Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
All I have really been saying is that we are all humans and humans make mistakes. Some people have a hard time remembering to put gas in their vehicles. With the EVs taking time to charge, some will forget to charge until it is too late. It will take time to adjust to a new vehicle, a new system.
I am just disappointed that we have not pushed for cars to have better fuel economy so they could be competitive with the EVs.
If you ever get a chance, take a ride down to Portland PA and take a good look at the old Viaduct railroad bridge. You turn off Route 611 on Slateford Road just north of Portland so you can park and get a good look. That bridge is one of the major impairments to getting rail service to our area. It is also restricting lane expansion to Route 80. It was built between 1908 and 1910 and is now crumbling.
I get that. EVs now have a pretty decent buffer for if you forget to charge or if there's something that suddenly comes up. The argument Nissan made with the first generation Leaf at 73 miles of range was that it was well within the vast majority of commuter usage roundtrips. However, people still had problems with that range because one might forget to or can't charge for multiple days in a row, or the day is extremely cold, or sometimes things happen where you suddenly need that car to go somewhere out of your daily commute or some combination of those. I think that's the scenario that you're painting and with a 73 mile range vehicle, there really wasn't much of a buffer to have those things happen. Now, the best-selling EV in the US isn't the Nissan Leaf anymore (which currently has a minimum rated range on the base model of 151 miles), but the Tesla Model 3 SR+ which has 263 miles of range and so the buffer is a lot larger than before. It won't cover all circumstances like someone who has a 200+ mile daily commute and can't charge at both ends, but it does cover the majority of use cases with a sizable buffer.
I'm also disappointed that we haven't pushed for better fuel economy. I do think it's telling that the highest fuel economy combustion engine vehicles have mostly been hybrids whether with a plug or not. It's simply really difficult to create a much more efficient internal combustion engine that can be economically produced. There's also the fact that electric motors are also essentially generators so vehicles with electric motors can engage in regenerative braking where the motors are then used as generators to slow the vehicle and in the meantime charge up the batteries and recover some of that kinetic energy--that's actually a component in why hybrid internal combustion engine vehicles have higher fuel economies and why EVs are so efficient.
I would love to get the chance, though I have to admit I haven't been traveling much in the recent past. I understand the infrastructure is crumbling in many parts, but the right-of-way is still there and some parts aren't in as bad of a condition. It's not completely starting from scratch and an extension to Scranton for a Scranton to NYC line already has some of that route in operation. I do hope that were this to happen, that maybe this could also get funding as a technological showcase of sorts and to have battery electric rolling stock like that launched in recent years in various parts of the world.
I would love to get the chance, though I have to admit I haven't been traveling much in the recent past. I understand the infrastructure is crumbling in many parts, but the right-of-way is still there and some parts aren't in as bad of a condition. It's not completely starting from scratch and an extension to Scranton for a Scranton to NYC line already has some of that route in operation. I do hope that were this to happen, that maybe this could also get funding as a technological showcase of sorts and to have battery electric rolling stock like that launched in recent years in various parts of the world.
Travel from your computer with Google 'Earth'. Try to follow the old rail lines from Stroudsburg to Andover, NJ. Then tell us whether or not you think rail will happen in the near future. It is easier to go to Andover and look just a little south, where you can first see the old tracks, and then work backwards to the old Viaduct.
It is even difficult to see NJ's new work to extend the tracks to Andover.
Travel from your computer with Google 'Earth'. Try to follow the old rail lines from Stroudsburg to Andover, NJ. Then tell us whether or not you think rail will happen in the near future. It is easier to go to Andover and look just a little south, where you can first see the old tracks, and then work backwards to the old Viaduct.
It is even difficult to see NJ's new work to extend the tracks to Andover.
Oh, I've seen that in google earth and in pictures. It's not really that difficult to demolish and rebuild as it's not really a particularly novel engineering feat to re-establish this line. I think the trickier thing is that that for some reason, US capital construction costs for infrastructure for like projects are usually multiple times more expensive than that of other developed countries.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 12-11-2020 at 11:33 AM..
Oh, I've seen that in google earth and in pictures. It's not really that difficult to demolish and rebuild as it's not really a particularly novel engineering feat to re-establish this line. I think the trickier thing is that that for some reason, US capital construction costs for infrastructure for like projects are usually multiple times more expensive than that of other developed countries.
I believe that you should see it to fully understand the problem. It is massive and, of course it goes over the river, and over I-80. If PennDOT was in charge of the demolition you would have to live two lifetimes to see it completed. Today we would rather spend money studying a problem than fixing a problem.
All of that said; there are still no plans for rail service to our area in the foreseeable future.
Scranton will never have this. It is an absurd fantasy.
Nobody even wants to go to NYC or there would be competition. Martz and Greyhound charging $60 one way is proof.
Even if they built it these trains in the USA suck. What? Get on the train at 4:30AM so you can arrive at Lackawanna station in Hoboken by 9AM like in 1950?
It may be a few years from completion, but the project to build a commuter rail station in Andover is in full effect.
The station could mean relief to the thousands of commuters in Sussex County who are forced to drive to New York City because they don’t live close to a train station. The location along Roseville Road in Andover is now under development. The plan includes building the station, rehabbing the 111-year-old Roseville Tunnel and adding 8,000 feet of track.
Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer has been pushing to get this project moving. “You’ve got in this area about 30,000 people who commute every day,” Gottheimer says. “My goal is to get this stop built in the next couple of years and get Amtrak and New Jersey Transit to get all the approvals to finally build it out.” The project would link Sussex to New York City to the east, while continuing west into Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Here we go again with the choo-choos. Someone mentioned to me that Congressman Matt Cartwright was in East Stroudsburg yesterday with a safety vest on like he was surveying the tracks there. Blowing the horn for Amtrak to come to the area.
More nonsense, er, I mean, news for people holding their breath.
It may be a few years from completion, but the project to build a commuter rail station in Andover is in full effect. The station could mean relief to the thousands of commuters in Sussex County who are forced to drive to New York City because they don’t live close to a train station. The location along Roseville Road in Andover is now under development. The plan includes building the station, rehabbing the 111-year-old Roseville Tunnel and adding 8,000 feet of track.
Apparently nobody at NJ12 bothers to fact-check what they are told. Fewer than 2,000 commuters from Sussex County go into Manhattan. Of those 2,000 how many of them already take a bus or a train?
Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer has been pushing to get this project moving. “You’ve got in this area about 30,000 people who commute every day,” Gottheimer says. “My goal is to get this stop built in the next couple of years and get Amtrak and New Jersey Transit to get all the approvals to finally build it out.” The project would link Sussex to New York City to the east, while continuing west into Scranton, Pennsylvania.
There are NJT stations in Netcong, Hackettstown, and Mount Olive. Netcong has been there forever, and the other two almost 30 years. Combined average daily ridership is less than 200, with Mount Olive serving only 16 riders per day. Yet politicians talk about "thousands".
Here we go again with the choo-choos. Someone mentioned to me that Congressman Matt Cartwright was in East Stroudsburg yesterday with a safety vest on like he was surveying the tracks there. Blowing the horn for Amtrak to come to the area.
More nonsense, er, I mean, news for people holding their breath.
I'm in favor of trains, and if it's just me and one of my sons going to a ballgame in Queens we take NJT from Dover to get to Manhattan. But that's a rare occasion, and a train from East Stroudsburg is not likely to offer a convenient schedule for me in that situation.
These politicians love spending money on boondoggles.
Until the anti-rail hegemony is defeated, rail renaissance is a forlorn hope.
Part of the problem is the government. When you dig into the history, it's obvious that there was collusion between the government and the competition to destroy American rail - first the urban and interurban trains - then passenger rail (in the 1970s).
Frankly, if we could get government out of the way, we might see some progress.
I'd prefer zero government meddling & subsidy... Abolish the Federal Railroad Administration! In addition, grant rail 100% tax exemption and things will dramatically change for the better.
Apparently nobody at NJ12 bothers to fact-check what they are told. Fewer than 2,000 commuters from Sussex County go into Manhattan. Of those 2,000 how many of them already take a bus or a train?
There are NJT stations in Netcong, Hackettstown, and Mount Olive. Netcong has been there forever, and the other two almost 30 years. Combined average daily ridership is less than 200, with Mount Olive serving only 16 riders per day. Yet politicians talk about "thousands".
I'm in favor of trains, and if it's just me and one of my sons going to a ballgame in Queens we take NJT from Dover to get to Manhattan. But that's a rare occasion, and a train from East Stroudsburg is not likely to offer a convenient schedule for me in that situation.
These politicians love spending money on boondoggles.
Yeah, money they don't have. Again, for this fantasy to become reality, our region would need billions. The allocation for this choo-choo dream for the whole country is 700+ million. Other regions have their wish list as well. I have taken NJT into the city plenty but not enough for me to get excited about this horse and pony show that the politicians gin up on occasion. I hope I am wrong but my grandchildren may not see it how things are going.
Until the anti-rail hegemony is defeated, rail renaissance is a forlorn hope.
Part of the problem is the government. When you dig into the history, it's obvious that there was collusion between the government and the competition to destroy American rail - first the urban and interurban trains - then passenger rail (in the 1970s).
Perhaps Mussolini reborn can help with that. And they'll run on time, to boot!
Quote:
Frankly, if we could get government out of the way, we might see some progress.
I'd prefer zero government meddling & subsidy... Abolish the Federal Railroad Administration! In addition, grant rail 100% tax exemption and things will dramatically change for the better.
NYC is trying to roll out a $23.00 daily tax on driving your car in midtown Manhattan on weekdays. What you need to get people riding trains, is a $23.00 tax on driving your car on any interstate highway in the morning and a $23.00 evening tax, Monday through Friday. That'll get those deplorables out of their cars and onto the trains. Of course, I work from home, so...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
