Proposed PATCO Expansion

Finally. Some news on this.

http://njfuture.wordpress.com/2011/02/2 ... rust-fund/

Some news articles from last week-----

Sweeney: N.J. Transportation Trust Fund will pay for proposed Camden-Gloucester County light rail line

Sweeney asks DRPA to renew project extending Hi-Speedline to Glouco

DRPA: Light rail study expected soon

Sweeney: DRPA cannot 'lose focus' about light rail expansion into Gloucester County

I'm not sure if it can still be called a "PATCO" expansion given the fact that the system (as planned) will be DLRT & operated by the RiverLine consortium, but here it is anyway.

I'll believe it when a ticket is sold and not a moment sooner.

DRPA officially hopes to start construction in 2014 and be finished in 2016. Whenever I see a construction start date that far down the road I figure it's not a very good sign.

The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote:No money, however, was earmarked for a proposed $1.5 billion, 18-mile light-rail line between Camden and Glassboro. The project is a favorite of state Senate president Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester), who said last week that he would seek state funding this year for it.

Transportation Commissioner James Simpson said last week that the Christie administration supported construction of the Camden-Glassboro line but that no money would be budgeted for it this year.

NJ proposes $109 million to start work at I-295, I-76, Route 42

Rules of forum decorum prevent me from a direct description of what the Christie Administration just did to South Jersey residents. However, the process in mind starts with the action of bending over.

Bill R. wrote:

The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote:No money, however, was earmarked for a proposed $1.5 billion, 18-mile light-rail line between Camden and Glassboro. The project is a favorite of state Senate president Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester), who said last week that he would seek state funding this year for it.

Transportation Commissioner James Simpson said last week that the Christie administration supported construction of the Camden-Glassboro line but that no money would be budgeted for it this year.

NJ proposes $109 million to start work at I-295, I-76, Route 42

Rules of forum decorum prevent me from a direct description of what the Christie Administration just did to South Jersey residents. However, the process in mind starts with the action of bending over.

I would put the reconstruction of the 295/76/42 clusteryouknowwhat of an interchange far higher on the priority list than the train to Glassboro, honestly. It will at least ease some congestion when it's done. If you wait for the railroad to be built in order to redo that interchange, neither will happen.

The article mentions that the interchange and associated ramps will cost 1.0 billion total.
For a single interchange.

If Christy wanted to kill this, I don't think they would have chosen to contine the environmental impact studies. Simpson did say that they were a few years away from a funding decision. I hope they are just waiting to apply for federal funding before comiting a dollar amount.

Matthew Mitchell wrote:The article mentions that the interchange and associated ramps will cost 1.0 billion total.
For a single interchange.

It is amazing the stupid things that cost a billion dollars these days? I'd bet the whole AC expressway, N/S freeway, and NJ 55 probably didn't cost that much to build in the first place.
Study, after study, after study, after study, then multiple environmental impact studies, all to refurbish infrastructure that already exists in a similair state. I love the environment as much as anybody out there, but what a colossal waste of money these regulations are. Simply amazing anything gets built in the end.

radioboy wrote:I would put the reconstruction of the 295/76/42 clusteryouknowwhat of an interchange far higher on the priority list than the train to Glassboro, honestly. It will at least ease some congestion when it's done. If you wait for the railroad to be built in order to redo that interchange, neither will happen.

No offence radioboy, but your response suggests to me that you wouldn't be directly impacted on a daily basis while the interchange reconstruction is underway. Without having the rail line in place to offer an alternative, the resulting traffic congestion has the potential to be legendary.

But what does Christie care? The interchange is a long way from his house.

Build the train system soon as possible than the interchange.That way people can use the train to advoid the construction and get them used to riding the train.Smart idea huh? Not if you make 100.000 plus and have 3 masters,they will build it at the same time. Wheres Corzine,the lightrail would have been almost half done and by time the road work would start we would be on the train with our home rebate in our pocket.

ChrisinAbington wrote:

Matthew Mitchell wrote:The article mentions that the interchange and associated ramps will cost 1.0 billion total.
For a single interchange.

It is amazing the stupid things that cost a billion dollars these days? I'd bet the whole AC expressway, N/S freeway, and NJ 55 probably didn't cost that much to build in the first place.

This is more than "just an interchange". They are ripping out almost all the existing ramps, building new ones, building missing movements, AND constructing the entire missing segment of the 295 mainline over 42. They're not building a cloverleaf.

The AC expressway cost 39.8 million in 1965. In 2009 dollars, it cost 267 million. I can't find figures for the other two. The big difference is that the AC Expressway did not have to work around existing rush hour traffic during construction.

south jersey trains wrote:Build the train system soon as possible than the interchange.That way people can use the train to advoid the construction and get them used to riding the train.Smart idea huh? Not if you make 100.000 plus and have 3 masters,they will build it at the same time.

Unfortunately, that's not realistic, because if you wait for the train to be built, you'll be waiting another 40 years to build the interchange. ChrisinAbington summed up why, which echo my feelings exactly:

ChrisinAbington wrote:Study, after study, after study, after study, then multiple environmental impact studies, all to refurbish infrastructure that already exists in a similair state. I love the environment as much as anybody out there, but what a colossal waste of money these regulations are. Simply amazing anything gets built in the end.

south jersey trains wrote:Wheres Corzine,the lightrail would have been almost half done and by time the road work would start we would be on the train with our home rebate in our pocket.

Corzine's promises were nothing more than pre-election photo ops. He hurt these projects IMMENSELY by rushing half-baked ideas to approval so that he could get his picture taken with a shovel. In reality, the money for these projects never existed and his promises were empty.

Anything new? (I'm guessing no?)

I don't know that much about PATCO but I ran into this article while looking around Philly.com
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/break ... esume.html

The delayed efforts to build a commuter rail line between Glassboro and Camden may pick up by year's end, with resumption of an environmental impact study along the South Jersey corridor.

Here is the Gloucester County Times article:

DRPA's Nash: Expect passenger trains heading to Glassboro in seven years

Gloucester County Times wrote:“The system will be up and running in six to seven years,” proclaimed Vice Chairman Jeffrey Nash. While there has been talk about building the line in phases — first to Woodbury and then to Glassboro, Nash said he prefers heading straight down to Rowan University.

As the advocate with potentially the longest tenure in support of a rail system between Philadelphia nad Glassboro, I ask the following:

1) What is the factual basis for such a statement?

2) Where is the funding source?

3) If DRPA is not the lead agency for this project, then why does Jeff Nash feel that he has the knowledge and/or authority to make such a prediction?