P.O. Box 283 November/December 2009 Millburn, NJ 07041 Lackawanna Coalition www.lackawannacoalition.net …An independent organization email: [email protected] advocating for better transit RAILGRAM Weekend Rail Service NJT Ventures into Connecticut Returns to Montclair Sunday Football Trains Mark First Through-Running By PAUL BUBNY With Metro-North Railroad

Montclair’s first scheduled Sunday train in 50 years ran By DAVID PETER ALAN on Nov. 8, as Transit began weekend rail service on the Montclair-Boonton Line from Hoboken to at Crossing state lines is nothing new for New Jersey Transit. Montclair’s eastern edge. Rail advocates, including the Lackawanna NJT goes to Penn Station, just as the Pennsylvania Railroad started Coalition, had pushed for the reinstatement of weekend trains since doing 99 years ago. Now, NJT equipment occasionally runs in the fall of 2002, when NJT began daily Midtown Direct service into revenue service as far east as New Haven, CT. New York Penn Station via the Montclair Connection. This fall marked the start of trains scheduled to take The limited weekend service will operate every two hours football fans from the Nutmeg State to the new Meadowlands during the day and every two to three hours during the evening. Stadium Station to cheer for their favorite team. The first trains ran Montclair residents, as well as passengers who board at the on September 20th, when the Jets played the New England Patriots. Bloomfield and Glen Ridge stations, have the option of transferring The “football specials” terminate at Secaucus Station, at Broad Street Station in Newark to Morris & Essex trains bound where fans change to other special trains that originate at Hoboken. for NYP. The Meadowlands Stadium Station is on a newly-constructed line “It’s a beginning,” said Donald Zief, chairman of that branches off from the , on non-electrified Montclair’s public transportation advisory committee, who railroad. Metro-North crews take the special trains from Connecticut pushed for reinstatement of weekend service along with committee to Penn Station over the Hell Gate Bridge Route, and then hand members Joe Borak and Jack May. He noted, however, that them over to NJT crews. While Metro-North and NJT have never the initial level of service was not what Montclair residents had used this routing before, Amtrak does it every day to run trains to expected. “We expected full one-seat-ride service directly into New and from Boston. York,” he said. Moreover, the town would have liked to see service Rail advocates, including the Lackawanna Coalition, extend further west than Bay Street, especially given the potentially have endorsed the through-running operation. George Haikalis, a high demand from Montclair State University students looking to Coalition member and Chair of the Regional Rail Working Group, travel into the city. said, “The football trains are a start, but only a start. The football Mitigating against the launch of weekend service on the specials prove that through-running between New Haven and Montclair-Boonton line in recent years were NJT’s renovations of Trenton is feasible and can be implemented without delay. With the Broad Street Station and Amtrak’s repairs to the Hudson River rail savings in time, equipment and money that through-running could tunnels, with work done primarily on weekends. Additionally, an bring, it is vital that this operation be implemented on a daily basis overpass on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair—directly over NJT as soon as possible. We should have through-running to celebrate the rails—is due for “major, major repair” that will require NJT to shut 100th anniversary of the original Penn Station next year.” off signals and power to overhead lines, Zief said. The fans seemed to enjoy their game day. They had trains However, a push by Montclair Mayor Jerry Fried and a to take them to the stadium and the Jets won 16-9 on the first day delegation of residents at an NJT Board meeting in June helped spur of the new service. An even bigger winner was New Jersey Transit, action. NJT ultimately adopted the Coalition’s frequent suggestion that who got the fans to the stadium and back to Connecticut successfully. trains on the Hoboken-to-Newark weekend shuttle should continue to Montclair—at no extra cost—instead of idling for an hour. The last regularly scheduled Sunday rail service to Montclair Rail Transit: The Green Transportation Option ended in 1959. Limited Saturday service continued until 1966.

HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Come to a Lackawanna Coalition meeting! Fourth Monday of the month, 7:15 p.m., Millburn Town Hall. precludes connections at Secaucus for Lackawanna Cutoff Project Clears Main-Bergen trains toward Suffern or Railgram Federal Environmental Hurdle Port Jervis, as well as the new service on the Pascack Valley Line. M&E riders David Peter Alan, Esq. Chairman/Publisher By PAUL BUBNY going to a point on any other rail line must spend an additional 60 minutes of Bob Hingel Advocates of the Lackawanna Cutoff project that would travel time to get where they are going. Vice Chairman restore passenger rail service to and from northeastern Pennsylvania While people who do not received welcome news in October as the Federal Transit Administration have access to an automobile must Paul Bubny cleared an environmental review of the line. The FTA issued a revised suffer this indignity, anybody who has Treasurer Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the 81 miles of proposed a car would be foolish to spend an track between Andover, NJ and Scranton, PA. Following the FTA’s extra hour sitting at Secaucus Station, Gary R. Kazin action, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania applied for federal stimulus where there is nothing to do; or in Recording Secretary funding for the project, with New Jersey’s endorsement. Newark, just to wait 50 to 59 minutes “This finding means the project can move forward,” for the next train. Editor for this Issue Paul Bubny according to the Penn Jersey Rail Coalition. Norman Ressler, A few years ago, M&E treasurer with the organization, told the Star-Ledger that the Cutoff weekend schedules allowed these connections, which have now become Contributors has “passed a major hurdle” with the FTA’s favorable FONSI ruling David Peter Alan impossible. We remind the management on the 81-mile Andover/Scranton segment. The agency issued Paul Bubny a similar ruling in September 2008 for the seven-mile segment at NJT that their primary business is to between Andover and Port Morris, NJ. provide transportation, and that includes Lackawanna Coalition “It is important to give commuters greater, more reliable transportation within the State of New P.O. Box 283 mass transit options and the Lackawanna Cutoff has great potential Jersey. The simple act of rescheduling Millburn, NJ 07041 to get cars off of Interstate Route 80 and eliminate other daily traffic M&E trains on weekends to allow the jams in northern New Jersey,” said Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R- connections that have been broken will NJ) in a statement. “The goal of the project is to provide commuters enable NJT to gain credibility for its with an alternative source of transportation into New York City claim that it serves New Jersey, and not just Manhattan. It will also bring while reducing traffic congestion and air pollution along I-80 and many new riders to the rails, when they learn that they can go from one other New Jersey highways.” place to another in New Jersey, easily, with convenient connections. The Lackawanna Coalition has endorsed the long-sought New lines and big monuments are exciting, and they Cutoff project, especially as it points the way toward eventually provide “photo ops” with politicians. Still, NJT’s job is to provide reinstating passenger rail service that would connect cities in western transportation for us, here in New Jersey. A few adjustments in the New York State with Scranton and the New York metropolitan rail schedules will help serve that purpose far more effectively than the area. The revised FONSI is available for review on the Web at service offered today. www.njtransit.com/lackawanna. Remembering Al Cafiero (1920-2009) Report From The Chair By DAVID PETER ALAN By DAVID PETER ALAN Albert L. Cafiero was a strong advocate for better transit Over the past few years, New Jersey Transit has given much in Bergen County until the end of his life, which came on Sunday, of its attention to the proposed new tunnels into Manhattan and August 23. The cause about which he was the most passionate was the the deep-cavern terminal that is slated to go with them. We, the construction of a light rail line on the former Erie Northern Branch to advocates for the region’s riders, have given much of our attention Tenafly, where he lived for the last 20 years of his life. He lived to see to opposing the deep-cavern terminal, which we believe would waste the New Jersey Transit Board of Directors approve the line for which money and not help the Garden State’s rail riders. he had fought so hard through the years, and he died six weeks after Recently, though, NJT has announced several service that approval was given. improvements. Through-running has been implemented for “football Al’s heritage railroad was the Erie, just as ours is the specials” from Connecticut to New Jersey. Light rail is coming to the Lackawanna. He proudly wore the Erie’s logo, the name “ERIE” Northern Branch. Weekend service is coming to Montclair, even though spelled out in a circle, surrounded by a diamond shape. He reminisced it will be limited. While we strongly urge that the service be upgraded about riding the Erie in 1922, and for many years after that. His goal, soon, this is a start. Connections for riders who wish to go between until the end of his life, was to see passenger service restored to the intermediate stops on the Morris & Essex Line and the stations that will former Northern Branch of the Erie. He was one of the last people to have weekend service are not bad; about a 10- to 15-minute wait. remember full-time service on that line, which ended in 1939. A few Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about connections peak-hour trains continued to run until 1966. He was never willing between the M&E and any other points within the State of New to settle for a “diesel shuttle” to take people from the Hudson-Bergen Jersey on any other rail line. The current inbound schedule for Light Rail Transit Line to Tenafly and stations in between. He wanted M&E trains on weekends precludes connections at Newark with electric light rail, and he lived to hear NJT promise it. the to Trenton or the Raritan Line. It also Al Cafiero often made passionate statements for better transit in Bergen County to the NJT Board at their monthly meetings. He Be sure to visit our was a hard act to follow, and this writer often had to follow him. NJT Executive Director Richard Sarles praised Cafiero for his advocacy improved and expanded website at activity and said that he would be honored with a brick in NJT’s Walk www.lackawannacoalition.net. of Fame. Al Cafiero’s legacy will be better transit for Bergen County, the cause he espoused for most of his long life.