Will the River Line be sucessful?

Poll #2----Let's try this one.









Any poll ideas? E-mail me.

Define successful-

In terms of operation, it seems to be a sucess already. The "vehicles" (to quote the media) are running, and seem to be carrying a decent amount of passengers. I understand there have been some schedule keeping problems, partly because of overcrowding and taking too long to load. I also read in the Trenton Times that there is a problem with one of the earliest morning runs not making an NEC connection. I'm sure all of this will be worked out, in time. The River LINE (and why that capitalization?) has been running, what, only ten days.

As to the overcrowding issue, on another thread someone suggested running longer trains. They have been operating mostly two unit sets, which is all they can run, as the platforms are only two units long. To run three units would requre double stopping at each station, and perhaps adding conductors to handle doors. I suspect that many of the riders this week have been casual riders, wanting to see what the River LINE is like, and that the numbers will level off.

In terms of success financially, never. This is a billion dollar project, and selling tickets at $1.10 each will scarcely put a dent in even the debt service on that kind of money. But then again, I'm not aware of any public transit that makes money. Not Amtrak, NJT, SEPTA, the MTA, etc. None of them-

Friends and I have been having a discussion about this, on and off, over several years. It is time that we, in this country, start to accept transit (all of the agencies above and more) as a public service, and be willing to fund them accordingly. Amtrak may never make a profit, but neither will the Army, Navy or Air Force. The military, or the government, isn't expected to make a profit.
Your local police force isn't run for profit, nor is the Interstate Highway System.

We just have to learn to accept the fact that certain services have to be maintained, and hope that the people operating them are capable of doing so at the lowest cost, while keeping acceptable service levels and following all safety procedures.

(Getting off soapbox-)

EDM5970 wrote:Define successful-Your local police force isn't run for profit, nor is the Interstate Highway System.

Don't tell the states that; the State Police in Pennsylvania and other states are using the interstate highway system to make tons of money. PA had a problem w/ garbage haulers, rightfully so as they should be hauling that on the rails, and they are fining all truck drivers huge numbers for, mostly, minor violations.

I had one unit stopped and he was cited for 11 items. None of the violations was severe enough to warrant placing the unit Out of Service but we received 11 tickets to the tune of over $1800.00.

My company hauls intermodal containers and the amount of fines is increasing faster than the cost of fuel. If this continues, everyone will be paying more as our industry delivers most of the imported items we use.

All the chassis related fines we pay are re-billed to the chassis owner and they will raise the costs of container shipements. That means your electronics, personal care items and most clothing and non-food items will increase as these costs are passed along.

Police officers that don't write enough tickets [generate revenue] loose out on promotions & raises. Same with the troopers inspecting trucks, they got this fancy laptop & printer & don't need to sit on radar patrol, etc. BUT if they don't stop enough truckls & write enough tickets, another trooper woll get the cushy assignment and the toys while the non-producer will go back to the assignments he dosen't like. tha sounds like a version of the profit motive to me!

Wis Bang--What are you talking about? How does this relate to the River Line?

I voted yes, and heres the simple math...

When a commuter has to spend 3.00 a gallon for gasoline this summer, just to sit in heavy traffic to get to Trenton, They will opt for the 1.10 (2.20 RTX) tickets to get to the NEC...

The only thing is that the RIVERLINE will have to add more trains as they get flooded with ridership. (which isn't bad either cause in the down season, excess equipment can be stored, or heavy repair and maintenance can be performed then)

Also, once the commuter realizes that the RIVERLINE is more reliable, cheaper, and less stressful than driving to the NEC, they won't be so quick to jump back in their cars.

Yes, Gasoline may very well hit 3.00 a gallon, but, this can be a positive. As more and more people reconsider mass transit, it will be a hot topic in the coming elections in New Jersey, and maybe this will be what it takes for the state to either drop the funding all together, or, fund NJT and other commuter projects the proper way so that they can get these expansions done in timely manners, and get the new equipment that they desperately need.

But to pay no attention to it, and continue to dwindle funding and make NJT make do, is wrong. Why is NJ funding Stem Cell Research? That money should be going to NJT instead.

On the same token however, NJT needs a management house cleaning, and some really responsible railroaders and bus operators put in there as replacements.

NJT won't get a management house-cleaning until the state and local governments themselves get house-cleanings. Imagine, the great tradition of nepotism, etc. nullified in NJ...? What will people think...?

Now that this line has been active for several months, has anyone changed their opinion or feelings about it? When I was up in New Jersey for the month of June, Mike DiMunno and I took our first trip from Camden to Trenton. We were so impressed that we took the trip again and I a third time. Also, I discovered that the Deputy Mayor of Atco, Tony Clark, a personal friend of mine, is Director of Security for the line. He answered many questions including that there is a strong possibility that a connection will be made with the Atlantic City Line in Delair. This would boost ridership for both lines. Write your comments and experiences--Thank you.

I was impressedd with the Rive LINE when I rode it last week...the operation seemed to be smooth and quick. It also seems like it has been more a case of "build it and they will come" rather than the result of market research; in fact I believe market research dissed the idea and the politicos pushed for it. One smart and impressive thing I saw was the notice about a Job Fair for empoyers and potential employees located along the line...shows me some smarts somewhere. As time goes along and that corridor grows (traffic builds along parallel roads in NJ and PA) this line will sure come into its own even if it isn't in the next 60 days or 60 weeks.
As a fan from out of the area, how easy or difficult is it to set up and photograph between end points? I noticed from the trip a few places which might prove interesting for pics.