North Jersey Coast Line Thread

[NJT4149]

Tonight’s shuttle is 4105-8 Multilevels-4508. The set will be on 4367/4384/4383/4398/4397. The 4105 will lead 4383 and 4398.

[NJT4149]

Here’s how 4367 looked yesterday
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[GSC]

Major troubles last night (Sat, June 30). Westbound ML train stopped on bridge between Asbury Park and Allenhurst. Gates were down at 4th, 5th, Sunset, and 6th Avenues in Asbury. Also, gates were down at Corlies, and in Bradley Beach, 11th, and Brinley Aves for some reason, although gates were up at LaReine, 4th, and Evergreen.

Someone from the train (a passenger who walked to Asbury) told me he heard it was "signal trouble" and even the Shark River draw was affected.

Not sure of outcome, was still there around 2 am.

Block signal for westbound is at 4th Ave. in Asbury. Maybe if it was red, the engineer stopped the train on the bridge so as to not block all the crossings in Asbury -just a theory.

[NJT4149]

4301-7 Multilevels-4528 is working the shuttles today

[M1 9147]

Out of curiosity, the New York-Bay Head Directs aren’t running on the weekends this summer! Any reason why? Is it because of the equipment shortage due to the PTC, or lack of ridership? Also, during the weekends, are the shuttles using the ML Equipment?

[NJT4149]

Out of curiosity, the New York-Bay Head Directs aren’t running on the weekends this summer! Any reason why? Is it because of the equipment shortage due to the PTC, or lack of ridership? Also, during the weekends, are the shuttles using the ML Equipment?

Definitely not lack of ridership; 4760 had 600 passengers last Sunday. I think it’s a lack of crews, since Bay Head has just enough equipment to run the directs; running the directs would mean no spare set. The shuttles are using ML equipment at times during the weekends.

[M1 9147]

Ok good to know thank you!

[ThirdRail7]

Out of curiosity, the New York-Bay Head Directs aren’t running on the weekends this summer! Any reason why? Is it because of the equipment shortage due to the PTC, or lack of ridership? Also, during the weekends, are the shuttles using the ML Equipment?

It is perfect storm of equipment shortages, crew shortages and track projects in NYP. While most people haven't addressed it, there are additional weekend outages in NYP. The direct trains were in addition to scheduled trains and they take ALP45s. Currently, they are spread thin with overhauls, and pinch hitting for cab cars and ALP-46s. Therefore, they canceled the direct trains. The Rahway rockets often fall victim to to the same outages.

[Yankees1]

Do you think there's any chance they bring at least one express train back any time this summer? These shuttles have been so crowded and it's a long trip back to the city. I don't understand why they can't at least skip Rahway-Newark Airport (There's a NEC right behind these trains that makes those stops)

[njtmnrrbuff]

Not happening-because NJT needs to install it's positive train control features on its equipment as well as crew shortages, there will be no weekend express trains this season. Summer is in full swing already and the schedule was just changed a few weeks ago. In fact, if I were NJT, I would just start your summer peak schedule Memorial Day weekend as that's really when the beach summer traffic begins. The MTA does it for the LIRR. MBTA starts running their Cape Flyer Memorial Day weekend weekend.

Taking the local train down to the beach on the Coastline takes a very long time. That's one reason why I don't like the North Jersey Coast Line, especially when you head south of Long Branch. I will be taking it to Asbury Park on Saturday to visit a friend in Ocean Grove. I will be leaving NWK on the 9:25 and I know that this one will be very crowded. Coming back, I will be taking an early evening train back and hopefully, it shouldn't be jammed packed. The electric train will probably be a little more crowded.

It's not unusual for people who live along the Coastline, especially south of Long Branch to drive to Metropark. There's better and faster service from there. If not and they still want to use the Coastline, then maybe drive to Aberdeen-Matawan.

[Yankees1]

It’s just frustrating because the infrastructure is in place, the demand is there, and NJT is just not coming through. A regular super express could get you from NYP to Asbury in just over an hour, but the locals take close to two hours. Everyone wins if they just start running more express trains.

[MaRoFu]

NJ Transit needs to improve the NJCL by upgrading Monmouth Park, utilizing diesel/electric hybrid trains or chargeable battery trains, and by adding more expresses as well. Here are some that I came up with:

KEY
When trains operate "every hour," it's one in each direction per hour

Semi-Express (work days every hour during peak) Stop at all stations except for NEZ, AVN, and MMP.
Express (operate every two hours all day on weekends/holidays; work days skip MMP and operate every hour during peak)
(#) Rapid Express (operate every two hours all day on weekends and holidays)
(@) Shore Liner (operate every two hours all day on weekends and holidays)
(+) Handicap Rapid (operate every two hours all day on weekends and holidays)

New York—Penn or Hoboken #@+
Secaucus Junction #@+
Newark—Penn #@+
Newark Airport #@+
Elizabeth
Linden
Rahway #
Woodbridge #@+
Perth Amboy #
South Amboy #+
Aberdeen—Matawan #@+
Middletown
Red Bank #@+ (if MOM service starts)
Monmouth Park #@
Long Branch #@+ (expresses stop at all stations south of Long Branch
Elberon #+
Asbury Park #@+
Bradley Beach #
Belmar #@
Manasquan #@
Point Pleasant Beach #@+
Bay Head #@

So for example, on a normal work day, only the express during peak runs all day with MMP excluded. The Semi-Express runs as well but on peak hours only. During weekdays/holidays from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the schedule is quite complex. For example, in one hour a Express and Handicap Rapid run in both directions. The next hour will have a Rapid Express and a Shore Liner run in both directions.

[ThirdRail7]

Do you think there's any chance they bring at least one express train back any time this summer? These shuttles have been so crowded and it's a long trip back to the city. I don't understand why they can't at least skip Rahway-Newark Airport (There's a NEC right behind these trains that makes those stops)

What happens to the people from the Coast Line that would like to access the stops you want to skip? I'm not sure if this is still the case but there used to be a sizable Perth Amboy-Elizabeth market. Are you advocating making them travel to EWR or NWK and make their way back?

If anything, you could suggest better utilization of the Rahway rockets. Perhaps they should turn/originate at South Amboy. Passengers could transfer there for local service and the main coast line train could express from Woodbridge.

However, passengers from west of Long Branch making these stops would have to transfer twice.

Is it fair to ask them to do this?

[ThirdRail7]

So for example, on a normal work day, only the express during peak runs all day with MMP excluded. The Semi-Express runs as well but on peak hours only. During weekdays/holidays from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the schedule is quite complex. For example, in one hour a Express and Handicap Rapid run in both directions. The next hour will have a Rapid Express and a Shore Liner run in both directions.

And NJT has the equipment to operate all of this? Amtrak has the additional slot on the weekends to handle another coast line train, particularly with all the weekend outages?

I highly doubted. Maybe a return to peak skip stop service would work out better.

[Yankees1]

My optimal weekend solution would be having hybrids run local from Bay Head to South Amboy (via Long Branch by shuttle if there is an equipment shortage), then express from South Amboy to Newark.
Additionally, shortly after this train leaves, there will be a local train from South Amboy making all stops to New York. Someone told me that the Rahway Rocket is designated as a coast line train on the weekends because the equipment comes from South Amboy, so this is definitely feasible.
On the NEC, they time it so that they only have one train per hour, local from Trenton to Rahway, then express from Rahway to Newark. This is like the current express weekend train they have, just with an added stop in Rahway so people can transfer.
This, in my opinion, is a lot more useful than the current weekend peak schedule, which has four trains per hour(a local coast line, a local NEC, an express NEC, and a Rahway rocket). This solution uses only three trains, so a fourth could maybe be used on the NEC since that line has large demand.