Commuter rail lines build and rebuild to meet rising demand - 1990-1991 Commuter Railroad Planner's Guide

Railway Age, Nov, 1990 by Douglas John Bowen

Two new commuter services commenced in 1990, and a third commuter agency acquired its own property during the year. Despite the pressure of an uncertain economy, many systems continue to implement expansion plans.

Boston: The first four bi-levels have entered service for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), with 71 more to follow. MBTA also is completing final design and selection procedures for extending service on its Ipswich line to Newburyport, but state budget problems have postponed other service extensions to Framingham/Worcester and Stoughton/ New Bedford/Fall River.

MBTA "plans to submit a final Environmental Impact Statement to UMTA by year's end" on service restoration along the Old Colony lines, according to spokesman Peter Dimond. Two routes have received public support, but pockets of opposition" over service to Weymouth and Hingham have cast doubt on a third line.

New Haven: Connecticut DOT began service from Old Saybrook to New Haven on May 29, providing free service throughout June to win over potential customers. About 470 monthly passes were issued in October, supplemented by "an inordinate amount of cash fares," according to a ConnDOT's Richard Rathbun, director, rail operations. Almost one-fourth of all riders connect with Metro-North New Haven trains for points further west; "the balance goes right to New Haven," where shuttle bus connections provide free transfers for pass riders. Private shuttles also appear to have attracted ridership.

Service is provided by two F7 engines and 10 coaches purchased by ConnDOT from Pittsburgh's PATrain operations, supplemented by three leased locomotives. ConnDOT has ordered 20 new Bombardier coaches-10 for Metro-North services west of New Haven, and 10 for Shore Line East expansion, possibly to New London.

Chicago: Metra continues to evaluate several new rail start-ups. One is a circumferential route to serve cross-suburban traffic; an initial 28-mile leg would cost $53 million. A 25-mile extension would link Des Plaines to Antioch, near the Wisconsin border.

Existing routes may see increased activity first, according to Chris Knapton, director of public information. "In 1991, we're going to see emphasis on the reverse-commuter market. Our goal is to run no deadhead trains."

Metra is entering a negotiated bid process to add 173 gallery cars to its existing fleet of 686, and hopes to convince the winning railcar supplier to establish a manufacturing facility within its service area.

Northern Indiana: Often overshadowed by Metra, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District K'NICTD) became a true operating entity of its own in the past year. NICTD first acquired passenger service operations from the former Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad in December 1989; this fall, NICTD plans to purchase the 68 miles of track and right-of-way, with assistance from an UMTA grant.

NICTD also will receive $2.5 million in operating assistance yearly from the state of Indiana. The commitment is now there from state and local governments and the private sector," says John Robbins, director, marketing and planning.

NICTD plans to expand its fleet of 41 electric MU cars to 58, using part of the UMTA grant monies to purchase additional cars from Sumitomo. The agency rents one diesel car set of eight cars from Metra to bolster its fleet.

Indiana has asked NICTD to examine continuation of service to Valparaiso, now operated by Amtrak but scheduled to end December 31. Another route serving West Lake County, along the Indiana-Illinois border, also is being reviewed.

New Jersey: Hampered by a budget freeze, New Jersey Transit has frozen or reduced its operations. Most of the corporation's capital dollars are targeted toward rehabilitation of its Arrow MU fleet and the purchase of 50 Bombardier Comet Ill coaches. One project, the Waterfront Connection, may begin limited operation in midsummer 1991, linking Amtrak's Northeast Corridor to NJT's Morris & Essex Lines and the Hudson River Waterfront.

New York: Morrison Knudsen will supply Metro-North Commuter Railroad with 39 M-6 triple-unit cars, while an additional 10 Bombardier coaches and 2 diesel locomotives are to be purchased for its West-ofHudson servicers. M-N also has begun studying potential access to Amtrak's Pennsylvania Station via both Amtrak's Hell Gate Bridge approach and the new West Side Connection along the Hudson River. M-N continues to upgrade its own trackage and signal systems on its three major electrified rail routes, and hopes to tap additional reverse-commute traffic.

Meanwhile, the Long Island Rail Road expects to receive 10 bi-level cars "for experimental use" by March 1991. But the new cars, designed by Comenge of Australia and manufactured by Mitsui Tokyu Car Co., may see only limited service until the LIRR's three rebuilt FL9 dual-mode locomotives are delivered in early 1992.

Philadelphia: The Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) hopes to establish a cross-county commuter line from Downingtown, Pa. to Morrisville, near Trenton, N.J., providing a cross-suburban route which also would link SEPTA's radial routes servicing Philadelphia. Route extensions from Norristown to Pottstown, and from Elwyn to Wawa, are being considered under SEPTA's 10-year plan.