Mount Arlington Station

geoffand wrote:Also, why only service on the Montclair-Boonton line? Don’t M&E Hackettstown trains also use this line? Why wouldn’t they want to increase the frequency of service and have M&E trains stop as well? People won’t use the station if they have to wait 20 minutes for the next train…

I'd expect all trains that go to Lake Hopatcong to stop at Mount Arlington whether they be 1000 series Montclair-Boonton trains or 800 series Morris and Essex line trains.

I also expect that they will make the service at least hourly at Mount Arlington and Lake Hopatcong throughout the day, and at least half hourly in the rush direction during rush hours. All this is quite feasible given the track and yard infrastructure that is in place.

Well yesterday I sent an e-mail to NJT's website along with an e-mail to Congressman Frelinghuysen. I hope to get a reply soon and hopefully my e-mail along with many others can help lengthen the platform and add more parking.

Heres the link to Congressman Frelinghuysen http://frelinghuysen.house.gov/

With NJT I went to their website and clicked on "contact us" all of you should e-mail your concerns and with more feedback the problems should be rectified like lengthening the platforms and to increase parking be it expand the lot to be two or three times then Dover's Lot or to build a parking garage.

I tried to send an e-mail to the Mt Arlington Mayor but I'm having problems locating his e-mail address otherwise I would've e-mail him myself.

Well, yesterday I sent an e-mail to NJT's website along with an e-mail to Congressman Frelinghuysen. I hope to get a reply soon and hopefully my e-mail along with many others can help lengthen the platform and add more parking.

Heres the link to Congressman Frelinghuysen's website.

With NJT I went to their website and clicked on "contact us" all of you should e-mail your concerns and with more feedback the problems should be rectified like lengthening the platforms and to increase parking be it expand the lot to be two or three times larger than Dover's lot or to build a parking garage.

I tried to send an e-mail to the Mount Arlington Mayor, but I'm having problems locating his e-mail address.

NJT probably turned off the e-mail for that particular segment regarding Mount Arlington. They probably got a ton of e mail saying "what were you thinking about the twin 285 platforms". I agree that it should be one platform 570 feet.

I hear they wanted to put a pedestrian tunnel to connect the two platforms? What about people who are in wheelchairs? Did they forget about them?

PRSL1972 wrote:NJT probably turned off the e-mail for that particular segment regarding Mount Arlington. They probably got a ton of e mail saying "what were you thinking about the twin 285 platforms". I agree that it should be one platform 570 feet.

I hear they wanted to put a pedestrian tunnel to connect the two platforms? What about people who are in wheelchairs? Did they forget about them?

Since it is a post ADA new construction it is unlikely that they will be able to get a design that does not accommodate wheelchair bound passengers approved by the FRA. So if there is an underpass there will be ramps or elevators to allow access to both platforms by wheelchair bound passengers. This would be an issue even if there were a single island platform.

I was out at the new station site..looks like they've begun to clear trees, and a lot of dirt moving..16 months now before the ribbon cutting!

When I saw the area during my R&R I did see that trees were cleared and that there were construction vehciles there as well plus a part of the lot was closed off to have enough room for the vehicles. This area looks to me that they can have the two platforms to be built long enough to accomodate an 8 car train. Or would there be a problem with the terrain?

I would think atleast a platform handling a 6 car train wouldn't be out of the question. I mean after all more people will use the faciltiy once the station comes on line esp those comming off Rts 80 and 46. I've seen alot more 6 car trains that way so I would think to accomodate a 6 car would be reasonable. Now once that line is electrified 8 even 10 car trains will come that way and they could very well be stored in Pt Morris.

It should be bigger. Hell even the new Metro North Station at Wassaic past Dover Plains is longer then this new one. I think that can hndle a 6-8 car train easily.

Drove by today. Pilings going in for the *short* platforms. Forms for the foundation walls of a station structure (elevator?) are in place.

I'm not sure if it was the slope of the parking lot, or the slope of the rail, but from the parking lot it looks like the station will be on one heck of a grade at that section. It will be fun for the engineers trying to stop on leaf oily rails.

The parking lot was packed today, and it was Columbus Day. What the heck are they thinking??? There will never be enough parking spots under the current plans.

Saw a freight go through as well while the crews were working, I'm guessing that was the famous H02.

geoffand wrote:Saw a freight go through as well while the crews were working, I'm guessing that was the famous H02.

'Twas indeed. The legendary one.

geoff -

I stopped by there on Sunday and saw just what you did....a VERY modest bit of construction indeed.

More than ever, I question what the purpose is of this little station and WHY it's being built....and WHY is this money being spent !!!

NJT is accountable to noone !

The parking lot was packed today, and it was Columbus Day. What the heck are they thinking??? There will never be enough parking spots under the current plans.

The plans I had seen years ago, when the initial park ride facility was built included additional space for probably another 100 parking spaces. They would be in the area between the station and Route 80 east of the existing parking lot.

Chris

What Mt Arlington and NJT Officials need to do is count the amount of parkign spaces that Dover has in it's lots that surround the NJT Station and on both sides of the tracks and times that number by 4. Thats the amount of spaces that Mt Arlington needs atleast esp since they are next to Rt 80 and 46 being a few miles away along with Rt 10.

Building the platforms to only handle 3 cars makes no since either. Very soon you will have 8 car traisn run by the area when NJT electrifies out to PM Yard to store more trains due to the amt of space available for expansion. Atleast make the platforms long enough to accomodate the 6 car traisn that run frequently alogn that area. Hell Lake Hopatcong I believe can handle a 6 car with very little problems if that. Even that can be redone to handle a 10 car train if the work was put in.

Heads up:

This weekend NJT will be taking Tracks 1 and 2 out of service at Mount Arlington all weekend until early Monday Morning. They need to install a pedestrian underpass. They have a prebuilt underpass tunnel they need to install so the plan is to remove the tracks at that spot (I think they're going to remove them) and dig a passageway, install the prebuilt tunnel and then restore the ROW. One of the tracks is scheduled to reopen by 3 AM on Monday and the other by 6. Certainly should be an intersting project....

This projeect is moving very quickly. I can't wait to se this when I get back to NJ. They way this is being constructed, it will end up like the Newark Broad St Station project where it will be completed ahead of schedule. My only problem with it is that it will only acomodate a 3 car train where it should atleast accomodate a 6-8 car atleast. Even the Lake Hopatcong station can cover an 8 car train.

I took a ride out to Mt. Arlington station..coming along good..talked to some NJT guys on the job..they saw I was a buff and welcomed me..said this should have been done years ago..also commented on how the next thing should be the service into PA(meaning the cutoff)..maybe it will be!