Lodi Branch Rehab?

[gravelyfan]

The PVL line hasn't seen a freight through westwood station in over 20 years!

Not quite true. Service to Beckerle Lumber in Spring Valley lasted until just after the NS takeover of the Conrail freight rights on the PVL. I happened to see the NS H81 in Spring Valley one day. Probably a good 10 years ago now.

[waldwickrailfan]

Friday I passed by the Lodi Branch and noticed something that looked like a bulldozer down the line. I saw it for a second or two so I couldnt tell exactly what it was. On my way back I stopped there for a few minutes and whatever was there was gone, but the track was put back in place with new ballast from the bottom of the hill to Route 17 crossing. Hopefully the NYSW starts using this again soon!

[Steve F45]

I wonder if they had a ballast train going down the line or if they just used a front loader to drop it. Im sure the line will get used, but only for storage. I dont see any new business's coming online at the end of the branch.

[Steve F45]

Big news for the Lodi branch!!! Well first the crossing on the route 17 s/b side has fallen apart and caused damage to cars, once on friday and again today. Emergency repairs will be taken place today to fix it temporarily. Good news? Towards the end of June both the northbound and southbound lanes of rt17 are going to be rehabbed with concrete crossings. Anyone who drives on this section of highway knows how bad they are and prays they dont get flats.

[riffian]

Even for New Jersey, this is an amazing waste of tax payer's monies.

[alewifebp]

Even for New Jersey, this is an amazing waste of tax payer's monies.

How do you figure? Since the Lodi Branch has not been abandoned, it is still considered active, and therefore the tracks can't just be paved over. I know from experience going over those tracks on Route 17 at highway speeds is a jarring experience to say the least. With the branch being, slowly, rehabbed, rail traffic can return at any time.

[L&HR C&S]

Yea, if any crossing in the state needs to be rebuilt with concrete, Rt 17 North and South are the ones. They take a relentless pounding from non stop highway traffic at 60mph. I would dare say that IMO, the crossings may have the highest per day traffic count in the state. I believe Flex Wrap is still recieving product by rail but has been having it trucked in from PC while the branch has been oos.

[riffian]

Not saying the crossing doesn't need rehabbing, just that they should remove the tracks and pave it in. That entire branch, which is really just a one mile spur, has been rehabbed in stages at taxpayers expense, even though not a single revenue car has moved over the line in years. There are no customers left and no likelihood of any in the future. This branch continues to attract public funding for no apparent purpose whatsoever. Makes you wonder doesn't it? After all this is New Jersey.

[airman00]

Well I for one am glad to see an old branch line saved, rather than torn up like so many others. Yes I understand the implications to taxpayers, but since the northern NJ area is just a shell of what it once was rail-wise, shouldn't we be more concerned with saving/preserving what's left rather than just rip it up? Everybody knows that once rail is gone, good luck getting it back or putting it back in.

[alewifebp]

I'm not sure exactly how the rules play out, but unless the NYS&W formally petitions to abandon the line, all crossings still have to be maintained in some fashion that they aren't just ripped up. If they formally abandon it, pave it over. Until that point, I don't think NJ, or any other state, has the authority to do it.

If you think this is bad for a little used spur, go down to Toms River (among many other places). A train hasn't run on those tracks in who knows how many years (well, someone here does, I'm sure of it), and the entire line is overgrown, yet crossing protection and tracks still exist on Route 37.

[millerm277]

Being rebuilt in the next two weekends. Rt-17 Sb will be closed this weekend, Nb will be closed next weekend.

http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2012 ... pairs.html

[airman00]

This is good! And the article said (and this is straight from NYSW spokesperson) that pontential for customers still exsist!

[SlowFreight]

Crossing on 17 today, I saw an excavator and Susquehanna high-rail truck working just north of the crossing, and rails have been cut and lined out of the way for about a half carlength on either side of the crossing.

Just curious, when I looked on maps.live, it showed long strings of what looked like C&D cars being loaded on the south end of the branch. They didn't look like they were being loaded with contaminated soil because that doesn't move in old woodchip cars. Any ideas? I'm not sure what year the imagery is from.

[lvrr325]

The money spent on this is so little in the grand scheme of things that it would just be spent elsewhere so whatever department can justify it's budget for next year if it wasn't used here.

[Steve F45]

highway was completed and opened up 26 hours ahead of schedule.