Great News - if for real - New PATH Capacity

[JCGUY]

If this capacity expansion plan comes to fruition on some reasonable timetable it would be a wonderful development.

If anyone has advice as to how a mere rider could help prod the PA to get this accomplished, I'd love to hear it.

http://www.nj.com/hudsoncountynow/index ... _deal.html

[Terry Kennedy]

If this capacity expansion plan comes to fruition on some reasonable timetable it would be a wonderful development.

The PA has been running 7 car trains on that line since it re-opened after 9/11. There shouldn't be any reason why they couldn't run 8 car trains right now.

A later article at http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/index.s ... xml&coll=3 says that the Exchange Place station needs to be modified to support longer trains. It was already extended as part of the post-9/11 reconstruction. I haven't measured it to see if it can handle a full 10 cars now, but I'd be very surprised if it can't, as the PA has long wanted to lengthen platforms on this line and the reconstruction gave them that opportunity.

As Newark, Journal Square, Exchange Place (probably), and the WTC stations can handle longer trains now, the PA could use the old "first car does not open at Exchange Place" method to cut out 2 cars at Harrison and Grove and run 10 cars - if they had enough spare cars in the fleet to do so.

But, as I mentioned above, they used to run 8 cars and could do so again.

[arrow]

Wasn't there something added to the PA-1 through PA-3 after the PA-4 came out that prevented the first door in the first car and the last door in the last car from opening since the PA-4 end doors were too far off the platform? Maybe this can be reactivated and used?

[Terry Kennedy]

Wasn't there something added to the PA-1 through PA-3 after the PA-4 came out that prevented the first door in the first car and the last door in the last car from opening since the PA-4 end doors were too far off the platform? Maybe this can be reactivated and used?

Yes, that was one component of the R retrofit for PA-4 compatibility. But it wasn't used - instead, PATH settled for "the first car will not open at Exchange Place" eastbound (westbound didn't have a problem due to different platform geometry).

Those controls are still on the PA-1 through -3 cars, under a cover plate that is screwed down.

[Terrapin Station]

In the following link, PATH says they will be spending:

$659 million to upgrade and modernize all 13 PATH stations, including the installation of 10-car platforms at the Harrison and Grove Street stations that will allow 10-car trains to operate on the congested Newark-to-World Trade Center line. Currently, seven-car trains run on the Newark-to-World Trade Center line

http://panynj.gov/AboutthePortAuthority ... hp?id=1027

[Head-end View]

For as long as I can remember PATH has always stationed the conductor at the connection between the 1st and 2nd cars, as compared to NYC Subways having the conductor at the mid-point of an 8 or 10 car train. . I guess this was fine in the PATH era of shorter 4 to 6 car trains. But if they're going to run longer trains than 7 cars, I wonder if they will still have the conductor up front. It might be hard to scan the platform for the whole length of such a long train. I think NYCT's procedure is better; the conductor only needs to see down half the train length before closing the doors. Anyone know if PATH intends to change this?

[PONYA]

Video monitors on the new PA '5 will assist both the Engineer and Conductor that the doors are closed and clear. PATH operates both employees up front mainly due to the number of field employees geting dropped off/picked up between stations. Also employee platforms Harrison Yard and east of Journal Square 1 door only

Safety for the passengers riding 2 employees usually in the first or second car and the Conductor not behind a door makes passengers at least in theory feel more secure. Communication is easier during emegencies and cab radio failure. Conductor can have Engineer use his portable radio.

[Head-end View]

Yes, most of that makes sense. I've seen the conductors "key" employees on and off many times and obviously it is easier when conductor and engineer are up front. I guess it works for PATH............... But I don't think we should depend on video cameras to scan the platform before closing doors. What happens when the video camera breaks down, which they certainly will?

[Sean@Temple]

Cameras are used on the Market-frankford line in Philadelphia because of the non full length cabs and a combination of island and wall platforms. 5 years in Philly and I saw the system not working maybe once. I am not saying that just because it works in Philly, PATH should use it, just that such systems do exist and they do work.

Sean

[OportRailfan]

the newark light rail/city subway has cameras on the sides of their cars, and although they are much shorter than the path consists, they do their job pretty well