Another Bethlehem Branch Thread

[path18951]

Well, look what I found.

Site http://www.legis.state.pa.us/2003%5F0/hb1634p3599.htm , PA House Bill No. 1634, of 2003. Section 5, a, 10, xvi-xvii P. 84-86 (sorry, I'm not a lawyer).

Providing for the capital budget for the fiscal year 2003-2004, itemizing public improvement projects, furniture and equipment projects, transportation assistance projects…

Section 5. Itemization of transportation assistance projects.

(a) Mass Transit.--Additional capital projects in the category of transportation assistance projects for mass transit in which an interest is to be acquired or constructed by the Department of Transportation, its successors or assigns, and to be financed by the incurring of debt, are hereby itemized, together with their estimated financial costs, as follows:

(10) Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority

(XVI) BETHLEHEM BRANCH OF READING RAILROAD, UPGRADE TRACK TO LEVEL 3 AND REPAIR AND REPLACE TIES TO PROVIDE LIGHT RAIL PASSENGER SERVICE FROM SHELLY TO LANSDALE STATIONS 50,000,000

(XVII) ACQUISITION OF THREE BUSES FOR CONNECTOR SERVICE TO PERKASIE, QUAKERTOWN AND SELLERSVILLE 300,000

I am not an expert in this stuff by any means, but the way I read this, it sounds like Pennsylvania allowed $50,000,000.00 for the service to Quakertown.

Someone please slap me in the face to make me come back to reality

[jfrey40535]

And knowing SEPTA they'll spend the money on studying it instead of doing it. Sounds too good to be true.

[JLo]

Often times, politicians slip items in bills with no intention of getting the item approved. It will probably get knocked out of the bill at some point in committee, but the politician can claim he tried like heck to get it approved.

[Irish Chieftain]

I concur with that. Note the provision says "light rail". So long as CSX is running freight north of Lansdale, light rail is an absurdity at best.

[Lucius Kwok]

I think they're serious about doing light rail, with something like the RiverLINE: diesel LRV with either time-share waivers or separate tracks for freight.

From the Pecpa article:

Rickett doesn't want to build the electrical network necessary to run the electric trains that SEPTA uses these days. He is talking diesel....

Though Rickett talked of a light-rail system and favored diesel power, he said, "we do not have plans; that's why we're doing the workshop."

How feasibile is this?

[Irish Chieftain]

Not feasible. The Reading station at Lansdale cannot be used by DLRV. FRA DMU as in the past would work better.

Amazing how the ABE region, with its massive growth, has no rail service to Philadelphia at least. Routes 309, 476 and 611 combined are not sufficient. The nearest SEPTA station to the ABE area is the R5's Colmar station, and that's 40 miles away on PA 309.

[NorthPennLimited]

It's funny. 10 years and 2 recessions later, still nothing has changed. Except the rails got more rusty, the consignee work dried up, and the trees got taller along the ROW.

We have to get Ed Rendell back into politics from retirement, and resurrect Arlen Specter.

Seems like the days of pork projects are far behind us in eastern Pennsylvania.

[Clearfield]

I think they're serious about doing light rail

They're not. The current plan as I understand it from the planners is to electrify from Lansdale to Pennridge. One new sub at Pennridge and extra capacity from the replaced sub at Lansdale.

[Suburban Station]

service to bethlehem isnt a pork project its a transportation project. now the state finded $800 million dollar convention center boondoggle , thats pork. penn ridge sounds like a typical septa plan. they always find a way to avoid getting anyone excited. cant get to get to penn ridge ! uh....yeah

[Clearfield]

service to bethlehem isnt a pork project its a transportation project. now the state finded $800 million dollar convention center boondoggle , thats pork. penn ridge sounds like a typical septa plan. they always find a way to avoid getting anyone excited. cant get to get to penn ridge ! uh....yeah

The original plan to Quakertown or Shelly was scrapped because Bucks County Commissioners were not interested in the project. Ergo, it was cut back to Pennridge.

[bikentransit]

Why are rail projects always tied to what county commissioners want? If highway projects went like that, we'd never have interstates. Stupid way of doing things.

[Clearfield]

Why are rail projects always tied to what county commissioners want? If highway projects went like that, we'd never have interstates. Stupid way of doing things.

Because they are the political buy-in for the capital funding and ribbon cutting. The county also pays SEPTA a subsidy based on the amount of service it receives. If you increase service in Bucks, Bucks pays more. Philly and Delco are the 2 highest paying counties IIRC.

[Suburban Station]

Why are rail projects always tied to what county commissioners want? If highway projects went like that, we'd never have interstates. Stupid way of doing things.

Because they are the political buy-in for the capital funding and ribbon cutting. The county also pays SEPTA a subsidy based on the amount of service it receives. If you increase service in Bucks, Bucks pays more. Philly and Delco are the 2 highest paying counties IIRC.

if the region were always run this way we would never have become a major metropolitan area. gone is the desire to solve problems replaced by cronyism and small minded politics. its incredibly frustrating.

[Clearfield]

Why are rail projects always tied to what county commissioners want? If highway projects went like that, we'd never have interstates. Stupid way of doing things.

Because they are the political buy-in for the capital funding and ribbon cutting. The county also pays SEPTA a subsidy based on the amount of service it receives. If you increase service in Bucks, Bucks pays more. Philly and Delco are the 2 highest paying counties IIRC.

if the region were always run this way we would never have become a major metropolitan area. gone is the desire to solve problems replaced by cronyism and small minded politics. its incredibly frustrating.

I agree. We became a major metropolitan area because of private companies like the Reading, PRR, P&W, and Red Arrow. They took the business risks to develop transportation networks.

They ALL went bankrupt and now the politicians make 'safe' decisions. Safe as in - will I get re-elected if I vote for this expansion of service? Politicians spend almost all their time now saving their jobs rather than doing their jobs.

[bikentransit]

I'm confused. Is it like this in other states...this "county buy in" concept? Granted states must "buy in" for things like Amtrak service (I think that's why the 3 Rivers train died), but one county in a major area can really wreck the process. Not to mention, if one county is "poor", then the whole region suffers. Or, one county can prevent another county from completing a project if they refuse to buy in because it does not benefit them as much as another project on their radar.

This is really not a way to "plan" things.