Reviving passenger service between West Trenton & Bound Brook

BlockLine_4111 wrote:What about West Trenton to Bound Brook (local) and then express to NWK (with 79 mph running to Cranford)? Passenger can transfer at Bound Brook for locals both to Union and Raritan. Does this seem practical? Comments?

A rebuilt to full length platform Bridgewater would be the better transfer point I think, given the large available parking capacity there. The expresses would attract many riders using that station.

I went to a meeting in hillsborough this week about the West Trenton line. It seemed to me like there were more people around that like the idea then I thought. (if your wondering, Hillsborough is a very NIMBYish township)

A rebuilt to full length platform Bridgewater would be the better transfer point I think, given the large available parking capacity there. The expresses would attract many riders using that station.

The problem with express service is that for most of its Raritan-Newark route, it is only double-tracked, and there would be a large problem with express vs. local service. It would even help if it were triple-tracked, because at least then, the express peak-hour trains could use the center track.

Here's the article from Sunday that firthorfifth06 is referring to with a photo of the Belle Mead Station when you click the link for the Story.

Everyone wants rail line, but who will pay for it?
Proposal to add passenger service to West Trenton Line popular, unfunded.

By PAMELA SROKA-HOLZMANN
STAFF WRITER

The only sound along the tracks of the 27-mile West Trenton Rail Line this week outside the abandoned Belle Mead station on Route 206 was a faint gust of wind bringing snow flurries.

The Montgomery station, which was once filled with people when passenger service on the Reading Railroad was in full swing, now has traces of black spray-painted graffiti on the broken-down door and debris tossed inside the building.

Representatives from New Jersey Transit, Somerset and Mercer counties, Hillsborough, Montgomery, Ewing, Hopewell Township and Hopewell Borough are all aboard a new plan for the revival -- within 10 years -- of what is now called the West Trenton Line. After seven years of planning and discussion, officials envision a safe, traffic-reducing, smart-design-embracing, environmentally friendly project that will bring people back to the station and train riders back to southern Somerset County.

However, the project has one major roadblock -- financing the project's $219 million price tag. New Jersey transit officials hope to obtain those funds through a blend of state and federal dollars, spokesman Joe Dee said.

To date, no funding has been identified for the project, and until funding is reached, state transit officials cannot move forward with the next phases of the proposal.

The design is expected to reactivate the commuter line, which halted passenger service in 1982 and now offers only freight service. It will include five new stations in Ewing, Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough, Hillsborough and Montgomery.

The project also will double the railroad tracks on the West Trenton Rail Line, now owned by CSX. The line runs between the existing Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) West Trenton Station in Ewing and the Raritan Valley Line in Bridgewater.

Strong local support

The proposed design has been the subject of several Township Committee and Planning meetings in all the municipalities and was the highlight of an informational forum presented last week by New Jersey Transit in Hillsborough and this week in Ewing.

Montgomery officials gave the plan the thumbs up in a resolution last month passed by the township's Planning Board, and Hillsborough Mayor Anthony Ferrera announced Nov. 29 that the township will seek approval of a resolution in support of the proposal during the Dec. 11 Township Committee meeting.

"People who live nearby the (Belle Mead) station, in most part, seem to be pretty eager to see something like that," Montgomery Deputy Mayor Louise Wilson said. "It would be a very good option for a significant amount of commuters regionally, and anything we can do to make it easier for people to get to work without spending an hour and a half in their car on the road is a good thing."

Wilson noted the Pike Run development, with 1,300 dwelling units, sits east of the tracks and that on the west side, there are older homes with retirees who enjoy traveling into New York from the township's Belle Mead section.

Ferrera said the West Trenton reactivation makes sense for Hillsborough because it ties in with the township's Master Plan to construct a Transit Village along the railroad line, where the proposed Route 206 Bypass will connect with Amwell Road. The Transit Village district concept features commercial offices, retail spaces, residential development, access for pedestrians, bicyclists, vehicles, buses and cabs; and parks and open space.

Ferrera has further plans to hold a summit meeting in Hillsborough in mid-2008 with all the project's stakeholders to get the plan moving.

"Individually, we can all send letters, but the way to make this successful and show Trenton how important this is to everyone, we need to come together as a team and have one collective voice," Ferrera said. "We think this is a good thing, and we want this to be funded."

Why it's needed

While many proposals to revive the commuter line have been tossed around for at least 25 years, the latest plan includes more stations, a new train storage yard, additional tracks and locomotives, and more than 1,000 new parking spaces.

Lisa DiTaranti, assistant vice president for Systra Consulting, the firm handling the project for New Jersey Transit, said there is a need to restore service because of projected population-growth figures and traffic on roads such as Route 206.

"The lack of transportation alternatives in this part of the state and existing infrastructure are inconvenient and over capacity," DiTaranti told the public during last month's presentation. "So options are needed for transportation in this part of the state."

The project estimates that 2,660 people would be riding on the train by 2025, and about 1,000 auto trips and 240 bus trips would be diverted as a result of the reactivation.

The $219 million cost, to which many residents were opposed, includes about $75 million for labor and equipment, $1 million for land acquisition, $79 million for rolling stock, $26 million in soft costs, $29 million in contingency and $8 million for overhead and profit.

An estimated 2,660 riders are forecasted to use the commuter train in 2025 and 88 percent of the riders will have destinations in the "urban core," meaning such areas as New York, Jersey City and Newark.

When outlining the plan for the public, DiTaranti said five morning trains from 7 to 9 a.m. and single midday and evening trains are being proposed. The commute would include stops at existing Raritan Valley Line stations.

From Newark Penn Station to West Trenton, there would be a single morning outbound and a single midday train, as well as five evening trains, which also would include stops at existing Raritan Valley stations.

From West Trenton to Newark, the trip would take about an hour and 20 minutes, DiTaranti said. A proposed train storage yard would be built in Ewing Township, adjacent to the West Trenton station. There, a seven-track yard would house the trains at night for cleaning and refueling. In the morning, the train would pull out empty, DiTaranti said.

In Montgomery, the existing Belle Mead station would be restored, and in Hillsborough, a station would be constructed near Royce Brook Road with access to ramps on Amwell Road in conjunction with the Route 206 Bypass project. The new structure would include canopies and windscreens to protect passenger safety, state transit officials said.

About 1,200 parking spaces along the West Trenton line also are proposed. According to forecasted year 2025 statistics, there will be an estimated 380 passengers and 376 needed parking spaces in Hillsborough; 540 passengers and 450 parking spaces in Montgomery; 70 passengers and 100 parking spaces in Hopewell; 190 passengers and 150 parking spaces on Interstate 95; and 150 passengers and 90 parking spaces in West Trenton.

Some concerns

Wilson said while the township continues to favor the plan, there is a concern in Montgomery that 450 parking spaces is a large amount when compared with such areas as the Hopewell Township Station, where the Merryl Lynch Complex sits adjacent to it.

"With the West Trenton Line plan, what's proposed right now gives Montgomery the highest number of parking spaces of any stops along the line, which doesn't make sense," she said. "I don't understand that. The way the parking is allocated, I would certainly take issue with that. That needs to be ironed out."

Hopewell Borough Mayor David Nettles fears he won't have enough parking spaces in the parking lot outside the borough's proposed train station on Somerset Street. He also said the site of the station is problematic because it's a dead-end street, creating what could become a "traffic nightmare" on residential streets to get to it.

"The basic concept we're in support of," Nettles said. "It's a great idea, but there's no money behind it. ... It's not at the top of the New Jersey Department of Transportation's list."

Hopewell Township Mayor Vanessa Sandom said, "The township feels anytime you can move people out of automobiles and into mass transit is a good thing. We would be very interested to see it moved forward and moved up."

Another concern is adding the second track along the line.

"Our concern is they're having potentially 40 freight trains coming through town every single day, approximately double the number -- 25 seems like a whole lot when someone lives next to tracks and adding another 20 on top of that -- that's a lot of noise to listen to," Wilson said.

Both Wilson and Ferrera said the municipalities are on board with initiating ways to minimize the impact. Montgomery is currently discussing the use of wayside horns -- which sound directly at the intersection of a rail crossing and are directed at cars -- and Hillsborough moved forward last month with efforts to establish railroad quiet zones at other railroad intersections after the plan was recently approved by the state Department of Transportation.

Quiet zones are sections of a rail line that contain one or more public crossings where locomotive horns will not be routinely sounded.

"If residents are concerned about train noise, it's not an issue in Hillsborough," Ferrera said. "If we see the same impact (on the West Trenton Line), we'll do the same thing (and initiate quiet zones). For the residents of Hillsborough, it's all good news."

Environmental impacts

Last week, NJ Transit released its draft environmental assessment findings, which were unveiled to about 100 residents at the Hillsborough Municipal Complex.

Comments on the draft by the public will be accepted until Jan. 15, 2008, and after the public comment period, state transit officials hope to finalize the $3.3 million environmental assessment.

There were no environmental impacts listed for the following:

Parks and recreational resources

Air quality, ground water and ecologically sensitive areas

Floodplains, historic, archaeological and visual resources

Threatened and endangered species and environmental justice

Cumulative effects and indirect impacts, meaning an impact this project would have along with another project in the same area.
Mitigated impacts or areas that need to be worked on include:

Built environment, meaning greater emergency vehicle access and security

Traffic and transportation, meaning ways to reduce vehicular traffic at railroad crossings, installation of crosswalks needed at key intersections and sidewalks for pedestrians

Noise, meaning a lower decibel warning is needed on new state transit locomotives

Surface water, wetlands, vegetation and wildlife, meaning some loss of forested areas to build parking lots, threats to aquatic animals and rail yard impacts

Hazardous materials and construction, meaning there was found to be a moderate risk to existing hazardous materials in the vicinity of the Hopewell and West Trenton Station sites prompting additional testing.
The next steps in the project are to move forward with engineering, design and construction plans, however; Dee said lack of funding is presenting a major hurdle.

"What's the next step? The answer is we have to focus on the fact funding has not been identified -- this is the planning effort and environmental assessment -- we don't advance to the engineering, design and construction without funding," Dee said.

Municipal officials are trying to remain hopeful the project will someday move forward while funding remains uncertain.

"To date, aside from the environmental assessment that has been completed, no other significant state or federal money has been spent to reactivate this line," said Paul Drake, Hillsborough committeeman and Planning Board member. "To obtain federal support, this project will need to compete with all the other new start projects nationally that are also seeking funding."

Link

It looks like the West Trenton Line restoration is going to be a while.

From the Courier-News yesterday:

Long journey ahead for rail line restoration

Now that a plan to reactivate passenger service along the West Trenton Rail Line has started to chug slowly forward, supporters had best get busy organizing a large and vocal advocacy group.

They'll need it to give this project a chance to succeed.

The hope of restoring the commuter line has been around for 25 years -- ever since passenger service was eliminated in 1982. The current design, which includes proposed new stations for Montgomery, Hillsborough, Ewing, Hopewell Township and Hopewell Borough, has been in the works for years, but has only gotten as far as an environmental assessment.

From a regional perspective, this is undoubtedly a worthy project. New Jersey's transportation demands won't be diminishing in the years ahead, and increased mass transit capacity can be -- should be -- a part of addressing those demands.

Some specific concerns among the most directly affected communities have already surfaced, everything from parking and traffic near train stations to noise, lighting and diesel fumes. But on a broad scale, the entire region should benefit from the new service -- if it ever materializes. And that will be an open question for a long time.

There is, at the moment, no funding in place for the estimated $219 million project. Officials are talking about developing a blend of state and federal money, which sounds like code for "We're going to have to work our tails off to patch something together." Countless transportation projects will be fighting for funds across the state and across the nation. And a new emphasis on bridge repairs could make that transportation money even harder to come by.

Even if the project does get some start-up money and future commitments, there are no guarantees. NJ Transit may find itself scrambling on an annual basis for the money to keep the project rolling. And that doesn't even begin to consider the disparate viewpoints among the communities along the line who may not support certain elements of the overall proposal.

Officials are talking about a 10-year timeline -- if all goes well. But it's easy to imagine that decade turning into a generation or two. There are simply too many obstacles that could easily derail the entire process.

Which brings us back to the folks who need to talk long and loud about the merits of the project, officials who will have to be relentless in promoting the benefits of the rail service to their communities and beyond.

Transportation funding is a competitive business, and the people holding the pursestrings need to be convinced -- and reconvinced, and reconvinced -- that a particular project is worthwhile.

All the major players are on board with the concept -- NJ Transit, the municipalities along the rail line, and Somerset and Mercer counties. Hillsborough Mayor Anthony Ferrera wants a summit meeting involving all of the stakeholders sometime next year to develop a strong, single voice that he believes will be more effective than various letters of support. He's right -- but this can't stop with some sort of formal resolution. The region needs a full-blown, long-term campaign to see this project through. That summit meeting will just be the start.

Link to Courier-News from 12/11/07

It's a shame that NJT can't use - or doesn't think to advocate for - more innovative ways of financing, like Tax Increment Financing or Tax Allocation Districts. Or even something simpler, like issuing bonds against, say, future parking revenues or fees from licensing concessions (coffee shops, etc.) by the stations.

While it probably wouldn't generate the $100 million or so minimum needed for NJT's share of the capital costs, I imagine it could make a dent.

From the Courier-News yesterday, it seems that Hillsborough is stepping up on this project:

Officials seeking funds to revive passenger rail line

By PAMELA SROKA-HOLZMANN
STAFF WRITER

HILLSBOROUGH — Hillsborough and Montgomery officals want federal and state leaders to find ways to fund NJ Transit's plan to reactivate the 27-mile West Trenton rail line.

Hillsborough Mayor Anthony Ferrera said Friday the townships are calling on federal and state legislative representatives to seek "several million dollars" for the project. To date, funding has not been identified for the proposed $218 million plan.

In 1982, the West Trenton line, owned by CSX, stopped passenger service and now offers only freight service. Lisa DiTaranti, assistant vice president for Systra Consulting, the firm handling the project for NJ Transit, said during a presentation in Hillsborough that there is a need to restore service because of projected population-growth figures and traffic on roads such as Route 206.

Ferrera called a meeting Jan. 28 to discuss the issue, uniting state Sen. Kip Bateman, R-Somerville, Somerset County Freeholder Pat Walsh, representatives of Hopewell Borough, Assemblywoman Denise Coyle's office and the Somerset County Planning staff, as well as Montgomery Mayor Cecilia Xie Birge.

"Gaining passenger-rail service for our area, including a station in Hillsborough, will be of great economic benefit to both Hillsborough and the other communities along the proposed rail line," Ferrera said Friday. "That is why I believe it was important for Hillsborough to take the lead and host this meeting to get the process moving forward."

The proposed line would link the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) West Trenton Station in Ewing to NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line in Bridgewater, where service on the Raritan Valley Line continues to Newark Penn Station.

The rail-line proposal projects five train stations in Ewing, Hopewell Township and Hopewell Borough in Mercer County and Montgomery and Hillsborough in Somerset County.

In Hillsborough, a station would be constructed near Royce Brook Road with access to ramps on Amwell Road in conjunction with the future Route 206 Bypass project. The project also ties in with township plans to create a transit-oriented village, which will feature commercial offices, retail spaces, residential development, access for pedestrians, bicyclists, vehicles, buses and cabs, and parks and open space.

Officials at the summit meeting received a staff report indicating that $200,000 is needed to finalize the recently released environmental assessment prepared by NJ Transit, and $18.5 million is needed for startup costs, which include preliminary engineering, surveys, land acquisition and the projects' final design.

The update will provide "necessary data" for ridership projections and land-use patterns, and will include financial and planning impacts from other major transportation capital projects "planned or under way," Ferrera said.

Sen. Bateman indicated he will work with the other members of the 16th District delegation on funding and reach out to his 15th District colleague, Sen. Shirley Turner, D-Trenton.

State and local officials at the meeting also determined that there must be cooperation between Somerset and Mercer counties, the legislative delegations in Districts 15 and 16, Congressmen Rush Holt and Mike Ferguson, and support from Democratic U.S. Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, Ferrera said.

The support is needed in order to gain initial funding for the project, Somerset County Freeholder Pat Walsh said.

Community officials also plan to continue working together and with legislative delegations to identify and implement transportation solutions to address the growing traffic concerns in Central Jersey, Ferrera said

Hopefully, they can keep the momentum going on this.

http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... 8802110340

Hopefully, they can keep the momentum going on this.

I do NOT believe that they will. I've been to a few meetings before (on this & other things) and i've come to the conclusion that my town seems to NOT want to plan for the future (and more about a <i>future</i> way to raise taxes.)

Do you notice it is all about finding NEW Revenue sources with the State. Never do they just Maintain at Cost of Living levels. They just think you OWE them. It seems to be their right to get rich off of your sweat (show me someone leaving office that has not moved up a couple of Tax Brackets and have a locked in lucrative future).

The only time they deliver anything to the masses is only when they can directly profit from it. So what is the difference between The Governor and the Legislature and the Godfather and his Mob Bosses?

I am beginning to doubt that the voting machines are actually hooked up to anything. They just release whatever numbers they want. Nobody can possibly believe in these guys so much that they keep voting them back in.

I imagine they will eventually cooperate. Transportation tends to be fairly non-partisan in NJ, compared to many other places. Also note the lack of certain other issues (do you hear anyone complaining that various "undesirables" will be able to invade those well-heels suburbs from places like Plainfield of Philly?).

Looks like Hillsborough is getting the heavy hitters out for this per Wednesday's 2/13 edition of the Courier-News:

HILLSBORO: Senator could back West Trenton raiload plan

BY PAMELA SROKA-HOLZMANN
STAFF WRITER

Hillsborough officials seeking funds for the proposed $218 million
West Trenton Railroad reactivation plan are reaching out to state Sen. Frank Lautenberg for backing.

Last month, Hillsborough Mayor Anthony Ferrera called a meeting to discuss the issue, uniting state Sen. Kip Bateman, R-Somerville, Somerset County Freeholder Pat Walsh, representatives of Hopewell Borough, Assemblywoman Denise Coyle's office and the Somerset County Planning staff, as well as Montgomery Mayor Cecilia Xie Birge.

Ferrera now is planning to send a letter to Lautenberg's office requesting federal funding to advance the restoration of passenger rail service to Hillsborough, along New Jersey Transit's proposed 27-mile West Trenton rail line. To date, funding has not been identified for the project.

Ferrera said Tuesday the township needs the senator's help is seeking federal budget funds for several million dollars needed for start up costs.

A staff report received by Somerset County officials from NJ transit has indicated that $200,000 is needed to finalize the recently released environmental assessment prepared by NJ Transit and $18.5 million is needed for start up costs -- including preliminary engineering, surveys, land acquisition and the final design of the project.

Ferrera said the update will provide necessary data illustrating ridership
projections, land use patterns, and will include financial and planning impacts from other major transportation capital projects "planned or underway."

"I know many people view gaining a rail station that serves our community as pie in the sky. I don't," Ferrera said during Tuesday's Township Committee meeting. "As I said when New Jersey Transit released the environmental assessment on the rail line at the end of last year, Hillsborough will take the lead in this matter."

In 1982, the West Trenton line, owned by CSX, stopped passenger service and now offers only freight service. Aside from Hillsborough and Montgomery, the project has proposed train stations in Ewing, Hopewell Township and Hopewell Borough in Mercer County. The proposed line also would link the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) West Trenton Station in Ewing to NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line in Bridgewater, where service on the Raritan Valley Line continues to Newark Penn Station.

http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... 0880213035

This is a very good sign here, so lets see what happens.

Here's an addition to that per the Home-News Tribune in Today's (2/16) edition:

Lisa DiTaranti, assistant vice president for Systra Consulting, the firm handling the project for NJ Transit, said during a presentation in Hillsborough that there is a need to restore service because of projected population-growth figures and traffic on roads such as Route 206.

In Hillsborough, a station would be constructed near Royce Brook Road with access to ramps on Amwell Road in conjunction with the future Route 206 Bypass project. The project also ties in with township plans to create a transit-oriented village, which will feature commercial offices, retail spaces, residential development, access for pedestrians, bicyclists, vehicles, buses and cabs, parks and open space.

"Gaining passenger rail service for our area — including a station in Hillsborough — will be of great economic benefit to both Hillsborough and the other communities along the proposed rail line," Ferrera said. "We hope all the other communities along the proposed rail line will join us in sending letters endorsing the request for funds."

http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic ... 8802160316

Chessie GM50 wrote:I went to a meeting in hillsborough this week about the West Trenton line. It seemed to me like there were more people around that like the idea then I thought. (if your wondering, Hillsborough is a very NIMBYish township)

A rebuilt to full length platform Bridgewater would be the better transfer point I think, given the large available parking capacity there. The expresses would attract many riders using that station.

The problem with express service is that for most of its Raritan-Newark route, it is only double-tracked, and there would be a large problem with express vs. local service. It would even help if it were triple-tracked, because at least then, the express peak-hour trains could use the center track.

There is room for double tracking in Cranford and Westfield, however. But the real problem may be the Aldene Connection, which is only one track.

AMoreira81 wrote:

Chessie GM50 wrote:I went to a meeting in hillsborough this week about the West Trenton line. It seemed to me like there were more people around that like the idea then I thought. (if your wondering, Hillsborough is a very NIMBYish township)

A rebuilt to full length platform Bridgewater would be the better transfer point I think, given the large available parking capacity there. The expresses would attract many riders using that station.

The problem with express service is that for most of its Raritan-Newark route, it is only double-tracked, and there would be a large problem with express vs. local service. It would even help if it were triple-tracked, because at least then, the express peak-hour trains could use the center track.

There is room for double tracking in Cranford and Westfield, however. But the real problem may be the Aldene Connection, which is only one track.

It sure looks like the Aldene Ramp was designed for 2 tracks - there is plenty of room on it for another track - the problem is is the 2 tracks from Aldene to NK on Conrail!

AMoreira wrote:There is room for double tracking in Cranford and Westfield

It's already double-tracked through Cranford and Westfield. There's enough room for six tracks in Cranford, and five tracks in Westfield if not for the new high platforms being on the right of way where the local tracks used to be.

Jtgshu wrote:It sure looks like the Aldene Ramp was designed for 2 tracks - there is plenty of room on it for another track - the problem is is the 2 tracks from Aldene to NK on Conrail

There looks like there would be enough space to put in a third track, if the investment in adding enough fill to the elevated ROW (which is quite far away from houses in Union and Roselle Park, and even in Hillside). Why not? NJDOT spent enough to elevate the ROW back in 1967 (it used to be at-grade through Union before the Aldene Plan).

BTW, I'm sorry...I meant a THIRD track in that area.

so any new news on this line? any connection to bridgewater yet?