MOM Rail Service

I am going to let my political naivete show.

What generally confuses me about the 30 yrs (+) in trying to achieve the MOM is the NIMBYs themselves truly make up only a very small percentage of people within their towns (1% of a town's population?). The NJ political machine has demonstrated time and time again not to heed the wishes of small numbers of people even if they are vocal. I use the outrage of the NJ's populace that is vocal against the problems with property tax, car insurance, health insurance, political code of ethics, pay to play, etc., etc. as an example (unfortunately we are all too quiet in this regard). The politicians typically assume silence from the masses as blunt acceptance of what is going on and hence, they continue with their fiscal shenanigans thinking the general public accepts it.

So why are so many politician's bending over backwards over several decades to listen to such a small vocal group when they ignore everyone else's plea? My cynicism asks "What is in it for these politicians to heed the NIMBYs?" The only answer I can conclude is that by not spending the money on the rail line, they can spend it on their personal needs. However, the rail line is but one of many projects. So what is so different about MOM to warrant such delaying tactics for so long by Trenton and Middlesex?

Generally, in NJ, things get done because you have the right coalition behind it. That takes time, and means you need to include various people and interests.

Among these coalitions are the Democratic party leader in South Jersey (Mr Norcross), the so-called Middlesex group aligned around Mr Crabiel and Mr Lynch, the Hudson County interests controlled by Rep Menendez, and the various Essex factions controlled by Senator Codey and Mayor James. Each of them has construction friends, engineering friends, donors, relatives, and constituents.

With one exception, these people were elected to office, and face the voters regularly. They have projects they like, and others that won't see the light of day. That's why the Cut-Off will lag for another decade, and why THE Tunnel might actually get built. Whether something is a good idea, and necessary, is only a modest part of the process. A bad idea, with strong supporters is a sure bet to get built (think I-295, for example), while a good idea will languish forever.

I hope that by 2010 we will have 2 or even one of the big 4 projects come on line in NJ. Reason why I say 2010 is because the new WTC in NY will be finished and ready for occupancy. If a new office complex will be built by that time I expect atleast one or two of these projects to be built by that time as well wether it's the MOM, cutoff or the W Trenton. It will be quite pathetic if the WTC in NYC is rebuilt and yet not one of the three rail projects have not been touched.

NJT was a fool to abandon W Trenton outright when it knew service would pick back up. Ditto for cutting service in the Raritan Valley line . I understood if they wanted to cut out of Philipsburg but to cut it all the way down to High Bridge is ridiculous. Atleast they should kept the service as far west as Bloomsbury. Same with NJT when the dediced to restore service to Mt Olive and Hackettstown but not go the measily 10 miles down the line to Washington TWP and restore weekend service.

Of course the Hudson Tunnel project will have no bearing since all MOM, Cutoff and W Trenton service is supposed to go to Hoboken due to lack of space in NYP wether NJT gets that new concourse or not at NYP out of the old PRR Generator Room. Supposedly there was room for 5 tracks there.

NJTRailfan wrote:
NJT was a fool to abandon W Trenton outright when it knew service would pick back up.

In retrospect, that's correct.

However, in 1982, CR owned the line, and NJ didn't have any diniero to lay the second track and punch the speed, much less buy the track. I rode that Reading RDC train regularly to Philly on Thursdays and Fridays. Never did more than 35 mph, and often was at walking speed.

On today's (CSX improved) track, I'd suspect they do average 50 mph for passenger.

railtrailbiker wrote:

[From the Asbury Park Press Article of 8-5-05, linked to below]"...A 2002 departmental memo at NJ Transit indicates that agency staff considered the Matawan alternative a poor choice for the proposed new commuter rail line from Ocean and Monmouth counties, even though it had been included as one of three options in the agency's draft environmental impact study."

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... 50444/1004

I see from the Asbury Park Press article quoted above a conclusory statement on the MOM-via-Matawan option. No where does it provide the reason for that conclusion. Does anyone know, from NJ Transit internal sources, or from any other source, what the reason or basis was?

OCtrainguy wrote:
I know the big focus is on the commuters travelling to Hoboken, Newark, and New York, but what about people using the line for points in between Lakehurst and those previously mentioned stations?

I don't think non-NYP, non-HOB, non-NWK passengers are very high on NJT's list of important issues. During the last strike, they left all the reverse commuters (NY --> HOB to Madison, for example) out in the cold. That was a huge issue at Drew University, where much of the faculty lives in NYC or Hoboken and commutes against peak traffic.

I'm not arguing this is good or bad, merely that it is the apparent policy.

OCtrainguy wrote:"Robert J. Riker, formerly of Rumson, retired after 30 years as a Port Authority planner and engineering manager and then formed his own transportation consulting firm. He now lives in Alexandria, Va."

Mr. Riker huh? He sounds like the "number one" man for the job.

Sorry, couldn't resist....

There is also a rebuttal Letter to the Editor from Freeholder Powers (monmouth county freeholder) to Mr. Riker's past letters.

Mr. Riker just seems to have a bone to pick with Monmouth County and seems to really talk out his rear when he writes these letters.

Im glad his consulting firm works down in Virginia way..........

Freeholder Powers' piece looks to be an op-ed rather than a letter to the editor. It's linked here, at least for now.

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... 70367/1030

Bob

Does anyone know where the proposals stand for the Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex Rail line? Which of the 3 routes would be the most likely candidate? Would Red Bank Yard be used as a layover yard if this proposal goes through?

Eric

The various parties (NJ-ARP included) continue to jockey for position prior to any release of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), itself postponed numerous times and now vaguely slated for release "somtime this year" (2006).

While that in itself suggests nothing is set in concrete, NJ-ARP highly doubts that Red Bank would be used for any significant yard storage of equipment. Certainly, few if any serious evaluations of such a thing have occurred in the 20 years since MOM was first advanced.

Among the three, NJ-ARP will nominate a least likely candidate: The "Oops! Where's Matawan?" option, which has no real, pro-rail champion behind it, and only "strawmen" backing it (i.e., "give it to THEM."). That's even before one factors in the use of Freehold-to-Matawan right-of-way as a state-funded rail trail.

Somewhat self-servingly, NJ-ARP offers a press update (link) on the status of Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex (MOM) rail passenger service.

See www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/
20060222/NEWS01/602220397/1004

Our apologies for not being able to offer same in plain text at this juncture.

How about studies as to ridership other than from home to Manhattan? How about people who may commute to New Brunswick?

Hey, I'm all for relieving congestion from the commute to NYC. But how about making the immediate region itself more commuter friendly and transit friendly?

This is the part I like best:

Larry Higgs, in the [url=http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060222/NEWS01/602220397/1004]Asbury Park Press article,[/url] wrote:NJ Transit officials made the decision at the request of Monmouth and Ocean county officials, said Dan Stessel, NJ Transit spokesman. It will add 18 to 24 months to the larger Draft Environmental Impact Study of the MOM line.

So...yet ANOTHER 2 YEARS to "study" the impact of the line...another example of how NJ politics works for us. NJ: come see for yourself...