Phillipsburg Rail Service—Four Years, $90 Million

Like your new Avatar northjerseybuff.... Reminds me of days gone by.... Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa watch the Tram car please.... Do they still have that spooky monorail train that goes through some funhouse??? Maybe they should press that into service for the P'burg line!

JLo wrote:

I would have left room for a third track where new high level platforms were constructed at Westfield, Plainfield and soon to be started, Somerville. (assuming that Somerville will be done like the other two. Anyone know the plan?

If Somerville ends up a two-track station, it would be ironic, given that the new bridge over Rt 206 is three-tracks wide.

Even if Somerville ends up just like Westfield and Plainfield, there woudl really be no issue with adding more tracks - the current platforms were island platofrms at one point, and could easily be again. There is room on the north side (track 1 platform) in particular that woudln't interfere with anything. The south side (track 2 platform) would be a little tricker, but still woudln't be that big of a deal, as the pedestrian underpass still is there all the way over by the parking lot.

Westfield and Plainfield are the tough ones, but luckily there are interlockings and control points on either side of the station, so while less than ideal, they could easily go from 3 tracks to 2 tracks on either end of the stations. However, there is one bridge, i believe its Crossways Place?, that is west of Westfield that was raised and rebuilt as a 2 track bridge. That could be a bit of an issue and require some work, but still doable with some cash, but it would probably be easier to move CP Scotch to the other side (west) of the bridge, and then make that into an interlocking where the 3rd track would come in...it wouldn only be a difference of about a 1/4 mile or so, not a big deal

Jt, isn't somerville lined up for high platforms. that will surely change the station

yes it will change the station in that it will be a high level, but there is so much former track space around the platforms (they used to be island platforms) that they could easily be island platforms in teh future, if NJT builds them the right way.

After watching project after project by NJT, "the right way" is seldom in their dictionary! But even if service is extended out to Phillipsburg, I don't foresee such a spike in ridership or train frequency that this even becomes an issue.

RWERN wrote:But even if service is extended out to Phillipsburg, I don't foresee such a spike in ridership or train frequency that this even becomes an issue.

Based on what? Still masses of cars on I-78 headed east out of the Lehigh Valley every AM, even in this recession.

I would think a station in Bloomsbury would come before P-Burg..if this project advances. The old CNJ ROW into P-Burg is not as visible as others in the state and some may have been encroached upon. I think a connection the the LV line..AKA NS lehigh line would need to be done. Why not a joint public/private effort? NS can use the tracks at night and middays and NJT during rush hour. A win win for both parties

northjerseybuff wrote:I would think a station in Bloomsbury would come before P-Burg..if this project advances. The old CNJ ROW into P-Burg is not as visible as others in the state and some may have been encroached upon. I think a connection the the LV line..AKA NS lehigh line would need to be done. Why not a joint public/private effort? NS can use the tracks at night and middays and NJT during rush hour. A win win for both parties

Unless the State has sold portions of the right of way encroachment is not an issue. Simple eviction proceeding.

AFAIK, the CNJ ROW into P Burg is all still there, but it is severed across 78. You don't necessarily need that ROW if you can work out something using the ex-LV ROW.

PullmanCo wrote:

RWERN wrote:But even if service is extended out to Phillipsburg, I don't foresee such a spike in ridership or train frequency that this even becomes an issue.

Based on what? Still masses of cars on I-78 headed east out of the Lehigh Valley every AM, even in this recession.

Well, I can't speak authoritatively about the ridership on the line as I'm not a regular rider but most times I've ridden the train is mostly empty by the time you reach Bound Brook going outbound. But my real point is that there are physical limitations on what can be done in Phillipsburg. Unless I'm being presumptuous, an extension to Phillipsburg would utilize the station location that it did when service formerly ran. That being said, due to the positioning of the station, I don't think there would be any great amount of parking available unless a parking deck were constructed, which again would be difficult to do. Therefore, the masses of cars on I-78 would hardly take a dent from having a station in Phillipsburg. A possible park and ride in Bloomsbury, however, could totally change this. In my mind this and any possible further extension over to Pennsylvania are critical to how much ridership would be added to the line.

I'm curious about the rules for the rail support.

If the project were extended to Allentown so that it and Bethlehem were linked to the NYC area via rail and thereby reduce regional air traffic from the LV airport, would the project qualify for more federal funding? Does anyone have any idea on costs for this?

I didn't read the whole thread, so I apologize if I'm being redundant.

I'd imagine that if service were to get to Phillipsburg, it would probably parallel or share the NS (ex-CNJ) trackage through Phillipsburg as the old LV bridge is structurally deficient. As I recall, there would be a good location for a station near where the Phillipsburg railroad historians presently meet, just off of Route 22 / Main Street. Not knowing the demographics of Phillipsburg, or the traffic patterns, this might not be the best place for a station, but there is at least some room (IIRC).

A reasonable solution (and one which NS might agree to financially contributing to) would be to double track the old LV from just east of I-78 (where the LV connects with the CNJ for the abandoned spur into Bloomsbury) through to wherever the service will terminate. It would give NS a long passing siding, provide similar access to any I-78 park and ride, and allow NJT a decent location in Phillipsburg.

RWERN wrote:After watching project after project by NJT, "the right way" is seldom in their dictionary! But even if service is extended out to Phillipsburg, I don't foresee such a spike in ridership or train frequency that this even becomes an issue.

Don't "misunderestimate" the streams of commuters flowing in from the Lehigh Valley. I am friends with quite a few people that make the daily Allentown/Easton/Hellertowm commute into NYC. All glued to their cars and not by choice. Yes, they can drive to High Bridge. But still...

Pacobell73 wrote:

RWERN wrote:After watching project after project by NJT, "the right way" is seldom in their dictionary! But even if service is extended out to Phillipsburg, I don't foresee such a spike in ridership or train frequency that this even becomes an issue.

Don't "misunderestimate" the streams of commuters flowing in from the Lehigh Valley. I am friends with quite a few people that make the daily Allentown/Easton/Hellertowm commute into NYC. All glued to their cars and not by choice. Yes, they can drive to High Bridge. But still...

Well, I've explained this before, but what I'm saying is that the number of potential riders might be huge, but unless there is enough parking or even bus service, the stations simply wouldn't be able to handle the numbers, and therefore only a small number would actually be able to use the service. You see this is true with other stations. If there isn't enough parking, the ridership is below what it could be.

The "parking" nonsequitur strikes again. If it's not that, it'll be the lack of a Phillipsburg exit off I-78. The case becomes stronger for an extension to Allentown; after all, if PennDOT can build a US 222 bypass through Trexlertown...

There's also LANTA, who runs a lot of local bus service in Northampton and Lehigh Counties. If enough trains run out of Phillipsburg, then some kind of bi-state agreement could permit LANTA to cross the free bridge between Easton and Phillipsburg to reach Union Station.