I'm curious as to why they stopped running every other weekend train to/from Hoboken on the weekend on the Raritan Valley Line. It definitely gives a lot more flexibility for people on that line, since they don't have direct service to NY Penn, and that transfer in Newark is a mess on the weekend with all of the work going on. Would they ever bring Hoboken service back?
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Raritan Valley Line Weekend Service to Hoboken
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I have been wondering, why not replace the 7600 "Rahway Rocket" trains with RVL trains to/from Manhattan? Some weekends, every second or third 7600 series "Rahway Rocket" trains seems to get cancelled anyway. I'd prefer if the 7600 trains ran consistently enabling the 7200 trains that they correspond with to express through the inner-zone stops, but at least make an effort to use that set of slots to its full potential.
Often those 7600 trains are cancelled because of a lack of slots.
"It's not even a railroad anymore, it's a circus act."
I put it in another thread, but I thought of a solution a lot better than what they have now:
Current peak weekend hourly service:
1 Rahway Rocket (7600)
1 NEC local (7800)
1 NJCL local (7200)
1 NEC Express from Metropark to EWR (7800)
This creates extreme redundancy with 3 trains stopping at the local NEC stops between Rahway and EWR within the span of 15 minutes.
Proposed weekend peak hourly service:
1 Rahway Rocket originating in South Amboy
1 NEC Express from Metropark to EWR
1 NJCL Express from South Amboy to EWR
1 RVL local
Is there anything I'm missing here? It makes so much more sense, especially with the NJCL during the Summer months. Someone told me that the Rahway rockets originate in South Amboy (hence why they're designated as NJCL trains), so it's definitely feasible to extend it. Really frustrating that they cant figure this out.
Current peak weekend hourly service:
1 Rahway Rocket (7600)
1 NEC local (7800)
1 NJCL local (7200)
1 NEC Express from Metropark to EWR (7800)
This creates extreme redundancy with 3 trains stopping at the local NEC stops between Rahway and EWR within the span of 15 minutes.
Proposed weekend peak hourly service:
1 Rahway Rocket originating in South Amboy
1 NEC Express from Metropark to EWR
1 NJCL Express from South Amboy to EWR
1 RVL local
Is there anything I'm missing here? It makes so much more sense, especially with the NJCL during the Summer months. Someone told me that the Rahway rockets originate in South Amboy (hence why they're designated as NJCL trains), so it's definitely feasible to extend it. Really frustrating that they cant figure this out.
I'm sorry, where did you drop the second NEC train? The Raritan trains can transfer fine, and you're making NEC passengers to Rahway backtrack from Newark...
Often they don't hold the transfer trains for RVL and they end up waiting 45 minutes. You're right though, maybe that NEC express should be express from Rahway to the airport so that people from further down the line can go to local stops. I'm pretty sure there are more people from the RVL going to Manhattan than there are people from the NEC going to Rahway, Linden, Elizabeth, or N. Elizabeth.
You also propose cutting the entire NEC (inner and outer) from half hourly to hourly service. I suspect this would cause ridership damage greater than the total number of RVL to NYP riders... at very least this would be very rash.
If you mind missing the transfer, requiring to hold trains for the transfer would be a better proposal.
If you mind missing the transfer, requiring to hold trains for the transfer would be a better proposal.
That's a fair point, but I'm sure most folks from the outer NEC opt to take the hourly express train currently instead of the hourly local.
Anyway, if you think that 2 NEC's instead of 1 RVL is better, my point still stands about the unnecessary stops in the inner NEC (3X an hour, all within ~15 minutes). Running the beach train express would be very beneficial. And that takes me back to the original point of my post, which is- why can't they run the RVL's to Hoboken again?
Anyway, if you think that 2 NEC's instead of 1 RVL is better, my point still stands about the unnecessary stops in the inner NEC (3X an hour, all within ~15 minutes). Running the beach train express would be very beneficial. And that takes me back to the original point of my post, which is- why can't they run the RVL's to Hoboken again?
The express does not overtake the local. Most NEC travelers take the first train into the station - it will get them there first.
Ideally, the Rahway rocket would run far enough away in time from the other trains. However, when one tunnel to NYC is closed, the other switches directions half-hourly. So there are 5 NJT slots (2 NEC, 2 NJCL, 1 ME) and 2-3 Amtrak slots (packing together Acela, Regional, LD, Keystone) in one half hour, and they cannot be spread into the other half hour.
The beach train running express EWR to Rahway (or South Amboy if the Rahway train was extended) sounds great.
Ideally, the Rahway rocket would run far enough away in time from the other trains. However, when one tunnel to NYC is closed, the other switches directions half-hourly. So there are 5 NJT slots (2 NEC, 2 NJCL, 1 ME) and 2-3 Amtrak slots (packing together Acela, Regional, LD, Keystone) in one half hour, and they cannot be spread into the other half hour.
The beach train running express EWR to Rahway (or South Amboy if the Rahway train was extended) sounds great.
It would be nice if the RVL went to Hoboken on weekends but I'm sure that the ridership isn't high enough for that to happen. I know that every other RVL train used to originate in Hoboken on weekends. Remember, there are ample connections to NJT train in NWK Penn Station for those people who want to head to Midtown Manhattan. If you want Hoboken and Lower Manhattan, switch to Path.
Not only doesn't the express overtake the local but they both tend to be SRO. where do you propose putting all those passengers? A bigger problem on the NEC trains is lack of ticket pulling. Two out of three trains I was on last weekend had no ticket collection. That's an enormous amount of lost revenue.
Yankees1 wrote:
Is there anything I'm missing here? It makes so much more sense, especially with the NJCL during the Summer months. Someone told me that the Rahway rockets originate in South Amboy (hence why they're designated as NJCL trains), so it's definitely feasible to extend it. Really frustrating that they cant figure this out.
Well, I'm pretty sure everyone else has told you what you're missing. However, I will add a few more things. The Rahway Rockets (when they actually operate) do not originate in South Amboy. They originate in NYP and turn between Union and Graw Interlockings, just outside of Rahway. Extending it may cause it miss the returning, single track slot as mentioned by Andrewjw and would defeat the purpose of being a relief valve for the packed trains that run behind it.
The same goes for the Raritan trains to Hoboken. Not unlike a lot of the operation, the Raritan crews and equipment often tight turn on weekends. Sending them to Hoboken where they would have to long turn ( which is why it was every other train since it would not make it back for the next train) causes gaps in service, increased operating expenses, lessened operational flexibility and probably didn't yield the ridership to make all of this worth it.
I want my road foreman!
If I remember correctly, they also had sort of absurd transit times between Newark and Hoboken.
|=| R. Novosielski |=|
Okay so the only potentially viable option to speed up service would be to run the Beach train from Rahway to Newark?
You might just get your wish, as they are adding a few more tracks in hoboken.