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Old Posted May 30, 2012, 2:47 PM
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Nexis4Jersey Nexis4Jersey is offline
Greetings from New Jersey
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: North Jersey
Posts: 3,262
Quote:
Originally Posted by ardecila View Post
Thanks, those articles are markedly better/longer than the last time I looked. I guess I'm more interested in the process of implementing regional rail, from an organizational perspective... running trains on short headways, switching to ticket machines and turnstiles, making tough decisions about which stations and branches don't have the ridership to merit regional-rail levels of service, etc.

It seems like SEPTA's biggest issue was not a lack of ideas, but severe difficulty getting the existing commuter-rail personnel to accept new ways of thinking (made worse by funding crises that seemed to hit at the worst possible times). If Metra's ever gonna change, the people driving the change will encounter the same stiff resistance that SEPTA did, from "rail" workers who seem themselves as diametrically opposed to "transit" workers and who seek to maintain the same operating practices that railroading used in 1900.

Even the Illinois Central, which had some unusual operating practices as they essentially ran rapid transit for the south side, slowly began to lose its best features as Metra took over with its traditional-railroading mindset. Many urban stations were axed, while the rest were left to deteriorate into a shameful set of flag stops. It's absolutely essential for the continued growth of Chicagoland that Metra adapts and embraces a more flexible, broader view of railroading - this is my biggest beef with the Gray Line, which basically admits defeat and claims that the only way for Metra Electric to get reasonable service is to hand the line over to CTA.
What? Septa doesn't have any ideas , they rather shrink there network. They lie about the condition of some lines saying they were falling apart or some bridges , when in truth the lines are in decent shape and the bridges needed some work. If my Employee friends were running Septa it would function... Alot of the Septa employees are disgusting with management at Septa which is very backwards buses over Rail hench why they suspended the Trolley 56 & 23 which Penn Dot has rebuilt but Septa hasn't restarted the line yet... Yes Septa doesn't get fair funding , but that doesn't excuse the shortcuts they take and ending service. They've even sold lines or renting knowing they'll have to restore them over the next 2 decades.... If Metra were to follow another Railroad it should be Metro North over Septa or NJT.... But not Septa or the LIRR which are both run by morons who keep destroying the RR then expanding and enhancing it.
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