Take The Train To The Game?

Bullwinkle: "Hey Rocky, ever see me try to pull a rabbit out of my hat?"
Rocky: "Not again!"
Bullwinkle: "This time for sure!!"

We shall see...

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/in ... 197581.xml

Hopefully, if this arena is built, they will construct the direct access to Penn Station using the existing CNJ bridge over McCarter Highway with escallators down to the Penn platforms. That will cover RVL, Shore, NEC, PATH, Buses, Subway, M&E via subway extension under construction, plus the lines connecting at Secaucus.

Let's see, 18000 fans, limited parking, all clamoring to get to/from the stadium. At 125 of them per car, that's 144 train cars, or at least 10 trains. Where ya gonna get the equipment? Whereya gonna stuff 18000 people waiting for the trains? At least in the Meadowlands you had the room for autos, and could build a nice 'loop' with staging tracks/areas for 'game specials'. Can you imagine the tie ups at Newark Penn before and after a game???

If that happens, just make sure that the train crews are assigned so that trains don't have to leave before the games are over because of work rules problems. That's what happened in Baltimore to the MARC rail service to Camden Yards---the trains had to pull out before the Orioles games were over because the train crews couldn't exceed a certain number of hours-- regardless of the status of the game. Not accepted well by O's fans--- especially when the games were Orioles- Yankee games!

Just think of the night when there is a Rangers game in MSG, and a Devils home game at Newark. The train will already be crowded out of NYP, then pulling into Newark to pick up all the Devil fans....oh boy.

I am not looking forward to this.....

If NJT was smart, they would make the tickets for the train included wiht the tickets for the game, and a receipt or stub is what htey would need for the trian ride home, for that day only, so if its not collected, its still no good, and can't be used again.

Because the crews are not going to be able to pass through the cars to collect the tickets, I can guarantee that.

CarterB wrote:Let's see, 18000 fans, limited parking, all clamoring to get to/from the stadium. At 125 of them per car, that's 144 train cars, or at least 10 trains. Where ya gonna get the equipment? Whereya gonna stuff 18000 people waiting for the trains? At least in the Meadowlands you had the room for autos, and could build a nice 'loop' with staging tracks/areas for 'game specials'. Can you imagine the tie ups at Newark Penn before and after a game???

It's not as if every single fan will be riding NJT trains! There are plans for at least one parking garage as part of the arena project area. There are several other parking lots and garages near the arena site and Penn Station, and I'm sure the parking-lot owner who held up one of the earlier arena plans (or one of his competitors) would see the benefit of building a multi-level parking facility on one of the ground-level lots. And we shouldn't forget NJT buses, which also run on Broad & Market Sts. and into Penn., and PATH trains, which will see increased ridership from arena events.

Maybe this will help advance the unfinished phases of NERL (or whatever it's called this week)!

A lot of fans are already riding the trains through Newark at rush hour, so I doubt there will be the need for additional trains. Even on Rangers game night, there is plenty of room on 10 pm and later trains. Parking will be available for 3000 cars, plus all the existing lots around Penn Station. Plus, many fans are going to want to get on at Broad St after the game. I suspect that the new Newark Subway extension might end up as the busiest of all the mass transit.

I always love riding the trains with the sports fans. Very alive bunch of people.

JLo wrote:A lot of fans are already riding the trains through Newark at rush hour, so I doubt there will be the need for additional trains. Even on Rangers game night, there is plenty of room on 10 pm and later trains.

I almost always work past 10pm, and catch seemingly all the "game trains", quite often, there is not any room on the trians, and depending on the game, if it was close, when it started, if people left early, OT, good game, bad game, all determine when people will leave the game to catch the next train or wait it out and not leave until the game is over, then catch the next train. Of course, not every train will get hit, but there typically is one that gets clobbered, and the others get the early leavers, or the straggelers.

I think quite possibly the worse train I ever worked was 2 years ago, 8 cars not even any standing room, it was a hot summer night, both the Yankees adn Mets were playing at home and we got both the crowds from both the games. People were throwing up left and right, picking fights, drinking, screaming yelling, it was horrible, and to top it off, we got delayed because Portal was stuck open for about 45 mintues. For my own safety, I did not even attempt to enter the cars, as it was impossible anyway due to the people, but a drunk toughguy is all I would have needed in my face about why we have been sitting in one place for so long......im almost sure one of us would have been going to jail, and it sure's hell wasn't gonna be me.

But worse than any baseball/hockey/basketball game is wrestling....oh jesus christ those trains are just the worst possible thing you could imagine....

So yes, this whole thing has the potential to be a real pain in the ass!!!!

So yes, this whole thing has the potential to be a real pain in the ass!!!!

I feel your pain, JT, but I would rather have them on the train than on the roads.

ok 3000 cars with 2 per car = 6000 fans another 3000 'walk ins' or 'bus ins' that only leaves 9000 fans @ 125 per car (assumming all the cars are empty) so we're down to 72 cars needed or 7 trains before and after the game. It's still gonna be a mess having a stadium in the middle of Newark!!! And those 3000 cars?? on McCarter Highway!!! you gotta be kidding!!!!

This all assumes, of course, that the Devils will sell out a game....which happens maybe 3 or 4 times a year!

On the other hand, between the proposed MISL expansion team and the MetroStars moving to Harrison, the soccer games will draw more fans--I've been to an international soccer match in Giants Stadium, and those fans are really committed to showing up! Especially the Latin communities in and surrounding Newark.

JLo wrote:

So yes, this whole thing has the potential to be a real pain in the ass!!!!

I feel your pain, JT, but I would rather have them on the train than on the roads.

Good point. Me too.

25,000+ commuters drive in and out of Newark everyday at rush hour. Somehow, it works. I know, I am often one of them. I don't think the ocassional 18,000 seat sell out (when Bruce plays) is going to break the place.

The real problem for JT is the few thousand that will be taking the train at the end of the game all at the same time. Some will clearly be headed for Secaucus to connect to Bergen/Main/Pascack trains or to NYC, some for points west and south on the NEC, RVL and NJCL. Some will be schlepping over to Broad St. I think it will not be as bad as JT thinks.

Sure, not all the time it won't be that bad, but there will be times, adn I think more often then you think, when things will get crazy, really crazy, especially when there are other events going on in other places, a concert or game at MSG or ball game at Shea or Yankee stadium or whatever.

Yes, all those tens of thousands of people go in and out of Newark during the rush hour periods. But how many trains are run during those times too? Your talking about between some periods dozens. How many will be running at 10, 11, 12am, not that many. And NJT is not going to willingly add trains before the games start or when they start. Only when there is an uproar will they add trains.

And when the games let out on the weekends, say an early afternoon game, on a saturday or sunday, letting out at 5 or 6pm. Trenton bound trains are pretty much already 10 or 12 cars full (2 of htem, local and express) where are these thousands of people gonna go??? They are giong to HAVE to have game trains with seperate crews waiting in Hudson yard to take Newark penn, because there simply isn't going to be any room!!! Late morning, early afternoon New York bound weekend locals from Trenton often times are leaving people at stations because tehre is no room, now add a few thousand more people trying to get to a game in Newark? AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAH

I would much rather them on the train too, instead of in their cars, but NJT is going to have to beef up the schedules, or things are gonna be a disaster.