Will NJ Turnpike Opening New Lanes Affect NEC Ridership?

I'm going to work on society's "addiction" to indoor plumbing.

Good idea, go do that. Thanks.

JCGUY wrote:I'm going to work on society's "addiction" to indoor plumbing.

im going to work on people addiction to electricity and clean water.

Admin note: please keep it on topic or we're locking it up. Thanks, guys.

If railroads add a new track parallel to current trunk line, you add a percent of absolute capacity. If you add a lane of traffic on a highway......

http://tinyurl.com/pnunp9j" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Don31 knows what he is talking about, and not just because i can use google to prove him correct.

People like myself have been advocating against widening roads and instead adding transit, ride share, and incentives to use them.

25Hz wrote:If railroads add a new track parallel to current trunk line, you add a percent of absolute capacity. If you add a lane of traffic on a highway......

http://tinyurl.com/pnunp9j" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Don31 knows what he is talking about, and not just because i can use google to prove him correct.

People like myself have been advocating against widening roads and instead adding transit, ride share, and incentives to use them.

I agree. Don31 has forgotten more about the Turnpike and transportation infrastructure than all of us will ever even know, without going into detail, if he says somethin here.. Listen. Youll learn a thing or two.

JCGUY wrote:To get back on topic, didn't NJT add some bus staging capacity to Secaucus, essentially in preparation for the Super Bowl? I go through Secaucus every so often, and you can't really see the new bus staging area from the tracks, but out of the corner of my eye I saw leveling and paving work going on directly east of the station. The area set up is not enormous, but I think there's some enhanced capacity relative to what was originally there.

Yes, the compacting and paving of the bus area is finally complete. There is an expanded parking lot (probably for short term or for those who work there) and there is more area to stage buses but I would not say terribly many. I will survey the lot again next time I get a chance.

25Hz wrote:If railroads add a new track parallel to current trunk line, you add a percent of absolute capacity. If you add a lane of traffic on a highway......

http://tinyurl.com/pnunp9j" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Don31 knows what he is talking about, and not just because i can use google to prove him correct.

People like myself have been advocating against widening roads and instead adding transit, ride share, and incentives to use them.

Perhaps true in some cases. I would not characterize the Turnpike widening that way. It removes a clear bottleneck that was preventing full use of the capacity on the surrounding roads it constrained. It was a 12 lane roadway north of exit 9, which dropped to 10 from exit 9 to 8A, and then to 6 from exit 8 to 6.

Meanwhile, there's heavy loads using exit 7a (I-195), 7 (206), and 6 (I-276). The lane drop should never have existed in the first place, it should have continued to the point where a similar portion of the load leaves the highway, which is where it ends now.

millerm277 wrote:

25Hz wrote:If railroads add a new track parallel to current trunk line, you add a percent of absolute capacity. If you add a lane of traffic on a highway......

http://tinyurl.com/pnunp9j" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Don31 knows what he is talking about, and not just because i can use google to prove him correct.

People like myself have been advocating against widening roads and instead adding transit, ride share, and incentives to use them.

Perhaps true in some cases. I would not characterize the Turnpike widening that way. It removes a clear bottleneck that was preventing full use of the capacity on the surrounding roads it constrained. It was a 12 lane roadway north of exit 9, which dropped to 10 from exit 9 to 8A, and then to 6 from exit 8 to 6.

Meanwhile, there's heavy loads using exit 7a (I-195), 7 (206), and 6 (I-276). The lane drop should never have existed in the first place, it should have continued to the point where a similar portion of the load leaves the highway, which is where it ends now.

Yes, i understand that, however it does not preclude induced demand being a byproduct. Sometimes "fixing" something makes the situation worse. I can see it now "oh hey they put in a new lane there, i'll take that road more often". Opps, problem simply kicked down the pike (so to speak).

I imagine the traffic back up will now occur in PA along 276 and I95. Looks to be someone elses problem.

Woodcrest295 wrote:I imagine the traffic back up will now occur in PA along 276 and I95. Looks to be someone elses problem.

Then maybe PA will finally get on with their 276/95 interchange project, which does include doubling the capacity on the Turnpike Bridge.

millerm277 wrote:It would be great. Just as having a lot more parking at SEC would be great. However, like the parking, SEC wasn't designed with any reasonable accommodations for buses.

Parking in any form at Secaucus Junction is asinine. Take the train from your home station.

Do you really think that 1,000+ people who pay $25, plus Turnpike tolls, to park at Secaucus each day are unaware that their various towns have NJT stations?

Jessica Black wrote:Definetly not. If anything, this will boost ridership on the Northeast Corridor. Lets face it, for the most part, the Turnpike is almost always a congested buffer, and all this project will do is increase ridership to avoid sitting in traffic on the Turnpike. And besides, this will just further increase rail ridership and give NJT funds to acquire more rolling stock, and locomotives for commuter service between the Trenton Transit Center, and New York's Pennsylvania Station. In a way, it may reach the levels the old Pennsylvania Railroad had, when they ran commuter trains along the NEC. If anyhing, it might exceed expectations on the line and bring traffic levels to a high we have not seen in years.

Jessica, your statement is truly a "wet dream."

JCGUY wrote:The only potential affect I can imagine, would be that interstate bus service may be more quick and reliable, which might have some marginal affect on Amtrak ridership

JCGuy, the Port Authority Bus Terminal is at capacity as is the 100 year old Hudson tubes in, and out of NYC. That interstate bus option is not viable.