WoH Port Jervis Line Service, Studies, Work, Status

The idea makes a lot of sense. No one is going to use the current Harriman station now. From Penn, that would be 2 trains and a possibly inconvenient taxi (where you could always run the risk of missing the train back). I'd say the transfer at Secaucus, for now, is reasonable for a direct ride to the Commons. I think it could attract a lot of riders as that place, for some reason, is known around the World.

Is there any documented source that says this new station will now go forward with the realignment?

On the other hand, it would be nice to have a train station closer to Woodbury Commons since not only do you have the shopping center, but you have Rt. 17. Also, remember, Exit 16 of the Thruway is right here as well as the location being closer to Bear Mtn State Park. I don't think Metro North has any short term plans to build a station near the commons but it would really help. At least, run shuttles meeting most of the trains at Harriman.

"Show me the money."

If I were MNR, that would be my message to the owners of Woodbury Commons. If the outlet mall wants its own station, they can pay for it. After all, the mall and its tenants would be the biggest beneficiary if the trains do, in fact, bring more shoppers there. It might even be reasonable to have this station replace the existing Harriman station (so there aren't 2 stations too close to one another on a diesel line), if the project were to include ample parking for the commuters who currently use Harriman.

Then again, maybe the outlet mall doesn't want a station right there. Last time I drove to NYC via 17 and made a quick stop at Woodbury en route, the parking lot was PACKED. If there are also numerous busloads of shoppers in addition to the full lot, maybe the mall doesn't see a need to invest in building a train station. While any retailer would usually welcome more and more shoppers, there's also a point where being overcrowded can be a bad thing.

I know MTA pays NJT to operate on the Port Jervis line, but which of the two agencies determines if/how many stops will be made in NJ by Port Jervis trains? I know it is probably a moot point given the probable Great Notching of Garfield Station, but all PJ trains except the 1240am from Hoboken include the new Wesmont station in the schedule. In the interest of revenue and ridership, I think it would be better if Wesmont as well as Rt 17 were included in some of the Port Jervis locals and less-utilized stations like Mahwah and Ho Ho Kus were skipped.

As of right now, Wesmont has lower ridership than Garfield and Mahwah which are the lowest ridership stations on the line, so how about NO at this time? If Wesmont gains enough ridership then your question deserves consideration, but as of right now that is not the case.

Furthermore people do not seem to understand what occurred with Great Notch. Great Notch was the first stop after MSU. It was never a busy stop, but after the NYC direct trains reached MSU and the parking garage was built people had no reason to use the station even if they lived next to it -- why change trains when you could drive 5 minutes and be on a direct train to the city? Only a few commuters who had jobs in NJ (probably Newark or Jersey City) were left. Mahwah has a similar problem -- why take a local (or even a semi-express) when you can do a short drive and take an express from Rt17 or Suffern? The time savings more than compensate for the driving even for people living close to the station(there are other costs such as the parking at Rt17). I do not know what the future of Garfield station holds, but this sort of dynamic is missing, so it is not clear that the outcome will be the same -- at the end of the day, they did not reduce service to Garfield when Wesmont opened.

The full parking lot isn't opened yet being a reason. Garfield's parking lot has been closed for months. in time it'll be getting a great notching..

MTA has no interest in their trains stopping at Wesmont. Ideally there would be no Port Jervis locals. Hopefully that's what eventually happens. The only reason they stop at Rt 17 is because it was a relief for overcrowded parking lots along the PJ line. It will be interesting to see what happens when they expand service and build the midpoint yard.

ShortLine Bus does the same with its Orange County service; most trips are express on NJ Route 17, though Ridgewood Park/Ride is a stop for some.

Thanks all. Does anyone know the logistics of who exactly determines if and how many stops a pjl train makes in nj? In other words, Does the mta in essence pay NJT to have a pjl train skip stops in nj and thus cover whatever lost revenue incurred by skipping said stops?

I like the prospect of a new moodna bridge. The current one is over a century old and the so called improvements the mta implemented seem nothing more than a sand blast and a paint job.

As for Stewart airport short line already provides service there. Besides is it really necessary to spend money to have rail access to an airport with very few direct flights?

Out of curiosity how much freight is moved on the graham line versus the old Lehigh and hudson line? Perhaps east penn should lease the tracks in campbell hall to mnr and utilize the yard in grey court junction.

I believe NJT and MTA share the cost of running trains that make stops in both states

Another Port Authority debacle. They took over that airport probably close to 10 years ago with intentions of making it the regions 4th major airport. Now there are probably fewer flights than there were back then

Exactly. And short line operates out of the port authority so why involve the mta?

Oh I see. I guess the number of stops it makes in jersey hinges on scheduling logistics and not on financial logistics.

There are Pascack Valley Trains that MN wanted, that NJT did not...so therefore they skip the NJ stops.