Irish Chieftain wrote:Why the focus on West Orange? You can't take a train to West Orange, period. You can't take a train to places like Irvington either, but that's not the point.The point is to improve intra-state travel options. With tolls and gas prices rising, we should create viable intra state travel options to get more people to shift to mass transit. Its not just the people who want to travel from Oranges to Matawan (that's just Codey's example), but anyone who wants to travel anywhere besides the NYC, Hoboken or Newark.
As for more Midtown Directs stopping at Secaucus, I do not see the point. Solely for the rare person that needs to get from the Oranges to Matawan? Monthly pass holders IIRC can use the Newark LR to get from Broad Street Station to Penn Station within Newark; it's a three-seat ride, but reliable enough; certainly more reliable than having to travel in the other direction at Secaucus.
As someone who does a non traditional commute can attest, anytime you add a transfer, you are adding a point of failure. A three seat transfer with LR is not more reliable than transferring in Secaucus. Theoretically, its faster, but certainly not more reliable.
Honestly, I think traditional commuters could spare the extra few minutes for stopping in Secaucus if it allowed practical new transit options for non-traditional commuters.