PhilliesPhan2013 wrote:
Going by what you said, do you think that Bethlehem service could be feasible with an aggressive advertising strategy by SEPTA, new DMUs or dual-mode MUs and possibly new bilevel coaches, and a more prominent station? I have read that the old Bethlehem station was run down, unsafe, and that the parking lot consisted of a rock bed. I don't know what the Allentown station was like, however. Also, would you happen to know why Valley-bound trains didn't stop at Easton?
We also now have the Commuter Tunnel, as well as a covered connection to the BSL at Fern Rock Station. Could this possibly be attractive to some Valley commuters? There is no longer a need to walk from Reading Terminal to Suburban Station.
DMU’s would be impractical. Despite pleas, the CCT was built without ventilation for diesel engines. So one would have to transfer which didn't work for the short lived Quakertown shuttle in '81 and the Newtown-Fox Chase line in '82. Check out this article (
http://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/02/2 ... expansion/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and my comments about it. In the ‘70’s the most anyone could accomplish on a train was reading and writing. Now you can get a lot more done. Who wants to pack up everything and step outside into 90° or 10° weather to switch trains? Duel modes like the ALP-45DP could be an answer as long as the grades along the Bethlehem Branch don’t have an adverse effect on the acceleration. Also clearance issues have to be determined before committing to bi-level coaches.
Union Station was the definition of urban blight for decades. The parking lot which I think was either gravel or poorly maintained asphalt is now covered by the new 2nd St. ramp. After the canopy collapsed on the center platform, most people waited under the original 2nd St. ramp. I also remember signs telling people to park at their own risk. The Allentown stop was the old LV platform at the site of the razed LV passenger station. RJ Corman uses the line to access their yard north of Linden St in Allentown.
The Reading didn’t have to go to Easton. First of all, the Lehigh Valley went there from Union Station. Also the Jersey Central served Easton, and since the Reading controlled CNJ, they affectively did serve Easton. But if you look at the bridge across the Lehigh, it goes the northwest towards Allentown. Trains would have to turn around or at least the engine would.
The connection at Fern Rock is a peculiar thing. Built for the railworks project in the ‘90’s it seems to have limited usefulness. I’ve never understood why Phillies fans get off there. Wait until you reach Suburban and now you don’t have to wait outside for the subway. Unless you have to go somewhere between Fern Rock and north of North Phila. Stations, might as well get off at North Broad or Temple U. stops. I haven’t seen any data, but I’m willing to venture a guess that most Lehigh Valley area commuters don’t work in the city, but do work in the Philly suburbs, since that’s where the office parks are located.