(OK, the scansion needs a lot of work.) The idea of a transportation authority is very simple. By isolating an important public function from direct interference (and oversight) from elected officials, you can create an atmosphere of continuity and stability that allows the authority to issue bonds without undue distress (in the form of higher […]
Category Archives: PATCO
Hold this thought
New Jersey Senate committee approves transit agency consolidation: Should SEPTA and PATCO combine their commuter rail operations? Would North Jersey commuters be better served if PATH trains were run by NJ Transit or New York City’s MTA? A plan to consider such mergers cleared a New Jersey Senate panel this week. … The resolution proposes […]
In the land of the unmoving, a limping transit system is king
Philadelphia had a rough day today, as up to a foot of snow fell on most of the region in a storm that arrived faster and lingered longer than initial forecasts had predicted. As the deep Arctic freeze settles in for the night, it’s worth commending SEPTA and PATCO, while they took considerable lumps, for […]
One more trip around the sun
Happy New Year! Time to ring in 2014 with a whole palletload of service changes! SEPTA Transit is on a Modified Weekday schedule today, and detours related to setup for the Mummers Parade will start at 10:00am. Extra trips will run on the El and Subway at around 7:00pm and midnight for those going to […]
The Pennsauken Transit Center is open. Was it worth it?
Yesterday, at 5:39a, the first scheduled passenger service pulled into the new Pennsauken Transit Center, NJT’s newest rail station connecting the River Line and the Atlantic City Line. Festivities, dedications and a general atmosphere of celebration have settled over South Jersey. But was this station really what South Jersey, and the Atlantic City Line in […]
Weekend Update, October 5-6
Happy weekend! With everybody’s attention riveted to the ongoing Federal Government Shutdown, here’s what you need to know if you’re planning to distract yourself with a day out this weekend. Lansdale/Doylestown is bustituting between Lansdale and Doylestown for catenary work. Shuttle bus schedule here. This is third of seven planned work weekends. Media/Elwyn is once […]
Weekend Update
Happy weekend! Pennsylvania’s SB1 Transportation funding bill may be back from the dead; I’ll have more by tomorrow morning, or you can look in on the Pittsburgh Comet or Keystone Politics for the fast update, or if you’ve forgotten what SB1 actually does, there’s the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from June. Meanwhile, we have a big weekend […]
Ride-and-park Reverse Commuting
A bleary-eyed man staggers, coffee mug in hand, into the depths of Market East Station. In the pre-dawn gloom, he makes his way to Track 2, and boards a train. Fifty nine minutes and twenty ounces of coffee later, the train pulls in to West Trenton station. The man, fully awake and caffeinated, has caught […]
Why isn’t PATCO free?
According to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, South Jersey drivers are moving away from their cars, at least when crossing the Delaware. Car traffic on the Delaware River Port Authority’s four bridges was down 1.76% in 2012, and PATCO ridership was up 1.6%, in the first full year after a 10% PATCO fare hike and a […]
