Pope Service on ACL and NEC (with Connecting Pope Service)

Can NJT legally operate passenger carrying trains in Pennsylvania between Trenton and Philadelphia, in direct competition with SEPTA?
The idea of SEPTA not operating trains east of Levittown sounds crazy to me.
River Line: who wants to get off in Camden and cross the Delaware River like George Washington; or get off in Pennsauken, and grab an Atlantic City Line train?
NJT strike: isn't that postponed until next year?

River LINE passengers will walk across the Ben Franklin bridge unless they have a PATCO Freedom Pass. PATCO said they'd honor only Freedom Passes on Pope weekend.

chuchubob wrote:River LINE passengers will walk across the Ben Franklin bridge

That's always fun, especially in the rain.

philipmartin wrote:Can NJT legally operate passenger carrying trains in Pennsylvania between Trenton and Philadelphia, in direct competition with SEPTA?
The idea of SEPTA not operating trains east of Levittown sounds crazy to me.
River Line: who wants to get off in Camden and cross the Delaware River like George Washington; or get off in Pennsauken, and grab an Atlantic City Line train?

PM: (and Everyone:)

1-Special NJT service through to Philadelphia 30th Street Station will not compete in any way with SEPTA RRD
on the Papal Visit weekend - these trains would be for NEC riders from Trenton on north and make NO intermediate
stops in between...Yes - SEPTA RRD serving Cornwells Heights, Croydon and Levittown only is significant for the
Papal Visit weekend - Levittown was actually not on the original Trenton Line RRD service plan...

2-The River Line's biggest drawback is the forced transfer either at Camden or Pennsauken to PATCO and ACL
trains...Depending on how ACL service operates the transfer at Pennsauken could work - it all depends on how
crowded any through ACL trains become...PATCO's limitations are again crowded trains going west from WRTC
and again the requirement of having a Freedom Card to ride...I still think that ferry service across the Delaware
River to Penn's Landing can be a decent option as compared to having to walk across the Ben Franklin Bridge
which more then likely will be closed to vehicles - only PATCO will be operating over it to 9-10 and Locust...

3-NJT is obviously taking a "wait and see" approach to what options they will provide on the Papal Visit weekend
and I feel that this can be good noting how many revisions and changes have taken place already and with more
to come this could make NJT service provided an even better option for anyone interested...NJT will also have to
plan for the NYC Papal Visit day of Friday September 25th...The Papal Mass scheduled for 6 PM at Madison Sq.
Garden brings itself its own set of challenges for anyone traveling in and out of Penn Station on that day - to me
the timing of that event - on a getaway Friday no less with the huge events scheduled in Philadelphia on the next
two days is going to have the potential of creating significant travel problems for NJT Rail riders those three days...

MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX wrote:

philipmartin wrote:Can NJT legally operate passenger carrying trains in Pennsylvania between Trenton and Philadelphia,

1-Special NJT service through to Philadelphia 30th Street Station will not compete in any way with SEPTA RRD
on the Papal Visit weekend - these trains would be for NEC riders from Trenton on north and make NO intermediate
stops in between...

MACTRAXX

It's quite possible that you know more about this than I do, but NJ Transit (and SEPTA) are not ordinary railroads and are not free to act as private companies do. They are agencies of their respective state governments. The laws that set NJT up prohibit it from being a freight carrier, for instance. Its reason for being is to conduct passenger transportation in the state of New Jersey. Possibly for that reason, a few years after taking over TNJ (Public Service Bus), it transferred its line between Allentown and New York to Transbridge, a small line between Phillipsburg and Easton that it turned into the larger line it is today.

I would venture to guess that walking from Broadway to the Parkway, a roughly 3.5 miles jaunt, is a better deal for most than the Pennsauken transfer, 25 minutes by standing room only, presales only, train plus a half hour wait, minimum (could be longer). This experience will really test people's resolve. As for NJT, they're not going to expand service enough to capitalize on any transfers.

River Line to Walter Rand Transit Center. NJT has good bus service from there to Philly. Patco too. (No need to row across the river.)

philipmartin wrote:River Line to Walter Rand Transit Center. NJT has good bus service from there to Philly. Patco too. (No need to row across the river.)

If the Ben Franklin bridge is closed to motor vehicle traffic (as rumored), NJ Transit bus service from Walter Rand to Philly will be annulled.

chuchubob wrote:

philipmartin wrote:River Line to Walter Rand Transit Center. NJT has good bus service from there to Philly. Patco too. (No need to row across the river.)

If the Ben Franklin bridge is closed to motor vehicle traffic (as rumored), NJ Transit bus service from Walter Rand to Philly will be annulled.

This would make connecting Camden - Penns Landing ferry service even more in demand and may take pressure
off of PATCO at WRTC...The River Line could connect well with Delaware River ferries if it operates normally...

MACTRAXX

Forget about NJ T trains using the upper level of 30th Street...we are not qualified up there.

Transit put out a notice for employees last week. The Pope will be in New York September 24, and 25; and will spend the next two days in Philly. Plans are not definite yet; this notice focuses on transport to Philadelphia, with maximum service on the the Southern Division Bus Operations, and the Atlantic City line and the River Line, including special schedules with limited station stops, and reserved ticketing that must be purchased in advance.
This notice doesn't mention trains on the NEC west of Trenton.

2015 Visit of Pope Francis
http://www.njtransit.com/var/var_servle ... on=PapalTo

NJ TRANSIT will offer limited special service on its Atlantic City Rail Line and River Line for people attending the World Meeting of Families and Papal visit on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, 2015. The service is limited in order to keep crowd numbers consistent with the maximum capacity that will be available.

During the weekend of September 26 and 27, 2015, NJ TRANSIT will NOT be operating regular weekend service on either the Atlantic City Rail Line or the River Line. Special tickets will go on sale at 12 noon on Saturday, August 15, 2015 for people planning to ride the Atlantic City Rail Line and River Line as the lines will operate on a limited schedule only on both days. Customers need to purchase their tickets in advance of this weekend. No one will be allowed to ride without a SPECIAL EVENT ticket and no tickets will be sold on Saturday, September 26 or Sunday, September 27. No other fares, including monthly passes, Family SuperSaver or cash, will be accepted on the Atlantic City Rail Line or River Line.

"With nearly two million people expected to attend the World Meeting of Families and Papal visit in Philadelphia, NJ TRANSIT will accommodate as many passengers as its system safely allows. Unfortunately, these safety and capacity limitations mean only a fraction of the anticipated passenger demand can be met," said Veronique "Ronnie" Hakim. "We have put forth a transportation plan that will get as many people as possible, as close as possible to Philadelphia, all with an eye on safety."

"It's also important to note for people new to our system and especially our regular customers that this will not be a typical weekend travel experience, and we urge everyone to plan accordingly," Hakim added.

Customers traveling to the World Meeting of Families events and Papal event should expect long waits – particularly following the Papal ceremony on Sunday which could have people waiting for several hours. Customers are strongly encouraged to take advantage of some of the activities following the ceremony which are being put in place by the World Meeting of Families to help meter the crowds.

Please click on the links at the right of the page for additional travel information.

Atlantic City Rail Line Customers

NJ TRANSIT's Atlantic City Rail Line will operate hourly trips from the Atlantic City Rail Terminal which will express to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia only beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The trains will NOT stop at Absecon, Egg Harbor City, Hammonton, Atco, Lindenwold, Cherry Hill, and Pennsauken. The last train to leave Atlantic City bound for Philadelphia will be at 3 p.m. Travel time will be about one hour and 25 minutes.

A total of 4,140 tickets will be available for this eight-hour rail service to 30th Street Station.

Following the Papal event on Saturday, September 26, trains will leave 30th Street Station expressing to Atlantic City at 10 p.m. and operate every half-hour. After the Papal event on Sunday, September 27, trains will leave 30th Street Station expressing to Atlantic City at 7 p.m. and operate every half-hour.

Please note: No bicycles will be allowed on the Atlantic City Rail Line during Papal week.

To accommodate customers wanting to go to stations not being served by rail, an enhanced Bus Route No. 554 service will supplement the Atlantic City Rail Line and stop at stations between Atlantic City and Lindenwold. Bus Route 403 will operate from Lindenwold to Camden. The No. 554 bus route does not serve Cherry Hill or Pennsauken. Enhanced Bus Route No. 419 service will accommodate customers departing from Pennsauken Transit Center for travel to Camden, and Bus Route No. 450 will serve customers who want to travel from Cherry Hill Station to Camden. Additionally, Bus Route No. 406 service will accommodate customers traveling from Route 70 in Cherry Hill to Camden. Please refer to http://www.njtransit.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for schedule information on these routes. Bus fares for these routes will be collected as well.

River LINE Customers

River LINE will offer limited service starting at 6 a.m. from Trenton, only making stops at Bordentown, Florence, Burlington South, Route 73/Pennsauken, Pennsauken Transit Center and the Walter Rand Transportation Center. Trains will NOT stop at Hamilton Ave., Cass Street, Roebling, Burlington Towne Centre, Beverly/Edgewater Park, Delanco, Riverside, Cinnaminson, Riverton, Palmyra, and 36th Street.

Trains will not operate beyond the Walter Rand Transportation Center in downtown Camden due to expected crowded road conditions. Following the Papal Event, River Line trains will leave the Walter Rand Transportation Center, Camden, on a load-and-go basis. In an attempt to increase overall seating capacity, no bicycles will be allowed on River Line trains that weekend. And, an advanced purchased Special Event ticket will be required to board a River LINE train.

To accommodate customers wanting to go to stations on the River LINE not being served by train service on Saturday and Sunday, bus routes that parallels the River Line will operate additional service and stop at most stations. Regular River LINE fares and passes will be useable on those buses. Please note: Bus service will not operate at the Beverly and Delanco light rail stations.

Ticketing

NJ TRANSIT will offer special limited reserved tickets for people taking the Atlantic City Rail Line and River Line. No one will be allowed to board without a reserved ticket. Regular Atlantic City Rail Line and River Line tickets will NOT be accepted on Saturday or Sunday.

The Atlantic City Rail Line:
Reservation-only tickets will be available for each train leaving on the hour from AC – for example customers can buy tickets for the 7 a.m. train or the 10 a.m. train etc., from AC. Travel time is approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes. Special tickets go on sale at 12 noon on Saturday, August 15th.

No bicycles will be allowed on the Atlantic City Rail Line during Papal week.

Tickets are $30 for the round-trip travel and are non-refundable. No other fares, including monthly passes, Family SuperSaver or cash, will be accepted on the Atlantic City Rail Line.

Up to four tickets can be purchased in one transaction.

A total of just 4,140 tickets will be sold each day for customers traveling on the Saturday and Sunday. Each train can accommodate 690 customers.

Tickets can be purchased at the Atlantic City Rail Terminal or on-line at njtransit.com/papal. Customers purchasing tickets on-line must show identification with the web ticket before boarding. Each ticket also will have a unique barcode and serial number for authenticity.

The last day to purchase tickets for the Atlantic City Rail Line service will be Friday, September 25th at 11:30 p.m., or earlier should these tickets sell out.

River Line:

Reservation-only tickets will be available for each train leaving within a two-hour window from Trenton – for example, customers can buy tickets for the 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. trains or the 10 a.m. to 12 noon trains from Trenton. Special tickets go on sale at 12 noon on Saturday, August 15th.

There will be four trains an hour which can accommodate 1,600 customers.

Tickets are $5 for the round-trip travel and are non-refundable.

Up to four tickets can be purchased in one transaction.

A total of just 7,500 tickets will be sold each day for customers traveling on the Saturday and Sunday. The last day to purchase tickets for the River Line service will be Friday, September 25th at 11:30 p.m., or earlier, should these tickets sell out.

To add to what nomis has posted from the NJ Transit website-

"Bus Customers

All bus routes that normally travel to Center City, Philadelphia will terminate at the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden.

Extra bus service will operate on Route 419 which runs along the River Line between Burlington Towne Centre and Camden.

Enhanced service will be provided on Route 554 from Atlantic City to Lindenwold.

No special ticketing is needed for regular bus route service.

No bicycles will be allowed on buses from Thursday, September 24 through and including Sunday, September 27."

Quotes from Ronnie Hakim:
"Those who do not have to be on our system between Thursday and Sunday should consider staying put."

"The only way to get into Philly that weekend by rail will be the Atlantic City Line express train or Amtrak."

From the same article: The AC Line will be express between Atlantic City and Philadelphia with no interim stops.

The River Line will stop only at: Trenton, Bordentown, Florence, Burlington South, Pennsauken Rt73, Pennsauken Transit Center, and Walter Rand.

Listening to a local radio station, I hear that Transit expects to move masses of people to and from New York City on Thursday and Friday, when the Pope's in New York.

As far as Amtrak service goes, they are adding Keystone round trips, and extra trains with commuter equipment:

• Sat & Sun - 4 runs inbound NYP-PHL that will stop at Newark, Metropark, Princeton, Hamilton & Trenton - [presumably] with NJT equipment.
  
  Sat - 2 runs inbound WAS making New Carrollton, Baltimore, and Wilmington - [presumably] with MARC equipment, evening trains make BWI.
  Sun - run inbound WAS making New Carrollton, Baltimore, and Wilmington - [presumably] with MARC equipment, evening trains make BWI.

NEC Schedule: http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/893/771/WMOF-W02,0.pdf

Keystone Schedule: http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/282/302/WMOF-W10.pdf