seems the most appropriate one for my question.
Penn Station NY has got new LCD departure monitors and system. On that system train 6279 to MSU is announced as a train to Lake Hopatcong and train 6283 as a train to Hackettstown. Both of those trains do NOT go beyond MSU. 6279 is followed about 10 minutes later by 1011 which actually is a train to Lake Hopatcong which departs Hoboken. So maybe it is just a way to advertise the connecting service one could change pretty much anywhere between Newark Broad and MSU. 6283 is followed by 1085 which goes to Hackettstown. Unfortunately both trains follow each other about 30 minutes apart making any connection practically useless -- even the trip to MSU is too long (due to frequent station stops), adding 30minutes pf extra waiting time to get beyond there is pointless -- no sane commuter would do that. A few occasional travelers might consider it. And this brings us to the question: why has not NJT reshuffled the schedule to extend two of the morning peak hour trains from beyond MSU into NYP and two of the evening peak trains back out of NYP? Ridership beyond MSU is not great, but it ain't going to get any better without some better service given the competition of the buses from Wayne/Route 23. Direct service into NYP might help the ridership even if the trains still make all stops in Montclair. Or maybe the departure boards are sign of things to come with future schedule changes? And of course this is all possible because of the ALP45s which is why we are in this thread.
Penn Station NY has got new LCD departure monitors and system. On that system train 6279 to MSU is announced as a train to Lake Hopatcong and train 6283 as a train to Hackettstown. Both of those trains do NOT go beyond MSU. 6279 is followed about 10 minutes later by 1011 which actually is a train to Lake Hopatcong which departs Hoboken. So maybe it is just a way to advertise the connecting service one could change pretty much anywhere between Newark Broad and MSU. 6283 is followed by 1085 which goes to Hackettstown. Unfortunately both trains follow each other about 30 minutes apart making any connection practically useless -- even the trip to MSU is too long (due to frequent station stops), adding 30minutes pf extra waiting time to get beyond there is pointless -- no sane commuter would do that. A few occasional travelers might consider it. And this brings us to the question: why has not NJT reshuffled the schedule to extend two of the morning peak hour trains from beyond MSU into NYP and two of the evening peak trains back out of NYP? Ridership beyond MSU is not great, but it ain't going to get any better without some better service given the competition of the buses from Wayne/Route 23. Direct service into NYP might help the ridership even if the trains still make all stops in Montclair. Or maybe the departure boards are sign of things to come with future schedule changes? And of course this is all possible because of the ALP45s which is why we are in this thread.