njtmnrrbuff wrote: ↑Sun Aug 01, 2021 7:49 am If more Amtrak's were to stop at PJC, I would probably say have mainly Keystones do that. There are some Keystone trains that layover at PHL for close to 20 minutes and I think time like that can be reduced and traded in with a stop at PJC. It would also be good to have some more NER trains stop at PJC-yes, the university contributes to decent Amtrak ridership at PJC.North Philadelphia (PHN) is relatively close to Temple University, however the neighborhood PHN is located in is entirely different, not in a good way. Not that Temple is necessarily a safe haven, but PHN is a few notches down. Also SEPTA has has three rail stops in walking distance of Temple's campus & dorm buildings, Cecil B Moore & Susquehanna-Dauphin on the Broad Street Subway, and Temple University station on the Regional Rail line(s). All three of those stations have far more traffic than PHN, and are closer. PHN is approx 1 mile from Temple's main campus and not in the nicest neighborhood.
As for Cornwells Heights and N. Philly, yes, it helps to have those select Amtrak trains stopping there as there are probably an good number of people who have to head to NWK and NYC to business related events. They want to be able to get a very fast ride to and from NYC from a station close by without having to backtrack to 30th Street which adds a lot of time. Temple University is very close to North Philly Station and students who are doing internships in NYC a few times a week probably can benefit from Amtrak stopping at N. Philly.
As for Aberdeen, more people probably board MARC trains than board Amtrak trains. It is not surprising that it is part of the MARC/Amtrak cross honoring agreement. Eventually, MARC is supposed to increase service north of BAL and obviously be extended to Newark and maybe even Wilmington. It would be nice for some more Amtrak trains to stop in Aberdeen. If you live in and around Aberdeen and need to get to Philly and NYC, you have very few Amtrak options. You are far enough away from driving to Baltimore that you might as well just drive to Wilmington to head north. I knew somebody who lived in Churchville who did that a lot when she took Amtrak.
Moreover, of the students that may go to New York / NYC surrounding areas, it's more likely they'll head to 30th Street for intercity rail at best than go to PHN given my reasons above. Also I'm not sure how many students would be able to regularly afford intercity rail multiple times a week. Most may opt for a Mega Bus or another bus. I took Amtrak every now & then in college and I got looked at like I was crazy "why are you paying so much? Take a bus!" I would say I'm paying for peace of mind and I like trains. Plus it wasn't very frequent for me.
Perhaps in the future the area around PHN will improve, but it's not there yet.
But that's another conversation for another day. Let's not get off track (pun may or may not be intended )
Cornwells Heights, I can see developing more. It has a 1,600 space parking lot built by PennDOT and is close to a big interchange on I-95. I see potential in CWH, it could be the Philly Area Metropark. Whether or not it will be actualized is another story. I'm still baffled at the low level platforms there, but high platforms at other stations Amtrak doesn't serve.
Aside from that you made some pretty good points. I'm not too familiar with NEC south of Philly. Only went to DC via train once, but I know MARC has limited service beyond Baltimore Penn. I like your thinking of cutting down dwell time of certain Keystones and adding a stop at PJC instead.
Thanks for chiming in.
As evidenced by my username, I'm a Man who's a fan of trains in the Northeast US.
Check out my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@northeasttrainman for various Train Videos, both virtual & real life.
Be good & cheers.
Check out my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@northeasttrainman for various Train Videos, both virtual & real life.
Be good & cheers.